Edexcel GCSE English Literature - Conflict Poetry Flashcards

A complete 90-card vocabulary deck focusing on themes, methods, interpretations, and comparison partners across all 15 poems in the Edexcel Conflict collection.

Edexcel Conflict Collection Quantity

15

Anthology Exam Question Format

One Conflict poem is printed in the paper and you compare it with another Conflict poem you choose.

Poetry Comparison Requirements

Ideas plus the poets' use of language, form, structure and relevant context.

Conflict Anthology Learning Method

As a network of themes and comparison partners, not as 15 isolated essays.

Conflict Poetry Quotation Rule

Learn a few short, accurate anchor quotations from the authorised anthology and know what each one can prove.

A Poison Tree - Author

William Blake

A Poison Tree - Themes

anger, resentment, revenge.

A Poison Tree - Methods

extended metaphor; contrast; cyclical development.

A Poison Tree - Core Interpretation

Conflict grows when anger is hidden rather than resolved.

A Poison Tree - Comparison Partners

The Man He Killed; Catrin.

The Destruction of Sennacherib - Author

Lord Byron

The Destruction of Sennacherib - Themes

war, power, destruction.

The Destruction of Sennacherib - Methods

biblical imagery; sound; contrast.

The Destruction of Sennacherib - Core Interpretation

Human military power is shown as vulnerable to a greater force.

The Destruction of Sennacherib - Comparison Partners

The Charge of the Light Brigade; Exposure.

Extract from The Prelude 'Boating' - Author

William Wordsworth

Extract from The Prelude 'Boating' - Themes

nature, fear, power, memory.

Extract from The Prelude 'Boating' - Methods

first-person narrative; imagery; shift in tone.

Extract from The Prelude 'Boating' - Core Interpretation

A confident experience becomes frightening when the speaker confronts overwhelming power.

Extract from The Prelude 'Boating' - Comparison Partners

Exposure; Belfast Confetti.

The Man He Killed - Author

Thomas Hardy

The Man He Killed - Themes

war, absurdity, guilt, shared humanity.

The Man He Killed - Methods

conversational voice; irony; hesitation.

The Man He Killed - Core Interpretation

The speaker questions the logic of killing someone who could otherwise have been a friend.

The Man He Killed - Comparison Partners

Exposure; The Charge of the Light Brigade.

Cousin Kate - Author

Christina Rossetti

Cousin Kate - Themes

class, gender, power, betrayal.

Cousin Kate - Methods

dramatic monologue; contrast; repetition.

Cousin Kate - Core Interpretation

A powerful person exploits a socially vulnerable speaker, but the speaker ultimately asserts value and identity.

Cousin Kate - Comparison Partners

The Class Game; Half-caste.

Exposure - Author

Wilfred Owen

Exposure - Themes

war, suffering, nature, futility.

Exposure - Methods

repetition; pararhyme; personification; cyclical structure.

Exposure - Core Interpretation

Soldiers suffer through waiting, weather and hopelessness as much as through direct battle.

Exposure - Comparison Partners

The Charge of the Light Brigade; The Man He Killed.

The Charge of the Light Brigade - Author

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

The Charge of the Light Brigade - Themes

war, duty, courage, sacrifice.

The Charge of the Light Brigade - Methods

rhythm; repetition; collective voice.

The Charge of the Light Brigade - Core Interpretation

The poem honours soldiers' courage while showing the terrible cost of obedience in battle.

The Charge of the Light Brigade - Comparison Partners

Exposure; The Destruction of Sennacherib.

Half-caste - Author

John Agard

Half-caste - Themes

racism, identity, prejudice, resistance.

Half-caste - Methods

direct address; colloquial voice; repetition; humour.

Half-caste - Core Interpretation

The speaker challenges racist labelling and refuses to let prejudice define his identity.

Half-caste - Comparison Partners

No Problem; The Class Game.

Catrin - Author

Gillian Clarke

Catrin - Themes

parent-child conflict, love, separation.

Catrin - Methods

extended metaphor; imagery; shifts in time.

Catrin - Core Interpretation

Conflict between parent and child exists alongside a powerful, continuing bond.

Catrin - Comparison Partners

Poppies; A Poison Tree.

War Photographer - Author

Carole Satyamurti

War Photographer - Themes

war, memory, distance, responsibility.

War Photographer - Methods

contrasts; visual imagery; reflective voice.

War Photographer - Core Interpretation

The poem explores the difficulty of representing distant suffering to people who are safe from it.

War Photographer - Comparison Partners

Poppies; What Were They Like?.

Belfast Confetti - Author

Ciaran Carson

Belfast Confetti - Themes

conflict, fear, confusion, identity.

Belfast Confetti - Methods

punctuation imagery; fragmented structure; rhetorical questions.

Belfast Confetti - Core Interpretation

Violence makes familiar surroundings confusing and threatening.

Belfast Confetti - Comparison Partners

Exposure; The Prelude.

The Class Game - Author

Mary Casey

The Class Game - Themes

class, prejudice, identity, pride.

The Class Game - Methods

rhetorical questions; colloquial voice; direct address.

The Class Game - Core Interpretation

The speaker confronts class prejudice and asserts pride in working-class identity.

The Class Game - Comparison Partners

Half-caste; No Problem; Cousin Kate.

Poppies - Author

Jane Weir

Poppies - Themes

war, loss, parent-child relationship, memory.

Poppies - Methods

domestic imagery; symbolism; shifts in time.

Poppies - Core Interpretation

War is presented through a parent's private experience of separation and loss.

Poppies - Comparison Partners

Catrin; War Photographer.

No Problem - Author

Benjamin Zephaniah

No Problem - Themes

racism, identity, resistance, confidence.

No Problem - Methods

repetition; rhyme; direct voice; humour.

No Problem - Core Interpretation

The speaker rejects racist prejudice and presents a confident identity that prejudice cannot erase.

No Problem - Comparison Partners

Half-caste; The Class Game.

What Were They Like?? - Author

Denise Levertov

What Were They Like?? - Themes

war, destruction, culture, memory.

What Were They Like?? - Methods

question-and-answer form; imagery; contrast.

What Were They Like?? - Core Interpretation

War destroys not only lives and places but also culture, memory and ways of life.

What Were They Like?? - Comparison Partners

War Photographer; Exposure.

Comparing War and Soldiers

Exposure, The Charge of the Light Brigade, The Man He Killed and The Destruction of Sennacherib.

Comparing Racism, Class, or Prejudice

Half-caste, No Problem, The Class Game and Cousin Kate.

Comparing Family Conflict or Separation

Catrin and Poppies.

Comparing Effects of War on Civilians or Memory

War Photographer, Poppies, Belfast Confetti and What Were They Like?

Comparing Power

The Prelude, The Destruction of Sennacherib, Exposure and The Charge of the Light Brigade.

Comparing Identity and Resistance

Half-caste, No Problem, The Class Game and Cousin Kate.

Poetry Comparison Pitfall to Avoid

Writing everything about poem one and then everything about poem two without making clear links.

Function of a Comparison Point

State a meaningful similarity or difference and then show how each poet presents it.

Next Step After Naming a Technique

Explain what it suggests and how it contributes to the poem's meaning.

Golden Rule for Conflict Poetry

Meaning and comparison first; terminology and quotations support the argument.