Read the poem carefully at least twice. Think about the images, emotions, and messages the poet uses. Then answer the following questions in full sentences.

Through shivering mist, the soldiers wait…
boots buried in mud, hearts heavy as stone.
The sky holds its breath.
Even the wind dares not speak.

Then
the earth roars.
Thunder without rain.
Smoke claws at the air;
the sun hides its face behind grey sorrow.
Metal birds scream across the sky.
Fear marches faster than the men.

When the shouting stops,
the silence is louder.
The ground sighs beneath broken boots,
and the river carries whispers downstream.
Once-green fields lie torn and hollow,
as if the world itself is grieving.

Years pass.
Poppies bloom where pain once stood.
The wind remembers—
softly, it carries their names.
War fades, but memory does not.
The battlefield remembers… always.

Instructions:

Answer the following questions; write into your homework books. You must answer in full sentences.

1. What are the soldiers doing at the start of the poem?

2. Find and copy one line that describes what happens when the battle begins.

3. What natural elements (e.g. sky, wind, earth) are mentioned in the poem? What do they seem to do?

4. The poet writes, “The sky holds its breath. Even the wind dares not speak.”
   What do these lines suggest about the atmosphere before the battle?

5. In the line “Fear marches faster than the men,” what does the poet mean by this?

6. Why do you think the poet describes the sun as hiding “its face behind grey sorrow”?

7. The poem says, “Years pass. Poppies bloom where pain once stood.”
   What might the poppies symbolise here?

8. How does the poet use personification (giving human qualities to non-human things) to show the impact of war? Give two examples.

9. How does the tone of the poem change from the beginning to the end? Explain how the poet creates this change.

10. Which image or line did you find most powerful or memorable, and why?
Try to explain how it made you feel or what it made you think about war and remembrance.

MATHLETICS – please try to complete the long division practice tasks. Pupils will need pen and paper to complete these.