| 
THE
PEN VS. THE SWORD: LYRICAL RESPONSES TO A NATION AT WAR
By Rachel
Klein Subject(s):
Music, American History, Language Arts Time:
approximately
two 45 minute class sessions Objectives:
Students
will:
1.
Brainstorm lists of songs that were written in response to American wars; consider
the patterns in the lists they create.
2. Read a poem that addresses the poet's
role in public affairs and discuss their interpretations and assessment of the
author's claims.
3. Research lyrics and/or poems associated with a specific
American war.
4. Participate in a class discussion regarding their research
findings.
5. Create posters highlighting a selection of lyrics/poems that respond
in different ways to the war researched by each group.
6. Write their own songs/poems
in response to the current American war in Iraq, or their feelings about war in
general.
7. Perform their pieces at a class or school-wide presentation.
Overview:
War
is a driving force in human history. The history of the United States begins with
a war for independence, and reveals the seemingly endless struggles of the nation,
within itself, and with other nations. The role of the poet as an "unofficial
legislator" can be seen as a mandate to poets and lyricists in a democratic nation
to give voice to the will of the people, capturing their collective emotions during
difficult times.
Materials:
1.
Print-out of "On Being Asked for a War Poem"
by William Butler Yeats
2. Access to Internet and library research materials
3.
Poster board and markers Procedure PART
I: Exploration of the Role of Music in War (approx. 45 minutes)
1.
Divide the class into two teams. Assign each team to a section of the classroom
board where they will write their responses to the following instruction: "List
all of the songs that you can think of that were written about, or in response
to, an American war." After five minutes, call "time" and award
points to each team based on the number of original items on each team's list
(repeated items should not be counted for either team). NOTE:
For reference during this activity, the following is a list of some famous war
songs (listed by war): Revolutionary
War
"Yankee
Doodle"
Civil
War
"Battle Hymn of the Republic"
"When Johnny Comes
Marching Home"
"Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!"
"Dixie War
Song"
War of 1812
"Star Spangled Banner" World
War I
"America" ("My Country 'Tis of Thee")
"Over
There"
"The Old Grey Mare"
"Hail!Hail! The Gangs All
Here" World
War II
"God Bless America" Vietnam
War
"The Times They Are A 'Changin'"
"Where Have All
the Flowers Gone?"
"For What It's Worth"
"Fortunate
Son"
"Give Peace a Chance"
"We Gotta Get Out of This
Place"
"Star Spangled Banner" (Jimmy Hendrix Guitar Rendition)
"Imagine" Enduring
Freedom/Iraq War
"Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth" (Willie
Nelson)
"The Final Straw" (REM)
"In a World Gone Mad"
(The Beastie Boys)
"Independence Day" (Martina McBride)
"Have
You Forgotten" (Darryl Worley)
2.
As a class, read the poem "On Being Asked for a War Poem" by William
Butler Yeats, reproduced below: I
think it better that in times like these
A poet's mouth be silent, for in truth
We
have no gift to set a statesman right;
He has had enough of meddling who can
please
A young girl in the indolence of her youth,
Or an old man upon a
winter's night.
Discuss
the poem, using the following questions as a guideline: a.
Why does Yeats' claim that "in times like these a poet's mouth {should} be
silent"? Do you agree with his position?
b.
Do you think that songs/poetry have the power to "set a statesman right"?
If so, how? If not, does this mean that people should not write songs/poems about
war?
c.
In a democracy, should people be encouraged to express their opinions through
music and poetry, even if they are against the actions of the "statesmen"?
If so, why do you think this is important? If not, why not?
d.
Look at your lists of songs from the beginning of class. What are the percentages
of pro and antiwar songs? How does the answer to this question relate to the role
of the poet/songwriter in a democracy?
3.
In groups, students research a specific American war (e.g. Revolutionary War,
Civil War, WWII, Vietnam, or Operation Enduring Freedom/Iraq War, to discover
music lyrics and/or poetry inspired by the war (due to time restraints, longer
works, such as longer short stories or novels, should be saved for extension activities).
Groups
should find 3-5 poems or song lyrics, representing as least two different points-of-view
(simplest would be "pro-war" or "anti-war", but other sentiments
that fall in between may emerge as well). Groups should also research the following
information regarding each poem or lyric: -
information on the history and significance of each work
- information
regarding public sentiment toward each work at the time it was popular (items
such as review excerpts or billboard charts would be good primary source documents
to include).
Poems
and supplementary materials should be copied or printed for use in the following
class. PART
II: Reflection on Research and Personal Expression (approx. 45 minutes)
4.
Students sit in previous day's research groups for a class discussion, focused
on the following questions (encourage every group to share answers to each question): - What
was public opinion regarding the war you researched? How did the music/poetry
you found reflect this opinion?
- Overall,
did there seem to be more anti or pro-war music/poetry? What do you think might
account for your answer?
- Did
you learn anything new about the war you researched? If so, how did this affect
your perception of the war?
5.
Groups create posters displaying the poems they chose, along with the supplementary
materials with information on the history and significance of the work and public
sentiment. Some other items that groups may choose to elaborate on their poster
include: - pictures
depicting war scenes, protests, etc.
- letters
from soldiers, newspaper headlines, or other print material
- drawings
made by the students that reflect the events or feelings of the war
6.
For homework, students write their own songs or poems inspired by their feelings
about war, either in general or the current war in Iraq. 7.
Later, students can perform their works at a class (or school)-wide performance
Extension
1.
Students can read a longer work of war-influenced fiction (e.g. "Slaughterhouse
Five" or "A Farewell to Arms") and write an essay about the author's
sentiments toward war, then agree or disagree with this position. 2.
Students can explore responses to war through the visual arts (e.g. Picasso's
"Guernica") and write poems or songs inspired by the images they see.
3.
Students can create a scrapbook of newspaper headlines, pictures, as well as the
lyrics or poems they found, that chronicle the war they studied in class. This
activity could be used as a current events lesson as well, with students keeping
up with the latest news from Iraq, and including their own poetic reflections
along with those they find. Correlation
to National Standards: Music
Standard
7: Understands the relationship between music and history and culture American
History (note: each standard reflects the knowledge gained through the study
of a particular American war; standard correlation to actual classroom activity
will vary)
Standard 7: Understands the impact of the American Revolution on
politics, economy, and society
Standard 14: Understands the course and character
of the Civil War and its effects on the American people
Standard 25: Understands
the causes and course of World War II, the character of the war at home and abroad,
and its reshaping of the U.S. role in world affairs
Standard 21: Understands
the changing role of the United States in world affairs through World War I
Standard
27: Understands how the Cold War and conflicts in Korean and Vietnam influenced
domestic and international politics
Standard 31: Understands economic, social,
and cultural developments in the contemporary United States Language
Arts
Standard 6: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret
a variety of literary texts Author
Bio Rachel Klein graduated from the University of Chicago's MAT program
in 1999. She has taught English in private and public schools, and has written
curriculum for the New York Times Learning Network, as well as their Newspaper
in Education program. She conducts education and parenting workshops throughout
the Midwest.
To find
out more about opportunities to contribute to this site, contact Leah Clapman
at extra@newshour.org. | 
