who's for the game

‘Who’s for the Game?’

LO: To identify and analyse positive attitudes in a famous

poem

Do now:What does the title, ‘Who’s for the

Game’, make you think of?Draw a spider diagram in your books

Who’s for the Game?

Game – as in ‘up for it’

Fun

Companionship

FriendsAdrenaline

Exciting

Playing

Lads

RugbyJoining in

Step 1: Read ‘Who’s for the Game’

What is the THEME, TOPIC and TONE of this poem? Discuss and write down in your book.

Read & understand Line-by-line analysis

The poet’s identity

‘Who’s for the Game?’1. To whom is the poet asking the question?

2. What is the central metaphor in the poem? What effect does this have?

3. What is similar about every fourth line? What effect does this have?


The poet’s identity

Line-by-line analysisMake sure you take effective notes – these

will be crucial for your revision and planning sheets


The poet’s identity✔

Who’s for the game, the biggest that’s played,The red crashing game of a fight?Who’ll grip and tackle the job unafraid?And who thinks he’d rather sit tight

Use of rhetorical question* – why does she use this technique?

* Rhetorical question – a question that doesn’t expect an answer as the answer is implied in the tone and context of which the question is set.

Use of superlative ‘biggest’- suggests that no other game can compete. Also implies the scale on which the game is played.

She refers to the war as a sport such as rugby. She coerces the men of Britain.

Key word: Propaganda.

She talks directly to her audience – there is no escaping her motivational speech.



Discussion point: Does red refer to passion or bloodshed?

Who’ll toe the line for the signal to ‘Go!’?Who’ll give his country a hand?Who wants a turn to himself in the show?And who wants a seat in the stand?

A series of powerful, leading, rhetorical questions. Key word:

Patriotism*

She creates a metaphor of the War as some kind of show/game. She is asking the men of Britain – would they rather be part of the action, or simply a spectator in the stands? What kind of emotions would these lines generate?



*Jingoism – a term that is used to refer to extreme patriotism. People who are considered to be ‘Jingoes’ believe that it is right to use aggressive threats/force to safeguard their own country.

‘Give us a hand’ – everyone needs to help out. Sounds easy and trivial.

Seat in the stand – criticises those too cowardly to join in. Continues the metaphor.

Who knows it won’t be a picnic—not much—Yet eagerly shoulders a gun?Who would much rather come back with a crutchThan lie low and be out of the fun?

Although she acknowledges that going to War ‘won’t be a picnic’, her tone is light hearted, as though is she is unaware of the conditions that the soldiers have to endure.

She is implying that coming back with victory, glory and pride is better then not fighting at all.



Is this almost disrespectful?

The image of a soldier returning home with only ‘a crutch’ is optimistic, and highlights her ignorance of the serious injuries suffered by the men. She underplays the severity of the situation.

‘Out of the fun’ – her tone is very trivial and flippant. It is easy to see why many soldiers hated her!

Come along, lads— but you’ll come on all right—For there’s only one course to pursue,Your country is up to her neck in a fight,And she’s looking and calling for you.

Friendly, conversational tone.

She has made the assumption that the men will sign up – her beliefs and extreme patriotism are apparent here.

She writes in a conversational manner, which makes her message instantly accessible and memorable.It also links to her target audience – she is trying to appeal to young lads, not to educated poetry enthusiasts!



Personification of Britain as a woman – implies that ‘she’ needs protecting by men

Line-by-line analysisDo you think the poem is effective in

achieving Pope’s aims?



Who do you think would have written this poem?

How do you know?


The poet’s identity✔ ✔

Assessment PreparationLO: To be able to write about the emotions

expressed in Who’s For The Game

Do now: Summarise Jessie Pope’s opinion into two sentences

The Poet• Jessie Pope (1868 - 1941) was an English poet, writer

and journalist best known for her patriotic motivational poems published during World War I.

• Jessie Pope wrote 'Who's for the Game' to encourage young men into joining the British army. It was published in ‘The Daily Mail’.

• She wrote it as she believed one hundred percent in the war and the government propaganda.

• She was very patriotic and wanted to use her writing skills to help the country.

What do you know about

The Daily Mail?

A low-quality tabloid. Very popular. Often sensationalist (goes for the shock factor). Famous for its enthusiasm for the armed forces (still the same today)



Debate: Your own interpretationHow does Jessie Pope’s

gender affect your interpretation of the poem?

Many soldiers (including Wilfred Owen) were highly critical of Pope’s poetry. Could this be linked to the fact that she was a woman?



Debate: Your own interpretationAs a woman, she had no right to be so flippant about the war: she would never have to put herself in that position, so she shouldn’t be trying to guilt-trip others. Would she have been so keen if it was her own life on the line?

She believed passionately in the causes of war, and – in a time before conscription – wanted to do her bit for the war effort. Writing motivational poems was the most influential way that a woman could contribute to the war. It wasn’t her fault she didn’t know what war was really like.



Your turn: PETERChoose two of these titles and write

your own PETER paragraph

P: Jessie Pope uses rhetorical questions in her poem.P: The poet uses a metaphor.

P: Exciting imagery is used in the poem.P: The poet uses imperative verbs in the poem.

P: The poet portrays the war as a game.

P.E.E• Make a Point: Jessie Pope creates an image of the war as a game.• Evidence: ‘Who’s for the game, the biggest that’s played’• Technique: Jessie Pope uses the superlative adjective ‘biggest’.• Explain: In this quotation she is referring to the Great War as a

game that is being played. This has the effect of toning down the severity of the War by implying that the War is merely a game and everyone should join in the fun. She is asking her readers if they would like to join and creates a sense of excitement and enthusiasm that would have the effect of encouraging the men to sign up. The use of the superlative ‘biggest’ implies that no other game can compare to this one and also emphasizes the grandeur and scale of it.

• Reader’s response: It would also lead men to believe that everyone is playing in the game which would help to persuade them to be a part of it and ultimately sign up for the War.

who's for the game

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