The Wipers Times - AQA English Literature A Level

pearl2005

Does anyone know the best things to study/revise in The Wipers Times and in comparison with the poetry because I really struggle to find that much to say about it.

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Original post by pearl2005

Does anyone know the best things to study/revise in The Wipers Times and in comparison with the poetry because I really struggle to find that much to say about it.

Compare/use themes: setting, reality of war, distraction, propaganda, alcohol motif, fear, absurdism, performance (in the fantasy world of Robert's imagination), criticism, humour, innocence/youth, status, camaraderie, futility, death, memory, the Homefront/women, lack of understanding(from the Homefront/higher-ups to trench warfare), religion and celebration.

The Wipers Times hasn't got much to analyse, but is really good for form. As it is a play, every stage direction is inserted in for a reason and hence has a purpose. When comparing the two texts, it is easier to employ stage directions as quotes in relevance to the themes above and compare accordingly with the other two poems.

When revising, I looked at the above themes and wrote a couple of the themes prevalent within a poem at the top of the poem's page and it became easier to link to the Wipers times as I could just look at the themes appointed for the poems and find quotes that link to these themes within the Wipers Times.