EVERY lesson has a reflection in the last 5 minutes. WHAT - SO WHAT - NOW WHAT?
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?
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?
Who knows it won’t be a picnic – not much-
Yet eagerly shoulders a gun?
Who would much rather come back with a crutch
Than lie low and be out of the fun?
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.
What do you notice about the way the poet talks about joining the armed services? Make a list.
What does her way of talking about World War I and enlistment make you think about?
What does her vocabulary and diction (word choice) make you wonder about?