11th of November is Remembrance Day or Poppy Day. On this day people in the UK and Commonwealth acknowledge those who died or suffered while serving in wars, conflicts and peace operations.
Originally, Remembrance Day was called Armistice Day and commemorated the end of the First World War, but it has then become a memorial day for all those who have lost their lives in any war.
There are a lot of ceremonies organized on this day and the most important ones are in London. An example is the National Service of Remembrance held at the Cenotaph on Whitehall. The service generally includes a two-minute silence at 11 am, marked by gunshots, followed by the laying of wreaths and a March Past by veterans.
Watch King Charles leading the 2024 cerimony:
Among the many symbols we have to remember past wars and victims, the poppy (the symbol of this day) is one of the most powerful ones. After heavy shelling, the ground in the Flanders fields of Belgium became barren. However, bright red poppies soon began to grow in abundance, starkly contrasting with the surrounding destruction and the Canadian doctor and soldier John McCrae was inspired by these poppies to write the poem “In Flanders Fields” (check CLASS ACTIVITIES below). This poem helped popularize the poppy as a symbol of remembrance across the Allied nations and in 1921, Madame Anna Guérin of France, inspired by McCrae’s words began making and selling artificial poppies to raise money for veterans and their families. The symbol was so powerful that The Royal British Legion adopted it as its emblem in 1922.
Like the natural flower, the original version of the poppy did not feature a leaf. A leaf was first introduced in the 1960s and they slowly became an optional extra. By 1984 demand for them had grown to 12 million a year, and in 1995 poppies with leaves included were made available for the first time. (cfr www.britishlegion.org.uk)
Check the BBC article on the reason why we wear poppies.
The Poppy also helps fund services like the Battle Back Centre – the first port of call for wounded, injured and sick service men and women as they start their Individual Recovery Programme. Centred around adaptive sport and adventurous training activities, such as wheelchair basketball, archery, mountain biking, climbing and caving, Battle Back helps build camaraderie as well as the chance to connect through shared experiences. (cfr. www.britishlegion.org.uk)
Class activities
In flanders fiels
STEP 1 – Read the poem and listen to the song
STEP 2 – Divide the class into three groups, one for each stanza. Each group analyzes their stanza, focusing on:
- Imagery: What senses does the stanza appeal to?
- Mood/Tone: How does the stanza make the reader feel?
- Speaker: Who is speaking?
STEP 3 – Compare and contrast
STEP 4 – Each group creates a visual representation of their stanza.
EXTRA – Compare and contrast In Flanders fields and Dulce et decorum est
Comparing literatures
Sassoon
Memorials
ALLEGARE SLIDE 16 DELLA PPT LEZIONE HEROES
Lower levels