Question 1: Identify a metaphor used in the extract and explain its significance.

Answer: The 'cosmic voids' metaphor highlights the unknown and potentially dangerous frontiers of space, reflecting the risks of technological exploration.

Question 2: What tone does the poet create through the description of the 'haunting silence'? How does this support the overall themes?

Answer: The tone is contemplative and tense, emphasizing uncertainty and the moral ambiguity of technological progress, aligning with themes of exploration and danger.

Question 3: Describe the effect of the imagery in describing the aircraft as 'a speck against the dawn'.

Answer: The imagery creates a sense of insignificance and distance, underscoring the vastness of space and the small, fragile human element amidst technological advancement.

Question 4: Analyse how the poet uses the theme of journey in this extract. What does it symbolize?

Answer: The journey symbolizes exploration and the confrontation with the unknown, reflecting both physical voyages into space and moral journeys that question human ambition and the potential consequences of technological and scientific pursuits.

Question 5: Identify and explain the use of any literary device that emphasises the theme of uncertainty.

Answer: The use of question-like constructions ('whether it was a vessel of hope or a harbinger of destruction') emphasizes uncertainty about the true nature and outcome of technological advancement.

Question 6: Considering the context of war poetry, how does this extract reinterpret the traditional themes of conflict and heroism?

Answer: It reinterprets conflict as a moral and existential dilemma, highlighting the ambiguous nature of heroism in technological warfare, and suggesting that progress can lead to both hope and destruction.

Question 7: Compare the tone of this extract with conventional war poetry that depicts heroism and sacrifice. What differences can you identify?

Answer: This extract has a reflective and questioning tone, contrasting with traditional war poetry's often patriotic and heroic tone. It focuses on uncertainty, moral ambiguity, and the potential horrors of technological warfare rather than glorification.

Question 8: Create a short paragraph (around 10 lines) describing a scene where space exploration turns into conflict. Use imagery and literary devices to convey the mood.

Answer: See full answer key

Question 9: In your own words, explain how the extract links the themes of war and science fiction. What message might the poet be conveying?

Answer: The extract links war and science fiction by depicting space as the new frontier of conflict, highlighting technological advancement's moral dilemmas and suggesting that the true battle lies in human choices and ethics.