War horse by michael morpurgo synopsis in 1914, joey, a beautiful bayred foal with a distinctive cross on his nose, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the western front. With this quote, which appears near the end of the novel, joey emphasizes the importance of remembering the virtues of those who lost their lives in the war. What is the message of the movie, or the book, war horse. Some people would consider war horse by michael morpurgo to be an antiwar story. This books simple vocabulary makes it accessible to kids from age 10, but there is a good deal of violence and death in war horse. Over a million stunning new images at your fingertips.
Morpurgo thanks these three men in the dedication of the book. Throughout the story, joey has lost a lot of true caring friends of his. In its authors note, war horse is situated as a novel that commemorates those who died in world war i and who have perhaps been forgotten. The themes in this book relate to the idea of the bond of friendship and the importance of. The themes of war horse are war, sadness and death. The story recounts the experiences of joey, a horse purchased by the army for service in world war i france and the attempts of young albert, his previous owner, to bring him safely home. He also had to leave little emiles farm to go back to the war and pull heavy artillery for the germans. It is inevitable that the theme of death would pervade a wartime novel like war horse, yet morpurgos treatment of loss and casualties is remarkable for the suddenness and randomness that death assumes in the narrative. With his officer, he charges towards the enemy, witnessing the horror of. The shelling moved back and forth along the valley, showering grass and earth and trees into the air and leaving behind great craters that smoked as if the earth itself was on fire. But any fear i might have had was overwhelmed by a powerful sense of sadness and love that compelled me to stay with topthorn for as long as i could. In 1914, joey, a beautiful bayred horse with a distinctive cross on his nose, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of world war i on the western front. A powerful tale of war, redemption and a heros journey. War horse is one of five childrens books that deal with war that was featured in a special exhibition titled once upon a wartime classic war stories for children at the imperial war museum in london, that ran from 11 february 30 october 2011.
War horse study guide contains a biography of michael morpurgo, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes. In 1914, joey, a young farm horse, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the western front. Michael morpurgos novel war horse was originally published in 1982 and was made into a motion picture in 2011. Free war horse worksheets and literature unit for teachers. With his wife, morpurgo had founded farms for city children, a charity where inner city children. This study guide consists of approximately 34 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes. Granted, it is set amidst the horrors of war which contradicts some of the intended high. The fact that these relationships exist and thrive amidst the constant trauma of war emphasizes even more the power of the friendship. How does joey communicate with other horses, and how does he communicate with humans.
War horse is informative as well as inspiring for many who read it. Why dont the horses in the book talk to each other. Told from the point of view of a brave war horse, this awardwinning book. Captain nicholls got shot by the germans in a battle. Free war horse study unit worksheets for teachers to print. It would be unrealistic if a novel whose action happens largely in the thick of battle didnt include injuries and death, but horse lovers should be forewarned. War horse is an uplifting and sentimental story about a boy and his horse with multiple points of view. I would say past the entertainmentheartwrenching value, it brought attention to the plight of the animals in a world war. Told from the point of view of a brave war horse, this awardwinning book provides opportunities to teach historical fiction, summarizing, and domainspecific vocabulary.