English Conversation Club

Topic: ‘War & Peace’

(Remember that these questions are just discussion starters. You can talk about anything you like!)



  1. November 11 is called “Remembrance Day” in Australia (formerly “Armistice Day”). Do you know what this is about?

  2. Do you have similar memorial holidays in your country? Are there any special ceremonies involved?

  3. What do you think about special holidays remembering wars or soldiers who died in wars?

  4. Have you seen any 'War' movies recently? Tell us about it. What did and didn't you like about it?

  5. Do you think a war can ever be ‘just’ or right?

  6. What do you think about the 'war on terrorism'?

  7. How important do you think it is for a country to have a defence force?

  8. What do you think about gun control laws? Do you think people should have the right to 'bear arms'?

  9. What do you think causes wars? Will there ever be no more wars?

  10. Some people speak against religion because they say its starts wars. What do you think about that?

  11. Do people in your home country still have any 'bad feelings' about some war in the past? How do you feel about it?

  12. Do you have some kind of ‘national military service’ in your home country? What do you think about that? (If you have done it, what was your experience like?)

  13. Do you know anyone who worked in the military? How did they feel about their work?

  14. How important do you think 'peace' is? How can it be achieved?

  15. Do you think sanctions are a good way to enforce peace?

  16. If you were the leader of your country, what would be different about your policy on war, peace and national defence?

From http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/remembrance/tradition.asp: “At 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years continuous warfare… [This date] attained a special significance in the post-war years. The moment when hostilities ceased on the Western Front became universally associated with the remembrance of those who had died in the war… two minutes' silence was popularly adopted and it became a central feature of commemorations on Armistice Day”