English Literature Poetry-Kamikaze

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  • Created by: Humaa 123
  • Created on: 21-12-18 20:16
What is the poem called?
Kamikaze
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Who is the author?
Beatrice Garland
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When was it written?
2013
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What is it about?
The poem opens with a kamikaze pilot setting off on his mission. Kamikaze pilots were specially trained Japanese pilots, who were used towards the end of WW2. They flew their planes on suicide missions into enemy ships- seen as a great honour.
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What is it about?
Becomes clear that pilot turned around and didn't complete his mission- his daughter imagines that this was because on the way he saw the beauty of nature and remembered his childhood. Pilot was shunned when got home- family acted if he wasn't there
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Feelings and Attitudes (Patriotism)
Opening stanza is full of suggestions of patriotic pride and duty- the pilot has the chance to fly "into history." The patriotism of his family is shown in their reaction to his return- they treat him as if he's dead as he failed his duty.
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Feelings and Attitudes (Shame)
The reaction of the pilot's wife is one of deep shame- she never speaks to him again.
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Feelings and Attitudes (Regret)
The pilot's daughter's words in the final stanzas are tingled with a sense of regret and loss. The repetition in lines 9 and 41 of "he must have" also hints at her empathy with the pilot.
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"embarked"
This creates the sense of a journey, but the title suggests that it will be a journey to his death.
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"sunrise"
Japan is known as the "land of rising sun' so this may be a reference to the location.
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"full of powerful incantations"
This suggests that the pilot was under a kind of spell, which hints at the influence of patriotic propaganda that kamikazes were exposed to. They were told that it was a great honour to die for their country.
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"but"
Second stanza changes direction- the plane is still flying, but it's going to turn around.
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"she thought"
These are the daughter's thoughts and explanations- the pilot has no voice and his real reasons are never heard.
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"at the little fishing boats strung out like bunting"
Irony- the pilot should have been aiming for big enemy ships, but it's "little fishing boats" that catch his eye.
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"on a green-blue translucent sea"
Beautiful image of nature.
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"like a huge flag waved first one way"
Flags are a symbol of national identity, but here this simile hints at the way that flags can be used to stop or direct something.
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"Shoals", "fishes","as", "bellies", "swivelled towards", "sun"
Repeated sibilant sounds reflect the smooth movement of the fish in the water.
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"flashing silver"
This hints at the movement of the samurai sword from line 2. It's an ironic reference because the pilot is turning away from combat.
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"and remembered how he"
Focus switches to the pilot's childhood memories.
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"built cairns of pearl-grey pebbles"
These are innocent childhood activities, which contrast with the pilot's job in the war.
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"longest the "
Enjambment and lack of punctuation in this stanza may hint that the pilot got caught up in his childhood memories.
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"father's boat safe", "safe"
Repetition of "safe"hints at the pilot's mind-set, he doesn't want his children to go through the pain of losing him.
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"-yes, grandfather's boat-"
Interjection of direct speech-it sounds like the pilot's daughter is answering a question from her childhood.
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"cloud-marked, black crabs, feathery prawns"
All the sea creatures are given extra description. The cumulative effect of the list highlights their beauty and significance to the pilot.
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"the loose silver of whitebait"
The colours used-"silver" in this line and "pearl-grey" in line 21- make nature sound precious.
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"a tuna, the dark prince, muscular,dangerous"
Describing the tuna in this way reminds the reader of the dangers of nature.
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"dangerous."
The poem's 1st full stop signals the end of the flight-it should have ended in death, but instead the pilot returns to his family.
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"And though he came back"
We hear the daughter's voice in direct speech again. She speaks in a more factual, less descriptive way about her father's subsequent life, which hints at her pain and her empathy with him.
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"they treated him as though he no longer existed"
Irony- he survived, but he is still treated as if he's dead.
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"was no longer the father we loved"
Hints that the pilot was changed by his experience.
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"And sometimes, she said, he must have wondered which had been the better way to die"
Final, short sentence could be a comment on the destructiveness of patriotism- the pilot's family are so ashamed that they treat him as if he's dead. He may have wished that he'd fulfilled his mission-either way his story ends in a kind of death.
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Form
Poem is mostly narrated in the 3rd person using reported speech of the pilot's daughter, but her voice is heard directly in the later stanzas.
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Form
The absence of the pilot's voice shows that he's been cut off from society, and the use of the 3rd person emphasises the distance between pilot and daughter.
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Structure
The 1st 5 stanzas form one sentence which covers an account of the pilot's flight as the pilot's daughter imagines it. The end of the sentence represents the plane landing , and the final stanzas deal with the fallout of the pilot's actions.
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Irony
There are ironic reminders of how the pilot has abandoned his mission. The way he's treated when he returns to hi family is ironic because they act as if he's dead, even though he chose not to die.
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Natural Imagery
Similes, metaphors and detailed descriptions are used to emphasise the beauty and power of nature. The pilot's daughter hints that this beauty was one of the main triggers for his actions.
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Direct Speech
The addition of direct speech makes the poem seem more personal. Hearing the daughter's voice emphasises the impact of war on a specific family.
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Who is the author?

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Beatrice Garland

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When was it written?

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What is it about?

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Card 5

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