Kamikaze Flashcards
‘A shaven head full of powerful incantations’
He’s under the spell of patriotism and propaganda, so isn’t making his own decisions.
‘Bunting’
Celebrating the honour he will bring his community.
‘Green-blue translucent sea’
Connotations of peace and tranquillity in the colour imagery. Doesn’t want to deny himself, or those he will kill, the beauty of nature and life.
‘In a figure of eight’
The symbol for infinity. Can imply the eternal nature of nature - nature is infinite compared to the transience of humanity, and is more powerful than humanity.
‘Shoals of fishes flashing silver as their bellies swivelled towards the sun’
Sibilance implies a sense of grace and peacefulness, as well as suggesting an elegant and graceful tone. Also increases the pace to make the poem sound more emotional.
‘… safe - yes, grandfather’s boat - safe’
Repetition of safe shows it’s safety and life he is focusing on.
‘A tuna, the dark prince, muscular, dangerous.’
Imbalance of power between humanity and nature. A kamikaze pilot is the epitome of bravery, yet senses the danger of it. The pilot isn’t the most powerful thing in the poem, yet is a symbol of military power and determination. It’s significant because there’s the first use of punctuation in the poem (the full stop).
‘Nor did she meet his eyes’
Eyes are the windows to the soul. She doesn’t want to see the person he has become, as she’s ashamed of her own husband. Doesn’t want to communicate with him, distancing herself from him as her daughter will. Therefore, the impact of family conflict is ongoing, as it is passed down by generations.
However, it could also be because she doesn’t want to face what she’s doing because she feels guilty by doing what her culture demands of her.
‘To live as though he had never returned’
He lived and therefore is being ignored and forgotten. The story isn’t told by historians but by a daughter who never knew him.
‘Which had been the better way to die.’
Both options would have resulted in death - he is dead to the community and society he returned to, but he would’ve been physically dead if he’d carried out his mission. Written in a third-person viewpoint which suggests the speaker doesn’t agree with the cultural view.
What is the perspective and how does it affect the poem?
- It’s written from a daughter’s perspective in the third person, creating a sense of detachment which reflects the distance the daughter feels from her father’s life as she grew up not knowing him.
- The perspective shifts from third to first person when the speaker discusses her father’s return (the volta). “Was no longer the father we loved. … which had been the better way to die.” Shows a dramatic shift in emotion and shows the impact war has had on her.
- The final line returns to third person, showing the detached tone again but this time towards the cultural view of kamikaze pilots.
What is the structure and how does it affect the poem?
- In tightly controlled stanzas of 6 lines each, reflecting the obedience and order expected of a soldier. It’s juxtaposed and undermined by the free verse and enjambment, which suggest that her father had his own desires, roles and individuality within the constrictions from the Japanese government. It could show he’s starting to doubt his obedience and realised that he wants to pursue the freedom and beauty of life unrestrained. Reminds readers that the soldiers depicted in the poem are still individuals.
- The last word of the poem is ‘die’ which creates a sense of futility and inevitable fate: the soldier was destined to die one way or another. Also forces the reader to reflect on their own mortality, as their life will eventually end the same way as the soldiers. The writer may also be suggesting that conflict and patriotism denies humanity the enjoyment of life and nature.
Which poems can it be compared to?
- Prelude - both speakers are forced to reconsider their perspective and consider the power and influence of nature. However, Kamikaze celebrated the power of nature, while it’s feared in Prelude. The themes of Kamikaze are patriotism vs nature whereas the themes of Prelude are man vs nature.
- Poppies - both convey the grave impact on civilians that war and conflict have, including the psychological impact (in Poppies, the mother is grieving and suffering from loss which is shown through the use of caesura and enjambment, whereas in Kamikaze the daughter is suffering from a life where she cannot know her father and is struggling against the culture). They also both display characters trying to process memories (the memory of her father while rationalising why he came back in Kamikaze, and the mother going over photos of her son while trying to rationalise why he left in Poppies). Additionally, both poets offer non-conventional perspectives of war (from the daughter and mother). However, whilst both are suffering from loss, Kamikaze has the loss of a father because of her culture’s rejection of him rather than a physical death, whereas the mother in Poppies physically loses her son to the war, as well as the loss of memories of him as they are corrupted by connections to war.
- Checking Out Me History - both express the importance of a person’s history, origins and culture in forming their identity. However, whilst Kamikaze presents conflict with her culture, COMH shows conflict with those restricting his culture, fighting for it not against it.
