Kamikaze Flashcards
Context
In Japan, during WW1, Kamikaze pilots were expected to do suicide missions. They would use their weapons to fight and then use their planes to fly directly into opposition warships. It was deemed honourable to sacrifice your life for your country (nationalism)
Plot
The speaker is relaying the situation with her father to her own children. It becomes a morality tale about how to treat people- especially in your family. A kamikaze pilot is on a mission to sacrifice his life for his country but whilst flying, he is reminded of all the reasons why he should stay alive; through nature and memories. He returns home but is shunned by all those close to him. His wife and the community regarded him a defector; they would rather he died in honour of the country. Also the pilots children are peer pressured to stop loving their father.
Form
Narrative
Irregular rhythm
No rhyme
Enjambment
Structure
7 6 lined stanzas
Finishing couplet
Tone
Patriotism
Appreciation
Determination
Nostalgia
Fear
Disgust
Themes
Power of humans
Power of nature
War
Education
Identity
Key Quotes-“ and enough fuel for a one way journey into history”
Painful irony is used in his search for remembrance. Death was sought so that the pilots would be remembered and immortalised by respect. Also this quote shows that this suicide mission is one of no return. However the honour of having your name recorded in history books and dying for your country was enough to make death worthwhile. This refers to nationalism as it takes love and protection to ones country to a whole different extreme
Key quotes-“ In a figure of eight, the dark shoals of fishes flashing silver as their bellies swivelled towards the sun”
Figure of eight is the symbol for infinity and this may be used to imply the eternal nature of nature. Nature is infinite compared to the transience of humanity and life is brief, transient and precious. The pilot may think about the fact that war and honour will be forgotten while nature remains. This can show how pointless war and the loss of life is in the grand scheme of things. It can also show how powerful nature is in comparison to the power of humans. Also sibilance implies a sense of grace and peacefulness as well as an elegant and graceful tone which represents the elegance and gracefulness of life which begs him to save his life.
Key quotes-“ and remembered how he and his brothers waiting on the shore built cairns of pearl grey pebbles”
Stack of pebbles that are also used to mark graves shows that the father is starting to understand the consequences of death and reminds the readers that all the beauty of nature is undermined by the role he is about to play- soon he may lose his ability to enjoy nature. Also he may have imagined his family could’ve been waiting for him similarly to how he was waiting on the shore. This way, returning seemed like a selfless reason rather than just a fear of death. This can refer to how the choice nationalism can be a hard decision to make when it comes between family and loved ones.
Key quotes-“nor did she meet his eyes”
The eyes are the window to the soul and she doesn’t want to see the man her husband has become. Seemingly she is ashamed of her own husband and want to distance herself and her family from him so the impact of conflict is being passed down from generation to generation. Alternatively this quote could mean that she doesn’t want to face what she is doing as she feels pain and guilt in giving up her husband but has to as the culture demands it.
Key quotes-“he must have wondered which had been the better way to die”
Both options offer a kind of death as this line implies that the soldiers are controlled by indoctrination, propaganda and used as tools of the government. Also it suggests that he considered dying for his country to be better than living dead where he is an outcast in society and his own family and is ignored for the rest of his life. It is also written in a third person viewpoint which might suggest the speaker doesn’t agree with the cultural view.
Can compare to…
Poppies-memories, conflict, war
Tissue- Abuse of power, Power of humans to change destiny
Exposure-Powerlessness, moral dilemmas
