Kamikaze

Question 1

‘Her father embarked at sunrise’

Answer 1

• Sibilance - peaceful, reflects the peace he’s supposed to find in death
• ‘Sunrise’ - link to military flag of rising sun, patriotism, divinity meeting god after honourable death
• Third person, suggests she’s distancing herself from him, disappointed
• Duality of fathers identity, split in loyalty, can’t coexist
• Power of nature and man conflicting

Question 2

‘Like a huge flag (…) in a figure of eight’

Answer 2

• ‘Flag’ - patriotism, indoctrinated by Japanese culture and societal norms
• Also symbolises surrender
• Symbol of infinity, living forever immortally as a hero, also eternal death
• Physical representation foreshadows his change of mind
• Nature continues indefinitely, comparison to the transience of humanity

Question 3

‘Only we children still chattered and laughed/ till gradually we too learned to be silent’

Answer 3

• ‘Gradually’ ‘learned’ - unnatural for children to disown their father, implies the culture at the time is painful and wrong
• Repetition of ‘t’ sounds, harsh, reflects the harsh treatment towards her father
• Volta, also suggests unnatural
• Contrast from enjambment to choppier syntax, breakdown of relationship between father/ family and community