Kamikaze Flashcards
What perspective is the poem told from?
perspective of a woman who is recounting her fathers failure as a kamikaze pilot, reflecting her own feelings.
‘he embarked at sunrise with a shaven head full of power incantations’
he was conditioned to be a weapon, ‘embarked’ seems to indicate he had no choice but to go out on the mission, ‘shaven head’ implies that he was stripped of his identity during the training.
‘one way journey into history’
he was tempted by life back home, ‘one way’ implying that he would never come back
What does the flag making the ‘figure of eight’ create?
creates a symbol of the infinity sign suggesting he was trapped by his identity
Why is the pilot never referred to as names and only pronouns?
indication of the fact he was stripped of his identity by his own family for his failure to complete the mission as he was outcast and ostracised
What does his family treating him as if he no ‘longer existed’ show?
children were too young to understand what had happened so they ‘chattered and laughed’ but he was given the cold shoulder by all adults then eventually the children as they too ‘learned to be silent’ = verb ‘learned’ exposes the fact the children had to conform to the societal expectations with regard to honour
Why does the poem end with the speaker pondering ‘which wouldve been the better way to die’?
because she feels a sense of guilt and regret, showing to us that in both circumstances he wouldve died alone but one is more socially acceptable to the other
What is the form of kamikaze?
the verses are all the same length representing how his life was now so repetitive with being ignored and in a set structure
