Kamikaze Flashcards
Context of Kamikaze
During WWII, Japanese Kamikaze pilots flew suicide missions into military targets using planes filled with explosives. Soldiers/pilots were convinced that this was the only way to change the direction of a war in the case of losing.
Japanese culture during the war was very honour based - dishonourable actions of a soldier would stain their whole family & they would be viewed as a coward. It was believed to be noble & brave to die for your country
Key quotes of Kamikaze
“A shaven head full of powerful encantations” - pilots are under the spell of patriotism & propaganda, unable to make their own decisions
“one-way journey into history” - the painful reality that the only way to be honoured/remembered in history is to die for your country. Fact that this is “one-way” stresses that the pilots can never return to their lives.
“Bunting on a green-blue translucent sea” - connotations of peace/tranquility. Nature is beautiful & powerful enough to bring back past memories but also optimism for a hopeful future (the pilot in the poem doesnt want to deny himself of this life by dying early)
“shoals of fishes flashing silver as their bellies swivelled towards the sun” - sibilance creating a calming, serene, elegant, graceful tone. BUT could ALSO be mirroring the movement of the bomber planes AND the fricatives may be hinting at the harshness of what the pilot is about to do.
“Nor did she meet his eyes” - cant believe the person hes become, ashamed of her own husband. This shame is passed down from generation to generation (“still chattered & laughed”) OR she doesn’t meet his eyes as she simply doesnt want to face reality (unbearable guilt/pain towards her husband but has no choice because her culture demands it)
“As though he had never returned” - ironic in the sense that the pilot survived to come back home to his loving family but realises that he would be better treated if he had just died.
Tuna is described to be “dangerous” “dark prince” - power of nature
Structure of Kamikaze
Tightly controlled stanza lengths of 6 lines - reflects the order & obedience expected of a Japanese soldier
Free verse & enjambment slowly breaks away from the strict stanzas - mirroring how the father has his own desires, roles, individuality in life beneath the control of the Japanese government. The spell of patriotism is gradually wearing off as the poem progresses. He is ALSO starting to doubt his obedience & wishes to pursue freedom & the beauty of life unstrained.
Last word of the poem is “die” - evokes a sense of futility & inevitable fate of the soldier. How the soldier was destined to die, be it physically in mission or socially by his country
Stanzas 1-5 is one sentence with no full stops - this represents the flight. The full stop at the end of stanza 5 represents where the pilot shouldve died & where the story was supposed to end (however this is ofc not the case as he decides to live)
Form of Kamikaze
Poem is mostly in 3rd person perspective emphasising the generational impact of the pilots dishounourable choice to not carry out his mission. There are 3 voices in the poem: everyones views on the pilots story is included, except from the pilot himself (he is suppressed)
Absence of the pilots voice shows how he is marginalised, almost kicked out of the story & has lost his voice/place in society
The poem introduces the daughters voice towards the end in italics - this is done to make the poem more vivid & personal to the pilot (how his decision has affected his personal life)
