Kamikaze Flashcards
Who wrote Kamikaze?
Beatrice Garland
What is a Kamikaze?
A Kamikaze pilot is a Japanese soldier who was chosen to fly a plane into ships to damage them during WW2. It was sacrificial and deemed very honourable to be picked to be a pilot.
Outline the narrative of Kamikaze.
It is about a Kamikaze pilot who sets off in his plane in the morning to go and suicide attack an American aircraft carrier. He later changes his mind and returns home. His wife ignores him and refuses to speak to him while his children still speak to him but they later refuse to speak to him as they grow older and learn of the shamefulness of returning from a Kamikaze.
He wonders if it would’ve been better to die out there than be shunned by his family and the community.
How does the power of nature link to the poem?
The pilot is flying over the ocean when he sees the fish in the sea in swathes moving like a flag.
His desicion changes after seeing the beauty of nature and he changes his decision to hurt other in his suicide kamikaze flight.
What is the quote at the end of the poem?
“She said, he must’ve wondered which was the better way to die.”
How does reality of conflict link to the poem?
It shows the detrimental impact that war can have on families and their relationships.
The family is torn apart by the descion that the pilot makes to not Kamikaze and the family is excluded from the community and the children don’t talk to the dad as they grow up.
Which characters/speakers are involved in the poem?
Brothers Pilot Narrator Grandfather Family Community
How does the power of nature in Kamikaze link to Ozymandias?
Both explore the power of nature and the effect this has on people.
The slaves in Ozymandias build the statue for a greater purpose which is strikingly similar to the pilot who will lose his life for a greater cause.
Both are supporting leaders such as the pharaoh and the emperor who are incredibly powerful and influential figures. Perhaps showing peoples attitudes towards leaders and their willingness to obey them and their orders.
