Kamikaze

Question 1

‘A shaven head full of powerful incantations’

Answer 1

Suggests the kamikaze pilots were brainwashed – ‘incantations’ - under the spell of the Emperor to believe that they had to kill themselves to achieve honour.

Question 2

‘Strung out like bunting/on a green-blue translucent sea’

Answer 2

Image shows clearly the beauty and peace of the world in contrast to the conflict the pilot is flying off to. Suggests the pilot could not bear to leave the world behind.

Question 3

‘Must have wondered/which had been the better way to die’

Answer 3

Shows the impact of conflict on a person – the choice he made led him to live a lonely life. Can lead to regret – might be better to die with honour?

Question 4

Structure

Answer 4

Lots of enjambment – first sentence runs over five stanzas. Suggests this is being told orally – a story told by a mother to her children. Could also reflect the
never-ending punishment the pilot faced when he returned.

Question 5

Idea/Perspective/Context (AO3)

Answer 5

Explores the way many communities and cultures prize

honour and sacrifice in conflict above all else.

Question 6

Links

Answer 6

Remains
Poppies
The Charge of the Light Brigade