Out Of The Blue

Question 1

What was Armitage communicating about conflict?

Answer 1

Tragedy of those innocently caught up in conflict
Gruesome nature of being involved in conflict
Humanity of those involved in wider events/conflicts

Question 2

What is the structure used in “Out of the Blue”?

Answer 2

Quatrains - structure of narrative/thought process of civilian
Dramatic monologue - poem from imagined perspective
Ballad

Question 3

What are the technique used in “Out of the Blue”?

Answer 3

Repetition - reflects footage of event, emphasises panic/chaos
Symbolism - “white of surrender” - irony, highlights speaker’s resilience
Metaphor - “here in the gills” - irony, bizarre nature of situation/how difficult it is to breathe

Question 4

What is the imagery used in “Out of the Blue”?

Answer 4

Kinaesthetic - “twirling, turning”, “windmilling, wheeling, spiralling, falling” - desperation of pleading for help
List - emphasises how people are falling

Question 5

What is the rhyme/rhythm used in “Out of the Blue”?

Answer 5

Balladic rhyme scheme (ABCB) - loose 
4th stanza - mono rhyme - helps shift tone back to being serious 
Last stanza - rhyming couplets 
Irregular iambic 
Caesuras & enjambment

Question 6

What is the vocabulary used in “Out of the Blue”?

Answer 6

Emphasise movement & chaos of event