Remains Flashcards
What was the name of the collection of poems that “Remains” comes from?
The Not Dead :
suggesting that those who survive war are not dead, but their memories aren’t dead either and continue to live on
What does the poem “Remains” examine?
The psychological cost of war
What structural features are there in “Remains”
A monologue (makes it personal)
Different line lengths (longer ones emphasise the message)
Split into 2 distinct sections (the shooting & the memories)
Enjambment (no punctuation at end of lines, showing how memories continuously and endlessly disturb the reader)
How many lines in each stanza
4 - an orderly structure to reflect the order of military life, except the last 2 lines which break the structure because they only have 2 lines - emphasises how the soldier has broken emotionally
Give an example of violent language used to describe the shooting
“Hits, “rips” - short sharp vowel sounds, symbolising the speed of the flying bullets
Give an example of alliteration
Sun-stunned, sand-smothered land” - sibilance might reflect slurred speech of a drunken soldier who is using alcohol to try and forget what has happened. Stunned and smothered also suggest confusion or trauma
What language technique is “bloody hands” an example of
literary allusion (making reference to another piece of writing) - Lady Macbeth and the soldier both haunted by what they have done
What does “blood shadow” refer to?
the physical stain on the road where the Iraqi looter was shot
also a shadow in the soldier’s mind which remains long after the actual blood has disappeared. Shadow has connotations with darkness and death - a painful memory that haunts him
What tone does the poem have?
conversational tone - “one of my mates goes by” - simple informal language gives a sense of authenticity to the poem
What nationality was Armitage?
He was British - born in Yorkshire
