Remains

Question 1

What does the poem begin with and what does it imply?

Answer 1

‘On another occasion’

This implies that this account is not the only unpleasant story the solider has in his memory

Question 2

What does the solider feel at the end of the poem that is suggested by the final line?

Answer 2

That he will always have blood on his hands

Question 3

What are the three themes in Remains?

Answer 3

Guilt, Conflict and Life and Death

Question 4

How is the theme of Guilt shown?

Answer 4

The speaker is haunted by the guilt of taking a man’s life. He is upset by the fact the man might be innocent.

Evidence:
‘probably armed, possibly not’

Question 5

How is the theme of Conflict shown?

Answer 5

The speaker is acting under orders and is engaged with combat in another country

Evidence:
‘dug behind enemy lines,’
‘not left for dead in some distant, sun-stunned, sand-smothered land’

Question 6

How is theme of Life and Death shown?

Answer 6

The looter is killed by rounds of bullets.

Evidence:
‘I see every round as it rips through his life’
‘I see broad daylight on the other side’

Question 7

What’s the reason for the interpretation ‘The solider are nameless and in many ways identical’ in the line ‘Well myself and somebody else’ and ‘are all of the same mind’?

Answer 7

The use of ‘somebody else’ suggests that these could be any men, as if the soldiers are as disposable as the looter they have killed. The lack of names makes them anonymous and perhaps suggests that this is the way they are regarded by others.

Question 8

What’s the reason for the interpretation ‘The soldiers work under orders and do as they are told, as if they have been programmed to behave in this way’ in the line ‘Well myself and somebody else’ and ‘are all of the same mind’?

Answer 8

The phrase ‘are all of the same mind’ shows that they respond to the looter in the same way. This suggests that they have been trained, and their act of opening fire is one that is programmed into them. They do not behave as individuals.

Question 9

How many stanzas are in Remains?

Answer 9

Eight

Question 10

What are the first seven stanzas in?

Answer 10

Largely unrhymed quatrains

Question 11

How many lines are in the last stanza?

Answer 11

Two

Question 12

What is the poem written as?

Answer 12

A monologue

Question 13

What effect does slang and colloquial language have on the poem?

Answer 13

It creates the sense that speaker is directly telling us his story

Question 14

How does the poem reference Macbeth?

Answer 14

Bloody hands and sleep

Question 15

What are the similarities between ‘Remains’ and ‘Exposure’?

Answer 15

Both are about soldiers in wartime.

Both present a first-person narrative.

Both provide graphic images of death and war.

Question 16

What are the differences between ‘Remains’ and ‘Exposure’?

Answer 16

Remains has a faster paced rhythm, Exposure has a more measured pace, reflecting the way the soldiers are waiting.

Remains is about modern warfare, Exposure is about World War One.

Remains has a structure which disintegrates towards the end, Exposure uses a more regular structure.

Exposure is written in the present tense about an experience that is unfolding. Remains is also written mostly in the present tense, but is about a past experience, showing the lasting trauma of the experience of war for this soldier.

Question 17

What is the peom about?

Answer 17

Modern warfare, unnamed but recognisable as The Gulf War, Afghanistan or similar

Question 18

What is the poem presented through?

Answer 18

The point of view of a solider suffering post-traumatic stress disorder

Question 19

What imagery is used in the poem?

Answer 19

Brutal images of shooting - ‘rips’, ‘guts’

Question 20

What do the repeated lines emphasise?

Answer 20

Repeated nightmares

Question 21

Link to unlock all poems?

Answer 21

https://www.brainscape.com/p/1FYJO-LH-5FGSQ

Question 22

What does the poem explore?

Answer 22

The impact of war on mental health

Question 23

What is the poem based off?

Answer 23

An account of a real solider

Question 24

What is there a contrast of in the poem?

Answer 24

The casualness of death

The horror of memories

Question 25

What does the poet raise questions about in the poem?

Answer 25

The way men in war are conditioned to put aside their personal emotions when they commit acts of violence or destruction

Question 26

What is there a sense of in the poem?

Answer 26

There is a sense of the injustice of conflict. | The looter was potentially not dangerous, but lost his life anyways

Question 27

The solider in Remains is conditioned to follow orders, like the soldiers in:

Answer 27

Bayonet Charge | Charge of the Light Brigade

Question 28

What are key ideas explored in Remains?

Answer 28

Injustice of war Trauma Guilt The contrast between war and its aftermath

Question 29

What does Armitage use to show that the speaker is desensitised (made less sensitive) to war?

Answer 29

Vague and colloquial language

Question 30

What is an example of vague language in the poem?

Answer 30

"This looter"

Question 31

What are examples of colloquial language in the poem?

Answer 31

"on another occasion" | "Well myself and somebody else and somebody else"

Question 32

What is the purpose of colloquial language in the poem?

Answer 32

To show that experiences, such as the one described, were common

Question 33

What are colloquial verbs used in the poem and what to they indicate?

Answer 33

"Tosses" and "carted off" | Casual, colloquial verbs indicate the solider's lack of regard or respect for human life in war

Question 34

What techniques does the poet use to explore post-war trauma?

Answer 34

Sensory Language | Metaphors

Question 35

What is an example of sensory language and what is it's purpose?

Answer 35

"I see" | It's purpose to convey trauma, as though it is branded on his memory.

Question 36

What does the use of present tense in the poem relate to?

Answer 36

The idea that this suffering is ongoing and is constantly re-plays the memories

Question 37

Give an example of a metaphor in the poem:

Answer 37

"His blood shadow stays"

Question 38

What image does the metaphor "his blood shadow stays make?

Answer 38

The image of something dark that cannot be dispelled. Shadow relates to a memory that lingers.

Question 39

What is an example of a violent verb used in the poem? What does it highlight?

Answer 39

"Bursts" | Highlights how the image erupts into his mind without warning

Question 40

What quotation indicates the speaker's desperation to rid himself of the harrowing memories?

Answer 40

"And the drink and drugs won't flush him out"

Question 41

What does the verb "flush" suggest?"

Answer 41

That something needs to be cleansed or disposed of

Question 42

What quotes highlight the speaker's trauma?

Answer 42

"And the drinks and drugs won't flush him out" "Bursts" "End of story, except not really"

Question 43

What does the title have connotations with?

Answer 43

Death, something unwanted or leftover

Question 44

What could the title indicate about the poem?

Answer 44

That all that is left in the speaker's life is guilt | That he is just a shell of his former self

Question 45

What is the effect of uncertain language in the poem?

Answer 45

Reminds the readers of the doubt the soldiers must deal with Links to theme of guilt - an indication the man who was shot perhaps didn't deserve to die

Question 46

Give an example of uncertain language in the poem:

Answer 46

"Probably armed, possibly not"

Question 47

What quotation shows blood imagery?

Answer 47

"His bloody life in my bloody hands"

Question 48

What is the effect of the repetition of bloody?

Answer 48

Reinforces the sense of his frustration

Question 49

What does the image of having blood on his hands symbolise?

Answer 49

The guilt he is unable to rid himself of

Question 50

How could the word "Bloody" be interpreted?

Answer 50

As a swear word and used to mark his anger or regret

Question 51

Give an example of sibilance in the poem:

Answer 51

"Not left for dead in some distant sun-stunned sand-smothered land"

Question 52

What is an example of violent language in the poem?

Answer 52

"I swear I see every round as it rips through his life"

Question 53

What does the use of violent language highlight?

Answer 53

The brutal nature of attack

Question 54

Give examples of gruesome imagery in the poem:

Answer 54

"pain itself, the image of agony" | "sort of inside out...tosses his guts back into his body"

Question 55

What does the use of gruesome imagery indicate?

Answer 55

The reality of war and the lack of glory or honour associated with such a job

Question 56

Which word in the quote “I swear I see every round as it rips through his life” emphasises the brutality of the attack?

Answer 56

"rips"

Question 57

What does the use of the collective, possessive pronoun "we" remind the reader?

Answer 57

That the soliders acts as a unit in the war Contrasts with the singular pronoun "my" at the end of the poem, reinforcing the idea that the soldier is left to deal with his guilt alone

Question 58

What form is the poem written in?

Answer 58

Dramatic Monologue

Question 59

What does the form of a dramatic monologue allow?

Answer 59

An insight into the personal experiences and thoughts of one individual

Question 60

How does the poet use a two-part structure?

Answer 60

The first half of the poem focuses on the past, the second half focuses on the aftermath

Question 61

What phrase is repeated in the poem?

Answer 61

"probably armed, possibly not"

Question 62

What effect does the repetition of "probably armed, possibly not" create?

Answer 62

Creates as almost cyclical structure | Reinforces the idea that memories are inescapable

Question 63

What could the break of rhythm in the last two lines represent?

Answer 63

The speaker's mental disintegration

Question 64

What could the regular patter of stanzas reflect?

Answer 64

The ongoing, relentless suffering of the soldier

Question 65

What is the purpose of the lack of rhyme in the poem?

Answer 65

Gives the monologue a more natural, speech-like feel, but could also indicate the speaker's unstable state of mind

Question 66

What poems could you compare to Remains on the theme of powerful, memorable and/or unpleasant experiences?

Answer 66

Exposure Charge of the Light Brigade Bayonet Charge The Prelude

Question 67

What poems could you compare to Remains on the theme of powerful memories?

Answer 67

``` Kamikaze Poppies The Emigree War Photographer The Prelude ```

Question 68

What poems could you compare to Remains on the theme of reality/effects of conflict?

Answer 68

``` War Photographer Exposure Poppies Bayonet Charge Charge of the Light Bridgade ```