Remains

Question 1

Context

Answer 1

“These are poems of survivors / the damaged, exhauted men who return from war in body but never, wholly, in mind” Simon Armitage
Poem coincided with increased awareness of PTSD amongst the military, and aroused sympathy amongst thhe public / many of whom were opposed to the war

Question 2

Form and Structure

Answer 2

Monologue, told in the present tense to convey a flashback (a symptom of PTSD)
First four stanzas are set in Iraq; last three are at home, showing the aftermath
Enjambment between lines and stanzas convey his conversational tone and gives it a fast pace, especially when converying the horror of killing
Repetition of “Probably armed, Possibly not” conveys guilt and bitterness

Question 3

Langauge

Answer 3

“Remains” the images of suufering remain
“Legs it up the road” colloquial language = authentic voice
“Then hes carted off in the back of a lorry” reduction of humanity to waste or cattle
“hes here in my head when I close my eyes / dug in behind enemy lines” metaphor for a war in his head; the PTSD is entrenched
“his bloody life in my bloody hands” allludes to Macbeth: Macbeth a warrior with PTSD and Lady Macbeths bloody hands and guilt

Question 4

Content, Meaning and Purpose

Answer 4

Written to coincide with a TV documentary about those returning from war with PTSD. Based on Guardsman Tromans, who fought in Iraq in 2003
Speaker describes shooting a looter dead in Iraq and how it has affected him
To shown the readerthat mental suffering can persisit longer after physical conflict is over