Remains

Question 1

“On another occasion, we get sent out

to tackle looters raiding a bank.

Answer 1

The colloquial opening in the middle of a conversation suggests the speaker’s weariness with the regularity of such events, highlighting the lack of glory in war.

Question 2

And one of them legs it up the road,

probably armed, possibly not.”

Answer 2

• The use of the colloquialism “legs it” suggests the soldier’s youth.
• The uncertainty over whether the looter was armed foreshadows the speaker’s later guilt.

Question 3

“Well myself and somebody else and somebody else

are all of the same mind, so all three of us open fire. “

Answer 3

The speaker’s inability to recall specifics reflects a trauma-induced haze, while the phrase “all of the same mind” implies a loss of individuality within the group.

Question 4

“I see every round as it rips through his life —

I see broad daylight on the other side. “

Answer 4

• The soldier’s focus on each bullet’s impact portrays his growing awareness of the consequences of his actions.
• The gruesome description marks a shift to greater emotional depth, symbolising a loss of innocence.

Question 5

“One of my mates goes by

and tosses his guts back into his body.

Then he’s carted off in the back of a lorry.”

Answer 5

The nonchalant, dehumanising treatment of the looter’s injuries and body and casual use of language reflects the soldiers’ coping mechanisms in war and highlights the devaluation of life in conflict.

Question 6

“End of story, except not really.

His blood-shadow stays on the street,…”

Answer 6

The persistence of the looter’s blood stain symbolises the indelible mark of trauma on the soldier’s psyche.

Question 7

“and he bursts again through the doors of the bank.

Sleep, and he’s probably armed, possibly not.

Dream, and he’s torn apart by a dozen rounds.”

Answer 7

• The recurring intrusion of the looter’s image reflects the soldier’s inability to escape the trauma.
• The use of stream of consciousness highlights the relentless nature of PTSD.

Question 8

“but near to the knuckle, here and now,

his bloody life in my bloody hands.”

Answer 8

• The immediacy of the memory’s impact is conveyed through the phrase “near to the knuckle”, highlighting the persistent anguish.
• The repetition of the stain of blood signifies the enduring guilt and trauma haunting the soldier.

Question 9

“Then I’m home on leave. But I blink”

Answer 9

The use of the connective “but” and caesura interrupts the speaker’s sentence, just as his mind and life are interrupted by the trauma he experienced.

Question 10

“he’s here in my head when I close my eyes,…”

“not left for dead in some distant, sun-stunned, sand-smothered land

or six-feet under in desert sand,”

Answer 10

The poet suggests that the memory is embedded in the mind of the speaker and the hazy, dream-like description of a foreign land reflects the impact of the trauma.