Remains Flashcards
What 3 quotes are you using for ‘Remains’?
‘On another occasion’
‘probably armed, possibly not’
‘his bloody life in my bloody hands.’
‘On another occasion’
point + method + explode
Armitage starts the poem in media res which serves to confuse the reader mimicking the confusion the soldier is experiencing. Alternatively, it could also reflect the chaos of war and how unpredictable it is.
The determiner ‘another’ shows that this is not an exceptional case but a reality that the soldiers have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.
‘probably armed, possibly not’
point + method + explode
It suggests that the effects of war continue long after the soldier has left the battlefield. It emphasises the psychological torment that war causes on people which is shown through the caesura that divides the line- representing the uncertainty in the speakers mind.
‘probably’ comes first because that is what he wants to believe as it provides justification for his war driven murder.
‘his bloody life in my bloody hands.’
point + method + explode
The ending of the poem suggests the lack of control that the speaker has over his life and the discordance expresses the risk of suicide.
Alternatively, the possessive determiner ‘my’ juxtaposes the collective responsibility at the beginning of the poem and shows that the speaker is accepting his own responsibility and resolving this trauma.
The repetition of ‘bloody’ shows that the trauma is playing over in the speakers mind, enhancing the effect of PTSD.
What does the form of ‘Remains’ show?
‘Remains’ is written as a dramatic monologue and in the present tense. This gives the poem a sense of being an account from memory in a flashback. This is significant as flack backs are a symptom of PTSD.
