Remains Flashcards
1
Q
Overall summary
A
- “Remains” reflects on the experience of war and the PTSD following from these experiences. It tells us of the shooting of a bank robber and the far reaching repercussions of that act on the soldier, both during the act and in the aftermath.
- It is loosely based on the experiences of Guardsman Tromans, a soldier who fought in Iraq in 2003. The poem seeks to highlight the pervasive effects of war and the mental burden it places on those who fight in it.
2
Q
Stanza summary of remains:
A
- Recalls an occasion where they were sent out to chase some looters. One of them runs away and there is confusion as to whether or not he is armed.
- Him and two others open fire.
- They hit the looter twelve times. The speaker sees each round as it takes his life. The looter lies on the ground a mess.
- The dead body of the looter is carted off in the back of a lorry.
- The matter does not end there. The speaker sees the blood stain of the body every time he does his rounds.
- The speaker relives the experience when he is at home on leave. There is still confusion as to if he is armed. The memory pervades his dreams and the speaker has to resort to drink and drugs to help even though they actually do not help.
- The memory of the looter is embedded in his head.
- 2 line stanza. The looter is always with the speaker and the speaker sees the looter’s life as in his hands.
3
Q
Context
A
- Written for “The Not Dead” on channel 4, raised awareness on PTSD.
- Based on heart wrenching experiences of Guardsman Tromans in the 2003 Iraq War.
- Remains seeks to highlight the virulent effects of war by exploiting the psychological effects on the soldiers, which contrasts other typical presentations of war as glorious or noble.
- The poem and documentary came at a time of changing public opinions on war.
- Armitage presents conflict as more visceral and real than those who have come before him.
- Exposes lack of support for soldiers in need and the inner humanity of people often viewed as emotionless and stoic.
4
Q
“probably armed, possible not”
A
- The anaphora of “probably armed, possible not” repeated throughout the poem shows how he is still wracked with doubt and guilt as to if the man was a threat; begins with “probably” as that is what the speaker wants to believe, but the sliver of doubt remains in “possibly not”.
- Usage of cyclical structure shows how he keeps coming back to this doubt; his guilt is the crux of his suffering.
5
Q
“his bloody life in my bloody hands”
A
- Adjective of “bloody” in “his bloody life in my bloody hands” could hold a double meaning. Could refer to literal blood from the barbaric death or as a means of cursing.
- Contrast between “my bloody hands” with “myself and somebody else and somebody else” shows how he is gradually coming to terms with his culpability and guilt instead of putting the blame on other people.
- Colloquial language here shows how soldiers are expected to remain stoic and brave.
- Echoes Macbeth for example Macbeth saying “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?”. Blood is used a a motif of guilt in both texts, showing how the root cause of the soldier’s suffering is guilt. This also may insinuate that the soldier views his killing of the looter as unjust in a similar way to Macbeth’s killing of Duncan.
6
Q
“Myself and somebody else and somebody else” to “my blood hands”
A
- Shift in speaker’s recollection of events shows how memory is not infallible and can be corrupted. Shown in shift from “Myself and somebody else and somebody else” to “my blood hands”.
- Shows the virulent effects of dwelling on the event over and over again.
7
Q
“Then I’m home on leave. But I blink”
A
- Memory lingers with the soldiers long after the actual event. “Then I’m home on leave. But I blink”. Usage of caesura highlights the discordant nature of the soldier’s mindset whilst also demonstrating that despite the fact that the soldier is on leave, he still sees what happened every time he blinks. The use of “but” implies that there is always more; his suffering is never truly over.
8
Q
“Three of a kind” and “all of the same mind”
A
- War causes soldiers to lose their humanity “three of a kind” and “all of the same mind” shows how they are all conditioned to be the same. Three of a king could also be referring to Poker, showing how these events may be just a game to the soldiers.
- “a kind” demonstrates how war has stolen all individuality and uniqueness from them as there is nothing to separate them now.
9
Q
“On another occasion, we get sent out”
A
- The imperative verb “sent” shows how the soldiers have little real choice on what they do.
- Poem begins in media res “on another occasion” showing how this a regular occurrence and one of many such vile experiences that the soldiers are immediately thrown into with little regard to the detrimental impact on their mental state.
10
Q
“Sort of inside out” “legs” “bloody”
A
- Usage of colloquial language shows how these occurrences are commonplace for the soldiers, with the usage of casual language showing how they are expected to hide their true emotions behind this tough exterior.
11
Q
“Sun stunned” “sand smothered” “distant” “desert sand”
A
- sibilants of “s” sound mimics bullets, repetition shows how the soldiers suffering is almost never ending, sempiternal.
12
Q
Enjambment
A
- “And I swear/ I see every round” shows how the speaker is unable to separate events; his trauma causes all these experiences to be mixed into one continuous dialogue.
- May also mirror how his memories mix into his present mental frame.
- Enjambment occurs at key moments of death and suffering, perhaps showing how the suffering breaks him just as it breaks the structure.
13
Q
Caesura
A
- “Then I’m home on leave. But I blink”. The full stop in the middle of the sentence provides finality, like that should be the end of the matter.
- However the conjunction of “but” emphasises that there is always more and that his suffering is never over; it pervades his life at home.
- Caesura interrupts the sentence, similar to how the flashbacks to the conflict interrupt the speaker’s day to day life.
- Caesura also forces the reader to stop and think on the conflict just as the speaker does.
14
Q
Dramatic monologue
A
- Poem is in dramatic monologue and in the present tense. Paints a picture of it being a traumatic account from memory.
- Shifts in perspective throughout monologue mirrors the soldier coming to terms with his guilt.
- Usage of colloquial language shows how the soldier is accustomed to violence, whilst the very act of the soldier discussing his emotions goes against what society would traditionally see as a “masculine” soldier, repressing his emotions.
15
Q
Regular quatrains
A
- Highlights the regularity of his PTSD and the rigid, unrelenting control it has on him.
- May show how experiences of conflict and the guilt resulting from them are also regular.
- The last stanza is only two lines, contrasting with the regularity of the stanza before. This may be to emphasise that the speaker still feels guilt over the death or of emphasise the speaker’s disintegration of mind. However it could also be interpreted to being the speaker breaking free from the hold that the event had on him, highlighting some semblance of hope for the future.
