Remains Flashcards
“one of them…
legs it up the road.”
“probably armed,
possibly not.”
Well myself and somebody else and…
somebody else are all of the same mind.”
“it rips through his life -
I see broad daylight in the other side.”
“and he’s there on the…
ground, sort of inside out.”
“End of story,
except not really.”
“And the drinks and drugs…
won’t flush him out”
“he’s here in my head when I…
close my eyes, dug in behind enemy lines”
“His bloody life in…
my bloody hands”
Who wrote remains ?
Simon armitage
What is this poem based on ?
An interview with Guardman Troman who was serving in Iraq and came back with PTSD from the events that went on .
The title ‘ remains ‘ what three things could you say about this ?
- Could show whats left behind
- Could show neglect
- Could show corpse
‘On another occasion ‘ , is the first few words at the start of the first stanza . What is this almost like ?
En media res . Suggests that we are listening in to a series of stories or conversations
What quote in the first stanza shows that this poem is anecdotal ?
‘One of them legs it up the road ‘
‘Possibly armed possibly not ‘ creates a sense of ?
Doubt and uncertainty
Finish this quote of , ‘ Well myself and somebody … . What technique is used here and what does it create ?
Else and somebody else ‘ . Syndetic listing creates a sense of ambiguity and spreading the blame .
What does the repetition of ‘ all ‘ show ?
That he is spreading the blame
What does the repetition of ‘ three ‘ show ?
He is spreading the blame
Where does the change in person start , which stanza ?
The third stanza
What does the phrase ‘ I see broad daylight on the other side . ‘ show ?
He is over emphasising the pain and suffering
What does the repetition and anaphor of the phrase ‘ I see ‘ emphasise ?
Visual horror
What does the phrase ‘ and he’s there on the ground, sort of inside out ‘ suggest ?
Childish description suggests that he doesn’t really have the words to explain the horror .
In the third stanza what is going on ?
They have shot a looter and he is explaining everything he sees .
Finish this quote . ‘One of my mates goes by … . What does it show ?
and tosses his guts back into his body’ . The verb ‘tosses’ shows his disregard and the way he casually does it .
What word describes the guts of the guy they’ve shot ?
Lorry
Where is the turning point and what is the phrase ?
Line 17 and the phrase is ‘ End of story, except not really ‘
What kind of mood does the phrase ‘ End of story, except not really ‘ create ?
Creates a darker , more sombre and confessional mood
What has the soldier done in the poem ?
He has shot a person
What does the phrase ‘ blood-shadow ‘ show ?
Shows the visual reminder of what he’s done and its haunting him
‘Week after week ‘ what technique is used and what does it show ?
Repetition and it shows that he can’t get away from it
What technique is used in the words ‘ But , Blink , Bursts , Doors and bank ‘ and what does it show ?
Bilabial plosives shows that his memories are coming back all the time
What techniques are used in the words ‘ sleep’ and ‘dream’ ?
Single syllable words shows the suddenness of the gun shots themselves however this juxtaposes to the actual words sleep and dream which we would refer to a time of peace and quiet
‘And the drink …. . What does the phrase mean ?
Won’t flush him out . He has turned to substance abuse because he can’ get rid of the memory of shooting that guy .
‘Hes here… . What technique is this and what does this suggest ?
In my head ‘ . Metaphor which suggests that the guilt is always with him
‘Dug in behind … . What technique is used here and what does it mean ?
Enemy lines ‘ . Metaphor , her compares the the guilty memory as an enemy to him .
‘Not left for dead …. . What techniques are used here and what do they suggest ?
In some distant, sun stunned, sand smothered land ‘ . Long list and repeated sibilance slows the pace and jumbles the rhythm and highlights reminds him of the scorching desert which makes him even more depressed.
What three things can we say about this phrase ‘ his bloody life in my bloody hands ‘ ?
- ‘Bloody’ shows the man he killed’s blood / shows a sense of guilt
- ‘Repetition of ‘bloody’ reminds us of Macbeth / allusion he can’t remove the guilt
- Changed from ‘we’ to ‘my’ possessive pronoun shows that he is accepting responsibility
What is the poem about ?
Guardman Truman who was serving in Irak had shot a looter or someone and at first he thinks that he hasn’t killed him and blames everyone including himself . Then when he gets home he can’t stop thinking about the guy and he tries to get rid of him but he can’t and its a mental battle, so maybe because he can’t get rid of him this means that he has killed him which he admits at the end .
What are four things we can say about form and structure ?
- No regular rhyme scheme - lack of control he has
- Speaker starts with third person /arrogance and informal and then to first person
- Enjambment throughout the poem shows his lack of control
- Set in quatrains but at the last stanza he loses control and so we have a two line stanza
What are fhe feelings and attitudes toward the poem ?
. Nonchalance - casual at the start and very anecdotal
. Guilt
What are three poems to compare with the theme of memory ?
Kamikaze
Poppies
Emigree
What are three poems to compare for the theme of experience of war ?
Bayonet charge
Kamikaze
Poppies
