Remains Flashcards

1
Q

What does the poem begin with and what does it imply?

A

‘On another occasion’

This implies that this account is not the only unpleasant story the solider has in his memory

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2
Q

What does the solider feel at the end of the poem that is suggested by the final line?

A

That he will always have blood on his hands

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3
Q

What are the three themes in Remains?

A

Guilt, Conflict and Life and Death

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4
Q

How is the theme of Guilt shown?

A

The speaker is haunted by the guilt of taking a man’s life. He is upset by the fact the man might be innocent.

Evidence:
‘probably armed, possibly not’

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5
Q

How is the theme of Conflict shown?

A

The speaker is acting under orders and is engaged with combat in another country

Evidence:
‘dug behind enemy lines,’
‘not left for dead in some distant, sun-stunned, sand-smothered land’

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6
Q

How is theme of Life and Death shown?

A

The looter is killed by rounds of bullets.

Evidence:
‘I see every round as it rips through his life’
‘I see broad daylight on the other side’

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7
Q

What’s the reason for the interpretation ‘The solider are nameless and in many ways identical’ in the line ‘Well myself and somebody else’ and ‘are all of the same mind’?

A

The use of ‘somebody else’ suggests that these could be any men, as if the soldiers are as disposable as the looter they have killed. The lack of names makes them anonymous and perhaps suggests that this is the way they are regarded by others.

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8
Q

What’s the reason for the interpretation ‘The soldiers work under orders and do as they are told, as if they have been programmed to behave in this way’ in the line ‘Well myself and somebody else’ and ‘are all of the same mind’?

A

The phrase ‘are all of the same mind’ shows that they respond to the looter in the same way. This suggests that they have been trained, and their act of opening fire is one that is programmed into them. They do not behave as individuals.

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9
Q

How many stanzas are in Remains?

A

Eight

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10
Q

What are the first seven stanzas in?

A

Largely unrhymed quatrains

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11
Q

How many lines are in the last stanza?

A

Two

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12
Q

What is the poem written as?

A

A monologue

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13
Q

What effect does slang and colloquial language have on the poem?

A

It creates the sense that speaker is directly telling us his story

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14
Q

How does the poem reference Macbeth?

A

Bloody hands and sleep

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15
Q

What are the similarities between ‘Remains’ and ‘Exposure’?

A

Both are about soldiers in wartime.

Both present a first-person narrative.

Both provide graphic images of death and war.

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16
Q

What are the differences between ‘Remains’ and ‘Exposure’?

A

Remains has a faster paced rhythm, Exposure has a more measured pace, reflecting the way the soldiers are waiting.

Remains is about modern warfare, Exposure is about World War One.

Remains has a structure which disintegrates towards the end, Exposure uses a more regular structure.

Exposure is written in the present tense about an experience that is unfolding. Remains is also written mostly in the present tense, but is about a past experience, showing the lasting trauma of the experience of war for this soldier.

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17
Q

What is the peom about?

A

Modern warfare, unnamed but recognisable as The Gulf War, Afghanistan or similar

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18
Q

What is the poem presented through?

A

The point of view of a solider suffering post-traumatic stress disorder

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19
Q

What imagery is used in the poem?

A

Brutal images of shooting - ‘rips’, ‘guts’

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20
Q

What do the repeated lines emphasise?

A

Repeated nightmares

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21
Q

Link to unlock all poems?

A

https://www.brainscape.com/p/1FYJO-LH-5FGSQ

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22
Q

What does the poem explore?

A

The impact of war on mental health

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23
Q

What is the poem based off?

A

An account of a real solider

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24
Q

What is there a contrast of in the poem?

A

The casualness of death

The horror of memories

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25
Q

What does the poet raise questions about in the poem?

A

The way men in war are conditioned to put aside their personal emotions when they commit acts of violence or destruction

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26
Q

What is there a sense of in the poem?

A

There is a sense of the injustice of conflict.

The looter was potentially not dangerous, but lost his life anyways

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27
Q

The solider in Remains is conditioned to follow orders, like the soldiers in:

A

Bayonet Charge

Charge of the Light Brigade

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28
Q

What are key ideas explored in Remains?

A

Injustice of war
Trauma
Guilt
The contrast between war and its aftermath

29
Q

What does Armitage use to show that the speaker is desensitised (made less sensitive) to war?

A

Vague and colloquial language

30
Q

What is an example of vague language in the poem?

A

“This looter”

31
Q

What are examples of colloquial language in the poem?

A

“on another occasion”

“Well myself and somebody else and somebody else”

32
Q

What is the purpose of colloquial language in the poem?

A

To show that experiences, such as the one described, were common

33
Q

What are colloquial verbs used in the poem and what to they indicate?

A

“Tosses” and “carted off”

Casual, colloquial verbs indicate the solider’s lack of regard or respect for human life in war

34
Q

What techniques does the poet use to explore post-war trauma?

A

Sensory Language

Metaphors

35
Q

What is an example of sensory language and what is it’s purpose?

A

“I see”

It’s purpose to convey trauma, as though it is branded on his memory.

36
Q

What does the use of present tense in the poem relate to?

A

The idea that this suffering is ongoing and is constantly re-plays the memories

37
Q

Give an example of a metaphor in the poem:

A

“His blood shadow stays”

38
Q

What image does the metaphor “his blood shadow stays make?

A

The image of something dark that cannot be dispelled. Shadow relates to a memory that lingers.

39
Q

What is an example of a violent verb used in the poem? What does it highlight?

A

“Bursts”

Highlights how the image erupts into his mind without warning

40
Q

What quotation indicates the speaker’s desperation to rid himself of the harrowing memories?

A

“And the drink and drugs won’t flush him out”

41
Q

What does the verb “flush” suggest?”

A

That something needs to be cleansed or disposed of

42
Q

What quotes highlight the speaker’s trauma?

A

“And the drinks and drugs won’t flush him out”
“Bursts”
“End of story, except not really”

43
Q

What does the title have connotations with?

A

Death, something unwanted or leftover

44
Q

What could the title indicate about the poem?

A

That all that is left in the speaker’s life is guilt

That he is just a shell of his former self

45
Q

What is the effect of uncertain language in the poem?

A

Reminds the readers of the doubt the soldiers must deal with
Links to theme of guilt - an indication the man who was shot perhaps didn’t deserve to die

46
Q

Give an example of uncertain language in the poem:

A

“Probably armed, possibly not”

47
Q

What quotation shows blood imagery?

A

“His bloody life in my bloody hands”

48
Q

What is the effect of the repetition of bloody?

A

Reinforces the sense of his frustration

49
Q

What does the image of having blood on his hands symbolise?

A

The guilt he is unable to rid himself of

50
Q

How could the word “Bloody” be interpreted?

A

As a swear word and used to mark his anger or regret

51
Q

Give an example of sibilance in the poem:

A

“Not left for dead in some distant sun-stunned sand-smothered land”

52
Q

What is an example of violent language in the poem?

A

“I swear I see every round as it rips through his life”

53
Q

What does the use of violent language highlight?

A

The brutal nature of attack

54
Q

Give examples of gruesome imagery in the poem:

A

“pain itself, the image of agony”

“sort of inside out…tosses his guts back into his body”

55
Q

What does the use of gruesome imagery indicate?

A

The reality of war and the lack of glory or honour associated with such a job

56
Q

Which word in the quote “I swear I see every round as it rips through his life” emphasises the brutality of the attack?

A

“rips”

57
Q

What does the use of the collective, possessive pronoun “we” remind the reader?

A

That the soliders acts as a unit in the war
Contrasts with the singular pronoun “my” at the end of the poem, reinforcing the idea that the soldier is left to deal with his guilt alone

58
Q

What form is the poem written in?

A

Dramatic Monologue

59
Q

What does the form of a dramatic monologue allow?

A

An insight into the personal experiences and thoughts of one individual

60
Q

How does the poet use a two-part structure?

A

The first half of the poem focuses on the past, the second half focuses on the aftermath

61
Q

What phrase is repeated in the poem?

A

“probably armed, possibly not”

62
Q

What effect does the repetition of “probably armed, possibly not” create?

A

Creates as almost cyclical structure

Reinforces the idea that memories are inescapable

63
Q

What could the break of rhythm in the last two lines represent?

A

The speaker’s mental disintegration

64
Q

What could the regular patter of stanzas reflect?

A

The ongoing, relentless suffering of the soldier

65
Q

What is the purpose of the lack of rhyme in the poem?

A

Gives the monologue a more natural, speech-like feel, but could also indicate the speaker’s unstable state of mind

66
Q

What poems could you compare to Remains on the theme of powerful, memorable and/or unpleasant experiences?

A

Exposure
Charge of the Light Brigade
Bayonet Charge
The Prelude

67
Q

What poems could you compare to Remains on the theme of powerful memories?

A
Kamikaze
Poppies
The Emigree
War Photographer
The Prelude
68
Q

What poems could you compare to Remains on the theme of reality/effects of conflict?

A
War Photographer
Exposure
Poppies
Bayonet Charge
Charge of the Light Bridgade