Remains Flashcards
“On another occasion.”
In media res - Starts in the middle of the action.
It’s happened before so this soldiers could represent all soldiers and what they go through.
“Probably armed, possibly not.”
Recurring motif - He’s continuously feeling guilty as he may have killed an unarmed man.
“I see every round as it rips through his life - I see broad daylight on the other side.”
Metaphor to describe how vividly the man is killed.
Enjambment shows how the soldier is letting go of his fear and confiding in the reader.
“He’s there on the ground, sort of inside out, pain itself, the image of agony.”
Indescribable and vivid imagery.
Metaphor - The organs represent the pain the soldier felt.
“One of my mates goes by and tosses his guts back into his body.”
Colloquial language shows how common this situation is.
The man is treated with disrespect.
“End of story, except not really.”
The consequences of the incident still torture him.
Metaphorical remains - The incident stays with him.
“His blood-shadow stays on the street.”
Physical remains of the man.
The shadow haunts him.
“Then I’m home on leave. But I blink and he bursts again.”
Short sentence - Narrator feels like everything will change.
Caesura - Suggests finality to the sentence. Assured that everything will change.
Man’s training didn’t help him with this situation.
“The drink and the drugs won’t flush him out.”
PTSD - Constantly being haunted by the incident.
Nothing can get rid of it yet he’s not getting any professional help to stop the nightmares.
“his bloody life in my bloody hands.”
Takes responsibility for the murder.
Links to lady Macbeth and guilt she felt.
Repetition of bloody shows how violent the death was.
He will never forget the murder.
Context
Common for war veterans to have PTSD or commit suicide.
Poem protests against the way governments deal with PTSD and the lack of support soldiers receive.
Structure
Poem in chronological order but is disrupted by the flashback.
