Remains Flashcards
Structure
the use of enjambment such as in “and I swear/ i see every round as it rips through his life” causes tension and builds up to violent imagery. Also, the use of enjambment throughout the poem adds to the sense of conversation, further giving the impression that this is a casual situation for soldiers or could be an attempt to hide his real feelings
lack of consistent rhythm and rhyme combined with a plethora of colloquial language, further makes it sound conversational, implying how this experience can be applicable to any soldier
On another occasion
(Memory, effects of conflict, the reality of conflict - soldiers experience so many horrors they almost become numb to them)
In media res
creates a casual atmosphere and normalises the situation as it implies that as a soldier he experiences this on a day-to-day basis.
the in media res could also be interpreted to create a sense of confusion as initially the reader is confused as they don’t know what is going on which mimics how the confusion of the soldier who is not emotionally prepared for what will come next.
the in media res could also be used to reflect the chaos of war and how unpredictable it is.
Probably armed, possibly not
Guilt, effects of conflict, reality of conflict, memory
This could also be an attempt to reduce the guilt that he has. the adverb “Probably” is more assertive than adverb “possibly” which reflects how he is forcing himself to believe that the person was armed in order to feel better about himself.
Despite this, it still creates a sense of doubt which hints at his guilt that will be uncovered as the poem progresses
the repetition of this phrase emphasizes the speaker’s sense of discomfort at having killed another human being.
Well myself and somebody else and somebody else
the use of plural to singular language
(guilt - sharing the blame; memory)
repetition of the phrase “somebody else” emphasises the guilt he feels and hes trying to ease the burden of the guilt by sharing it out.
During the beginning of the poem, the writer uses collective vocabulary such as “us” “all three” and the repetition “somebody else” to alleviate his responsibility which could be interpreted as the speaker trying to ignore his guilt, relating to the expectation for soldiers to not show emotion but instead remain brave
By the fifth stanza there is a volta through “end of story, except not really” which creates a shift as he starts to feel entirely responsible and we as the reader start to see the full effects of PTSD take place, which emphasises the guilt he feels. this is especially highlighted through the repetition of “my” at the end of the poem, starkly contrasting to the early repetition of “somebody else”, implying that the soldier feels that there is no-one else to blame but himself
“I swear, I see every round as it rips through his life”
(Guilt; reality of conflict; effects of conflict; memory)
- continues
- grotesque imagery
- poetic voice
- repeetiion of I see
- court
The repetition verb “see”, in the present tense, suggests continuation; ongoing visions. The terrible images can’t be expunged. This could be due to his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which is referenced throughout the poem.
the grotesque imagery emphasises how horrible the situation is
the poetic voice switches to “I” making it more personal and suggesting that he finally takes responsibility for his actions
the repetition of “i see” emphasises the visual horror of the scene and how he is haunted by the death of the looter; his mind constantly return to the scene
the verb “I swear”, is the type of language used in a court of law, alluding to the fact that this has become a confession of the soldier’s guilt
sort of inside out
(reality of conflict, memory)
- repulsive reaction
- unrecognisable
- loss of identity
A victim’s body turning ‘inside out’ is rather disturbing to readers evoking a repulsive reaction. It vividly presents the horror and disgust of war that Armitage hyperbolises to convey the narrator’s guilt.
the quote “inside out” heavily implies that the looter is now unrecognisable, and no longer the normal human being he once was. This could reflect the soldier’s loss of identity, as Armitage makes is evident that this event has changed him forever.
pain itself, the image of agony
(guilt; reality and effects of conflict; memory_
Here the looter has been dehumanised, he has been reduced to nothing but pain because of the actions of the soldier. Also, the looter being an ‘image of agony’ is probably one of the causes of the PTSD that the soldier now suffers.
accentuate just how mangled the looter’s body is from the many gun shots he received. The utilisation of this imagery once again displays the horrific violence that the soldiers were so quick to bestow upon him despite the fact that he could’ve been unarmed and no threat to them at all.
One of my mates goes by and tosses his guts back into his body …… carted off in the back of a lorry
(the reality of conflict, memory)
The use of colloquial language could be seen as being casual to hide the soldier’s inner feelings. Acting ‘smooth’ so to speak, while inside they may be scared and filled with guilt.
Use of simple, colloquial language such as the verb “tosses” and “carted” suggests the basic, primal nature of war, and how the soldier is struggling to express the action in a civilised, intelligent manner as the deed itself is without reason.
the use of these verbs also implies that the soldiers do not think anything of the death - its a natural reaction - highlighting how conflict results in the devaluation of human life
these two verbs hold connotations of rubbish which therefore implies that the dead man’s body was treated like a piece of rubbish and therefore disrespectfully, further highlighting the brutality of war
the rhyme between “body” and “lorry” creates fluidity between the lines, implying this is routine and they are used to it; they have become desensitised due to being exposed to so much death and violence.
End of story, except not really.
reality of conflict, guilt, effects of conflict
The use of the volta reflects how even though the victim has been killed, the soldier’s story has just begun; his post-traumatic stress disorder will start to emerge
His blood-shadow stays on the street
guilt, effects of conflict, reality
“blood shadow” = metaphor
The ‘shadow’ is not only the physical place on the ground where the man was shot, but could also be used as a metaphor for the imprinted memory of the victim that will stay in the soldier’s mind forever.
In addition, you can’t escape ‘shadows’ as they always stay with you no matter where you go. This suggests how the soldiers can’t escape reality no matter what they try.
since blood is also a liquid that stains and is difficult to get rid of, it could reflect how the guilt that the soldier suffers from is permanent
the use of sibilance through “shadow stays” causes focus on the verb ‘stays’. adds to the fact of the experience says with the soldiers throughout their whole life.
But I blink
effects of conflict
the short-timed nature of blinking could reflect how little time it takes for the memory to revive and for PTSD to take a hold on the soldiers life. And just how blinking is inevitable and happens every second, the soldier’s is haunted also every second; his PTSD torments him relentlessly
The use of enjambment carries the poem forward to the future and the ongoing flashbacks.
“Flush”
effects of conflict
“flush” can be seen as a violent attempt to remove the PTSD given from the kill, and implies that he is desperately trying to get rid of it
The verb ‘flush’ is generally associated with ridding of unwanted waste suggesting he is comparing the memory to excrement to emphasise his disgust of it.
his bloody life in my bloody hands.
(reality, guilt, effects_
The use of the third person pronoun ‘his’ makes the life of the dead looter far more personal than first depicted. This may imply that the effects of PTSD on the soldier have led him to personalise this death and therefore effect him far far more.
‘bloody’ can be interpreted in two ways — the narrator’s anguish, using an expletive, at the looter’s death, showing how he will never forgive himself for the homicide OR the narrator is referring to the actual scene, with the looter’s literal bloody lifeless body on the floor; taken by the narrator.
the fact that this stanza is only two lines compared to the rest of the stanzas, there’s no end to the poem, reflective of how there is no end to his suffering
- also suggests how continuous this suffering is as long as conflict happens
context
based on a true story about a soldier’s experience in the gulf war in Basra
part of the collection “the not dead” = about discharged servicemen, which discusses PTSD
worked with real soldier = wants their voices to be heard
