Remains by Armitage Flashcards
opening
‘on another occasion’
-The poem opens In media res, or mid action, which serves to confuse the reader as they initially don’t know what’s going on. This also mirrors the confusion of the soldier, as they are not emotionally prepared for what will come next. This may be Armitage making a societal comment, suggesting that soldiers are launched into situations they don’t fully understand, and the military lack of compassion for the individuals they are risking in strategic military situations - hence, he was “possibly not” armed. By opening in media res, the poem also reflects the chaos of war and how unpredictable it is.
part of opening we get sent out
‘we get sent out’
-By mentioning that “on another occasion we get sent out”, the speaker is saying this is one occasion of many, not an exceptional case but a reality the soldiers have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. Soldiers are expected to deal with repeated exposure to suffering and horror without any help.
possibly
‘probably armed ,possibly not’
-The speaker mentions the looter he killed which suggests there’s a slight chance he could have been innocent and not a threat.
-“Probably” comes first because this is what he wants to believe as it provides justification.
-There is clear anaphora of this phrase later in the poem, to show how he is focused on the possibility of the killing being unjustified, and how he feels guilty about it and regrets killing the looter.
-inner conflict
graphic
‘I swear I see every round as it rips through his life’
-powerful and vivid image that captures the speaker’s intense and traumatic experience of witnessing a man being shot in a conflict.
-The use of the first-person point of view and the verb “swear” creates a sense of immediacy and personal connection to the speaker’s experience.
-the use of the verb “see” is significant because it suggests that the speaker is not only observing the physical act of shooting, but also perceiving the emotional and psychological impact of the violence on the victim’s life.
gruesome
‘sort of inside out,pain itself, the image of agony
-Rich and gruesome imagery.
-shows the transition from colloquial to emotional.
His colloquial language comes from trying to pretend he has not been impacted as writing the poem is a process of going over memories and letting his actual emotions come out whilst on leave and escaped from the conflict zone.
-suggests a grotesque and disturbing image of the body being torn apart, which creates a sense of horror and disgust in the reader
-“pain itself” reinforces the intensity of the experience and suggests that it is beyond words or description. The use of metaphor in “the image of agony” suggests that the pain is so intense that it takes on a life of its own, becoming an entity that can be visualized and imagined
tosses
‘tosses his guts back into his body. Then he’s carted off in the back of a lorry’
-“tosses” connotes a lack of care or respect for the body. Body being treated like an object.
-Body has no value – conflict causes the devaluation of human life – loss of sanctity.
-rhyme between “body” and “lorry”, which works to add fluidity – suggesting this is routine and they are used to it. Because they have been exposed to so much death and violence they are now desensitised to it and its as if its a natural reaction. Lost their respect for life
volta
‘end of story ,except not really.
-Volta
-shows he cant forget what happened and is traumatized
at home
‘Then I’m home on leave. But I blink and he bursts again’
-Caesura provides a finality as going home should be the end of his memory of the event and the extent of its impact on him
-Warzone shouldn’t be able to impact him once he leaves
-Connotations of waking up. The flashbacks are becoming impossible to distinguish between what is being awake and what is a dream / flashback. Having to blink to try and make out the difference.
-Merging of reality and memory – as reflected by blending and merging of lines.
drugs
‘drinks and drugs wont flush him out’
-shows his desperation to get rid of the memory and his attempts to mask his pain
close eyes
‘he’s here in my head when I close my eyes’
-The warzone is no longer real but in his head. Internal conflict due to guilt. Battle between whether the killing was justified or not.
-Looter is stuck in his mind – his memory continue to haunt him. In the mind – mental illness - PTSD.
last line
‘his bloody life in my bloody hands’
-By using the adjective “bloody” in the line “his bloody life in my bloody hands” , Armitage is making a pun as this word could be describing the violent, gruesome nature of his death or could just being used as slang / curse. The later use of the word suggests that this event has ruined his life by having cursed him, and suggest he regrets killing him.
