REMAINS-Poetry Anthology

Context for Remains

Armitage made a film for channel 4 in 2007 called “The not Dead” from which this poem is taken

REMAINS is based Robert ‘Guardsman’ Tromans, who fought in Iraq in 2003

He interviewed veteran soldiers of different wars

'“Remains”

the title could be seen in different ways, it could represent the remains of the human body, or the emotional wound that remains with the soldier

“Well myself and somebody else and somebody else

are all of the same mind,

so all three of us open fire”

As the speaker first starts describing one of his experiences. He significantly uses the pronoun “myself” first, this highlights how he’s taking responsibillity and ownership, suggesting the guilt he experiences. The repetition of the phrase “somebody else” conveys how the speaker feels it’s irrelevant who else was there, again suggesting how he takes the blame, making the other soldiers seem anonymous and interchangeable, while also suggesting an attempt to detach himself from responsibillity. this line could also refer to the comradeship of soldiers in war, suggesting his loyal that he doesn’t want to single them out or betray them. The quantifying determiner “all” could be seen as an attempt from the soldier to tell us that it wasn’t just him, hinting at his guilt. The phrase “all of the same mind” suggests their individuality has been supressed implying that millitary training has conditioned them to respond to threats collectively and automatically, putting them in a united group mentality.

“One of my mates goes by

and tosses his guts back into his body.

then he’s carted off in the back of a lorry”

The informal noun “mate” suggests how the others now have significance, after seeing what they have seen together, having connotations of camaraderie. “goes by” seems quite casual, juxtaposing with the intensity of the situation, suggesting it may be difficult for the speaker to describe this memory seriously. Both, casual, cold actions (uses of colloquial language)“tosses” and “carted off” make it seem like the dead man is a piece of rubbish, there is a lack of humanity and respect and a sense of disregard for the man. The verb “tosses” juxtaposes the violent imagery of “guts” perhaps, suggesting that in the moment they were emotionally detached to the situation and desensitised. The end stopped lines increase the pace, this may convey the speed of what happened or how the speaker is uncomfortable discussing this memory and wants to rush over it.enjambent also does this

“Dream, and he’s torn apart by a dozen rounds.

And the drink and drugs wont flush him out”

verb “dream” conveys how the memory invades and haunts his subconscious, he should be getting rest but is attacked with more trauma. Repeating that he is “torn apart by a dozen rounds” from earlier in the poem suggests how the trauma never leaves him.”torn apart” creates violent, vivid, shocking imagery conveys the brutality of what he witnessed, the graphic image also highlights how the image is vivid in his mind and he can’t un-see the memory no matter how hard he tries. “dozen” gives it an approximate quantity making the violence seem overwhelming and extensive, the speaker remembers it vividly enough to recall the scale of the shooting reinforcing how deeply it affected him.”drink and the drugs” shows how trying to alter his state of consciousness won’t cure him. This also links to context about the heavy substance among veterans. The verb “flush” has connotations of trying to wash something away, creating a metaphor of trying to wash the man away. “him” shows how it feels like the dead looter is present in his mind.

“but near to the knuckle, here and now

his bloody life in my bloody hands.’’ “near

“near to the knuckle” implies something is uncomfortably close to the truth. The memory is personal and close to him and feels immediate and disturbing. “here and now” the temporal phrase places the past memory in the present. showing he is still psychologically experiencing it.”bloody” could have a double meaning, referring to literal blood or it could be the speaker swearing in anger. It’s violent connotations emphasises the speaker’s guilt. This also switches back to the colloquial tone. The possessive pronouns “his” and “my’ link the looter’s death directly to the speaker, emphasising his guilt and personal responsibility. “Bloody hands” could also be an allusion to Lady Macbeth who was driven mad by guilt eventually leading to her death. In the duration of the poem, it seems the speaker has made no psychological progress, as the memory continues to haunt him, highlighting the enduring effects of trauma/PTSD. This being the final couplet and not a full stanza suggests hoe he is not yet done processing his trauma.

form

Theres no regular line length or rhyme scheme making it sound like someone telling a story.The speaker starts with the first person plural we but changes to I and the poem becomes more personal sounding like a confession.The two lines of the final stanza both have the same number of syllables-this gives a feeling of finality and hints the guilt will stay with the soldier.

free verse-train of thought, chaotic

dramatic monologue- telling us his story, almost like therapy

Structure

the poem begins as if its going to be an amusing anecdote , but it quickly turns into a graphic description of a mans death. There is a clear volta at the beginning of the 5th stanza, where the soldiers tone thoughts and emotions are changed by his guilt.

colloquial language- personal, enjambment humanises soldier

split into before and after-prose like and factual, poetic and emotional

the final couplet suggests hes not finished processing his trauma

graphic imagery

imagery reminds of horrors of war but also shows he desensitised to violence and death the speaker was at that time-everyday life

colloquial language

chatty, familiar language making it story like, language trivialises the mans death

repetition

words are repeated reflecting how the killing is repeated in his mind