Kamikaze - Beatrice Garland

Summary

The speaker describes her father, a Kamikaze pilot heading out one day on a suicide mission but then turning back. The poet explores the tension or conflict between the expectations of the pilot's community and family, and his appreciation of the value of life.

Context

Kamikaze pilots were Japanese pilots that were expected to fly into their enemy to destroy them, killing themselves in the process. It was part of their duty to their country and to turn back on a mission would have brought shame to your family and community.

Key themes

Memory and childhood
Nature
Duty and honour

"Kamikaze"

It means 'divine wind', it was considered an honour to be asked to perform this role.

“Her father

embarked at sunrise”

‘Her father’ poem is told in a detached way

Japan is also known as the 'land of the rising sun' so it could be a reference to the country's heritage. It is also symbolic of hope.

verb ‘embark’ means to get on but also to begin something - beginning a new chapter of his life - a chapter that will lead to a type of death

“…with a flask of water, a samurai sword

/ in the cockpit, a shaven head / full of powerful incantations”.

Asyndetic listing suggests a ritual and gives the sense of dignity and respect for the tradition.

‘incantations’ noun that conveys he is under the spell of patriotism and propaganda - not making his own decisions.

"One way journey into history"

Metaphor highlights the significance of the act and honour it could bring him. However, "one way" hints at the fact that this glory comes at a large sacrifice.

Painful irony to his search for remembrance, he sought death to be immortalised by respect - brainwashed

Euphemism of suicide

"Strung out

like bunting"

This simile is a positive image with connotations of celebration. This is ironic given what the pilot is about to do.

It could symbolise life and joy and acts as a reminder to the pilot of what he is leaving behind. This makes his fate even more tragic.

"Green-blue

Translucent sea’

Natural imagery is used throughout the poem to highlight the beauty of the world and everything the pilot stands to lose. There is a suggestion that these influence his decision to turn back

He doesn’t want to deny himself - or the ones he’ll kill - the beauty of nature.

Visual, colour language like 'green-blue' allow the reader to picture what he is seeing, and the inner conflict this causes him, looks like a jewel - associating nature with precious possesions.

‘figure of

eight’

Symbol for infinity - implies the eternal nature of nature and how it is infinite compared to the transience of humanity, life is brief and precious.

War and honour will be forgotten - nature will remain.

"dark shoals of fishes flashing silver

as their bellies swivelled towards the sun’

Sibilance mimics the smooth, graceful movement of the fish and adds to the rich description of the beauty of nature.

Could mirror the metal, kamikaze planes of war - parallel between nature and human war

"And remembered how he / and his brothers

waiting on the shore/ built cairns of pearl-gray pebbles’

Contrast between this innocent imagery and the pilot's fate creates a tone of sadness. Makes us empathise with his decision to go back.

It is ironic how even though he returns alive, he has still suffered a death of sorts from being abandoned by his community.

The enjambment could reflect the way the pilot was caught up in those memories as he was looking down.

"yes, grandfather's boat"

Italics and an aside is used.

The aside hints at the complexity of family emotions. It suggests that the speaker now feels able to speak freely about her father.

The italics potentially show her excitement at being able to mention his name. They may also show the speaker’s desire to make sure that positive ideas about her father are instilled in the minds of her children, in a way that they were not instilled in her.

‘A tuna the

dark prince, muscular, dangerous".

Dark imagery hints at the more powerful, even predatory side of nature, and the darker end of the poem.

Adjectives such as 'dark', 'muscular' and 'dangerous' emphasise this.

Symbolism of how just like fish become trapped in nets, he inevitably cannot escape society's expectations of him.

nor did she

meet his eyes’

‘eyes’ - are the window to the soul, the mother doesn’t want to see the person he has become - ashamed of her own husband. This makes a reader sad and empathise with the father.

Highlights how conflict impacts family members too, and since the daughter is also distant to the father, conflict is ongoing and passed down from generation to generation.

And sometimes, she said, he must have

wondered which had been the better way to die'.’

The verb ‘wondered’ implies a sense of introspection and uncertainty - pilot questioned his decision to return from the suicide mission.

The pilot, after turning back from his mission, faces the dilemma of whether it would have been better to die a heroic death by completing the mission or to live with the shame of not following through, and ‘die’ in the minds of his family.

The comparative ‘better’ suggests the speaker compared the two options herself in an attempt to empathize, can be argued that the fact there was a chance at a ‘better’ death for her father, makes the speaker feel more guilt and regret.