power and conflict anthology

kamikaze

“her father embarked at sunrise”

"a flask of water, a samuri sword"

• sets up narrative voice

• humanises the bomber and establishes what her looses if he carries out the mission

• symbolises new begins which ironic because hes going to die

• sword won't be much use to him- going to die anyway

• dehuminises him again and reduces him to just a soldier - his life is unimportant

kamikaze

"-yes grandfathers boat-"

• shared memory of boat connects them, power of family connection, shared memory and legacy - contrasts with ending - creates a bigger tragedy

• dashes for parenthesis- a memory within a memory, narrator is imagining fathers suffering

kamikaze

"he must have wondered which had been the better way to die"

• even though he came back for his family- hes isolated and alone

• internal conflict- would it of been better to have died and have thier memories of him happy or to have died as a ghost in his home

• either way he lost a part of himself

kamikaze

"figure of eight"

• symbolism of infinity

• foreshadowing- plane willloop around and return- inner conflict should he?

• pilots legacy will be remembered forever, passed on by his daughter -but as a failed soldier or as a father?

kamikaze

"he must have looked far down ..... on a green-blue translucent sea"

• conflicted between choosing government or himself

• shift in tone- powerful nature imagery

• "translucent" - was translucent and unclear like his decision

• proustian epiphany powerful enough to overide propaganda- power of nostalgia and memories

the emigree

"there once was a country"

• opening like a fairytale- establishes mood of nostalgia and childhood longing

• as a child she was blind to horrors of her country( wedon't see darkness in fairytales)

the emigree

"they accuse me of being dark in their free city"

• she haunts the country as much as it haunts her-has an attachemnt with the country that she refuses to let go

• she's like a ghost within her own memories

• contrast shows conflict between memory and reality

The emigree

"branded by and impression of sunlight"

• "branded" - image of slavery, will never escape memories or longing for country

• "sunlight -is a slave to her happy and naive memories

• "sunlight"- link "tastes of sunlight."-consuming everything`

• “it tastes of sunlight.” -caesura + end stop create minor sentences which make her sense of self thorugh language sound right and certain

The emigree

"sunlight clear"

"that november"

• beautiful and certain

• "november" contrasts with sunlight

• contrasts implies internal conflict between sense of self because of memories and truth

London - blake

"in every cry of everyman..in every infants cry of fear"

• children are supposedly born innocent and should'nt have to suffer

• incites sympathy in the reader and shows how every life is destined for misery

• semantic field of sounds and voices

• vulnerable noises/ voices everywhere - not politically powerful voices

london - blake

"and mark in every face"

• repetition of "marks" demonstrates that this is a permanent impact of a places power- suggestsimpact of suffering can't be moved and like branding of cattle, the citizens are branded by their experiences

• verb- speaker notices the suffering present in London, but he marks it which suggests he is not ignoring it but making a note and recognising it's importance, and the need for it to change

london -blake

"mind-forged manacles"

• oppression has resulted in them forging their own restrictions

• internal oppression, culmination of suffering

• "manacles" - associated with slavery and lack of freedom, people are enslaved by their own mindset and fear of aurthorities

• suggesting it is their fears and aversions that prevent change as they are physically free but enslaved by concepts. sending message that society can be reformed with strength

• m letter is laboured and forces speaker to slow down reflects his message and the impact of life on people

London - blake

"black'ning church appalls"

• adjective literal acknowledgement of soot and smoke that polluted every part of london because of industrial revolution

• alternatively- negative connotations of immoral and evil. moral blackening of chuch, percieved as criticism if church and its failure to protect the disadvantaged

• "appalls"- connotes dismay/horror and reflects lack of action of the church, which should offer support and help to the poor but is instead focused on it's own wealth

london - blake

acrostic: HEAR

• embedded as a command to those in power

• warining to rulers - masses have power to rise and overthow

my last duchess - browning

"notice neptune, though, taming a sea horse, thought a rarity"

• moves seamlessly to tslk sbout his new wife showing how disposable first one is

• metaphor of "neptune"- suggests he sees himself as God-like- men are gods that must control their wives

• extremely materialistic as he condemns her finding nature beautiful but places lots of value in a statue

• believes his status and wealth should be seen as more valuable than anything available to common man

My last duchess - browning

"my last duchess"

• possesive pronouns to show that he has ownership of the duchess- she is a possession not an individual, no autonomy and is something he can buy, exists for his enjoyment.

• refers to her as my duchess noy my wife showing a lack of affection or emotion - she is an accessory not a partner, shows his complete power over her'

• powerlessness - has no autonomous agency

• appears only as a painting(no voice)

• curtain only he can touch (symbolises control over her image) - power of possessive male gaze

• shows political power and effect on domestic sphere

my last duchess - browning

"bough of cherries some offcious fool"

• wants his wealth and status to be more important - shows his materialism, doesnt value natural beauty and natural pleasures of the earth

• sees her liking other things as a criticism of himself-presents himeself as insecure, expects her to reserve her joy and smiles for him alone. hurts his pride if he is not unique

• reliant on controlling women to make himself feel powerful

ozymandius - shelley

“two vast and trunkless legs of stone”

sibilance across poem echoes:

1. sinister power and cruelty of phararoe

2. quiet of desert now that empire is gone

3. time/nature is stronger than man

4. sounds reflect wearing away of statues

ozymandius - shelley

“the lone and level sands stretch far”

• “lone”- isolated, statue is all that remains, only remembered by cruelty

• “level”-featureless,no sign of his legacy

• “sands”- sands has covered statue: “sands of time” have covered his memory. sands outlastyed statue juxtaposed to ego and power

• power and glory isn’t permanent so not worth it

• insignifigant and unrecognised

ozymandius - shelley

“wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command”

• “sneer”-mocking smile, malicious,cruel, heartless mocking his subjects- views as inferiour

• presents kings arrognance, and superioirity

• shelley does this to show dangee of a single individual wielding unlimitted paper

• enables them to see other people as inferior and derive an ability to hate them

Ozymandius - shelley

“of that collosal wreck”

• oxymoron

• highlights impossibility of what ozymandius wanted/ believed he wanted:

• he wanted immortality/ to be a god - impossible for a mortal who must decay

• consanance echoes strength of ozymandius that breaks

ozymandius - shelley

frame narrative

• reflects how his memory is talked about vs how his own words on the statue

• human power does not last

• political leaders should value legacy of charity over power

the prelude - woodsworth

“to reach a chosen point”

• thinks he controls where hes going despite being led by nature

• decieved into a sense of control, but nature chose the point as a destination where he would be humbled

the prelude - woodsworth

“melted all into one track”

“heaving through the water”

• shows how easy is able to move in “unswerving line”

• active verb connotes sustained, intense physical effort

• illusion of control broken as mountain rises from water and natures supremecy becomes apparent

the prelude - woodsworth

“(led by her)”

• can be considered an allusion to idea of mother nature, seen as female for feminine task of creating, sustaining and nurturing life

• by using personification, Woodsworth is able to contrast role of nature to role of a women - women nurture a child ; nature nurtures an entire planet thus demonstrating its superior power

• alternatively, nature is temptress

the prelude - woodsworth

single stanza

iambic pentameter

metaphysical poem

• reflect how woodthworth overwhelmed by mountain

• emphasising overwhelming power of nature

• enjambment makes poem feel endless

• to keep a constant rhythm which to is to contrast revolutionary events whihc occur to man

• about grandeur of time and limitations of human existence

the prelude - woodsworth

“like a living thing, strode after me”

• very bold implies a lot of strength, demonstrating power

• simile implies speaker is choosing to personify nature but to above his level; but as something other wordly

the prelude - woodsworth

“a huge peak black and huge”

• revelation of natures true power becomes overwhelming and renders him speechless and description becomes more simple and clumsy

• repeats adjective to compensate for devolved vocabulary

• couldnt think of a comparrison because nothing compares

• emphasises sheer size of mountain

• sounds like stuttering- nervous and intimidated by raw power

the prelude - woodsworth

“trouble to my dreams”

• nature transcends mankind and it is not bound by time or restrictions of life

• nature takes many forms to demsonstrate its power and this shows long term impact nature has on him

• transformative effect could be considered humbling but haunting

charge of light brigade - tennyson

“valley of death”

• biblical allusion from bible which refers to protection from god which is ironic

• from psalm normally sung in funerals - should have been comforting now threatening

• criticism by tennyson of how members of high ranks should of protected the lower class soldiers but they were instead forced to engage in dangerous conflict because of low status

• symbolises inevetibility of the tragedy; image of valley implies they are trapped

charge of light brigade - tennyson

“flash’d all their sabres bare”

“flash’d as they turn’d in air”

• fricatatives and siblilance used in repetition to emphasise brutality of situations

• image of herorism - willingness in sacrafice

• don’t surrrender

charge if the light brigade - tennyson

“jaws of death”

“mouth of hell”

• metaphors create negative connatations

• claustrophobic connatations which imply soldiers will be “eaten up” by or shredded by bullets

• impression that there is no escape from valley once entered, alludes to story of Roman soldier, who rode his horse into mouth of hell and was killed saving rome

charge of light brigade - tennyson

“they broke; coassak and russian” - line 34

“but not not the six hundred”

• end stop resets phrasing

• stress of phrasing changes reflects the conflict they are facing, being killed by canons

• stumble in rhythm - reflects what is going on in the actual story

• volta - turning point in poem but also physical turning point as they turn around at this point

charge of light brigade - tennyson

“theirs not to make reply”

“theirs but to do or die”

• anophora reiterates phrase and soldiers obdience (desirable trate)

• repetition also highlights soldiers lack of individualism

• soldiers conditioned to do as told

charge of light brigade - tennyson

“dactylic diameter”

“rhyme scheme”

“media res”

• unrelenting rhytm implies soldiers have no choice and are blindly obeying

• mirror sound of horses running into battle

• symbolises chaos

• irregular and rhyming couplets between indented lines

• establishes tense atmoshphere

exposure - owen

“our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us…”

• “brains”- immedietely telling reader that its about phychological impacts of war

• biggest threat is weather

• sibilance creates tenxion of waiting for something to happen -silence in a war zone is unatural, therefore terrifiying

exposure - owen

“but nothing happens”

“- is it that we are dying”

• repeated motif at end of every stanza

• enforces tension of waiting and slows place of poem further

• refrain has changed to emphasise the danger that they are dying- but its weather that will kill them

• they won’r die fighting people like “warriors” they die as men

exposure - owen

“we drowse, sun-dozed…blossoms trickling…blackbirds fusses”

• change of focus- soldiers lose consciousness

• start of hyperthermia and death

• contrast in beautiful nature

• imagery of home and horror of nature

exposure - owen

“attacks once more in ranks on shivering ranks of grey”

• imagery - snow cloudd described like german army ( grey uniforms) - enforces message that it’s nature, not people who they are battling

• shows “pity” of war as man is spending so much time fighting each other

exposure - owen

“slowly our ghosts drag home: “

• metaphor- suggests that the soldiers will not survive the snow or the war "(as good as dead)

• alternatively,- context, owen suggests that those who survive the war will not be whole anymore ( empty shells, scarred by experience)

exposure - owen

“pause over half-known faces. All their eyes are ice”

• literally frozen to death showing power of nature

• soldiers hearts have turned to ice and have been forced to feel less emotion in order to cope with trauma

storm on the island - heaney

rhyme scheme - no consistent rhyme scheme

• reflects how order cannot be enforced upon nature, more powerful that humans, humans have no way of controling it

• lack of rhyme scheme relates to omnipotence of nature

• contrasts with very controlled rhythm which works to show human power resisting power and chaos of a storm

• half rhyme shows nature can only be partially controlled by humans

storm on the island - heaney

“we are prepared”

• arrogance in declarative

• too confident- confident in ability to overpower nature

• also betrays their fear- have completely adapted their lives to purpose of resisting nature

storm on the island - heaney

“blows full blast:”

• plosives give sense ofviolenve and agression, suggests nature is attacking the island

• plosives resemble bullets- shows weather is as deadly as a weapon

• alternatively can be a metaphor for irish troubles

• enjambement- lines overflows which implies constant barrage of storm.

• reflected by poem being one stanza, mirrors overwhelming power of storms

storm on the island -heaney

“But no: when it begins…spits like a tame cat turned savage”

• mistaken belief they had tamed nature- then the cat turns against owner

• reflects how islanders never owned nature or controlled it- it was always more powerful than them.

• split the tamed and known nature before from the violent aggressive storm

• volta, poem begins optimistically but tone shifts to one of fear

• shift could reflect final calm before a storm, and inability for islanders to prepare for it properly because they cannot see it coming

bayonet charge - hughes

ironic title- implies foward motion/ trajectory but soldier is stuck in a viscous cycle

bayonet charge - hughes

“suddenly he awoke”

• media res - evokes tension

• fighting from moment he awakes- knocked unconscious

• moment of realisation / epiphany

bayonet charge - hughes

“patriotic tear…like molten iron from the centre of his chest”

• extended metaphor of patriotism - patriotism has gone, poet is showing how useless it is as it is now compared as a bullet

• as something else that is killing him

bayonet charge - hughes

“in what cold clockwork of the stars and the nations”

• consonance - reminiscent of ticking life on countdown

• metaphor of governemtn who manipulated soldiers with patriotic propaganda- turned them into clockwork soldiers, but do not care about impact of war on soldiers

• clock, metaphor - circular representds viscous cycle he is trapped in

• “he the hand”- references bayonet like a clock hand he is trapped,can’t leave army/ battle or disobey as if he left he would be killed as a deserter

• “yellow hair..crawled in a threshing circle” - pain echoes circular motif of clock/ viscous cycle

• volta- central to structure.

remains - armitage

“on another occasion, we get sent out”

• media res - confuses reader as they don’t initially know whats going on

• mirrors confusion of soldier, not emotionally prepared for what will come up next., reflects chaos of war and how unpredictable it is

• armitage making societal comment, how soldiers are launched into situations they are not mentally prepared for

• "get sent out” - one occasion of many, reality they have to deal with daily, expected to deal with suffering and horror

• continuous present - helps reader live exoerience with him

• ptsd constantly reliving event

remains - armitage

“probably armed, possibly not.”

• adverbs refernce reason for shooting and doubts that haunt him

• “probably”- comes first as he wants to believe to be able to justify his actions

• repeated later on to emphasise constant cycle - focused on probabilty of killing being unjustified, and he feels guilt

remains- armitage

“pain itself, the image of agony”

• can’t escape the pain that he caused

• its an “image” in his mind that won’t leave

remains- armitage

“tosses his guts back into his body”

• colloquial language is not casual now, its disgusted by lack of dignity they treated body with

• body bein treated like an object

• suggests its an action they are used to, desensitzed from]

• conflict causes dehumanisition of human life and loss of respect

remains - armitage

“but i blink and he bursts again”

• connatations of waking up, flashbacks are becoming impossible to distinguish between what are real and what are dreams

• having ti blink- merging of realisty and memory

• enjambement, caesura close together - echoes confusion and unravelling mental state

poppies - jane weir

free verse

• speakers uncensored thoughts

• impression of an outpouring of emotion or stream of consciousness

• chaotic structure reflects narrators lack of control over emotion

poppies - weir

“before you left, i pinned one onto your lapel”

• “left” - deliberately ambiguous

• making sure everything is perfect to lengthen time with him

• pinning it close to his heart

poppies - wier

“released a song bird from it’s cage”

• volta

• metaphor for releasing emotions

• missing his joy

• releasing son willlingly

• allowing weakness

poppies- wier

semantic field of sewing

“all my words flattened, rolled, turned into felt”

“my stomach busy making tucks, darts, pleats”

• suggestsher supressed emotions

• trying to make them smaller, trying to make it not exist

• not able to express her love for her son

• experiencing so many emotion she doesnt know what to do with them

poppies - wier

“your plaground voice catching on the wind”

• wants him to be young and alive again, wishful thinking

• narrative perspective- mother addresses her son directly throughout

• we are placed in role of son and emotions hit reader more poingontly - an intimate poem

war photography

“with spools of suffering set out in ordered rows.”

• “spools” - circular imagery - constant torment of memories

• sibilance creates atmosphere of solemn and isolation

• alternatively creates impression of true nature of ware being hushed and quietened so people can continue with every day lives

war photographee

“a half formed ghost. He remembers the cries”

• metaphor echoes haunting memory. imagery of phoot fading in but also implies person has died

• volta - after this point phrases become longer and language becomes more emotional (outpouring of grief)

• auditory imagery used to develop horific imagery created

war photographer

“a hunded agonies in black and white…editior will pick out five or six”

• design choice, more sombre, factual -suffereing is real, reflects inner conflict (“dark room”) not allpwed to be emotional

• dehumanising - contrast to agony of collecting the news / memories and the callous / heartless nature of the one who edits it,

• duffy shows how public will only want to see a few photos

• shows how people do not care about suffering that does not directly impact them as thry can easily ignore it

war photographer

“they do not care”

• end line - giref turns into anger

• poem ends on a defeated poem. photographers sense of the readers indeference contrasts with firm sense of vocation that he expresses ealier “do what someone must”

checking out me history

“dem tell me”

• establishes narrative voice - personal perspective on identity and culture

• enforced through choice of jamaican creole as language of the poem

• repetitiion reflects endless power structure (them vs him)

• meter is made dull and heavy by monosyllables - seems repressive

• reflects idea that imperial education structure was boring

checking out me history

“see far women”

“fire-women struggle”

• shift in narrative voice

• minor clauses creates a series if impressions of disconnected ideas:

• freedom from rules of standard english

• echoes context of nanny with mysticism

checking out me history

“but what happens to de…”

• poses a poingant question- he learned about colonial oppressers

• why didnt he learn about whta happened to the people they oppresessed