What is the poem Remains about?
“Remains” describes a soldier’s experience of killing a man while stationed in a war zone. The poem examines the effects of guilt and trauma both during and after active duty, and suggests that the effects of wartime violence linger long after soldiers leave the battlefield.
What poems does Remains link to?
‘Remains’ is from a collection of poems called ‘The Not Dead’, which was written in 2007 for a TV documentary of the same name. It is a collection of modern war poems based on the experience of soldiers in recent conflicts.
What type of poem is Remains?
monologue
The poem is written as a monologue , from the point of view of the speaker. The poem has the feel of fast-paced natural speech. There is no regular rhythmic pattern and there are examples of enjambment , sometimes between stanzas, which adds to the sense of someone telling their story fairly naturally.
What does tosses his guts back into his body mean?
The soldiers have a disregard for human life. The word ‘tosses’ implies a carelessness, as if the looter’s life is worthless.
What inspired the poem Remains?
Background to Remains Armitage was reportedly so inspired by the program that he wrote the collection of war poetry in almost-dedication to them.
What effect does Remains have on the reader?
The poem is about a soldier who is haunted by his involvement in a shooting of a bank looter. It also explores the repercussions of war for individuals who come out of conflict zones and raises awareness of conditions such as PTSD.
Why did the poet write Remains?
Today, veterans of any nation have the highest rate of suicide among the general populace, and a high number of them suffer from PTSD, depression, and anxiety – and although society has moved on quite far from the days where soldiers were deemed cowardly if they suffered from what was then known as ‘shellshock’.
What are the themes in Remains?
The key themes of the poem include violence, guilt, conflict and the effects of war.
What does his bloody life in my bloody hands mean?
The adjective “bloody” here is polysemous, meaning perhaps both the angry, frustrated swearing of a soldier and the literal blood-soaked “life” and “hands” of the incident, as well as the sense of guild felt by the soldier at having literal and metaphorical ‘blood on his hands’.
How are conflicts portrayed Remains?
Conflict: the speaker is acting under orders and is engaged in combat in another country. The physical description of the place is dry and dusty, reminding the reader of images of newsreel scenes of wars. The men were ‘sent out’, showing that they were soldiers acting under orders.
Is flush him out a metaphor?
“The drink and the drugs won’t flush him out”. We see what the narrator has been doing to escape this moment, to stop reliving it. It’s woefully inadequate, of course, self-medication. But it is a metaphor that is not a metaphor for the narrator.
What is the poem remains by Simon Armitage about?
“Remains” was published by the British poet Simon Armitage in 2008 as part of his collection The Not Dead, a series of war poems based on the testimonies of ex-soldiers. Instead of detailing conflict, however, these poems confront the aftermath of war and the traumatic memories that ex-service people might struggle to cope with.
What does the poem remains by William Wordsworth mean?
Instead of detailing conflict, however, these poems confront the aftermath of war and the traumatic memories that ex-service people might struggle to cope with. “Remains” specifically focuses on a soldier who was involved with killing a man caught looting a bank during conflict in what is implied to be the Middle East.
How many words are in the poem “remains?
Unlock all 450 words of this analysis of Assonance in “Remains,” and get the poetic device analyses for every poem we cover. Plus so much more… Already a LitCharts A + member? Sign in! Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
What is Armitage’s conversational style in the poem remains?
The poem is characteristic of Armitage’s conversational style, using colloquialisms and everyday speech patterns alongside vivid imagery to offer a realistic portrait of a person haunted by grief, guilt, and trauma. Get the entire guide to “Remains” as a printable PDF. On another occasion. armed, possibly not.