Poppies + Kamikaze

• • both poems present the power of grief and loss has over family
  • they both display how painful it is to lose someone to conflict
• 1. Poppies - pain of letting go of her son

  • symbolism of birds to show pain of letting him go
  • "released a song bird from its cage"
  • release of emotion
  • stops being supportive mother - hard to say goodbye
  • "single dove"
  • led by dove
  • symbolises soul - suggest son has died
  • led to war memorial with other mothers
• 2. Poppies - biblical imagery to present loss

  • "gelled blackthorns"
  • crown of thorns of Jesus - links to sacrifice
  • how young men sacrificed for war
  • son is "away, intoxicated"
  • metaphorical
  • youth never see reality until too late
  • alluding to those who went to war and died for lie that war is glorious
• 3. Kamikaze - attempt to understand father

  • third person - frames narrative around woman who was child when father left
  • "recounting it later to her own children"
  • now able to understnad why father returned as she now mother herself
  • "shaven head full of incantations"
  • presents understanding from start
  • spell of propaganda - death would be glorious
  • lack of choice for father
• 4. Kamikaze - attempt to justify father's choice to come back

  • puts herself in memories of father thinking about death
  • symbolism of fish
  • Japan is island of prosperity - wonders if father saw prosperity of life and chose to come bavk
  • need to understand grief - father "no longer existed", ruined family unit
• 5. Kamikaze - attempt to understand father allows for reflection on generational trauma

  • "learned" to be "silent"
  • creates narrative of trying to understand father with own motherly views
  • now away from judgement of traditional family
  • reflects on his childhood waiting for own father
  • uses this to create picture of father to tell own children
  • must fully reflect to understand