remains

• 'I see every round as it rips through his life'


  • VIOLENT METAPHOR- conveys the shock of the soldier as well as the devastating effects of war on the looter.
  • The forceful alliteration within the noun 'round' and the violent verb 'rips' reinforces the harsh 'r' sound emphasizing the agony and suffocation soldiers experienced when being shot.
  • The CONSONANCE also mimics the sharp, strident motion of bullets whizzing past, giving the reader a sensory experience as they are able to place themselves in the position of the soldier forcing them to experience their physical pain with them.
• 'I see every round as it rips through his life'


  • It also noteworthy that the violent metaphor CONTRASTS with the previous use of colloquialism perhaps suggesting that Armitage juxtaposes the casual 'legs it up the road' to the brutality of the killing to accentuate the intensity of war as the physical effects of war goes against the readers expectations. It also paints a stronger picture of the before and after effects of war from carefree and relaxed to discomforted and terrifies.
  • ENJAMBMENT-the last line of the second stanza leads onto this particular line, and the enjambment used here creates a build up to the life changing moment when the soldier shot the looter.-It Causes the reader to pause before reading this line to emphasizes the precise moment that ultimately impacted the rest of his life.-So the forced break of line and stanza reflects the broken man the soldier became.
• 'End of story, accept not really'


  • VOLTA- signals a turning point within the DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE where the war ends but the conflict continues in the soldier's head
  • COLLOQUIAL LANGUAGE- could reflect society's tendency to be dismissive of soldiers after war failing to recognise the psychological damage that has been done to them.
  • It might also reflect the soldier's attempt to normalize his experiences and pretend to others that he is coping with it.
  • CAESURA provides a false sense of finality that the conflict is over.However this undermined by the strong use of IRONY 'End of story' as the speaker goes onto explain how the experience is anything but over.
• 'And the drink and the drugs won't flush him out'

  • There is clear sense that the effects of war don't just switch off once a soldiers arrives home, instead they remain with them for the rest of their lives becoming a psychological burden on their lives.
  • The DENTAL ALLITERATION connects the two nouns 'drink' and 'drugs' that connote escapism perhaps to emphasise how such common ways of dealing with stress seem to be futile in erasing the effects of war on the soldier.
  • The PLOSIVE SOUNDS 'd' have a rather harsh effect on the reader and almost mimic the sounds of machine guns that almost echo in his head that he cant escape, thus hinting at the psychological effect of PTSD - soldiers could not get rid of the sounds of war.
• 'And the drink and the drugs won't flush him out'

  • ---CONTEXT-- many soldiers who took part in the IRAQ WAR were psychologically affected in their everyday lives because their memories of war don't seem to leave them. The despairing tone in 'remains' reveals the reality of PTSD. Armitage based the poem on real life experience of Veterans.
  • The VIOLENT VERB 'flush' is usually associated with getting rid of something unpleasant or unwanted which could suggest that he trying to get rid of these memories of war so that he can live normally. It could imply that the speaker himself is psychologically sick due to the fact he killed the looter and feels guilty for his actions.
• 'And the drink and the drugs won't flush him out'

  • However , 'to flush' is also a military term meaning to bombard something or someone - usually enemy lines in attempt to get them to leave. Therefore by being compared to the notions of a 'drug' and 'drink' hints at how much he is bombarding himself with substances in an attempt to chase his memories from his mind
  • The pace of the poem also becomes faster and the lines become seemingly longer perhaps reflecting the relentless and cyclical replaying of the situation in the soldier's mind.
• 'His bloody life in my bloody hands'


  • Armitage reflects the corrupting sense of guilt of the soldier through the metaphor'...' where the soldier finally feels solely responsible for the death of the looter.
  • There is a clear SHIFT from the sense of unity of the soldiers experiencing together at the start of the poem to a more personal tone expressed by the personal pronoun 'my' in the very last line which emphasizes how the soldier realizes that he is to blame for the death of the looter and must live with the emotional consequences. The shift also reveals how the impact of war is personal.
  • This suggests that the phrase is both literal and metaphorical; he could have had the looter's literal blood in his hands after killing him, but also metaphorically had blood on his hands, the blood being a symbol of the debilitating feelings of guilt the soldier now feels.
• 'his blood shadow stays'


  • the METAPHOR 'blood shadow' suggests an imprint of his existence, his soul, his life that still exists in the soldier's life.
  • A 'shadow' is something that you can't control or get rid of thus emphasizing the sense of guilt that he cannot escape., the soldier is not allowed to forget what has happened, as the traces themselves are still there.
  • The noun also connotes a sense darkness that follows you wherever you go highlighting the inescapability of PTSD. Death stains a person's conscience and memory just as it stains the street. He is haunted by the memory with no way to escape it.
  • NOUN 'blood' has clear link to graphic violence but also the guilt over the cause of the death.
• 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
• "On another occasion, we get sent out"


  The poem opens In media res, or mid action, which serves to confuse the reader as they initially don't know what's going on. This also mirrors the confusion of the soldier, as they are not emotionally prepared for what will come next. This may be Armitage making a societal comment, suggesting that soldiers are launched into situations they don't fully understand, and the military lack of compassion for the individuals they are risking in strategic military situations - hence, he was "possibly not" armed. By opening in media res, the poem also reflects the chaos of war and how unpredictable it is.

  
  

  By mentioning that "on another occasion we get sent out", the speaker is saying this is one occasion of many, not an exceptional case but a reality the soldiers have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. Soldiers are expected to deal with repeated exposure to suffering and horror without any help.
• "probably armed, possibly not."


  The speaker mentions the looter he killed: "probably armed, possibly not", which suggests there's a slight chance he could have been innocent and not a threat. "Probably" comes first because this is what he wants to believe as it provides justification. There is clear anaphora of this phrase later in the poem, to show how he is focused on the possibility of the killing being unjustified, and how he feels guilty about it and regrets killing the looter.
• "sort of inside out, pain itself, the image of agony."


  Gruesome imagery. Also shows the transition from colloquial to emotional. Rich imagery - "pain itself, the image of agony". His colloquial language comes from trying to pretend he has not been impacted. Writing the poem is a process of going over memories and letting his actual emotions come out whilst on leave and escaped from the conflict zone.
• "tosses his guts back into his body. Then he's carted off in the back of a lorry."


  "tosses" connotes a lack of care or respect

  Not respecting the body Body being treated like an object. Also suggest it is an action they are used to - don't think anything of it - natural reaction. Body has no value - conflict causes the devaluation of human life - loss of sanctity. Also rhyme between "body" and "lorry", which works to add fluidity - suggesting this is routine and they are used to it. Because they have been exposed to so much death and violence they are now desensitised to it. Lost their respect for life
• "Them I'm home on leave. But I blink and he bursts again through the doors of the bank."


  • Caesura provides a finality - should be final. Going home should be the end of his memory of the event and the extent of its impact on him. The warzone shouldn't be able to impact him once he leaves.
  • Enjambment across stanzas, separating reality from memory. Lots of plosives are used because they have a violent sound.
  • Connotations of waking up. The flashbacks are becoming impossible to distinguish between what is being awake and what is a dream./flashback. Having to blink to try and make out the difference. Merging of reality and memory - as reflected by blending and merging of lines.
• "he's here in my head when I close my eyes,"


  The warzone is no longer real but in his head. Internal conflict due to guilt. Battle between whether the killing was justified or not. Looter is stuck in his mind - his memory continue to haunt him. In the mind - mental illness - PTSD. Soldiers are desensitised by war.
• The title "Remains"

  • Soldiers remain damaged beyond repair after the war is over.
  • Graphic connotations
  • War strips a person of their individuality and sensitivity to death, simply ,leaving them with the remains of a body.
  • Refers to the physical remains of the looter, as well as the death and disposal of the body.
• Dramatic Monologue

  • Armitage writes "Remains" as a dramatic monologue and in the present tense, using present participles such as "legs it", "tosses" and "are". This gives it a sense of being an account from memory in a flashback. It's important to note that flashbacks are a symptom of PTSD. Perhaps the speaker could be seen as recounting his experiences in a therapy like setting. It also works to set up a one way conversation as only the speaker is talking.
• Dramatic Monologue

  • The poem suggests that the speaker needs to go over the events he's been through in his head in order to process them and lessen their impact on his life. This interpretation is strengthened by the change in his perspective, and perhaps suggests he is starting to accept responsibility, as well as letting go of the emotions he has been repressing
  • Accepting his guilt and suffering includes accepting that he is struggling instead of pretending it had no impact, and the colloquial way this is portrayed is also structured like a stream of consciousness, centred around his uncensored memories and emotions. This is in contrast to the expectation for soldiers to be strong and masculine, in order to not reveal emotions or feelings. This is a theme popular with modern literature, especially following Freud's psychoanalysis and discovery and awareness of shellshock.
• • The poem opens In media res (mid action) which serves to confuse the reader as they initially don't know what's going on. This mirrors the confusion of the soldiers who are not emotionally prepared for what will come next once leaving a war zone. This could be Armitage making a societal comment in suggesting that soldiers are launched into situations they don't fully understand. It also suggests lack of compassion the military has for the individuals they are risking in strategic situations - hence, he was "possibly not" armed. By opening in media res, the poem also reflects the chaos of war and how unpredictable it is.
• • By mentioning that "on another occasion we get sent out" the speaker is saying that this is a typical operation in the life of a soldier, and is a reality the soldiers have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. Soldiers are expected to deal with repeated exposure to suffering and horror without any help.
  • The opening also positions the reader as a listener, as they are being told a story and beginning a conversation. The speaker needs for someone to listen to his experiences and suffering in order to process his memories and guilt, like a confession or therapy.
• • At the end of the poem, the structure of the stanza length breaks down: the final stanza is only two lines, whereas the rest of the stanzas in the poem are four lines. This breakdown in structure could mirror the breakdown of soldiers during war. It could also suggest that this is the stanza in which the speaker has truly broken.
  • The ending reveals the source of his internal chaos as being his guilt, which brings chaos and disorder to his life as it brings disorder to the structure.
  • By using the adjective "bloody" in the line "his bloody life in my bloody hands", Armitage is making a pun as this word could be describing the violent, gruesome nature of his death. Or it could just be being used as slang / a curse. The later use of the word suggests that this event has ruined his life by having cursed him, and suggest he regrets killing him.
• • The speaker feels entirely responsible for the death, suggested through the reference to "hands". In literature, hands often serve as symbols of guilt. Shifted from sharing blame with others at the beginning of the poem to taking sole responsibility for the death of the other soldier, showing how PTSD can shift perspective, and how memory can be corrupted/changed.
  • It is guilt that is haunting the soldier. Armitage is thus exploring the psychological impact that killing has on a person. This implies that it is not natural for humans to kill others, and they can't cope with it and shouldn't have to. Blood is used as a symbolic motif for guilt.
• Shifting blame

  At the start of the poem, the speaker begins trying to excuse what he did and share the blame with others; making it clear it wasn't only him and wasn't his decision. This is reflected in the phrases: "myself and somebody else and somebody else", "all three of us" and "three of a kind". These repeated references to there being other people present for the decision alleviate his responsibility, and the speaker works to syntactically and structurally dominate the stanza with other people to minimise his own role.

  • This may be interpreted as the speaker trying to ignore his guilt, relating to the expectation for soldiers to not show emotion but instead remain brave. This aloof appearance is also shown through colloquial language, as he is trying to remain casual and not reveal how much impact it has had.
• Shifting blame

  On the other hand, this feeling shifts to him feeling entirely responsible towards the end of the poem. He not only accepts his role and responsibility for the actions but blames himself entirely. This emphasises the guilt he feels and demonstrates how PTSD can warp how a person views past events, even to the extent where they can change memories.
• Enjambment

  Armitage's use of enjambment such as in "and I swear // I see every round as it rips through his life" causes tension and builds up to violent imagery. It also suggests that the speaker is unable to separate out events, just as the sentences flow on his memories cause the past to flow into the present. He continues to be haunted by what he did and this moment will continue to hold influence over the rest of life, unable to be isolated nor forgotten. It's also notable that the enjambment occurs at key moments and specifically break up the sentences about death and suffering. This suggests that the pain he witnessed breaks him just as it breaks the structure.
• Caesura

  • Caesura, such as in the line "Then I'm home on leave. But I blink", provides finality. Going home should be the end of his memory of the event and the extent of its impact on him, because the war zone shouldn't be able to impact him once he leaves. However the conjunctive "but" at the start of the second sentence shows how war continues to impact him even when he should be able to escape it.
  • Leave should be a time of relaxation and recovery, with an opportunity for peace and rest, "But I blink" creates doubt that this will be true because the actual response is separated through enjambment. The caesura interrupts the sentence, just as his memories of conflict interrupt his everyday. This forces the reader to pause and think and consider conflict and think about it through the speaker's perspective.
• Contrast between colloquial language and gruesome/violent imagery

  The colloquial language such as "so", "I swear", "legs it" and "mates" which is used when referring to the dead bodies suggest that the soldiers have become deadened and desensitised to the harsh realities of war. This allows them to talk about death and suffering in colloquial terms.
• Tools of War

  Soldiers are used as tools of war, which leads to war causing a soldier to lose their individuality and humanity. For example, the phrases "three of a kind" and "are all of the same mind" show that war has made all the soldiers trained to think the same way, suggesting they must suspect everyone of being an enemy and fire. War breeds a certain kind of person and changes them all into more aggressive and distrusting people who just have to follow orders ["we get sent out"] without question.

  Soldiers are also not supposed to question the morality of killing, and to shoot without thinking as they are programmed to think in a certain way. It is only afterwards that he starts to consider the implications of what he did, and his thoughts are altered by the PTSD he has suffered as a consequence of the conflict he fought in.
• Memory / Psychological Impact

  • The poem explores the idea that memory is not reliable and can be corrupted by trauma; this is observed from the speaker's shift over the course of the narrative from deflecting blame to feeling entirely to blame. It also investigates how PTSD can isolate you and make you feel entirely alone, and how it will change how you view events due to the intensified guilt from going over and over and event in your head.
  • Memory allows conflict to invade the domestic sphere. The caesura in "Then I'm home on leave. But I blink" provides a finality to the phrase. This suggests that going home should be the end of his memory of the war and the extent of its impact on him. However, the conjunction "but" shows that the war continues to impact him despite him physically escaping it.
• Guilt

  • The speaker starts by denying his involvement and guilt, but ends up accepting it once he stops hiding how he really feels from the reader. This relates to the strong expectation for soldiers to be strong and not display emotions and put up a brave facade.
  • The speaker mentions the looter he killed: "probably armed, possibly not", which suggests there's a slight chance he could have been innocent and not a threat. "Probably" comes first because this is what he wants to believe as it provides justification.
  • There is clear anaphora of this phrase later in the poem, to show how he is focused on the possibility of the killing being unjustified, and how he feels guilty about it and regrets killing the looter. This cyclical structure shows how he is stuck in his mind and is forced to keep coming back to this question. The crux of his suffering is guilt.