Remains

• Context of Remains

  • Written for the 'Not Dead' documentary on Channel 4, which raised awareness for soldiers on PTSD

  • Based on the heart-wrenching experiences of Guardsman Tromans in the 2003 Iraq War

  • Remains seeks to highlight the virulent effects of war by exploring the psychological effects on the soldier, which contrasts other typical presentations of war as glorious and noble

  • The poem and the documentary came at a time of changing public opinions on war

  • Exposes lack of support for soldiers in need and the inner humanity of people often viewed as emotionless and stoic people
• Probably armed, possibly not

  Anaphora of " probably armed, possibly not" repeated throughout poem to show how he is still wracked with doubt and guilt as to if the man was a threat; begins with "probably" as what is he the sparker wants to believe, but the silver of doubt remains in " possibly not". Usage of cyclical structure shows how he keeps coming back to this doubt; his guilt is the crux of his suffering.
• His bloody life in my bloody hands


  "His bloody life in my bloody hands" echoes Macbeth for example Macbeth saying " Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?" Blood is used as a motif for guilt in both texts, showing how the root cause of the soldier's suffering is guilt. This also may insinuate that the soldier views his killing of the looter as unjust in a similar way to Macbeth's killing of Duncan.
• Then I'm home, on leave, but I blink


  Memory lingers with the soldiers long after the actual event. "Then I'm home on leave. But ! blink" Usage of caesura highlights the discordant nature of the soldier's mindset whilst also

  demonstrating that despite the fact that the soldier is on leave, he still sees what happened every time he blinks. "but" implies that there is always more; his suffering is never truly over.
• On another occasion

  Poem begins in media res "on another occasion" showing how this a regular occurrence and one of many such vile experiences that the soldiers are immediate thrown into with little regard to the detrimental impact on their mental state.
• Sort of inside out

  Usage of colloquial language shows how these occurrences are commonplace for the soldiers, with the usage of casual language showing how they are expected to hide their true emotion behind this tough exterior.
• Three of a kind all letting fly, and I swear

  War causes soldiers to lose their humanity "three of a kind" shows how they are all conditioned to be the same. Three of a kind could also be referring to Poker, showing how these events may be just a game to the soldiers.

  • "A kind" demonstrates how war has stolen all individuality and

  uniqueness from them as there is nothing to separate them now.
• Myself and somebody else and somebody else


  myself and somebody else and somebody else" is an attempt to syntactically cram sentence with other individuals in order to shift the blame from solely being on him.
• We get sent out

  The imperative verb "sent" illustrates how troops have no authentic choice in what they execute. By noting " on another occasion we get sent out," the speaker is implying that this is one of many occasions, not an outlier, but a reality that soldiers face on a daily basis. Soldiers are obligated to cope with continuous exposure to despair and terror without assistance.
• Some distant, sun-stunned, sand-smothered land

  "Sun stunned " "sand smothered"

  "distant" "desert sand" sibilance of "s" sound resembles gunshots, and repetition depicts how the troops' anguish is practically never-ending.

  Armitage's depiction of the countryside being "stunned" and "smothered" raises the question of whether British/American forces truly liberated Iraq or exacerbated the situation.
• Enjambment (structure)

  "And I swear/ I see every round..."

  Shows the speaker unable to separate events; his trauma causes all these experiences to be mixed into one continuous dialogue.

  May also mirror how his memories mix into his present mental frame.

  • Enjamoment occurs at key moments of death and suffering, perhaps showing how the suffering breaks him just as it breaks the structure.
• Caesura (structure)

  "Then I'm home on leave. But / blink" - • Full stop in the middle of the sentence provides tinality, like that should be the end of the matter.

  • However the conjunction of but emphasises that there is always more and that his suffering is never over; it pervades his life at home

  • Caesura interrupts the sentence, similar to how the flashbacks to the conflict interrupt the speaker's day to day life.

  • Caesura also forces the reader to stop and think on the conflict just as the speaker does.
• Dramatic monologue (form)

  • Poem is in Dramatic Monologue and in the present tense. Paints a picture of it being a traumatic account from memory.

  • Shifts in perspective throughout monologue mirrors the soldier coming to terms with his guilt.

  • Usage of colloquial language shows how the soldier is accustomed to violence, whilst the very act of the soldier discussing his emotions goes against what society would traditionally see as a "masculine" soldier, repressing his memory.

  • Shifts in perspective throughout monologue mirrors the soldier coming to terms with his guilt.

  • Usage of colloquial language shows how the soldier is accustomed to violence, whilst the very act of the soldier discussing his emotions goes against what society would traditionally see as a "masculine" soldier, repressing his emotion.
• Regular quatrains (form)

  • Highlights the regularity of his PTSD and the rigid, unrelenting control it has on him.

  • May show how experiences of conflict and the guilt resulting from them are also regular.

  • The last stanza is only two lines, contrasting with the regularity of the stanzas before. This may be to emphasise that the speaker still feels guilt over the death or to emphasise the speakers disintegration of mind.

  However it could also be interpreted to being the speaker breaking free from the hold that the event had on him, highlighting some semblance of hope for the future.

  • The last stanza is only two lines, contrasting with the regularity of the stanzas before. This may be to emphasise that the speaker still feels guilt over the death or to emphasise the speakers disintegration of mind.

  However it could also be interpreted to being the speaker breaking free from the hold that the event had on him, highlighting some semblance of hope for the future.
• Colloquial language (form)

  • "I swear" "legs it" "mates" " bloody".

  Semantic field of colloquial language shows how the violence and brutality is commonplace.

  • The casual nature of the soldier's vernacular mirrors his casual nature to violence as a result of his becoming desensitised after years of war.Semantic field of colloquial language shows how the violence and brutality is commonplace.

  • The casual nature of the soldier's vernacular mirrors his casual nature to violence as a result of his becoming desensitised after years of war.
• Similarities with Exposure - Themes

  Both portray the suffering of soldiers. In Remains, the is Soldier wracked by guilt over his actions. Suffers from PTSD and is regularly exposed to such traumatic events. In Exposure, the Soldiers used as tools of war to fight in barbaric and inhospitable conditions, and are also unable to do much to alleviate their suffering.

  
  

  They also portray reality of war. Remains shows the true effect of war on soldiers is a far cry from the romanticised narrative spoon fed to many in western countries and shows how effects of war follow a soldier for the rest of their life. Exposure highlights the true nature of war as one of pain and suffering for all. Name is a double meaning, perhaps showing how it attempts to expose contemporary views on war distributed by jingoistic poets.
• Differences with Exposure - Themes

  Whereas Remains attempts the shine a light on the psychological suffering of the soldiers and how it follows them around wherever they go, Exposure shows the effects of weather on the soldier's minds and bodies.
• Similarities with Exposure - Form

  Both use first hand experiences of war. Remains focuses on the experiences of Guardsman Tromans from the 2003 Iraq war. Exposure focuses on Owen's own experiences in WWI. Interestingly the eerie similarities in the suffering of the soldiers in 2 wars nearly 100 years apart shows the endless and debilitating nature of war and conflict.

  
  

  Both use quatrains to demonstrate the endless nature of their suffering.

  
  

  Both use anaphora. For Remains it is "probably armed possibly not" whereas for Exposure it is "but nothing happens" Usage of anaphora once more emphasises the repetitive nature of their suttering, how it pervades their life and the cannot escape it.
• Differences with Exposure - Form

  Exposure generally uses longer line length, perhaps to show the prolonger nature of their suffering.
• Similarities with Exposure - Structure

  Usage of cyclical structure to show how it is an endless cycle, not just for their particular experience but for all conflict in general.
• Differences with Exposure - Structure

  Remains has a much more prolitic use of enjambment, perhaps to highlight how the memories of the event

  are causing his normal train of thought to be disjointed.
• Similarities with Exposure - Context

  Both focus on experiences of war from real soldiers albeit at different times.
• Differences with Exposure - Context

  One written to tell the story of war from a soldier's perspective whereas the other is for a Channel 4 program.

  Both focus on different wars and different examples of suffering.
• Similarities with Bayonet Charge - Themes

  Both portray dehumanisation of soldiers. BC exposes how soldiers are used as tools of war, often against their wishes. In Remains, The soldier is sent out on these types of missions frequently, often being made to kill and risk death by the powers that be without a thought of the long term ramifications of this.
• Differences with Bayonet Charge - Themes

  Whereas Remains focuses on effects of conflict after the event and how they impact the soldier's life, BC is more focused on the actual charge and the soldier's thought process throughout that.
• Similarities with Bayonet Charge - Form

  Both begin in media res to communicate the confusion and panic of soldiers placed in these difficult situations.
• Differences with Bayonet Charge - Form

  Whereas Remains largely has a regular 4 line stanza form, BC fluctuates with a 7-8-7 structure, perhaps to highlight the changing opinions of the soldier on what he is doing as the charge progresses.
• Similarities with Bayonet Charge - Structure

  Both poets use enjambment to try and communicate the panic and disjointed nature of their respective conflicts; the use of enjambment shows how their thoughts and feelings melt into one unintelligible stream.
• Differences with Bayonet Charge - Structure

  BC utilises longer line length, perhaps to communicate the extent of thought and feeling the soldier experiences in the few seconds that he is charging, highlighting the innate humanity in what is expected to be an emotionless machine of war.
• Similarities with Bayonet Charge - Context

  Both writing on experiences of conflict and the thought processes of soldiers; Remains focuses on the Iraq conflict of 2003 and BC on WWl.
• Differences with Bayonet Charge - Context

  Remains focuses on a first hand account whereas BC is more general. Ted Hughes' father did fight

  in WWl but this is not a direct account.