Kamikaze

• Summary of poem


  The poem Kamikaze delves into a daughter's contemplation of her bond with her father, who served as a Kamikaze pilot during World War II but chose not to fulfill his suicide mission. It tracks her train of thoughts as she imagines the path her father would have taken for his mission, drawing parallels between his experience and the world's natural wonders. Furthermore, it explores the aftermath of her father's return home and the familial rejection he faced due to societal pressures in Japan.
• "embarked at sunrise"


  Japan is known as the land of the rising sun. Embark means to get on but also to begin something - he is beginning a new chapter of his life - both choices lead to a type of death

  Sunrise - motif of patriotism
• "samurai", "powerful incantations"


  Samurai - The image of samurai reveals the depth of patriotism and duty. Samurai is a stoic warrior which held bravery, honor and personal loyalty above life

  
  

  Powerful incantations- Image of incantations link to magic which indicates the supernatural effect of patriotism onto soldier

  "powerful" - Perhaps referring to the brainwashing involved in loyalty
• "enough fuel for a one-way journey into history"


  "enough" - sufficient to satisfy desire when approaching death

  Painful irony - Enough fuel to honour Japan but not to return safely

  
  

  "one-way journey into history" - Metaphor for honour as men will be celebrated for their bravery. Euphemism for suicide perhaps a technique used by Japanese Government to brainwash. Concept of suicide is overshadowed

  
  

  "history" - Ironic as he will not be remembered - story retold from various perspectives removes reliability and he is never named ^ ~ dehumanised - soldiers are stripped of identity in war, mere numbers
• "but half way there, she thought, recounting it later to her children"


  "But" -Volta - change in tone(doubtful) ~ reflects daughter's inner conflict

  Enjambment from first stanza not only creates suspense but also reveals the pilot's true thoughts

  
  

  "she thought" - Pilot's experience is only interpreted by others. Indicating the pilot does not have a voice, accentuating his lack of agency
• "He must have looked far down"


  Modal verb "must" establishes a bond between the pilot and the narrator to justify the pilot's action and understand his plight.

  Narrator displays sympathy towards him and his experience.

  It indicates that they never spoke about the whole ordeal once he returned home, leaving him and his thoughts isolated, not even giving him a chance to explain his actions
• "Strung out like bunting"


  Here, this simile suggests public celebration, but ironically this is juxtaposed to the idea of death. Not only does this convey how the death of these pilots were widely celebrated for honour but also encourages the reader what the pilot stands to lose.
• "Green-blue translucent sea"


  Semantic field of nature creating connotations of peace and tranquility in the colour imagery

  Highlights the beauty of the world and everything the pilot stands to lose.

  This helps us to empathise with the pilot's decision to turn back.

  The adjective "translucent" suggests he's beginning to see through the "powerful incantations" — the culture of denial and sacrifice — which will trigger his change of mind. Blindness begins to lift

  
  

  Also reveals his inner conflict of cultural expectations vs inner conscience.
• "Dark shoals of fishes flashing silver"


  Here, in stanza 3, sibilance is used reflect the soundscape of the water and movement of the fishes, vividly paints a sense of amazement in the reader at the beauty and the serenity of nature, which the poetic voice heavily implies is the reason for the pilots turning back. This evokes sympathy as such beauty would make this sacrifice very difficult.
• "brothers waiting on the shore" "father's boat"


  In the 4th stanza, an image of childhood and the love of one's family emerges and it becomes clear that, due to nostalgia the pilot not only reminisces but also romanticises his youth, the pilot is questioning his decision.

  Brother - familial bonds, sense of belonging

  Could also mean the comrades waiting for his death.

  Shore = Sanzu River (Japanese Mythology)
• "cairns" "withstood longest the turbulent inrush of breakers"


  1. Here, the image of death is produced via "cairns" because they are stacks of pebbles that mark graves which implies the pilot considers the consequences of death and how he will lose the ability to enjoy nature.

  
  

  2. The verb 'withstood' suggests strength of mind; readiness to die for one's country, which the speaker's father lacked.

  
  

  3. Not only does the description of "turbulent inrush of breakers" depict the waves of the sea but also the inner conflict that the pilot has because the image of "turbulent" juxtaposes the vibrant imagery, which may remind us of the struggles the pilot is going through.
• "a tuna, the dark prince, muscular, dangerous"


  Here, also in the 5th stanza, natural imagery as well as a metaphor for power. This connotes the imbalance of power between man and nature - where nature has the ability to sway the pilot's decision. It is also noteworthy that the first full-stop of the poem occurs here, highlighting the significance of nature.
• "never spoke again" "learned to be silent"


  1. Here, in stanzas 6 and 7, images of silence are used to convey the man's exile from society as he is no longer respected after failing his mission. Garland admonishes Japanese society for being radicalised to shame those who were not willing to die.

  Tone of certainty - Belonged to nature

  
  

  2. This stanza shows a shift in narrative perspective from third to first person. This allows the daughter to refer to "my mother" which contrasts the previous mention of "her father". This creates a distance between the family and the father, who has been cast from society. (Heightens sense of his isolation)

  
  

  "learned to be silent" - The last of image of optimism of when the children laughed is silenced. Indicative of how silence speaks volumes - metaphor for unspoken shame
• (Layering from previous one) "no longer existed"


  In stanza 6, an image of shame, damnation and loss of identity emerges as the pilot is shunned from society for his failure to complete the mission.
• "he must have wondered which had been the better way to die."


  Here, in the final line of stanza 7, a tone of sympathy is used through the first person. The speaker has an epiphany as she realises that it was inevitable that he would die, either physically in the plane, or metaphorically due to shame and being ostracised and treated like a ghost.