Reminded him of his own childhood playing on the shore
Pilot turned the plane around
Came back from his mission
Pilot's wife never spoke to him again or even looked at him</b>
Everyone treated the pilot as shameful
His children also eventually learned to be silent, to treat him as if he wasn't there
Pilot must have wondered
Whether kamakazi death would have been better than this emotional death
The poem shows an inner conflict between the cultural military and national expectation that he would commit suicide as a kamakazi pilot and the pilot's own desire to return home
Poem structure
Tight structure of 7 stanzas with 6 lines each
Written in free verse with numerous examples of enjambment
Tight structure of stanzas
Reflects tight control of military and national expectation
Free verse and enjambment
Reflects the freedom and personal conviction the pilot wants to have
Tuna fish
Described as the 'Dark Prince', muscular and dangerous
Tuna fish
Most powerful character in the poem
The poem suggests that true power belongs to nature, and humanity's efforts are futile
Realization of how minute and unimportant human life is