Power & Conflict Poems

• KAMIKAZE - a Japanese suicide fighter pilot who returned home and was ignored and shamed.
• ' journey into history' - not coming home seen as a Japanese's hero and remembered as a sacrifice. that is what kamikaze means suicide to save country in the EDO period (1603 - 1886) a ritual suicide KAMIKAZE
• 'like a huge flag waved' - the flag shows identity of nation which is ironic given that the piolet disobeys order to defend flag of Japan KAMIKAZE
• ' he must of wondered which was a better way to die ' the piolet contemplates his decisions because he is treated like he is dead and forgotten. he may as well have died as a hero and loved than return home to where he thought he was loved KAMIKAZE
• the Emigree by carol rumens is about a child leaving a war filled home to come to a safer country as emigrant but is treated badly
• ' they accuse me of being dark in their free city' racism and intimidation displayed however she feels the blame for the war because she is treated differently THE EMIGREE
• ' it may be at war, it may be sick with tyrants but I am branded by the impression of sunlight' - tyrants links to terrorist groups like the Taliban ruling and taking over Syria and Afghanistan. we can also assume she is a child because she has a naive view of war and only remembers happy memories THE EMIGREE
• 'like a hollow doll' simile suggest emptiness of childhood and how it was taken from here when she moved away from her war filled country. she only remembers positive things about her home country THE EMIGREE
• Tissue by imtaiz Dharker about the strength of paper and how powerful it can be
• ' credit cards might fly our lives like paper kites' simile symbolizes being trapped by the need of money but gives the illusion of being free TISSUE
• ' the sun shines through their borderlines' paper segregates people, places, countries and culture by maps however nature always manages to overpower anything manmade TISSUE
• 'the back of the Koran' this Islam book is of religious importance and controls and guides Muslims and has been doing it for hundreds of years TISSUE
• War photographer by carol Ann Duffy is about a editor photographing war and displaying it to the public for them to see the true impact of war
• 'spools of suffering set out in ordered rows' - the suffering refers to the amount of grief and pain are contained in those spools however its not the spools that are suffering its the people inside the photographs WAR PHOTOGRAPHER
• 'his editor will pick out five or six' has a deeper meaning know heart felt images all for money and publicity for the public. shows no sympathy for the people in the photographs WAR PHOTOGRAPHER
• 'Belfast. Beirut. phenom penh.' - 3 short sentences creates emphasises on the country showing importance and respect for all the lives lost . Ireland Lebanon and Cambodia all war troubles causing suffering and death and conflict.
• poppies by jane weir is about a child that left home to go to war but died the mother remembers all his memories and wishes he was still alive
• ' play at being eskimos like we did when you were little' simile linking to core happiness and love like a parent and child relationship POPPIES
• 'without a winter coat or reinforcements or a scarf of gloves' a soldier going to war without armour unprotected however could be seen as a parent trying to look after their child and protect them from the outside weather POPPIES
• remains by Simon Armitage is about a soldier having PTSD from a recent war
• ' his bloody life in my bloody hands' metaphor repetition of bloody shows the guilt stained in his mind. has a tone of frustration and anger as he can`t get rid of this figure shows PTSD REMAINS
• ' he`s probably armed possibly not' repetition shows flashback of vivid memories about how he saw him get 'torn apart by a dozen rounds' REMAINS
• 'dug in behind enemy line' physically and mentally. physically because he is on foreign ground but mentally as he cant escape the guilt REMAINS
• bayonet charge by ted Hughes is about a soldier desensitised to war and it takes the suffering of nature to remind him of the horrors of war
• 'suddenly he awoke and was running' in media rez shows he is thick in the action the verb awoke gives a sense or reality and it isn`t a nightmare suggesting preceding events have been a daze in comparison to the action BAYONET CHARGE
• 'he lugged a rifle numb as a smashed arm' simile feels like he has become one with the rifle LOST OF IDENTITY physically and mentally drained. numb suggested the lack of feeling so the rifle gives him power and protection BAYONET CHARGE
• 'king honour human dignity' - shows how patriotic and proud he is to fight. the order suggest why he fights. also shows how the soldier gains honour from fighting for his king and country but when faced with death these values are 'dropped like human luxuries' so abended when the reality of war is revealed BAYONET CHARGE
• storm on the island by Seamus Heaney is about a group of islanders who are preparing from a storm NATURE VS MAN
• CHECKING OUT ME HISTORY by John Agard is about how white washed history is and how it only focused on European history (Eurocentric). however we forgot about other important historical figures like nanny de maroon
• 'Checking out me history' the title of this poem has an informal tone to make it more of a personal experience wants to discover more history. the word history can be split in to to words 'his' and 'story' making us think that this is a mans story however we forget about her story and how women are overlooked throughout history CHECKING OUT ME HISTORY
• 'dem tell me wha dem what to tell me' the repetition shows its directed at people who have have told him the wrong history the government, school and Europe. more important figures have taken control and are telling there version of the 'story' not theirs or his or hers
• 'blinded me to me own identity' he has been blinded by other peoples history that doesn`t apply to him. denied access to past feeling separated by the fact he is not be abled to know his true identity
• ' but dem never tell me about nanny de maroon' nanny de maroon was a Jamaican leader who helped free and help slaves who helped fight against patriarchy she goes against 'history' by being a women and being black. Agard suggest he would father learn about this than robin hood or Florence nightingale CHECKING OUT ME HISTORY
• ' you might think the sea is company, exploding down the cliffs' the oxymoron suggest danger bombs/war/death. the sea is being aggressive and temperamental but Heaney suggest that he can withstand the 'explosions' and calls it company to suggest the power of man kind STORM ON THE ISLAND
• ' The very windows spit like tame cat' the simile about cats shows its domesticated however cats are descended for big cats wild and aggressive animals. suggest the fear of regression as you cannot tame nature STORM ON THE ISLAND
• 'Storm on t' is the name of a Irish parliament building that was establishes to address problems whilst the troubles were going on which maybe influenced Seamus heamey to wright this poem as he grew up with the Irish troubles STORM ON THE ISLAND
• EXPOSURE by Wilfred Owen is about a soldier battles the harsh conditions of war and nature
• 'pale flakes with fingering stealth come feeling for our faces' this suggest that the soldiers are being hunted down by the extreme snow . the soldiers are fighting a battle on two fronts nature and war EXPOSURE
• 'We only know war last' suggest the lack of education the soldiers have received or maybe brainwashed by the reality of war suffering is decaying the brain EXPOSURE
• 'our brains ache in the merciless iced east winds that knives us' the metaphor of the cold weather shows harshness of the war nature vs men. 'ache' shows concentration to try and stay alive and fight the elements EXPOSURE