kamikaze

• kamikaze pilots were around during WW2 and it involved manned suicide missions into military targets and using planes filled with explosives, however at this time japan was losing the war so soldiers were taught to believe this was the only way to change the direction of the war
• japanese culture was very patriotic - the sentiment that it was better to be killed and receive high honour than be named a coward and stain your whole family with dishonour
• this poem explores the futility of avoiding a fate set out for you by an authority or government, in this case the kamikaze pilots' fate was formed in the military when they were instructed to go on suicide missions in the name of their country
• the poem also explores the conflict between individuals in japan and the societal expectations placed upon them - immensely strict as the japanese regard honour to be incredibly important, further it brings attention to the conflict in families due to the pressure put on them by society, and finally it conjures conflict between nature and man
• the poem has a very intimate and close feeling to it as the garland works to contrast both the speaker and the daughter's voices, which sometimes merge into one, this ensures the readers are aware it is a very personal narrative
• 'her father embarked at sunrise'

  'embarked at sunrise' - japan is known as the land of the rising sun, and 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
• 'a shaven head full of powerful incantations' - he is under the spell of patriotism and propaganda, as he is not making his own decisions - his decision would be to keep on living
• 'one-way journey into history' - painful irony to his search for remembrance, and sought his death to be remembered and immortalised by respect
• 'strung out like bunting on a green-blue translucent sea'

  'bunting' - celebrating the honour he will bring to his community
• 'strung out like bunting on a green-blue translucent sea'

  'green-blue translucent sea' - connotations of peace and tranquillity in the colour imagery, further exposes the beauty of nature and life as he associates nature with precious possessions
• 'then the other in a figure of eight'

  'figure of eight' - figure of eight the symbol for infinity, this may be used to imply the eternal power of nature - continue indefinitely - nature is infinite in comparison to the transience of humanity, and life is brief and precious, and as nature remains, war and honour will be forgotten as it is more powerful than mankind
• 'shoals of fishes flashing silver as their bellies swivelled towards the sun' - sibilance implies a sense of grace and peacefulness, as well as, suggesting an elegant and graceful tone, also works to increase the pace to make the poem sound more emotional
• 'and his brothers waiting on the shore'

  'waiting on the shore' - how leaving the family in order to provide for them was something required by every generation, just in different capacities as the father feels responsibility to return to them which is a selfless reason to return rather than just a fear of death
• 'built cairns of pearl-grey pebbles'

  'cairns' - stacks of pebbles that mark graves, shows the father is starting to consider the consequences of death and reminds readers that all the beauty of nature is undermined by the role he's about to play - will lose his ability to enjoy nature
• 'built cairns of pearl-grey pebbles'

  'pearl' - nature's beauty is precious, valuable and sacred just like life, so the ending of life or nature shouldn't end prematurely (done too soon)
• 'bringing their father's boat safe'

  'safe' - repetition of safe - it is the safety of his own life and others he is focusing on
• 'a tuna, the dark prince, muscular, dangerous' - imbalance of power between humanity and nature, even a kamikaze pilot - the epitome of bravery - sense the danger of it, as the pilot a symbol of military power and determination but a fish is, further the metaphor - it is a prince - important and significant who is deserving of respect and honour (like a soldier) emphasises its significance by using caesura to signal it is deserving of notice
• 'nor did she meet his eyes' - she doesn't want to see the person he has become - ashamed of her own husband she chooses to not communicate with him and distances herself from as her daughter will eventually will too, thus showing the impact of pressure she has from society as her husband did not do one of the highest honours by dying for his country, also she doesn't want to face what she is doing - feels guilty - painful to give up her husband but she has no choice as her culture demands it
• 'till gradually we too learned'

  'too learned' - learning of cultural values
• 'to live as though he had never returned' - by living he traded this for being forgotten and ignored, the whole poem is speculative which suggests the father physically survives but dead to the community and society he returned to
• 'which had been the better way to die' - both options offer death and this line implies that soldiers are controlled by indoctrination/propaganda (used by the government), further this poem is written in a detached third-person viewpoint which might suggest the speak doesn't agree with this cultural view
• the poem is written from the daughter's perspective in the third person this creates a sense of detachment which may reflect the distance between how the speaker feels about her father's life as she grew up not knowing him
• the shift in narration form third to first person when the speaker discusses her father's return could signify a dramatic shift from external to internal and shows the impact that war has had on her
• the poem is structured into tightly controlled stanza lengths of 6 lines, which may reflect the order and obedience expected from a soldier, however this structure is juxtaposed and undermined by the free verse and enjambment - attempt of freedom within the confines of the strict stanza structure, which could suggest her father had his own desires
• the free verse and enjambment could also show that he is starting to doubt his obedience and realised he wants to pursue the freedom and beauty of life - reminds the reader that soldiers are still human
• this structural juxtaposition could reflect the conflict military commitment and cultural pride, and desire for life and freedom
• garland chooses the last word of the poem to be 'die' this creates a sense of futility and inevitable fate : the soldier was destined to die one way or another, also garland may suggest that conflict and patriotism denies humanity the enjoyment of life and nature
• 'like a huge flag' is a simile which shows that the father and his family are indoctrinated by japanese culture and societal norms which is why believes dying is the right thing to do - may illustrate to the reader how patriotism is so powerful it can control how a person or even a society acts and how they choose to die
• the speaker's father feels the need to provide for his family by returning to them, however his duty according to society is to provide his family with honour not sustenance and unfortunately this can only be achieved through death