15.1.4

Themes: Nature of War

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Brutality of War

Armitage highlights the brutality of war using these techniques:

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Gruesome imagery

  • Gruesome images, such as “pain itself, the image of agony” and “sort of inside out…tosses his guts back into his body” – indicate the reality of war and the lack of glory or honour associated with such a job.
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Violent language

  • “I swear I see every round as it rips through his life”.
  • This kind of violent language (like the verb “rip”) highlights the brutal nature of the attack.

Contrast: War and Post-War

One of the main contrasts Armitage draws in the poem is between the casualness of death when the soldier is at war, and the horror of his memories when he is at home. Here are contrasts Armitage draws to emphasise this contrast:

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Peaceful vs violent images

  • “Sleep” and “dream” are associated with ideas of peace and tranquillity, but these are contrasted with violent images such as “torn apart by a dozen rounds”.
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Collective vs singular pronouns

  • The use of the collective, possessive pronoun “we” reminds the reader that the soldiers act as a unit in war.
  • It contrasts with the singular possessive pronoun “my” at the end of the poem, which reinforces the idea that the soldier is left to deal with his guilt alone.

Jump to other topics

1Ozymandias - Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

2London - William Blake (1757-1827)

3Storm on the Island - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)

4Exposure - Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)

5War Photographer - Carol Ann Duffy (born 1955)

6My Last Duchess - Robert Browning (1812-1889)

7The Prelude - William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

8Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Tennyson

9Bayonet Charge - Ted Hughes (1930-1998)

10Poppies - Jane Weir (Born 1963)

11Tissue - Imtiaz Dharker (Born 1954)

12The Emigree - Carol Rumens (Born 1944)

13Kamikaze - Beatrice Garland (Born 1938)

14Checking Out Me History - John Agard (Born 1949)

15Remains - Simon Armitage (Born 1963)

16Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons

16.1Grade 9 - Themes & Comparisons

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