15.1.6

Key Quotes & Comparisons

Test yourself

Key Quotations in Remains

Here are key quotations to remember for your exam:

Illustrative background for “Well myself and somebody else and somebody else”Illustrative background for “Well myself and somebody else and somebody else” ?? "content

“Well myself and somebody else and somebody else”

  • Colloquial language.
  • Shows that experiences, such as the one described, were common.
  • The soldiers are almost desensitised to the horrors of conflict when they are immersed in it.
Illustrative background for “I swear I see every round as it rips through his life” Illustrative background for “I swear I see every round as it rips through his life”  ?? "content

“I swear I see every round as it rips through his life”

  • Violent language.
    • The verb “rip” highlights the brutal nature of the attack.
  • Sensory language.
    • “I see” conveys a sense of the trauma it has caused the soldier, as though it is branded on his memory.
  • Present tense.
    • The use of the present tense links in with the idea that this suffering is ongoing and he constantly re-plays the memories.
Illustrative background for “Sort of inside out…tosses his guts back into his body” Illustrative background for “Sort of inside out…tosses his guts back into his body”  ?? "content

“Sort of inside out…tosses his guts back into his body”

  • Gruesome image.
  • Indicates the reality of war and the lack of glory or honour associated with such a job.
Illustrative background for “His blood-shadow stays on the street, and out on patrol”Illustrative background for “His blood-shadow stays on the street, and out on patrol” ?? "content

“His blood-shadow stays on the street, and out on patrol”

  • Metaphor.
  • Indicates something dark that cannot be dispelled, a constant reminder of what he did.
Illustrative background for “Probably armed, possibly not”Illustrative background for “Probably armed, possibly not” ?? "content

“Probably armed, possibly not”

  • Uncertain language.
  • Reminds readers of the doubt that soldiers must deal with.
  • It links to the theme of guilt as there is an indication that the man who was killed was innocent.
Illustrative background for “Torn apart by a dozen rounds”Illustrative background for “Torn apart by a dozen rounds” ?? "content

“Torn apart by a dozen rounds”

  • Violent image.
  • Contrasts to ideas of peace and tranquillity, e.g. “sleep” and “dream”.
Illustrative background for “And the drink and the drugs won’t flush him out”Illustrative background for “And the drink and the drugs won’t flush him out” ?? "content

“And the drink and the drugs won’t flush him out”

  • An indication of the speaker’s desperation to rid himself of the harrowing memories.
  • The verb “flush” is indicative of something that needs to be cleansed or disposed of, linking to the unpleasantness of his memories.
Illustrative background for “His bloody life in my bloody hands” Illustrative background for “His bloody life in my bloody hands”  ?? "content

“His bloody life in my bloody hands”

  • Repetition.
    • Reinforces the sense of his frustration.
  • Bloody imagery.
    • The image of having blood on his hands symbolises the guilt he is unable to rid himself of.
  • “Bloody” could also be interpreted as a swear word and mark his anger or regret.

Key Comparisons: Remains

Here are some themes that come up in Remains and other texts:

Illustrative background for Reality of conflict/effects of conflictIllustrative background for Reality of conflict/effects of conflict ?? "content

Reality of conflict/effects of conflict

  • You may want to compare the theme of the reality of conflict and/or effects of conflict in Remains to the following texts:
    • War Photographer.
    • Exposure.
    • Poppies.
    • Bayonet Charge.
    • Charge of the Light Brigade.
Illustrative background for Powerful, memorable and/or unpleasant experiencesIllustrative background for Powerful, memorable and/or unpleasant experiences ?? "content

Powerful, memorable and/or unpleasant experiences

  • You may want to compare the theme of powerful, memorable and/or unpleasant experiences in Remains to the following texts:
    • Exposure.
    • Charge of the Light Brigade.
    • Bayonet Charge.
    • The Prelude.
Illustrative background for Powerful memoriesIllustrative background for Powerful memories ?? "content

Powerful memories

  • You may want to compare the theme of powerful memories in Remains to the following texts:
    • Kamikaze.
    • Poppies.
    • The Emigree.
    • War Photographer.
    • The Prelude.

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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