Summary

English Lit: AQA GCSE Poetry - Power & Conflict, topic 15.1.1

Summary of Remains

In Simon Armitage's Remains, the speaker describes an occasion during war when he shot a looter.

The speaker describes an occasion during war when he shot a looter.
He is unable to get the memory out of his mind and is traumatised.
He is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD – anxiety caused by very distressing or traumatising events) even when he is home.

This is a contemporary poem.
It explores the impact of war on soldiers' mental health, even when they are no longer fighting.
Armitage based the poem on an account of a real soldier as part of a collection called “The Not Dead”.
This also featured as part of a television series. In the series, the soldier the poem is based on describes the incident and its lasting impact.

The poem explores a soldier's experience in war and the aftermath.

The poet explores a lesser discussed aspect of war: returning home and living with the traumatic memories of acts committed in war.
The soldier is overwhelmed with feelings of guilt. The poet raises questions about the way men in war are conditioned. They are conditioned to put aside their personal emotions when they commit acts of violence or destruction.
Like the soldiers in ‘Bayonet Charge’ and ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’, these men are following orders. There is no room for their thoughts or feelings about the value of human life and the moral implications of taking it.

There is a sense of the injustice of conflict. The looter was potentially not dangerous but lost his life anyway.
Split decisions are made in war about life or death. They have lasting consequences.