Themes: Guilt
English Lit: AQA GCSE Poetry - Power & Conflict, topic 15.1.3
Guilt: Language
The soldier is overwhelmed with feelings of guilt in Remains. We can analyse the poem's title and how Armitage uses uncertain language to explore the theme of guilt.
Title
- “Remains” has negative connotations of death, something unwanted or leftover.
- It could indicate that all that is left of the speaker’s life is guilt.
- It could also indicate that he is just a shell of his former self.
Uncertain language
- “Probably armed, possibly not”.
- This reminds readers of the doubt that soldiers must deal with.
- It links to the theme of guilt. There is an indication that the man who was killed should perhaps have not been shot.
Guilt: Imagery
The soldier is overwhelmed with feelings of guilt – the poet raises questions about the way men are conditioned in war. They are conditioned to put aside their personal emotions when they commit acts of violence or destruction. Armitage uses these images to convey the soldier's sense of guilt:
“His bloody life in my bloody hands”
- This is bloody imagery.
- The repetition of "bloody" reinforces the sense of his frustration.
- 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.
"...Some distant sun-stunned sand-smothered land”
- “not left for dead in some distant sun-stunned sand- / smothered land”.
- The sibilance and alliteration of the hard “t” sounds make it seem like he is spitting out the words. This conveys his anger and frustration.
Test yourself on Themes: Guilt
Which of these are possible interpretations of the title 'Remains'?
How does the quote “probably armed, possibly not” relate to the theme of guilt?