Themes: Nature of War
English Lit: AQA GCSE Poetry - Power & Conflict, topic 15.1.4
Brutality of War
Armitage highlights the brutality of war using these techniques:
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.
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:
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”.
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.
Test yourself on Themes: Nature of War
Which word in the quote “I swear I see every round as it rips through his life” emphasises the brutality of the attack?
Which of these is not a gruesome image highlighting the brutality of war?