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Structure

English Lit: AQA GCSE Poetry - Power & Conflict, topic 15.1.5

Structure of Remains

The structure of Remains reflects the speaker's trauma in the following ways:

Dramatic monologue

Dramatic monologue

  • The poem is written in the form of a dramatic monologue – we, therefore, get an insight into the personal experiences and thoughts of one individual.
  • These could be applicable to many soldiers who have suffered in a similar way.
Two-part structure

Two-part structure

  • In the first half of the poem, the speaker focuses on an event in the past. It begins in an anecdotal (telling a story) fashion as he describes an occasion on which he and his team raided a bank and killed a looter.
  • The second half of the poem focuses on the aftermath of war. Even in the present, the speaker still lives through the horrors of that day.
  • The poem is structured to convey the reality of PTSD.
Repetition

Repetition

  • Repetition of “probably armed, possibly not” creates an almost cyclical (happening in cycles) structure.
  • This reinforces the idea that the memories are inescapable and that he is stuck in a never-ending cycle of torment.

Rhythm and Rhyme of Remains

The rhythm of Remains and the lack of rhyme is designed to show the nature of the speaker's suffering. Armitage uses the following techniques to achieve this:

Regular stanzas

Regular stanzas

  • The regular pattern of stanzas could reflect the ongoing, relentless (never-ending) suffering of the soldier.
No rhyme

No rhyme

  • The poem is made up of unrhymed quatrains (stanzas of four lines).
  • The lack of rhyme not only gives the monologue a more natural, speech-like feel but could indicate the speaker’s unstable state of mind.
Rhythm break

Rhythm break

  • The fact that the last two lines break the pattern of four-line stanzas could represent his mental disintegration.

Test yourself on Structure

  • Which phrase is repeated to give Remains an almost cyclical structure?

  • What's the advantage of Remains being a dramatic monologue?

  • Why might Armitage have chosen not to follow a rhyming scheme in Remains?

  • Which of these techniques shows the relentless suffering of the soldier?

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