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Kamikaze – Beatrice garland. What was 9/11? Why did it happen? Why did the people responsible decide to do it?. Bronze – identify skills required in the exam Silver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology
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Kamikaze – Beatrice garland What was 9/11? Why did it happen? Why did the people responsible decide to do it? Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
Beatrice Garland lives in London and works as a clinician and researcher for the NHS alongside writing poetry. ‘Kamikaze’ was published in 2013 as part of her first poetry collection, The Invention of Fireworks. • ‘Kamikaze’ is about Japanese suicide bombers. • During World War 2, the Japanese became desperate towards the end as it was clear they were losing. • In desperation, the Emperor of Japan ordered Japanese pilots to fly directly into enemy warships in suicide missions. • At the time, if anyone refused to complete the mission they were deemed cowards and shunned or outcast from society. • Today, for some in Japan the kamikaze are treated with respect and honour, but for others it has become a mark of great shame. Kamikaze – Beatrice garland Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
Step 1: Summary The poem opens with a kamikaze pilot setting off on his mission. Kamikaze pilots were specifically trained Japanese pilots, who were used towards the end of World War Two. They flew their planes on suicide missions into enemy ships – it was seen as a great honour to serve your country in this way. It becomes clear that the pilot turned around and didn’t complete his mission – his daughter imagines that this was because on the way he saw the beauty of nature and remembered his innocent childhood. The pilot was shunned when he got home – even his family acted as if he wasn’t there. Kamikaze – Beatrice garland Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
This is a very visual poem– as we watch/listen to the poem, note down all the images that you see. Identify quotations from the poem that could link to these images. Kamikaze – Beatrice garland “like a huge flag waved first one waythen the other in a figure of eight,the dark shoals of fishes..” Why do you think the man chose to come back from his mission? How was he treated afterwards and how does his daughter feel about this now? Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
As part of a kamikaze’s training, they had to take an oath which determined the way they lived and thought. The Kamikaze Soldiers’ Oath A soldier must make loyalty his obligation A soldier must make propriety his way of life A soldier must highly esteem military valour A soldier must have high regard for righteousness A soldier must live a simple life Look carefully at stanza one and think about why might a kamikaze pilot have done what they did? Extension: Take into account the kamikaze soldiers’ oath and how it highlights the attitude they had. Kamikaze – Beatrice garland “Her father embarked at sunrise with a flask of water, a samurai sword in the cockpit, a shaven head full of powerful incantations and enough fuel for a one-way journey into history.” A samurai sword = The traditional weapon of a Japanese soldier Incantations = Chants, almost religious Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
1. Highlight in one colour all the parts of the poem that celebrate life and living Highlight in another colour all the parts of the poem that show death and destruction 2. Why do the fishing boats look like ‘bunting’? Bunting is used during parties and celebrations. Why has the writer chosen this particular image? 3. It can be said this poem looks at two deaths: a physical death and an ‘emotional’ death – what do you think this means? Kamikaze – Beatrice garland There are so many images celebrating life here and the joy that comes from it. Who do you think is speaking all these images? The poet? The speaker? Someone else? Why? The pilot chooses his physical life over actual death but suffers an emotional death instead. Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
These are the final two lines of the poem, spoken by the daughter of the pilot, but the words of the mother (the pilot’s wife). Do you agree? Did the pilot have to choose between two deaths? Why? Which choice would you have made? Why? Why does the writer give us these different voices in the poem? How does it affect our interpretation of it? “And sometimes, she said, he must have wondered /which had been the better way to die.” Kamikaze – Beatrice garland Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
In your pairs, finish annotating the poem. Make sure you follow the steps below: 2- Identify the form and structure of the poem Is it rigid and regular or loose and irregular? Does the poem rhyme? Why has the poet chosen this form? What mood / effect does it create? How is the poem laid out? Are lines and stanzas regular / irregular? Does it use enjambment? How does it use punctuation? How does the ‘story’ of the poem evolve? How does the tone change? 3- What language is used to create these effects? How does the language support your comments about mood and tone? Look at any Language techniques that are used - What is their effect? 4- Identify the feelings and attitudes in the poem. What is the main emotion in the poem? Does it change? Does the poet want you to share his/her feelings? Or do they just want you to understand (empathise with) their feelings? How does the poem make you feel? Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
This creates the sense of a journey, but the title suggests that it will be a journey to his death. Her father embarked at sunrisewith a flask of water, a samurai swordin the cockpit, a shaven headfull of powerful incantationsand enough fuel for a one-wayjourney into history but half way there, she thought,recounting it later to her children,he must have looked far downat the little fishing boatsstrung out like buntingon a green-blue translucent sea Japan is known as ‘The Land of the rising Sun’, so this may be a reference to the location. This suggests that the pilot was under a kind of spell, which hints at the influence of patriotic propaganda that kamikazes were exposed to. They were told that it was great honour to die for their country. Second stanza changes direction – the plane is still flying, but it’s going to turn around. These are the daughter’s thoughts and explanations – the pilot has no voice and his real reasons are never heard. The simile is homely and pretty – a far cry from war. Bunting is associated with celebration, which makes the image ironic – there’s no victorious return for the pilot. Beautiful image of nature. Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
Flags are a symbol of national identity, but here the simile hints at the way that flags can be used to stop or direct something. and beneath them, arcing in swatheslike a huge flag waved first one waythen the other in a figure of eight,the dark shoals of fishesflashing silver as their belliesswivelled towards the sun and remembered how heand his brothers waiting on the shorebuilt cairns of pearl-grey pebblesto see whose withstood longestthe turbulent inrush of breakersbringing their father’s boat safe The repeated sibilant sounds reflect the smooth movement of the fish in the water. This hints at the movement of the samurai sword from line 2. It’s an ironic reference, because the pilot is turning away from combat. Focus switches to the pilot’s childhood memories. These are innocent childhood activities, which contrast with the pilot’s job in the war. Enjambment and lack of punctuation in this stanza may hint that the pilot got caught up in his childhood memories. Repetition of ‘safe’ (see next line) hints at the pilot’s mind-set – he doesn’t want his children to go through the pain of losing him. Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
Interjection of direct speech – it sounds like the pilot’s daughter is answering a question from her children. – yes, grandfather’s boat– safeto the shore, salt-sodden, awashwith cloud-marked mackerel,black crabs, feathery prawns,the loose silver of whitebait and oncea tuna, the dark prince, muscular, dangerous. And though he came backmy mother never spoke againin his presence, nor did she meet his eyesand the neighbours too, they treated himas though he no longer existed,only we children still chattered and laughed All the sea creatures are given extra description. The cumulative effect of the list highlights their beauty and significance to the pilot. The colours used – “silver” in this line and “pearl-grey” in line 21 – make nature sound precious. Describing the tuna in this way reminds the reader of the dangers of nature. We hear the daughter’s voice in direct speech again. She speaks in a more factual, less descriptive way about her father’s subsequent life, which hints at her pain and empathy with him. Irony – he survived, but he is still treated as if he’s dead. Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
till gradually we too learnedto be silent, to live as thoughhe had never returned, that thiswas no longer the father we loved.And sometimes, she said, he must have wonderedwhich had been the better way to die. Hints that the pilot was changed by his experience. The final sentence could be a comment on the destructiveness of patriotism – the pilot’s family are so ashamed that they treat him as if he’s dead. He may have wished that he’d fulfilled his mission – either way his story ends in a kind of death. Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
FORM AND STRUCTURE The poem is mostly narrated in the third person using reported speech of the pilot’s daughter, but her voice is heard directly in the later stanzas. The absence of the pilot’s voice shows that he’s been cut off from society, and the use of the third person emphasises the distance between pilot and daughter. The first five stanzas form one sentence which covers an account of the pilot’s flight as the pilot’s daughter imagines it. The end of the sentence represents the plane landing, and the final two stanzas deal with the fallout of the pilot’s actions. Kamikaze – Beatrice garland Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
LANGUAGE Irony - There are ironic reminders of how the pilot abandoned his mission. The way he’s treated when he returns to his family is ironic because they act as if he’s dead, even though he chose not to die. Natural imagery – Similes, metaphors and detailed descriptions are used to emphasise the beauty and power of nature. The pilot’s daughter hints that this beauty was one of the main triggers for his actions. Direct speech – The addition of direct speech makes the poem seem more personal. Hearing the daughter’s voice emphasises the impact of war on a specific family. Kamikaze – Beatrice garland Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
FEELINGS AND ATTITUDES Patriotism – The opening stanza is full of suggestions of patriotic pride and duty – the pilot has the chance to fly “into history”. The patriotism of his family and neighbours is shown in their reaction to his return – they treat him as if he’s dead because he has failed in his duty to his nation. Shame – The reaction of the pilot’s wife is one of deep shame – she never speaks to him again. Regret- The pilot’s daughter’s words in the final stanza are tinged with a sense of regret and loss. The repetition in lines 9 and 41 of “he must have” also hints at her empathy with the pilot. Kamikaze – Beatrice garland Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
What are the author’s intentions? Consider the following questions with your partner: Do you think the main speaker approves of what kamikaze pilots had to do? Why? Why not? Why do you think we don’t hear the pilot’s voice in the poem? Do you think the pilot was glad he turned round? Kamikaze – Beatrice garland If Garland isn’t Japanese, why is she telling us this story? Challenge: Can you support this with quotations from the poem? Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
Form your ideas into a written response: Why did Garland write ‘Kamikaze’? Garland may have written Kamikaze in order to … This is suggested by the quotation “…” which shows … The keyword/technique “…” demonstrates this because … Kamikaze – Beatrice garland - Homework • Success criteria: • Explain Garland’s motive/reason for writing the poem • Include a quotation (or more than one) • Identify key words/techniques in the quotation • Say how the quotation shows Garland’s motive • Explain how the quotations shows how she wants us to feel • Evaluate how successful she’s been Bronze– identify skills required in the examSilver – understand what the examiner will be looking for Gold – Interpret a poem from the anthology Platinum – Analyse a poem from the anthology, considering your own interpretation of it.
