Kamikaze

Question 1

Summary:

Answer 1

1. Daughter is telling the story of her father to her children
2. The father looks at the sea and remembers his childhood
3. Remembers how he was shunned
4. She was forced to shun him

Question 2

“a shaven head full of powerful incantations” (1)

Answer 2

1. Shaving one’s head, purification. Radical departure from former self, dedication to mission
2. Shed previous identity, visual symbol to sacrifice
3. Symbolise stripping away desires
4. Fervent beliefs, indoctrination
5. Unwavering commitment

Question 3

“figure of eight the dark shoals of fishes flashing silver” (2)

Answer 3

1. Eternal cycle of life and death
2. Individual lives lost in turmoil of war, nature remains unabated
3. Ocean is teaming with life, oblivious to the human strife
4. Insignificance of human endeavors in the face of vastness of nature.

Question 4

“to live as though he had never returned.” (3)

Answer 4

1. Profound impact of societal shame
2. Met with stigma, erases any acknowledgment of his existence
3. Intense pressure on matryrdom
4. He is treated as if he were dead socially and psychologically
5. Harsh consequences of deviating from expectations.

Question 5

“he must have wondered which had been the better way to die” (4)

Answer 5

1. The existential dilemma he faces upon surviving
2. Grappling to conflicting notions of honour, duty and personal survival
3. Stark reality of his decision
4. Might have been better to die upholding his nation
5. Or live a life marked by shame and ostracism.

Question 6

Context:

Answer 6

1. Manned suicide missions into military targets
2. Taught that it was the only way to change the direction of the war
3. Japanese, honour culture, stain to family

Question 7

Structure:

Answer 7

1. Tightly controlled stanza of 6 lines, order of a soldier
2. Juxtaposed and undermined by free verse
3. Attempts of freedom within a strict society
4. Doubting his obedience.

Question 8

Comparisons:

Answer 8

1. Poppies: impact on civilians, process memories, non-conventional perspectives but phsyical loss vs shunning