Remains

Question 1

Remains quotation (Probably ___)

Answer 1

“Probably armed, possibly not”
- Reminds the readers of the doubt and anxiety which soldiers must deal with
- Instinct to assume people are armed / assumption of danger
- Doubt is the key driver of his guilt and it cripples him

Question 2

Remains quotation (I swear ___)

Answer 2

“I swear I see every round as it rips through his life”
- Graphic imagery
- Contrasts the previous vagueness
- ‘His life’ shows that the person is thinking of more than just the physical damage inflicted
- ‘Rips’ highlights the brutal nature of war
- It is branded on his memory
- Present tense suggests that the soldier’s suffering is ongoing and constant as it lives on in his mind

Question 3

Remains quotation “His blood-____)

Answer 3

“His blood-shadow stays on the street”
- He’s stuck there like the stain on his memory, hd can’t go forward.
- Shadow symbolises the guilt that follows him

Question 4

Remains quotation “Tosses ___)

Answer 4

“Tosses his guts back into his body”
- Gruesome imagery
- Indicated the reality of war and lack or honour which is typically associated with the job
- ‘Tosses’ shows that they are desensitised and careless

Question 5

Remains themes?

Answer 5

Trauma and guilt
- The soldier is overwhelmed with feelings of guilt
- The poet raises questions about were the soldiers in war conditioned and expected to put aside their emotions

Question 6

Remains structure?

Answer 6

Two part structure
- The first half, the person focuses on a past event in an anecdotal sense (based on what a person is saying, not facts or research based)
- The second half, he person focuses on the aftermath of the war and speaking in present tense
- Conveys the reality of PTSD