Remains

Question 1

“End of story, ______ ___ ______”

Answer 1

“Except not really” - suggesting that he tries to be manly and block out the memories of the traumatic experience but can’t.

Question 2

“Probably armed, ________ ___”

Answer 2

“Possibly not” - Plosive sounds suggest the sounds on a battlefield. It also adds a sense of unsteadiness to the poem. Did the soldier kill an innocent human being?

Question 3

“His bloody life in my ______ _____”

Answer 3

“Bloody Hands” - Mild swearing. It is also a reference to MacBeth (Act 5) when Lady MacBeth cries, “will these hands ne’er be clean?”

Question 4

“And he bursts again through ___ _____ __ ___ ____”

Answer 4

“The doors of the Bank” - Guardsman Tromans is suffering serious Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Also, “Bank” could be a symbol of his mind and/or sanity.

Question 5

The paragraphs are how long?

Answer 5

Four lines each or a quatrain. This could infer a sense of channeled actions where the soldier is only fighting because all the others are.

Question 6

The last paragraph is only two lines. Why?

Answer 6

The lack of the last two lines implies a sense of the poem being unresolved, reflecting on Guardsman Tromans’ PTSD.