1. What do you think the
title of this poem will
be?
2. LO: To explore the themes of conflict
and power in ‘Kamikaze’.
3. Kamikaze pilots were Japanese volunteers who
offered to give their lives to destroy the enemy
(in short a WW2 suicide bomber).
1. Why would these pilots volunteer/agree to
take their own lives?
2. What do you think will be the content of the
poem, based on your knowledge?
4. 1. A soldier must make loyalty his obligation.
2. A soldier must make propriety his way of
life.
3. A soldier must highly esteem military
valour.
4. A soldier must have a high regard for
righteousness.
5. A soldier must live a simple life.
It is an ancient Samurai ritual to commit suicide if you dishonoured yourself or your
country – this is called Seppuku. Seppuku involved taking a knife or sword and stabbing
yourself in the stomach, disembowelling yourself in the process. (This occurred in
WW2, soldiers would rather kill themselves than be captured if the battle was lost)
6. What is the poem about?
• A kamikaze pilot
• Flying on his mission during WW2
• Recounts images of natural beauty
• Changes his mind – returns home where
everyone is ashamed
7. Structure
• 7 regular stanzas – reflects strict routine of
military
• Free verse – creates a serious tone.
Represents the lack of freedom the pilot has
in his mission.
• Enjambment – The poem flows quite rapidly
and represents the movement of a kamikaze
plane as it flies downwards.
8. 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
LO: To explore the themes of conflict and power in ‘Kamikaze’.
How does the poet approach the themes of power, conflict and death?
Almost sounds pleasant / sense of
achievement and pride at making history –
They will never be forgotten
K-pilots would
carry a sword if
they were
captured – but to
commit suicide
“fall upon sword”
Double meaning – gets on a plane /
going on an adventure
Part of a
ritual to
prepare
themselves
Implies death
Soldiers shaved
their heads as
part of a ritual
to demonstrate
their readiness
9. but half way there, she thought,
recounting it later to her children,
he must have looked far down
at the little fishing boats
strung out like bunting
on a green-blue translucent sea
LO: To explore the themes of conflict and power in ‘Kamikaze’.
KQ: How does the poet approach the themes of power, conflict and death?
Change in tone here His experiences only
interpreted by others
– The pilot does not
have a voice
Simile – associated with
celebrations – encourages
him to consider what he
may miss out on…
Model verb “must”
creates a bond between
the pilot and narrator –
shows sympathy
10. and beneath them, arcing in swathes
like a huge flag waved first one way
then the other in a figure of eight,
the dark shoals of fishes
flashing silver as their bellies
swivelled towards the sun
LO: To explore the themes of conflict and power in ‘Kamikaze’.
KQ: How does the poet approach the themes of power, conflict and death?
“swivelled” recalls
the fatal spiral
pilots used to hit
their targets
Simile – “flag” –
The pilot’s
patriotism being
questioned in
this mission
The narrator suggests
that such natural
beauty may have
discouraged the pilot
from completing his
mission
The repetition of ‘s’ and ‘f’ sounds create pace
and could mimic the motion of the aircraft.
11. and remembered how he
and his brothers waiting on the shore
built cairns of pearl-grey pebbles
to see whose withstood longest
the turbulent inrush of breakers
bringing their father’s boat safe
LO: To explore the themes of conflict and power in ‘Kamikaze’.
KQ: How does the poet approach the themes of power, conflict and death?
Cairns – pile of
stones/pebbles
that acts as a
memorial or
(safety/direction
for walkers)
Returning home safely?
Not applicable for this
soldier.
Reminder of the pilot’s
childhood
Lack of punctuation – the pilot
recalls childhood memories which
overtake his ability to complete
his mission
“turbulent” and
“safe” – contrasting
vocabulary show the
turmoil and confusion
of the pilot
12. – yes, grandfather’s boat – safe
to the shore, salt-sodden, awash
with cloud-marked mackerel,
black crabs, feathery prawns,
the loose silver of whitebait and once
a tuna, the dark prince, muscular, dangerous.
LO: To explore the themes of conflict and power in ‘Kamikaze’.
KQ: How does the poet approach the themes of power, conflict and death?
Why is this in
italics? What is
it talking
about?
Sibilance gives the
effect of being read
like a nursery
rhyme – why is this
significant?
How does this stanza link to the
theme of conflict?
Unpredictable? How
does this relate to
the pilot?
Alone, removed from
the rest of the group.
Why does the narrator highlight
the natural beauty witnessed by
the pilot?
13. And though he came back
my mother never spoke again
in his presence, nor did she meet his eyes
and the neighbours too, they treated him
as though he no longer existed,
only we children still chattered and laughed
LO: To explore the themes of conflict and power in ‘Kamikaze’.
KQ: How does the poet approach the themes of power, conflict and death?
Why are most of
the last two
stanzas in italics?
Change of tone - What does the
“And though” reveal?
Why is it only the children will
talk to the pilot?
What is the conflict in this
chapter?
Tension – Is the mother
embarrassed, disgusted
by his actions?
Ashamed
14. till gradually we too learned
to be silent, to live as though
he had never returned, that this
was no longer the father we loved.
And sometimes, she said, he must have
wondered
which had been the better way to die.
LO: To explore the themes of conflict and power in ‘Kamikaze’.
KQ: How does the poet approach the themes of power, conflict and death?
Last line: Huge impact!
Would it have been better to kill himself in
the war than to return to this life?
What has
happened here?
Why has it
happened?
What is the
deeper meaning
/ underlying
theme?
The modal verb ‘must’ creates a bond between the pilot and the narrator. There
is a hint of desperation in the tone as though the narrator wants the reader to
also show him mercy.
Commas used to
stop the poem on
purpose – The
children not
speaking to the
father anymore
Tragic tone
at the end
15. Now you know the poem, on the piece of A4 in
front of you, I want you to comment on one of
the central themes in the poem.
Focus on one part of the poem and explain it in
detail – pick out the imagery in the language
and explain the effect on the reader.
KQ: How does the poet approach the themes of power, conflict and death?
LO: To explore the themes of conflict and power in ‘Kamikaze’.
16. 1. Conflict
2. Death
3. Power
4. (Your own theme!)
How does the writer present your chosen theme?
(Consider the use of poetic techniques and imagery
included in the poem)
USE QUOTES – EXPLAIN THEM!
KQ: How does the poet approach the themes of power, conflict and death?
LO: To explore the themes of conflict and power in ‘Kamikaze’.
