Poetry Response
Today my first homework assignment for Honors Writing was to write a one-page reponse on a poem of my choice from a packet. I chose an interesting little piece called "Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" by Randall Jarrel. It reads:
From my mother's sleep I fell into the State
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died, they washed me out of the turret with a hose.
Since I'm too exhausted and annoyed to write about any other activities of the day, I'll show you my response and call it a day.
When one is faced with the prospect of death, life can seem like nothing more than a series of short and potentially bitter events endured by a submissive and indifferent mind. Randall Jarrell illustrates this and many other ideas in his poem through the use of provocative imagery and decisive conclusions, all wrapped into a brief yet powerful progression of what can be inferred as the life of a soldier who experiences the horrors of war.
“From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State, and I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.”
Even from this early point in the poem, many conclusions can be drawn by the reader. The first two lines of the poem can be interpreted as the soldier’s transition from childhood to military service. Told from the first-person perspective, such imagery as “mother’s sleep” and the reference to the “State” as a proper noun suggests that the soldier in question may view the transition as a new life. For the purposes of the poem, childhood has come to a close and therefore ceases to matter. A new life begins with the State, and the soldier dwells within the confines of this until he is prepared to go on.
“Six miles from the earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.”
Again, more powerful imagery and other conclusions to be drawn about the progression of our soldier. Everything from these two lines seems to point to some sort of service in the Air Force. The soldier is now flying miles above the earth, leaving all guarantees of life and happiness behind while facing the horror of warfare in a hostile environment. The last line also seems to point to an awakening of sorts, in which our soldier is liberated from the monotony of service for the State and faced with the harsh reality of combat. In the face of this new adversary, life is but a dream.
“When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.”
Probably the most powerful statement of the poem lies within this single conclusive line. In a few simple lines our soldier has progressed from the precious embrace of a “mother’s sleep”, into the dreary confines of the State, and finally into the grip of death itself. The true feeling of indifference conveyed by the poem is most obvious here, for the author clearly refuses to glorify the death of an unspoken hero. With its bitter and unceremonious ending, the final line sets the whole mood of the poem by showing the submissive and seemingly uncaring way in which the soldier accepts the terms of death itself. This can also be interpreted as a statement about the true indifference with which the State will treat the men and women who serve it. Our soldier lays life itself down in honor of the State, which, in return, turns his memory and remains aside for the next hopeful volunteer. With five simple lines, Randall Jarrell delivers a powerful message about life itself that goes hand in hand with what could be a very critical political commentary.
Keep in mind that we were asked to keep these to around one page long, so I didn't really get to develop my support as much as I would have liked. Happy reading.
From my mother's sleep I fell into the State
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died, they washed me out of the turret with a hose.
Since I'm too exhausted and annoyed to write about any other activities of the day, I'll show you my response and call it a day.
When one is faced with the prospect of death, life can seem like nothing more than a series of short and potentially bitter events endured by a submissive and indifferent mind. Randall Jarrell illustrates this and many other ideas in his poem through the use of provocative imagery and decisive conclusions, all wrapped into a brief yet powerful progression of what can be inferred as the life of a soldier who experiences the horrors of war.
“From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State, and I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.”
Even from this early point in the poem, many conclusions can be drawn by the reader. The first two lines of the poem can be interpreted as the soldier’s transition from childhood to military service. Told from the first-person perspective, such imagery as “mother’s sleep” and the reference to the “State” as a proper noun suggests that the soldier in question may view the transition as a new life. For the purposes of the poem, childhood has come to a close and therefore ceases to matter. A new life begins with the State, and the soldier dwells within the confines of this until he is prepared to go on.
“Six miles from the earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.”
Again, more powerful imagery and other conclusions to be drawn about the progression of our soldier. Everything from these two lines seems to point to some sort of service in the Air Force. The soldier is now flying miles above the earth, leaving all guarantees of life and happiness behind while facing the horror of warfare in a hostile environment. The last line also seems to point to an awakening of sorts, in which our soldier is liberated from the monotony of service for the State and faced with the harsh reality of combat. In the face of this new adversary, life is but a dream.
“When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.”
Probably the most powerful statement of the poem lies within this single conclusive line. In a few simple lines our soldier has progressed from the precious embrace of a “mother’s sleep”, into the dreary confines of the State, and finally into the grip of death itself. The true feeling of indifference conveyed by the poem is most obvious here, for the author clearly refuses to glorify the death of an unspoken hero. With its bitter and unceremonious ending, the final line sets the whole mood of the poem by showing the submissive and seemingly uncaring way in which the soldier accepts the terms of death itself. This can also be interpreted as a statement about the true indifference with which the State will treat the men and women who serve it. Our soldier lays life itself down in honor of the State, which, in return, turns his memory and remains aside for the next hopeful volunteer. With five simple lines, Randall Jarrell delivers a powerful message about life itself that goes hand in hand with what could be a very critical political commentary.
Keep in mind that we were asked to keep these to around one page long, so I didn't really get to develop my support as much as I would have liked. Happy reading.