15 Comments on Comparing Civilian Victims

1. 

   Miss McSweeney

   February 11, 2016 at 9:35 am (8 years ago)

   Post your comments here Year 11 🙂

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     Emilia Hilton

     February 11, 2016 at 9:29 pm (8 years ago)

     Minhinnicks ballad ‘The Yellow Palm’ explores the positive and negative juxtaposition of aspects of war and how this affects the lives of civilians. The poem depicts the aftermath of the civilians lives on a busy street in Baghdad during the Gulf War 1990. The poems theme of brutality within conflict ,that citizens are confronted with, is mirrored in the quote “but down on my head fell the barbarian sun/ that knows no armistice”. The use of the personification “barbarian” conveys the extreme heat and cruelty of life in Baghdad while alternatively symbolizing the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein who brought devastation and cruelty to the lives of many civilians. In addition, the use of the noun “armistice” conveys the lack of breaks within the barbarity of the sun and its consistency while also referencing the lack of peace within the dictatorship. The tone of the poem describes the different details of conflict and violence on peoples lives however this then shifts in the last stanza to a metaphor for hope and prosperity for the future: “…that same child reached up to touch/the fruit fell in his arms.”. Therefore emphasizing the optimism for the new generation and a change in the live of the citizens.

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2. 

   Jack Carr

   February 11, 2016 at 5:23 pm (8 years ago)

   Armitage uses language devices such as repetition In the poem ‘Out of the Blue’ to present the thoughts and feelings of the civilian persona in a scene of conflict: “waving, waving”. The use of repetition emphasises the civilian’s attempts to call for help. This contrasts with the next two lines, “Does anyone see / a soul worth saving?”, which suggests that the attempts made by the civilian victim are unsuccessful and have led to no help, creating a sad, melancholy tone.
   Carson created the same effect in the poem ‘Belfast Confetti’, however through the use of metaphors: “This hyphenated line, a burst / of rapid fire…”. The use of the metaphor compares the shape of a hyphen to what fast object may look like, which suggests that Carson’s persona is feeling tense – he/she is in the centre of a riot. Also, the use of the ellipsis creates an image of bullets that are going past the civilian’s head. This reflects the idea of the ‘hyphenated line’, however it also shows how the persona is not scared about what is going on around him / her, but rather cares where the bullets are heading. This, similarly to ‘Out of the Blue’, creates a melancholy tone. Therefore both poems have used different language devices to portray the thoughts and feelings of a civilian victim of conflict as sad and distressing.

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     whsteamenglish

     February 11, 2016 at 7:54 pm (8 years ago)

     Lovely use of a cross reference!

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3. 

   Jake Bluer

   February 11, 2016 at 5:40 pm (8 years ago)

   Here is my comparison paragraph of structure in ‘Out of the Blue’ and ‘The Yellow Palm’.

   The poet uses structure in ‘Out of the Blue’ in order to highlight the narrator’s fatigued actions to the reader. The regular stanza structure is used to mimic the controlled, repeated calls of help being made by the narrator. The increasing frequency of verb use as the poem continues could also emphasise the the growing urgency of the narrator’s situation. Moreover it could depict the effects of the incident on his physical condition as he becomes more and more fatigued and weary. However, the poet uses structure in ‘The Yellow Palm’ to show the repeated disruption of civilian life and the aspects of the city that arise from the disruption. A regular stanza structure is used to show how what has happened to the civilians is not an isolated and has occurred many times. It could also show how not just ‘Palestine Street’ has been affected by the war but also the rest of the country. Furthermore rhyme is used to emphasise the most emotively powerful words in the stanzas. This could be done to highlight both the positive and negative aspects of a city tarnished by war and it’s inhabitants.

   P.S. the website uses American English which is why there may be a few errors.

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     whsteamenglish

     February 11, 2016 at 7:55 pm (8 years ago)

     A perceptive response- well done Jake 🙂

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4. 

   Name*

   February 15, 2016 at 4:25 pm (8 years ago)

   In Armitage’s ‘Out of the Blue’ structure is used to mirror the 9/11 attacks. The poem is set out in 7 stanzas all in one column. By doing this the poet is reminding the reader of the vast height of the towers that were hit, creating sympathy for those who had to make the decision to jump or not (like the character in the poem). The used of end-stop lines throughout the poem symbolises how his life will eventually come to an end – but it’s his choice how. They could also mirror his conflicting emotions whilst deciding whether or not to jump to his death.
   Carson uses structure in Belfast Confetti to show the attacks’ impacts on the civilians. For example, caesuras are used throughout the poem to show punctuation confusion – mirroring the confusion of conflict: what is the point of fighting? In the second to last line there are three question marks used in a row. This mimicks the way the poet is confusion by all the riots. On the otherhand it could also be telling the reader about how civilians were asked questions by riot police, disrupting them. The poet also uses enjambment, possibly to show the fast pace of him running, revealing his determination to escape. The varied line length imitates all the barriers he’s hitting; causing him to turn and run another way.
   Both poems use structural devices to show how the individual is effected by conflict; one shows how it causes them to become confused and disorientated, the other shows how it causes them to have to make tough decisions.

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5. 

   Karina

   February 21, 2016 at 6:34 pm (8 years ago)

   In Sheers’s ‘Mametz Wood’, imagery is used to suggest that there is no simple division between mankind and Mother Nature: ‘Broken bird’s egg of a skull’. The adjective ‘broken’ implies that the soldiers lives were short lived and describes the condition of their skulls, which could also suggest that they were shot through the head. The noun ‘egg’ highlights the fragility of life and how easily our lives could be taken away from us as an egg has a very sensitive touch. Perhaps Sheers is trying to show how many lives are wasted due to the fact soldiers didn’t have proper armour to protect their bodies in WW2, hence why so many died. However in Weir’s ‘Poppies’, imagery is used to show a mother blocking out daydreams about her son, who is a soldier, experiencing a painful death: ‘Sellotape bandaged around my hand’. The noun ‘sellotape’ suggests that the soldier is covered in cat hairs due to holding it. It also shows the contrast between the boy holding his cat (happiness) and death in battle (sadness). The noun could also imply that the mother wants her son to look his best as he is going into battle and she might never see him again. Both poems suggest that our loved ones are precious and we should never take them for granted as the last time you met could be the last time you ever see each other.

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6. 

   Victoria Bolton

   February 22, 2016 at 4:53 pm (8 years ago)

   Armitage’s ‘Out of the Blue’ uses colour symbolism to show how conflict affects civilian victims: “but the white of surrender is not yet flying.” The colour ‘white’ symbolises defeat and surrender but the metaphor suggests that he is not yet ready to give up and he will fight on. Moreover, the verb ‘flying’ mirrors the people who have had to jump out of the building to avoid burning to death. This could show that he is not ready to die which is then shown in the next line: “I am not at the point of leaving, diving.” The verb diving mirrors the people jumping out of the windows and suggests he has yet to give up hope and will not resort to jumping out of the window yet. Furthermore, the verb ‘leaving’ could be a metaphor for death and this shows he is not ready to die. Similarly, ‘Belfast Confetti’ also uses metaphors to show how conflict can affect civilian lives: “Suddenly, as the riot squad moved in it was raining exclamation marks.” The phrase ‘raining exclamation marks’ is a metaphor for the makeshift grenades filled with ‘nuts, bolts, nails, car keys.’ being thrown during one of the riots. In addition, the adverb ‘suddenly’ suggests urgency and shows the abruptness of the riots.

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7. 

   Leah Cowburn

   February 22, 2016 at 6:05 pm (8 years ago)

   In Out of the Blue, imagery is used to reflect the victim’s feelings: “a white cotton shirt is twirling, turning.” The adjective ‘white’ is colour symbolism, emphasising the helpless innocence of the civilian victims during the terrorist attack. It also implies that the speaker is surrendering and that he no longer wants to fight against the danger he is facing in the poem, instead he just wants to be saved and is just asking for help. The verb ‘twirling’ is used to reflect the victim’s despair and desire to be rescued as he is making frantic movements. It also shows that civilian victims often face the consequences of conflict uaware of how chaotic it is, this is shown in the verbs ‘twirling’ and ‘turning’ as they emphasise the dizziness and chaos of the event.
   Similarily, Belfast Confetti uses imagery to reflect the chaos that civilian victims see and experience: “itself – an asterisk on the map.” The noun ‘asterisk’ is a clearly a metaphor for an explosion near the speaker, revealing the dangers that conflict brings to civilian victims’ lives, even on their own streets. It also emphasises the shock and horror of the sudden attacks that the civilians encounter and face as the explosion could also represent the abrupt violence and chaos around the speaker and other victims. Furthermore, the pronoun ‘itself’ is alone, putting emphasis on the sole shock that the riots and explosions brought to Belfast. It also reflects the effect that just one attack can have on a person, that just one explosion has a chain reaction which makes it even more dangerous.

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8. 

   Deon

   February 22, 2016 at 8:08 pm (8 years ago)

   The poet uses the structure of his poem, ‘Out of the Blue’, to present civilian victims of conflict: “Are your eyes believing / believing”. The poem utilises a repetition pattern which represents the two towers standing. On this line, one falls a little lower and the idea that the actual structure of the poem has changed because of how overwhelming and moving the situation is shows how unjust conflict is viewed as. Also, the enjambment after ‘believing’ is as if the poet has trailed off in pensive thought. This attack has left the world at a loss for words and is why the poem lacks speech marks- not only is it a dramatic monologue, but also such a haunting situation that no onlooker has the willpower to break the silence.

   However, in the poem ‘The Yellow Palm’ the structure is used to show the poets constant journey and focuses on multiple aspects and areas suffering rather than just one. Therefore less time is spent on each, but more are acknowledged: “the river smell that lifts the air / in a city such as this;”. The enjambment and use of the noun ‘river’ represent the flow of the poem and the consistency of the poet’s movement. He is discovering new horrors but also new signs of hope. (“there was blood on the walls” and “when that same child reached up to touch, the fruit fell in his arms.”) This also highlights how war’s effects are consistent themselves and despite with time passing and innocents relocating, mankind will again eventually suffer from its own hands. Alternatively, the smell that is lifting the air could be nature itself attempting to ‘lift’ spirits and nurture it’s maimed landscape along with its innocent inhabitants.

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     Deon

     February 22, 2016 at 8:09 pm (8 years ago)

     *the stucture is used to show the poet’s

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9. 

   Niall Mayers

   February 22, 2016 at 8:27 pm (8 years ago)

   Hughes is giving us the experience of a violent battle through the eyes of a soldier. It describes his thoughts and actions as he desperately tries top avoid being shot. The soldiers overriding emotion and motivation is fear, which has replaced the more patriotic ideas that he held before the violence began: ‘King, honour, human dignity, etcetera’. These are the reasons why people go to war. Therefore using ‘etcetera’ suggests there not even worth listing. This produces the idea that he has lost faith in his patriotism and now just fights to survive rather than to be triumphant in battle.

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10. 

    Zara Arslan

    February 22, 2016 at 10:19 pm (8 years ago)

    Both poems use language devices to show how conflict affects civilian life. In ‘Out of the Blue’, the poet uses alliteration in the quote:”building burning”. The sound this creates is harsh and reflects on the unfair nature of the situation and emphasises how extreme the consequences are. Also, it could symbolise the sound on the building being hit and the harsh sound as it falls to the ground. Furthermore, the noun ‘building’ emphasised that some people watching the disaster on TV didn’t know the name of the building. Therefore, this suggests that the news of 9/11 spread worldwide as people in other countries may not have heard of the Twin Towers. However, in ‘Belfast Confetti’, the poet uses rhetorical questions to show the effect on civilians: “Why can’t I escape?”. This rhetorical question is used to emphasise the speaker’s confusion as he is in a state of panic. The adverb ‘why’ highlights how civilians are unaware of the reasons behind conflict or why they are involved. Also, it makes them seem more innocent to the reader as they are oblivious. Furthermore, the verb ‘escape’ suggests that conflict is all around them and civilians are trapped in a war zone through no choice of their own. Therefore, the reader feels sympathy towards the speaker. Both poems use language techniques to show how civilians are fragile especially when put in conflict.

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11. 

    Ellie Rawding

    February 23, 2016 at 7:43 am (8 years ago)

    Armatage uses structure in order to show the narrator’s fight to remain in control through the use of regular 4 – lined stanzas which suggest that in a time of such uncertainty, the victim is hanging on to any control left in his life, however the varying line length shows his struggle to remain in control. This is also demonstrated as he is shown to jump at the end of the poem, taking control over his death. Alternatively the varying line length could also indicate the confusion felt by the narrator about the awful events which he has found himself involved in.
    Minhinnick also uses regular stanzas to create a sense of normality which contrasts the horrific reality of the war in Bagdad which perhaps suggests that the conflict has become an everyday occurrence for the civilians as it has lasted from the 90s to the present day. This is also demonstrated by the repetition of ‘As I made my way down Palestine Street’ at the beginning of each stanza, demonstrating the lack of or progression within the conflict.

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