REMAINS

Remains - Context

Simon Armitage Born 1963

Armitage was involved in a film for Channel 4 in 2007 called The Not Dead and has a collection of poems of the same name, from which this poem is taken. In preparation for this work, he interviewed veteran soldiers of different wars, including the Gulf War. The reference to 'desert sand' in this poem suggests that it reflects the experiences of soldiers in the Gulf War.

In one section of the programme, guardsman Tromans speaks about his experiences in Iraq. Armitage takes his words and turns them into a poem.

Remains - Analysis

On another occasion we get sent out to tackle looters

In medias res givesthe reader s sense that the speaker is in the middle of a story and that this kind of epidose has happened before. The colloquial style in line 3, 'legs it' also gives a sense of speaking voice.

pain itself, the image of agony

The metaphor implies the intensity ofthe experience and the intensity of the suffering inflicted.

He's here in my head when I close my eyes, dug in behind enemy lines.

The lasting impact of the experience is indicated by the memory having infiltrated the mind, as if the war is still being fought, even though the soldier is back home.

His bloody life in my bloody hands.

The repetition emphasises the ambiguity of the word bloody. The mild taboo suggest the resentment about having to deal with the experience and the is a reminder of the physical impact of the encounter as well as implying an intense feeling of guilt.