English Literature - Poetry Guide - Power & Conflict - AQA - GCSE

So, I dug up all my old English books from my mountains of boxes and found some pretty useful information and facts on the Power & Conflict poems in the AQA Anthology, so I thought I'd share them all with those who are keen to learn more! 

I recommend memorising 2 or 3 poems and really learning everything you can about these chosen poems for the exam. Make sure they're well rounded, though. The ones I remembered were Remains, War Photographer and Exposure! Obviously you can steer away from this - just do what you feel is best for you - these are nothing more than suggestions!

I will divide these up into the different poems and attempt to give facts about each and maybe some analysis I did that I find to be particularly intresting! I'll start off the analysis for you, but if you're using these ideas, be sure to develop them further as what I've written won't be enough to get you the highest grades!

(These probably won't be in the order of the anthology - I never got one!)

Kamikaze - Beatrice Garland

A father of a family is a kamikaze pilot - he is due to die for his country and never return. However, he turns back on his mission and returns home, only for his family and friends to reject and isolate him, pretending as though he never existed.

Kamikaze definition: "(in the Second World War) a Japanese aircraft loaded with explosives and making a deliberate suicidal crash on an enemy target."

Themes: Rejection, Sadness, Pride/Patriotism, Culture

Structure: Regular 6 line stanzas - tight, organised structure reflecting the discipline and control of the military.

Free verse, Enjambment - no particular rhyme or rhythm - loss of control and order (juxtaposes with the regular stanzas). 

Context: Dying for your country was seen as a great honour in Japanese culture. Garland also worked as an NHS clinician and researcher in psychological medicine. 

Language: "Her father embarked at sunrise" - Japan is known as the Land of The Rising Sun and is also representing the Imperial Japanese flag of WW2, illustrating the conflict between man and power.

"a tuna, the dark prince, muscular, dangerous" - semanic field of power and danger. Reflects how a kamikaze pilot should be and that true power only belongs to nature, not man. 

"...looked far down" - The pilot literally looking down from his plane. Metaphorically evaluating his life.

Bayonet Charge - Ted Hughes

Soldiers who were ordered to charge at the enemy, their aim - to capture the opposition's trench. This is about the charge from a soldier's perspective - the transformation of a living person to a weapon of war.

Bayonet definition: "a sword-like stabbing blade which may be fixed to the muzzle of a rifle for use in hand-to-hand fighting."

Themes: Violence, Fear, Nature

Structure: 3 stanzas - the 1st and 3rd are in 'real time'. The 2nd is as if everything…