Topic Summaries

• Poet: Beatrice Garland (1938–)
• Year: 2013
• Form: Blank verse
• Key techniques: Symbolism, natural imagery, enjambment

About the poet

Beatrice Garland is a British poet who has balanced a successful career as both a writer and a psychologist. Having trained as a researcher in the field of psychology and working in the NHS, Garland has studied human behaviour extensively which may have influenced her poetry’s deep emotional insight. Her writing also often reflects an interest in history and culture, particularly in how individual lives are shaped by broader societal forces and major events like wars.

Historical context

Kamikaze pilots were Japanese aviators during World War II who carried out suicide missions by deliberately crashing their planes into enemy targets, primarily Allied naval vessels. Rooted in the Bushido code of honour and loyalty, these missions were seen as a last-ditch effort to defend Japan, emphasising sacrifice for the greater good, but at immense personal cost.

Literary context

This is a contemporary war poem that looks back on the experience of a soldier from a previous generation, thus aligning with modern poetry’s focus on personal narratives and the power of our emotional landscapes and memories.

Key ideas

• Psychological experience of soldiers
• Internalisation of war
• Dehumanising impact of war
• Memory and legacy
• Power of storytelling
• Lack of control over fate