Lecture notes
Grade Nine exemplar: Compare how bravery is presented in ‘Kamikaze’ and one other poem of your choice.
This is an essay on: Bravery presented in Kamikaze one another poem, (with annotations)
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Compare how bravery is presented in ‘Kamikaze’ and one other poem of yourchoice.
The way that bravery is presented has changed over time: in Tennyson’s ‘The
Charge of the Light Brigade’ (CLB), the courage of soldiers is at the centre of the
poem. He lauds the ‘bold’ sacrifice of British soldiers during the Crimean war –
even though their charge towards death might now be seen as an act of stupidity
in England (someone had ‘blunder’d’ in giving the orders, and the soldiers were
not permitted to ‘make reply’ or ‘reason’). Garland also explores the significance
of what might be perceived as a suicide mission, but locates the reader in the
memory of WWII Japan. Here, she explores the conflict of: the bravery needed to
fulfil the mission of the kamikaze, and the bravery needed to defy cultural
expectations, and raises the question of whether the conclusion of either course
of action would be successful, i.e. she presents the “catch-22” of the pilot.
Both poets begin with a focus upon cultural expectation of what bravery looks
like in war. Garland initially presents a ‘one-way journey into history’, i.e. a flight
towards death and honour: the first part of the poem is a single sentence,
reflecting the inexorable and purposeful flight of the Kamikaze, and causes us to
read without pause – even though we suspect we are heading towards the
climactic, harrowing conclusion. Tennyson also sets out a chronological account,
beginning with the command to ride ‘forward’, and the acknowledgement that
the soldiers ride towards ‘the jaws of Death’. Tennyson (like Garland) selects
poetic methods to complement the feel of the battle: he uses dactylic dimeter, a
rhythm that begins with a forward beat. He thus shows the undaunted nature of
the Light Brigade, and perhaps conveys the bold thrill to the reader. This
excitement is then amplified by Tennyson’s use of a somewhat unpredictable
rhyme scheme that frequently features anaphora or rhymes in a sequence of
threes, thus mimicking the pace of cantering horses.
Both poets also suggest that the bravery is in part derived from culture and faith.
While ‘the valley of Death’ is a metaphor for the topography of the battlefield
(the light brigade were commanded to charge into a valley that was filled with
‘canon’, fired by the enemy forces, i.e. the Cossacks and Russians), it is also an
allusion to Psalm 23:4: ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort
me.’ This allusion suggests that the soldiers are not simply ‘bold’ (which might
connote fearless), but they are also courageous: they are enabled to by their
faith in God, and in their role as crusaders in the East. This is also how they
would be viewed by the intended readers, the British, for whom Tennyson was
poet laureate. It is intended, then, that readers feel proud of the soldiers’ bravery
– and ‘honour’ them.
Garland’s intended readers, however, may feel distanced from the culture of the
kamikaze. Yet, she also suggests that the subject of the poem is equally
influenced by culture and faith: the word ‘kamikaze’ itself means ‘divine wind’; a
‘samurai sword’, a highly revered weapon, is said to be the extension of the
warrior’s soul, and reminiscent of hereditary military nobility from early modern
Japan; the ‘shaved head’ suggests a ritual to purify has taken place, as
preparation for death; his head is ‘full of powerful incantations’; and, images of
the rising sun (‘sunrise’) seem to reference belief in imperial Japan. For an
intended British reader, therefore, we understand that the bravery of the
kamikaze would once not have evoked feelings of pride (unlike for the light
brigade) – but in fact fear of a formidable WWII enemy. Now, we may recognise
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