New
New
Year 10
AQA

Understanding the Poem 'Kamikaze'

I can explain the events and big ideas of the poem ‘Kamikaze’.

New
New
Year 10
AQA

Understanding the Poem 'Kamikaze'

I can explain the events and big ideas of the poem ‘Kamikaze’.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The poem is based on Kamikaze pilots in WW2 who sacrificed their lives whilst attacking enemy ships.
  2. Garland explores national vs personal duty in the poem.
  3. In the poem, thoughts of nature and family seem to make the pilot turn back on his mission.
  4. The Kamikaze pilot is shunned upon returning home.
  5. Garland explores the importance placed upon honour and national duty.

Common misconception

Students may not recognise the act of storytelling in the poem nor the four generations that feature.

Explain to the students the poem has one narrator but she is telling the story in 3rd person at the beginning, later revealing herself as the main character as the poem uses italics.

Keywords

  • Honour - good character and reputation; highly respected.

  • Shame - loss of honour or respect.

  • Shun - persistently avoid or reject something/someone.

  • Poignant - evoking sadness or regret.

You may want to spend a little more time looking at the context and Beatrice Garland's motivation for writing the poem in this lesson.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
  • Depiction or discussion of mental health issues

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
What are incantations?
song lyrics
Correct answer: magic spells or charms
good luck stones
Q2.
Which line below contains natural imagery?
"my mother never spoke again"
"with a flask of water, a samurai sword"
Correct answer: "the dark shoals of fishes flashing silver"
Q3.
What is national duty?
Correct answer: an obligation placed on you by your country
an obligation placed on you by your family
a choice given to you by your country
an obligation placed on you by yourself
Q4.
What does it mean if something is ironic?
it happens in the way you would expect it to
Correct answer: it happens in a different way to what you had expected
you are indifferent to the way in which an event happens
Q5.
When did WW2 occur?
Correct answer: 1939-1945
1914-1918
1955-1965
Q6.
What is nostalgia?
Correct answer: longing or affection for the past
regret about the past
apprehension about the future

6 Questions

Q1.
How many generations are referred to in the poem 'Kamikaze'?
one
two
three
Correct answer: four
Q2.
Who is the narrator of 'Kamikaze'?
a Kamikaze pilot
Correct answer: a Kamikaze pilot's daughter
a Kamikaze pilot's grandchild
Q3.
What summarises the job of a Kamikaze pilot?
Correct answer: Their aim was to attack enemy ships, simultaneously killing themselves
Their aim was to patrol the streets, looking out for intruders
Their job was to fly planes on surveillance missions
Q4.
In the poem 'Kamikaze', how did the family treat the Kamikaze pilot once he returned home?
they were thrilled to see him
they were shocked but welcomed him eventually
Correct answer: they shunned him
Q5.
In 'Kamikaze', the way in which the family of the Kamikaze pilot shun him when he returns home, reflects...
Correct answer: the significance the family placed on upholding honour.
that the Kamikaze pilot committed a war atrocity.
that the Kamikaze pilot's return home was worthwhile.
Q6.
The difficult decision of the Kamikaze pilot to turn back and come home reflects...
conflict between past vs present.
institutional power.
the harrowing nature of war.
Correct answer: the conflict between national and personal duty .

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