To use MITSL to develop a response to the poem Kamikaze Objectives: To explore the poem Kamikaze focusing on how Garland has used poetic devices to portray the theme of power and conflict To use MITSL to develop a response to the poem

Does this sound familiar? Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori "It is sweet and glorious to die for one's country." Get them to discuss – have they heard this phrase before? Give them some key words to help them decipher meaning if not.

Your task As each image is displayed on the screen, you will have 15 seconds to write down what it suggests to you. You can write down as many ideas as you think apply. e.g. unique, cold, winter, beautiful Each slide is timed for 15 from image 1 so you can allow them to write and then the slide will move on.

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The meaning of the images Now you have seen the series of images, consider what these images might mean or suggest about the poem you are about to read. Choose the challenge you feel confident with:   Bronze: what do you predict the poem might be about given these images? Silver: what links can you think of between some of the images you saw? Gold: what atmosphere do you think the poet is trying to create with these images? 23454

Kamikaze Soldier’s Oath Explore the word ‘Kamikaze’. Do you recognise it? Do you know what its literal translation is? What is this word usually associated with? Kamikaze Soldier’s Oath   1. A soldier must make loyalty his obligation. 2. A soldier must make propriety his way of life. 3. A soldier must highly esteem military valour. 4. A soldier must have a high regard for righteousness. 5. A soldier must live a simple life.

Discussion point: With your partners, discuss any ideas you have regarding the actions of the suicide pilots of 911 and Kamikaze pilots. Possible questions to consider: Can this be called the same thing? Do you think the pilots believed in the same ideas? Can this ever be seen as heroic?

Putting it into perspective This clip of Kamikaze pilots in action shows what lengths they went to fight and honour their country. As you are watching, think about what thoughts might have been going through the pilot’s mind before he hit the target.

Putting it into perspective Now listen to Beatrice Garland reading her poem. What happens in the poem? Is this what you expected?

How many people are in this poem? Task 1: How many people are in this poem? Once you have them all (I think you could argue there are six including the writer) sort them into a family tree. Task 3: Verses 2-5 show a description of the sea seen from the pilot’s perspective together with his own memories. Pick out five or six words or phrases that create an effective picture or pictures for the reader and explain why. Task 2: Put the events into chronological order a The pilot embarks b The Pilot turns around c Neighbours ostracise him d The daughter (the writer’s mother) does not speak in his presence e The daughter thinks about what must have happened f The pilot flies over the sea g The pilot, when younger, rescues his father’s boat h The writer writes about it i We (the writer and siblings) also become silent Task 1: the pilot, the pilot’s brothers, grandfather, the writer, brothers and sisters, the writer’s mother/pilot’s daughter

Look at the phrases and words underlined. What can you say about them? Possible double meaning. Literal meaning to board a plane. Or ‘embark’ on a new adventure – positive connotations, done willingly. Her father embarked at sunrise with a flask of water, a samurai sword in the cockpit, a shaven head full of powerful incantations and enough fuel for a one-way journey into history Soldiers shaved their heads as part of a ritual that demonstrated their readiness as well as remaining dignified, even in death. Highlights the honour and recognition the pilots received. They would never be forgotten.

Pilot’s experience is only interpreted by others Pilot’s experience is only interpreted by others. Generations have speculated but the pilot does not have a voice. Change in tone. but half way there, she thought, recounting it later to her children, he must have looked far down at the little fishing boats strung out like bunting on a green-blue translucent sea The modal verb ‘must’ creates a bond between the pilot and the narrator. It appears to be an attempt to justify the pilot’s actions and understand his plight. The narrator is aligned with the pilot and shows sympathy towards him and his experience. Bunting is usually associated with celebrations which contrasts the main ideas. Also encourages the reader to consider what the pilot stands to lose/miss out on.

and beneath them, arcing in swathes like a huge flag waved first one way then the other in a figure of eight, the dark shoals of fishes flashing silver as their bellies swivelled towards the sun The repetition of ‘s’ and ‘f’ sounds create pace and could mimic the motion of the aircraft. In particular, the past tense verb, ‘swivelled’ recalls the fatal spiral pilots used to hit their targets. The narrator recognises that such natural beauty may have discouraged the pilot from completing his mission.

A mound of rough stone built as a memorial or landmark. and remembered how he and his brothers waiting on the shore built cairns of pearl-grey pebbles to see whose withstood longest the turbulent inrush of breakers bringing their father’s boat safe Contrasting vocabulary Notice the lack of punctuation. Does this suggest the pilots decision was not a conscious one as he recalls playful, childhood memories that get the better of him?

Notice the italics here – why is this? - yes, grandfather’s boat – safe to the shore, salt-sodden, awash with cloud-marked mackerel, black crabs, feathery prawns, the loose silver of whitebait and once a tuna, the dark prince, muscular, dangerous. What effect does the alliteration create? Why do you think the different types of fish are detailed here? What do you notice about the descriptions?

Why do you think the author puts this in italics? How have these two words been juxtaposed? And though he came back my mother never spoke again in his presence, nor did she meet his eyes and the neighbours too, they treated him as though he no longer existed, only we children still chattered and laughed Why would this be? What is the difference between adults and children?

The modal verb ‘must’ creates a bond between the pilot and the narrator. It appears to be an attempt to justify the pilot’s actions and understand his plight. The narrator is aligned with the pilot and shows sympathy towards him and his experience. There is a hint of desperation in the tone as though the narrator wants the reader to also show him mercy. till gradually we too learned to be silent, to live as though he had never returned, that this was no longer the father we loved. And sometimes, she said, he must have wondered which had been the better way to die.

Get students to work on MITSL on their own today.

Compare the ways poets present ideas about conflict in ‘Kamikaze ’ and in one other poem from the collection Kamikaze Meaning (title) Imagery Tone Structure Language

Compare the ways poets present ideas about conflict in ‘Kamikaze’ and in one other poem from ‘Power and Conflict’

30 min response Using your information from your table or venn diagram write a response to the question: Compare the ways poets present ideas about conflict in ‘Kamikaze ’ and in one other poem from the collection

Success criteria Is there: An introduction which includes both poems outlining their meaning and their titles? A section on imagery which compares both poems in relation to conflict using quotes? A section on tone which compares both poems in relation to conflict using quotes? A section on structure which compares both poems in relation to conflict using quotes? A section on language which compares both poems in relation to conflict using quotes?