Reading a Poem Practice Session on Close Reading Randall Jarrell’s “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner

Purpose The purpose of this exercise is to give you practice in analyzing a short poem. The questions are specific to this poem, but basically they all ask you to do the same thing: Look closely at the words of the poem. Look closely at their meaning. Look closely at their sounds. Ask yourself this: “Why this word and not a different one?”

The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner Directions: Read this poem aloud and write down as much as you can about its sounds and meaning. From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. When I died, they washed me out of the turret with a hose. Read the poem aloud.

Context Who is the speaker? What situation is being described? What do we know about him, and what words tell us of his situation? B-17 during World War II From http://www.softwhale.com/history/b-17/ball-turret.html

First Line From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State. Underline the words that seem important and think about them: Why “sleep”? What does this say about the narrator’s life? Why use a verb like “fell” instead of “walked” or “went”? Why is “State” capitalized? Can you fall into this kind of State?

Second Line And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. What image does this suggest (being hunched in someone’s belly)? What literally is the “wet fur”? What does it suggest figuratively? How does this line set up a contrast to the previous line? What noun is the referent for “it”? Does the “State” literally have a belly?

Third Line Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, Why “six miles” from earth? What does this image do for the poem? What’s the referent of “its” here? How does the word “dream” relate to the rest of the poem so far? Why does Jarrell choose the verb “loosed”?

Fourth Line I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. How do the words and images this line relate to the previous lines? What is “black flak”? Is this language an example of euphony or cacophony? What are the “nightmare fighters”?

Fifth Line When I died, they washed me out of the turret with a hose. From what position is this narrator telling of his experiences? Who is “they”? What effect does using this language have? What has happened to him, and why is this a vivid way of describing it? Why does he say “me” instead of “my body”?

Other Features What is the writer’s view toward what he describes? What controlling metaphor does he use for his experiences? What do you think is his attitude toward war?