The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner

There are three elements employed by Randall Jarrell in his poem, “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner,” which illustrate the cycle of life and death of the gunner. The utilization of rhythm, use of imagery, and sequencing of events profoundly impact the development of the theme which conveys sending young people to fight a war is essentially ending life before it begins. Understanding these elements allows readers to grasp the troublesome concept of death through warfare in just five short lines. Jarrell writes the poem without a fixed structure of rhythm or rhyme. Composing strict metrical patterns or rhyme schemes would not accurately imitate the unpredictability and disorder of battle. Instead, the chaotic structure of the poem depicts the frenzied nature of warfare, evidenced by the lack of a linear feature to the poem. Nevertheless, this poem does contain meaningful cadences. The author utilizes the metrical elements of partial and full rhyme, as well as assonance, in order to add a deeper meaning to the imagery within and create a natural cadence which draws readers in as in the case of “black/flak, hose/froze, and nightmare/fighters” (2-5). These elements emphasize the distinct aspects of the gunner’s life and how…

The horror of a senseless death or the sweetness of victory, how should one respond to matters of life or death? In these poems “Charge of the Light Brigade” and “Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” many may ask themselves these questions concerning life or death during war. There are many emotions involved when discussing any war. There are many states who have benefited from wars, and some who have suffered from wars. There are people who have lost their lives on the battlefield and honored as…

Rather than openly express his feelings, the author uses imagery and aerial technology knowledge to define the impact he saw of the war, such as “I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. / When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose” (4-5). The imagery Jarrell used here allows for the reader to imagine the shallowness of war through the fact that the gunner was shown as just a weapon that was destroyed and then “washed out”. Similarly, Yeats describes his relationships with…

The author may have written a piece of literature that reflects their own message, but readers may define the text in their own way. Formalism gives the author’s readers a chance to make his or hers own connections between literature and his or hers life. Authors often relate their literature to their own life experience. Although reading into a biography of an author hits one limitation of formalism, it helps readers better their understanding of the message in the text. In the poem, “ The…

political views before social media? They used other forms of media. Through television, prose, theatre, art and poetry, individuals have cemented their names and opinions into history. “Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” by Randall Jarrell and “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen are selections of poetry that were deemed important enough artistically, politically, emotionally, or all of the above. Both authors have a clear political message. Both messages resonate through time in a way Facebook…

a miserable and lonely death, would never get the proper respect and honor they deserve at their funeral. The last line of the poem, “And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds” (ll 14), beholds such power in that it is left to be interpreted in several ways. Though “the drawing of the blinds” could mean the death of a soldier, it can also be interpreted as the negligence of the public to avoid the abhorrent truth about war. Owen hated the fact that the rest of the world was…

violence, death, and destruction that war brings is enough to make most people cringe. Those brave souls who choose to accept the call of duty and fight for their country never leave the conflict unscathed, even if they are not physically injured; needless to say, war is the subject of many art mediums. From paintings, to novels, and to poetry, the horrors of war are not left unnoticed. Two brief poems paint two separate but equally terrible pictures of what soldiers go through in war. “The…

poem meaning to die for one’s country. It was written during the World War 1 by Wilfred Owen in the 1920’s. The poem is known for its terrible imagery and denunciation of war. Also, the poem describes how sweet and honourable it is to die for one’s country. The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner is a five- line poem written by Randall Jarrell and published in the year 1945. The poem talks about the passing of a gunner during the Second World War in a Sperry ball turret in an American bomber…

Three Messages from The Death of a Turret Gunner An Analysis of Three Messages from The Death of a Turret Gunner The average typical age of a Ball Turret Gunner is 15 to 16 years. Their average number of missions they complete before death is three. If they make it past that, it is extraordinary. A ball turret gunner is faced with many challenges while on the job. They must hang upside for long periods of time in the night. Another terrifying thing of having this job is if the mechanical…

meaning of death in three texts, namely Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut, “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” by Jarrell, and “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death” by Yeats, all three texts examine the concepts of life and death. All three texts view death as inevitable; however “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” is more aligned with the ideas expressed in Slaughterhouse 5, that time isn’t a set path, but a picture where one can choose specific moments in time to focus on. The poem “An…