Kamikaze

    AQA
    GCSE

    The poem narrates the journey of a Japanese kamikaze pilot who, equipped for a suicide mission, turns back after witnessing the vibrant beauty of nature and recalling profound childhood memories. Upon his return, he faces total ostracization from his family and community, who view his survival as a shameful betrayal of the Bushido code. The narrative perspective shifts between the pilot's flight and his daughter's later recollection of the family's silence. Ultimately, the poem explores the tension between national duty and personal desire, concluding with the tragic irony that the pilot's social exclusion resulted in a metaphorical death perhaps more painful than the physical one he evaded.

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    Objectives
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    Exam Tips
    4
    Pitfalls
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    Key Terms
    4
    Mark Points

    What You Need to Demonstrate

    Key skills and knowledge for this topic

    • AO1: Develop a conceptualised comparison of how duty versus personal desire is presented in both poems
    • AO2: Analyse the effect of enjambment and free verse in reflecting the pilot's spiralling thoughts and lack of control
    • AO2: Evaluate the shift in narrative perspective (italics) to demonstrate the intergenerational impact of the pilot's return
    • AO3: Integrate understanding of Japanese honour culture and the specific stigma of the 'failed' suicide mission without 'bolting on' facts

    Example Examiner Feedback

    Real feedback patterns examiners use when marking

    • "You have identified the 'dark shoals', but how does this imagery contrast with the pilot's mission?"
    • "Ensure your comparison is sustained; do not write about 'Kamikaze' fully then the second poem separately"
    • "You mention 'honour', but link this explicitly to the structural shift to italics representing the family's silence"
    • "Avoid generalising about war; focus on the specific psychological conflict of the individual pilot"

    Marking Points

    Key points examiners look for in your answers

    • AO1: Develop a conceptualised comparison of how duty versus personal desire is presented in both poems
    • AO2: Analyse the effect of enjambment and free verse in reflecting the pilot's spiralling thoughts and lack of control
    • AO2: Evaluate the shift in narrative perspective (italics) to demonstrate the intergenerational impact of the pilot's return
    • AO3: Integrate understanding of Japanese honour culture and the specific stigma of the 'failed' suicide mission without 'bolting on' facts

    Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for maximising your marks

    • 💡Allocate 5-10 minutes to plan the comparison points before writing to ensure a balanced argument
    • 💡Ensure the second poem is quoted accurately from memory; paraphrasing is acceptable if precise quotes are forgotten
    • 💡Structure the essay by theme (e.g., 'Power of Nature', 'Shame', 'Memory') rather than analysing poems separately
    • 💡Focus on the final couplet to evaluate the ambiguity of 'dying' socially versus physically

    Common Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

    • Misidentifying the speaker as the pilot throughout (failing to recognise the daughter's narration)
    • Asserting the pilot was 'cowardly' without exploring the power of nature that seduced him back to life
    • Providing a history lesson on Pearl Harbour rather than analysing the poem's domestic aftermath
    • Failing to compare methods (AO2) with the second poem, focusing only on thematic similarities

    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    Likely Command Words

    How questions on this topic are typically asked

    Compare how poets present
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    How does the writer
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