Gunner

A Doomed Fate A Critical Analysis of Three Messages in Randall Jarrell’s, Gunner     Douglas MacArthur, an American general during World War II, described those who fight in war as, “The soldier, above all others, prays for peace; for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” Throughout history, war has been a part of every nation. From medieval times to present day, there have been a countless number of wars fought and even more human lives lost. Many short

The importance of writing one’s understanding of war sheds consciousness upon the cruelty, malevolence, and death by ignorance. Reports of cruelty begins with Jarrell's recitation in his poem “Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” in which he explicitly connects the death of a young soldier to that of an aborted child. Though only 5 lines long, using metaphoric language Jarrell is able to imply that only death can be fermented from the womb of the war. Harboring readers taunt emotions that stick to them

Almost as important as the content, is the form an author chooses to express their stories. From poetry to novels, writing form helps shape a reader’s experience. “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner”, is the perfect example of how a poem's form reinforces its content. The author, Randall Jarrell, leaves much to the readers' imagination. Jarrell is descriptive and vague at the same time. This style is no accident and helps convey more to the readers than the surface level of the text. Making the

Many of the great poems we read today were written in times of great distress. One of these writers was Randall Jarrell. After being born on May 6, 1914, in Nashville Tennessee, Jarrell and his parents moved to Los Angeles where his dad worked as a photographer. When Mr. and Mrs. Jarrell divorced, Randall and his younger brother returned to Nashville to live with their mother. While in Nashville, Randall attended Hume-Frogg high school. Randall showed his love for the arts while in high school

But, in contrast, the speaker is a dead WW2 soldier who describes how the job of a ball turret gunner is a death sentence. In “Death of the Ball Turret Gunner,” Jarrell begins the poem with, “From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State, / And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze” (1-2). Jarrell opens the poem by comparing the belly of an American bomber aircraft to that

Jarrell’s poem is about a ball turret gunner for a military unit during a war. The gunner describes himself as being asleep his whole life until he gets killed by an enemy plane. What this means is that, from the day he was born, he did what he was told and obeyed the government (the “State”). The last line of the

During war, there are two possible outcomes for a soldier engaged in battle—life or death. In the poem Randall Jerrell wrote in 1945, “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner”, the most significant thing one notices about the speaker is the fact that he's dead. The airman is telling the story of his own death from the grave. This gives a different perspective on the poem than if his friend were the speaker. If the airman’s friend were telling the story, it would have a more dramatic detailed account

Randall Jarrell was one of the few poets of his time to vividly and accurately depict the horrible and confusing reality of war. His experience in the military provided him with a deep understanding of both the mind of a solider and a civilian. With this understanding of the human consciousness, Jarrell deeply explores the actions, feelings, and interactions of people in times of war. Through his sympathetic, psychological portrayal of a diverse range of narrative personas in his dramatic monologues

This is a story about a boy, a boy named Gunner. Gunner’s life was… not so good but no matter what happened he always said it’s ok ;) When Gunner was six he walked into his backyard but when he opened the silver screen door he saw his dad lying there lifeless in the dark brown grass but as Gunner got closer he noticed dark red blood running down his dad's neck. He ran inside to get his mother but as he searched the house there wasn't a soul to be found. He went into the living room and sat on the

Willa had gotten into some trouble at a young age and had to stay with her Nonna. Willa’s two best friends were Gunner and Brady. Willa has made some bad choices in her past life which made her go down the wrong path in life. Brady’s a high school quarter back now and with the choices Willa has made Brady sees Willa as a different person. Gunner is also a football star in high school. Gunner is living a good rich life the only matter though he cares about himself only, except for Willa. He understands