Three Messages from The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner
(An Analysis of The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Jarrell) In Randall Jarrell’s poem The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner, he explains the sacrifice a young ball turret gunner shows for his country, and the fear he goes through in the process. Goldman says, “Jarrell tries to resolve the dilemma of a war that turns boys into "murderers" by asserting their sacrificial, Christ-like innocence that is itself a martyrdom for the historical brutality of the state.” He shows almost no emotion in this poem, merely states facts, but says so much to the reader. This five line poem conveys a sense of dread and pity. There are three messages that Randall Jarrell sends through his poem The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner. The first message sent by Randall Jarrell in The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner is that war is a metaphor of life. In line 2, Jarrell states “And I hunched in its belly til my wet fur froze.” Here he is referencing the
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In the first line of his poem, Jarrell says “From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State.” This is mentions the fact that the soldier went straight from his mother’s arms into the custody of war. He never had time to enjoy life as a child. Sammy points out that “The speaker's blatant, harsh depiction of his death lies in direct contrast to the image of the "heroic death" that the State perpetuates.” In the poem the soldier’s life is so short, and his death so quick. Conclusively, there are many themes that Randall Jarrell portrays in his short poem The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner. Moritz sheds light on the fact that “He seems to object to war because it’s unnatural way for people to die. He suggests that an individual human life during war is nothing.” One of Jarrell’s best World War II poems, he expresses little emotion but says so much in this