Kamikaze
Beatrice Garland explores the impossible choice faced by Japanese pilots in WWII - die for your country or face social death through shame and rejection. The poem questions whether patriotism can go too far.
The poem is told through "her father" - this intimate, personal language makes us see the human being beneath the soldier. Garland strips away the military propaganda to reveal a man torn between duty and family.
"Kamikaze" as the title creates powerful juxtaposition - the military expects him to be a suicide bomber, but the daughter sees him as simply "her father". His identity becomes split between what society demands and who he really is.
After turning back from his mission, he faces a different kind of death - social isolation. His family can barely acknowledge him, showing how patriotic pressure destroys personal relationships.
Key Insight: The poem's free verse reflects the pilot's internal conflict - no rigid structure because his world has been completely disrupted by an impossible choice.