1. “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner”
By Randall Jarell

2. Taught at the University of Texas from 1939 – 1942
Spent 1943 – 1947 in the U.S. Air Force
Served as instructor-trainer for navigators
Sent many off to their deaths
From the Author

3. From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State,
Conceit: extended metaphor (or sustained metaphor—as in this case—where the metaphor is implied throughout the entire poem, making it exceptionally crucial to identify for clear understanding)
IN OTHER WORDS… much of this poem is meant to be taken in both literal and figurative, though some word choices are to be one or the other, contexts to uncover the core of the comparison

4. And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Form: this poem uses its tight structure symbolically

5. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
Repetition: there are word choices with clear relationships

6. I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
1990 (1:22)

7. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.
True Gunner