1. World War II Collection 6: Contemporary Literature Randall Jarrell
Pages
2007 COS – 1a; 2
2010 COS – RL ; RL ; RL ; RL ; RL ;
RI ; RI ; RI ; W ; W ; W ;
W ; SL ; L ; L ; L ; L ; L
AHSGE – R.III.3; R.IV.2

2. Literary Terms
Primary Sources – firsthand, original accounts, such as interviews, autobiographies, letters, diaries, memoirs, and newsreels
Secondary Sources – materials like newspaper articles, biographies, history books, and encyclopedia articles

3. Literary Terms
Implied Metaphor (p. 910) – a comparison between two unlike things that is implied, or suggested, but not directly stated

4. Randall Jarrell (p. 909)
In his poetry he often took the part of the dead who sought to understand the reasons for their deaths
Often presents dead as children who have barely learned the meaning of life before dying

5. “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” (p. 910)
These five lines, written in 1945, make up the most famous poem to come out of World War II.

6. Quickwrite
What attitude toward war do you expect to find in a poem written in 1945? What attitude toward war would you expect to find in poetry written today?

7. Describe the ball turret. Describe the speaker of the poem.
The Ball Turret (p. 911) & “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” (p. 910)
Describe the ball turret.
Describe the speaker of the poem.
Did the speaker enter the war on his own decision? How do you know?
What is the implied metaphor?
What does the last line imply about the death of the gunner?

8. Activity
P. 911 question 10
What is the poem really about? What statement about war is made in only five lines? Explain your views, and provide details from the text to support them.
Hint: Keep in mind the metaphor used in the poem. Also, consider the message in the last line of the poem.