“The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” Introduction

• Read the full text of “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner”

“The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” Summary

“The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” Themes

• 

  The Dehumanization of War

  Where this theme appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-2
  • Lines 4-5
• 

  The Vulnerability and Innocence of Soldiers

  Where this theme appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-5

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner”

• Line 1

  From my mother’s ... into the State,

  

  

  

  

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• Line 2

  And I hunched ... wet fur froze.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 3-4

  Six miles from ...
  ... the nightmare fighters.

  

  

  

  

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• Line 5

  When I died ... with a hose.

  

  

  

  

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“The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” Symbols

• 

  The Ball Turret

  Where this symbol appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-2
  • Line 5

“The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Metaphor

  

  

  

  

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  Where metaphor appears in the poem:

  • Line 1
  • Line 2
  • Line 3
  • Line 5

• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

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  Where alliteration appears in the poem:

  • Line 1: “From,” “my mother’s,” “sleep,” “fell,” “State”
  • Line 2: “fur froze”
  • Line 3: “loosed,” “life”
  • Line 4: “flak,” “fighters”
  • Line 5: “When,” “washed,” “with”

• Consonance

  

  

  

  

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  Where consonance appears in the poem:

  • Line 1: “From my mother’s,” “sleep,” “fell,” “State”
  • Line 2: “belly till,” “fur froze”
  • Line 3: “Six,” “miles from,” “loosed,” “dream,” “life”
  • Line 4: “woke,” “black flak,” “nightmare fighters”
  • Line 5: “When,” “washed,” “with”

• Assonance

  

  

  

  

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  Where assonance appears in the poem:

  • Line 1: “From,” “mother’s”
  • Line 3: “miles,” “life”
  • Line 4: “black flak,” “nightmare fighters”
  • Line 5: “I died”

• Onomatopoeia

  

  

  

  

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  Where onomatopoeia appears in the poem:

  • Line 4: “black flak”

• End-Stopped Line

  

  

  

  

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  Where end-stopped line appears in the poem:

  • Line 1: “State,”
  • Line 2: “froze.”
  • Line 3: “life,”
  • Line 4: “fighters.”
  • Line 5: “hose.”

“The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• The State
• Fur
• Loosed
• Flak
• Turret

• (Location in poem: Line 1: “the State”)

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” Speaker

“The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner”

More “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” Resources

• External Resources

  • The Death of Randall Jarrell — An interesting essay in Virginia Quarterly Review about Randall Jarrell's own untimely death.

  • Hear the Poem — A reading of the poem, along with images of ball turrets during World War II.

  • More About the Ball Turret — For more information about the use of the ball turret in World War II, check out this very short documentary about the technology and the men who used it. 

  • The Poet's Voice — Hear a recording of Randall Jarrell reading his own poetry at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.

  • Jarrell's Life and Work — Learn more about Randall Jarrell in this brief overview of his life and work.