This poem is part of a longer sequence collectively known as "Out of the Blue" by the British poet Simon Armitage, written to commemorate the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. The poem is spoken in the voice of a man trapped in the North Tower of the World Trade Center after the first plane has hit but before the building's collapse. As the man desperately waves a white shirt in a plea for help, the poem illustrates the pain of losing hope as well as the terror, confusion, and despair of confronting death. The poem was inspired by real-life footage of 9/11, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people.

• Read the full text of “Out of the Blue (Excerpt)”

• “Out of the Blue (Excerpt)” Summary

• “Out of the Blue (Excerpt)” Themes

  • 

    Terror, Despair, and Loss of Hope

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-28
  • 

    Catastrophe and Insignificance

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-28

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Out of the Blue (Excerpt)”

  • Lines 1-4

    You have picked ...
    ... is twirling, turning.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 5-8

    In fact I ...
    ... soul worth saving?

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 9-12

    So when will ...
    ... pegging out washing?

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 13-16

    I am trying ...
    ... of leaving, diving.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 17-20

    A bird goes ...
    ... wheeling, spiralling, falling.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 21-24

    Are your eyes ...
    ... am still breathing.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 25-28

    But tiring, tiring. ...
    ... am failing, flagging.

    

    

    

    

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• “Out of the Blue (Excerpt)” Symbols

  • 

    The White Shirt

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 3-4: “you have noticed now / that a white cotton shirt is twirling, turning.”
    • Line 15: “the white of surrender is not yet flying.”
    • Line 28: “I am failing, flagging.”
  • 

    The Clouds and the Bird

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 5-8: “In fact I am waving, waving. / Small in the clouds, but waving, waving. / Does anyone see / a soul worth saving?”
    • Line 17: “A bird goes by.”

• “Out of the Blue (Excerpt)” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “building burning”
    • Line 4: “twirling, turning”
    • Line 7: “see”
    • Line 8: “soul,” “saving”
    • Line 10: “watching, watching”
    • Line 12: “washing”
    • Line 14: “behind,” “bullying”
    • Line 17: “bird,” “by”
    • Line 20: “wind-milling, wheeling”
    • Lines 21-22: “believing, / believing”
    • Line 24: “breathing”
    • Line 27: “numb,” “nerves”
    • Line 28: “me, my,” “failing, flagging”

  • Asyndeton

    

    

    

    

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    Where asyndeton appears in the poem:

    • Line 4: “twirling, turning”
    • Line 5: “waving, waving”
    • Line 6: “waving, waving”
    • Line 10: “watching, watching”
    • Line 14: “bullying, driving”
    • Line 16: “leaving, diving”
    • Line 20: “wind-milling, wheeling, spiralling, falling”
    • Lines 21-22: “believing, / believing”
    • Line 25: “tiring, tiring”
    • Line 26: “wailing, firing”
    • Line 28: “failing, flagging”

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Line 14: “The heat behind me is bullying, driving,”
    • Line 15: “but the white of surrender is not yet flying.”
    • Lines 23-24: “here in the gills / I am still breathing.”
    • Line 26: “Sirens below are wailing,”

  • Repetition

    

    

    

    

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    Where repetition appears in the poem:

    • Line 5: “I am,” “waving, waving”
    • Line 6: “waving, waving”
    • Line 10: “watching, watching”
    • Line 13: “I am,” “trying and trying”
    • Line 16: “I am”
    • Line 18: “appalling. Appalling”
    • Lines 21-22: “believing, / believing”
    • Line 25: “tiring, tiring”
    • Line 27: “My arm is numb,” “my nerves are sagging”
    • Line 28: “I am”

• “Out of the Blue (Excerpt)” 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.

  • Pegging out washing
  • White of surrender
  • Wind-milling
  • Gills
  • Sagging
  • Flagging
  • (Location in poem: Line 12: “pegging out washing”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Out of the Blue (Excerpt)”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Out of the Blue (Excerpt)” Speaker

• “Out of the Blue (Excerpt)” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Out of the Blue (Excerpt)”

• More “Out of the Blue (Excerpt)” Resources

  • External Resources

    • Armitage at Boston University — Listen to the poet read and discuss a range of his work, including "Out of the Blue." 

    • A Brief Biography — Learn more about Armitage's life and work via the Poetry Foundation. 

    • Armitage on Poetry — Watch a brief interview with Armitage in which he discusses his poetic philosophy as well as the violence that appears in this poem. 

    • Poetry After 9/11 — Read an article about the various poetic responses to the September 11 attacks. 

    • "Out of the Blue" Film — Watch part of the film that accompanied "Out of the Blue," in which actor Rufus Sewell reads this section of the poem. (Content note: this film includes the actual documentary footage that inspired the poem, which is quite disturbing.)

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by Simon Armitage

    • Chainsaw Versus the Pampas Grass

    • Hitcher

    • Mother, any distance

    • Remains

    • The Manhunt

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