Introduction
The two poems chosen for comparison are Randall Jarrell’s ‘Death of the Ball Turret Gunner’ and A.E. Housman’s ‘To an Athlete Dying Young’. Both poems deal with death and have deeper meanings than the words themselves allude to. Author’s notes have been used to assist with comparison of the poems.
‘Death of the Ball Turret Gunner’
This poem was written in 1945 when World War II was coming to an end. One of the most important jobs on B-17’s and B-24’s (bomber airplanes of the Army Air Corp) was the ball turret gunner. It was also the most deadly. In this short poem the author tries to give an accurate accounting of the death of this important member of the bomber crew.
This five sentence stanza is written from the point of view of the ball turret gunner. He describes his existence in the ball turret. This very important job had the gunner hunched in the belly of the ball turret s long that the fur on his bomber jacket and hat iced up. The first line of the poem tells of how he has come from his ‘mother’s sleep’ into his present state in the ball turret. Mother’s sleep may represent the calmness of home as compared to his current state of fear in the ball turret. The poem describes the dreams of life left behind in exchange for the ‘black flack and the nightmare fighters.
Most noteworthy in this poem is the importance of the gunner to the mission and the cleaning of the turret after the gunner has died. The gunner explains that he is washed out with a hose. One can only imagine that the turret is being cleaned out for the newest member of the bomber crew: the ball turret gunner.
The poem rhymes in the second and fifth lines (froze and hose). This instance of rhyming may have occurred naturally and not by design by the author.
‘To an Athlete Dying Young’
This poem deals with death as well. The poem has seven stanzas with four lines each. It is significantly longer than Jerrell’s poem. Housman has set up his poem with each stanza delivering a specific message. Housman has also written this poem from the point of view of a member of the community where this young athlete had lived. The poem contains rhymes with the endings of each sentence rhyming. The first two rhyme and the last two rhyme.
The first stanza tells of the athlete being victoriously carried on the shoulders of townsfolk. This is in contrast with the second stanza which alludes to being carried as in death on the shoulders of pall bearers (as in a coffin). The poem alludes to the athlete never having to race another athlete and being forgotten after a short time. But, the poem also seems to say that his victorious race and trophy cup have not been claimed by anyone because no one has bested his race.
A Comparison
Jerrell’s poem is much shorter than housman’s but, with a basic knowledge of World War II history, the reader can read between the lines and recognize the importance of what is being described. Housman’s poem needs some reading between the lines as well but it is more forthcoming with information. Both poems contain rhymes. Jewell’s contains rhyming words at the end of the third and fifth sentences. Housman’s poem contains rhyming words at the end of each sentence. The first and second lines rhyme and the third and forth rhyme. The subject of both poems are most probably young men who died when they were in their prime. Jerrell’s poem has the ball turret gunner describing the death while Housman’s poem is written from the perspective of an observer.
Works Cited
Kelly, Joseph. (2005) The Seagull Reader. W.W. Norton. New York, New York.