Reflections On The Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner Essay

Reflections on the Death of the Ball Turret Gunner Essay
A Reflection on "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" Rebeca Espirito Santo
The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner "From my mother's sleep I fell into the State And I hunched in
its belly till my wet fur froze Six miles from the earth, loosed from its dream of life I woke to black
flack and the nightmare fighters When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose." Randall
Jarrell
"The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner", by Randall Jarrell, is a surprisingly simple and brief poem;
nevertheless it is extensive in content. Due to carefully chosen words, with ... Show more content on
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Even if he was spared another gunner's bullet at the end of the mission, he knew he was still not
safe. In the case of a forced landing, he knew he would be sacrificed. On the third line – "Six miles
from the earth, loosed from its dream of life" – one can observe his acknowledgment of this surreal
reality. This leads the character to the understanding of not only his physical distance from earth, but
also from earthly life and the odds against him going back to that life. He was already preparing
himself for the worst and suppressing his hopes of survival. Through the distress of a single man,
Jarrell is able to depict the fears of a lonely soldier in an extremely vulnerable position, and invites
us into the heinous reality of war which forces us to question our impressions of soldiers having no
fear yet not questioning their bravery. War can produce gruesome situations that can cause even the
bravest men to face their fears, but it is how they deal with this fear that is the important part. Ball
turret gunners were courageous warriors. They were fully aware of how susceptible to death they
were, nevertheless, they would continue to fight time after time. WWII was a dreadful episode in
human history that killed millions of people, and its bloodshed is described by the UN Charter as a
scourge that "has brought untold sorrow to mankind". Jarrell had served in the military himself, thus
he knew – at least to some extent –
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Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner By Randall Jerrell Analysis
During war, there are two possible outcomes for a soldier engaged in battle–life or death. In the
poem Randall Jerrell wrote in 1945, "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner", the most significant
thing one notices about the speaker is the fact that he's dead. The airman is telling the story of his
own death from the grave. This gives a different perspective on the poem than if his friend were the
speaker. If the airman's friend were telling the story, it would have a more dramatic detailed account
of the incident; however, since the speaker is dead, he doesn't get too worked up recounting the
graphic events that led to his demise. Speaking from the dead allows the airman to completely
center the account on himself and not the details of how someone

Randall Jarrell Poem Analysis
Randall Jarrell's poems and short stories are mostly about war and it's affects on humans. Randall
Jarrell persuaded the minds of people in society to enjoy and appreciate life through his powerful
and touching literary works including 1. The Bat–Poet, 2. The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner, and
3. Losses. His poems dramatically interpret fears and struggles of young soldiers. One of Randall
Jarrell's many pieces "The Bat–Poet" persuaded people in society to enjoy life while you have it. It's
about one bat that tries to make other animals see the world the same way as he does. "If they didn't
get on your nerves so, maybe you wouldn't be able to imitate them so well,' the chipmunk said in a
helpful, hopeful voice" (The Bat–Poet). The chipmunk is trying to understand the importance and
meaning of what the bat is trying to tell him, but not everyone realizes things as fast as others. This
piece of text was written in pursuit to persuade people to see the importance and meaning to life
from all perspectives. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This poem talks about what war can do to innocent people and their families. "And the cities said to
me:"Why are you dying? We are satisfied, if you are;but why did I die?"(Jarrell, Losses) He
shouldn't have been dying so early on in his life, so he was confused to why he died. He sacrificed
himself in war. life is short and sometimes you need to do things for the betterment of other people,
even if that means dying for something you strongly believe in. Randall Jarrell persuaded the minds
of people in society to enjoy and appreciate life through his literary works including 1. The Bat–
Poet, 2. The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner, and 3. Losses. Randall reached out to audiences of
many ages. Some people change their lifestyle and choices they make by treating everyone better
because they know to value people and their

What Is The Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner
The ball turret gunner of the B–17 and B–24 was an important job; however was a dangerous one.
In Randall Jarrell's "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" makes a comparison to a ball turret to a
mother's womb. The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner throughout the poem talks about the mother's
womb. From the birth of him, to when he's in the ball turret, to when he is dead. First, the birth of
the gunner. In the poem it says "From my mother's sleep I fell into the State"(ln.1). In this line
Jarrell is comparing the ball turret to a mother's womb. Since of the awkward position of the turret
on the plane the gunner had to sit in a fetal, so they could aim and shoot, but in the mother's womb
you have to sit in a fetal position in order to fit inside

Donne, And Randall Jarrell's Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner
How do you view death in the 21st century? Throughout history, the concept of death has taken
many forms. Many people consider death as something that is terrifying and horrific, but there are
some who view death as a peaceful stepping off point into a blissful eternity. Some prominent poets
that have shared their different perspectives regarding death include John Donne, Emily Dickinson,
and Randall Jarrell. John Donne was an influential English poet of the 17th century, Emily
Dickinson was a distinguished American poet in the 19th century, and Randall Jarrell was a well–
known American poet of the 20th century. Although John Donne's "Death be not Proud," Emily
Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death," and Randall Jarrell's "Death of ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
But, in contrast, the speaker is a dead WW2 soldier who describes how the job of a ball turret
gunner is a death sentence. In "Death of the Ball Turret Gunner," Jarrell begins the poem with,
"From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, / And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze" (1–
2). Jarrell opens the poem by comparing the belly of an American bomber aircraft to that of his
mother's womb. The fact that Jarrell is comparing the belly of an American bomber aircraft to his
mother's womb is quite ironic because he juxtaposes two things where one symbolizes life, and the
other symbolizes death. Jarrell continues to convey his theme of death when he describes how the
speaker is off the ground and flying. In "Death of the Ball Turret Gunner," Jarrell writes, "Six miles
from earth, loosed from its dream of life" (3). Jarrell is foreshadowing the death of the speaker in
this line. Jarrell knew that once the speaker was off the ground and in the air, the speaker was on a
suicide mission. Most ball turret gunners' lives in WW2 were short lived. Since they were placed
under the belly of the bomber aircraft, if the aircraft was shot down, most planes landed on their
bellies, and as a result, the ball turret gunners were killed. In the last lines of Jarrell's poem, "Death
of the Ball Turret Gunner," he states, "I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. / When I died
they washed me out of the turret with a hose" (4–5). Jarrell's views on death highlight that he is
against the unnecessary loss of life. Jarrell is protesting that the job of the ball turret gunner should
not have been a job because it was almost guaranteed to be a suicide mission. Jarrell emphasizes his
philosophy by including the gruesome visual of people washing out the body of the ball turret
gunner with a

Mr. Gallego: A Short Story
Mr. Gallego then mentions that one of his most memorable experiences from the war; was a near
death experience. "I passed out from lake of oxygen in the ball turret; and you were suppose to die
within three minutes, if you don't have oxygen. Up at that altitude at 30,000 ft. You die of anoxia.
And every few minutes the bombardier would have an oxygen check. "Bombardier to crew,
bombardier to crew. Oxygen check." You're suppose to tail gun up that way." Everyone had to
respond whenever there was an oxygen check. They had called out to the person in the ball turret.
"No response from the guy in the ball turret (chuckles) OK. Again, ball turret answer. No response."
They had sent a fellow crew member to help him. His name was Carl Jones, he was ... Show more
Gallego, flew a total of 31 sortie's (missions) during his time in WWII; his rank: Staff Sargent. Once
they found out the war had finally ended. Which was August of 1945. He made the trip back home.
Started working, quit, and he was not sure what he should do next. He was 19 years old at that time.
And "Coming from poor families. The college (chuckles) it was not for us. OK." But, he decided to
give it a shot anyway. He graduated with Honors, got a degree in Business Administration with a
major in Foreign Trade. Worked in his field. Ended up in a salary based position for the reserve.
Unfortunately, for him, he was called back into active duty during the Korean War. It was non–
combat. Shortly before getting out of the service a second time, Ernest married a "very nice lady" by
the name of Esther. They are going on 53 years of marriage, and have 3 kids together. Once out,
started working again in his degree field but, ended up being bored with the job after sometime. "At
the age of 34, I decided to go to law school." He did so under the G.I bill. It took him five years to
complete law school and three tries at the bar exam but, he passed. So, Mr. Gallego has now been a
lawyer since the mid 60's. Has his own practice. He still keeps in touch with his old WWII buddies,
from time to time. His advice for his family and anyone in the future is: "Well think of your great,
great, great grandfather and say he was a good guy. And if you ever get a chance, in case of an

Ball Turret Gunner
There are three elements employed by Randall Jarrell in his poem, "The Death of the Ball Turret
Gunner," which illustrate the cycle of life and death of the gunner. The utilization of rhythm, use of
imagery, and sequencing of events profoundly impact the development of the theme which conveys
sending young people to fight a war is essentially ending life before it begins. Each element is
evidenced in all five lines of the one stanza poem. Understanding these elements allows readers to
grasp the troublesome concept of death through warfare in just five short lines.
The author of the poem "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" purposely writes it without a fixed
structure of rhythm or rhyme. Composing strict metrical patterns or rhyme schemes ... Show more
This is because of the sequencing of events in the five short lines. The way in which it was written
mimics the life cycle of humans– particularly the gunner's. The poem begins by referencing the
complete safety of the gunner while protected inside of his mother's womb. Beginning with the
mother's womb is significant because it provides the depiction of the womb for all five lines. As he
falls out abruptly into the "State" of warfare, his is still hunched into a fetal position like that of a
newborn animal. Because he is still hunched in this position, the poem implies that the gunner was
not ready for the challenges that he was forced to face. This womb is not as friendly or comforting
as his mothers, and it foreshadows the dangers to come. He awakens from his state of childlike
innocence to imminent danger and the nightmare of death. He is promptly murdered which
demonstrates how the gunner proceeded straight from the sleep of childhood to the sleep of death,
which is likened to an abortion. The brevity of the poem mimics the brevity of the gunner's life, and
the stages of the gunner's life are squeezed together in order to illustrate how quickly the gunner's
life was taken from him. The poem jumps from birth to death with barely any mention of the
eighteen or nineteen years in between. The poet views the young soldiers as unnecessary sacrifices
who are born just to die.
"The Death of a Ball

Disability Of War
Brave Hearts Do Not Back Down Many soldiers walk away from war with psychological disorders
such as shell shock and post traumatic stress, while others with mild to critical injuries or life taking
situations. Soldiers who have fought in a war and make it out alive usually come back home and
experience psychological disorders that can cause them to have hallucinations and cause them to
react strongly to anything that reminds them of being in the war. On the other hand, some soldiers
face human casualties that can change their lives forever anywhere from facing a disability that can
put them out of the work force to not making it home alive. War can be a deeply scarring experience
that can cause psychological disorders and brutal trauma ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
All three writer's used imagery to get their point across about the tragic things that happen in war
and how it is hard to escape trauma. From birth imagery to strong emotional imagery all three
poems allowed their readers to be able to experience the harsh horrors of war with no sugar coating
on what really happens on the battlefield. All three of the authors witnessed such tragic things that
happen in war and unlike the government news stories during that time they want to make sure that
the image that they saw was expressed through their poems to be a symbol to their readers that war
is not a good

Why Soldiers Won T Talk Analysis
Steinbeck/ Jarrel Essay World War I started on July 28, 1914, when Austria–Hungary declared war
on Serbia. The problem between two countries spread quickly. Soon Germany, Russia, Great
Britain, and France were all drawn into the war. This is because they were involved in treaties that
obligated them to defend certain other nations. The U.S. got involved because they got mad about
the attack upon its ships in the Atlantic. Two wonderful men experienced these tragedies. John
Steinbeck, and Randall Jerrel. John Steinbeck wrote about the response of soldiers to combat, and
the effects. He's the author of "Why Soldiers Won't Talk." But Randall Jarrel was a man who had
actually been in the war. He is also an author, he wrote "The death Of the Ball Turret Gunner." The
writings of both John Steinbeck and Randall Jarrel just might be effective to public opinion and
public policy because they use some very heart touching subjects. ... Show more content on
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"The eardrums are tortured by blast and the eyes ache from the constant hammering. This is how
you feel after a few days of constant firing. Your skin feels thick and insensitive. There is a salty
taste in your mouth. A hard, painful knot is in your stomach where the food is undigested...." (
Steinbeck) He feels that combat takes a physical and emotional toll on soldiers. In "The death of the
Ball Turret Gunner" by Jarrel he goes to explain how the government treats their soldiers like
nothing. "When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose." (Jarell) "They" in that line is
the government that washes them away. Both Steinbeck and Jarrel found ways to get their points a

Why Was Plane Manufacturing Important In Ww2
"When my brother and I built the first man–carrying flying machine we thought that we were
introducing into the world an invention which would make further wars practically impossible."
Orville Wright, 1917. Sadly this was not the case. Over the span of World War II, because the
technology was so new and could work well, planes were used heavily and mercilessly and because
of this, more than half a million people died or were lost in combat. During the war, airplane
manufacturing was important to both the Axis and Allied powers. Various types of planes were
produced during the war for their different abilities and uses. During the war, plane manufacturing
was important to both the enemies and allies. Most manufacturing plants were a main target for the
enemies, and for the US, on missions. If the US could take out manufacturers it would slow down
the production of enemy planes and give us an advantage. In terms of America's own production
rates, they skyrocketed in only 5 years. In less than 5 years aircraft manufacturing went from 41st
place in America industries to first place, because of the war. Shadow factories were a major idea
that arose, mainly in Britain, to be able to meet the urgent need for airplane parts. These factories
were basically car factories, which helped make airplane parts, and were ... Show more content on
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The first design of the B–17 plane, was equipped with 4 engines, was capable of 200 to 250 mph,
and could fly long distance with a 2,000 pound bomb load. The major changes to the plane after the
first model was produced were to it's armor and new tail designs. Later, with newer versions they
added more armament defenses, and a chin turret under the nose of the plane. The B–17 is mostly
known for its toughness and ability to get through heavy flak and enemy fire, and carry the crew
safely. "The plane can be cut and slashed almost to pieces by enemy fire and bring its crew home."
Wally Hoffman, B–17 Pilot, 8th Air

Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner
Randall Jarrell put much thought into his poem, "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner", but more
specifically into the tone. Tone is the attitude an author has towards his or her subject and it has the
power to be bland, or have a true impact on the literary work being presented. Jarrell effectively
used imagery and diction to create the attitude he wanted his readers to conclude in their own way.
First, Jarrell uses imagery abundantly throughout his lyrical poem. The character used in the poem is
compared to what we would believe to be an animal, with fur of some kind. The comparison to an
animal hunched over with frozen fur gives us, as readers, a visualization of how small the Ball
Turret Gunner is and allows us to understand that the men in these positions are nervous and in high
altitudes, thus more than likely frozen with sweat. Additionally, Jarrell specifically names six–miles
above the earth which engages readers in knowing that this is not a little mission, as they are miles
above earth's surface. Also, the gory ending of washing the flesh out of the turret with a hose
enables readers to visualize how this situation typically pans out. Simply due to the goriness of the
situation, readers are likely to remember this than if the process were to be sugar–coated and made
to be more pleasant. Imagery paints this five–line poem into a story–board and gives the setting a
whole new meaning. Secondly, diction is a key aspect in this poem and is highly important due to its

Social Pressure In Randall Jarrell's The Ball Turret Gunner
People's opinions can be changed or influenced by social pressure. We are swayed by our peers, the
media and by advertising. We are surrounded by something or someone telling us what is the newest
fashion, the latest social trend and even what is considered attractive. These social pressures succeed
because the need to conform is an innate instinct that increases survivability in a social environment.
This conforming to social pressure is not bad or wrong; however, the implications of what can
happen when we become overly agreeable are troubling. Studies have been conducted and poems
have been written about our instinct to conform and how it could affect the future. Solomon E. Asch,
a social psychologist, conducted one of these studies. The experiments, which examined a person's
responses when faced with social pressure, consisted of a group of people that were shown two
cards: one with one line drawn on it and another card with 3 or more lines drawn on it. The subjects
were to respond which line on the second card was the same length of the line on the first card.
However, not all of the participants were actual subjects. Some were told ahead of time to give an
incorrect answer and for the others to follow. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Jarrell's poem is about a ball turret gunner for a military unit during a war. The gunner describes
himself as being asleep his whole life until he gets killed by an enemy plane. What this means is
that, from the day he was born, he did what he was told and obeyed the government (the "State").
The last line of the poem states, "When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose." This
line is significant because it implies that the gunner's sacrifice of his life for the "State" was
meaningless, as if he were just another product on an assembly line. His reward for conforming to
the State's wishes was an early

Come to the Stone by Randall Jarrell
Randall Jarrell was one of the few poets of his time to vividly and accurately depict the horrible and
confusing reality of war. His experience in the military provided him with a deep understanding of
both the mind of a solider and a civilian. With this understanding of the human consciousness,
Jarrell deeply explores the actions, feelings, and interactions of people in times of war. Through his
sympathetic, psychological portrayal of a diverse range of narrative personas in his dramatic
monologues, Jarrell displays the dehumanizing forces of war. In the poem, "Come to the Stone..."
Jarrell establishes the simple fact of man's cruelty and explores the chaotic and confusing experience
of war through the eyes of a young boy. The intense experience of this poem is generated in the
plain speech of the lines. "The people are punishing the people, why?" The line isn't in quotation
marks. It's Jarrell who asks why, not the child. Still, the line is phrased like a child's observation and
question. It is a puzzle, a riddle, and a stark fact, like man's inhumanity to man, like violence–
especially against the innocent, which is unthinkable suffering that's imposed by choice. After the
bombers flash by, entering and leaving the battlefield in an instant, the narrator sees that "The ants
had littered with their crumbs a dead." The shift from the detailed description of the bombers to their
view of the dead "ants" in the aftermath shows the magnitude of the bombers' destruction. Jarrell

Joseph Heller's Catch 22 Essay
Catch 22 Comparison Paper
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller is a complex and intricate novel. Heller uses many themes, does not have
the story line in chronological order and often uses irony in his descriptions. Many of the themes can
be compared to other literature. One of the themes that can be compared is fear in war. The idea is
that the evils and cruelty of war can make a grown man go back into a "fetal" state. This can be seen
in The Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Jarrell and can be compared to the metaphor used in chapter
five of Catch 22. In this chapter Yossarian talks about the tight crawl space which led to the
plexiglass bombardier's compartment.
This can be looked at as the passageway to fear. Every time Yossarian climbs down ... Show more
When he went to tell ex–PFC Wintergreen his theory though, he was pushed away. It was if he didn't
care to think about the situation. This shows the lack of respect for another human life. This can also
be seen in SlaughterHouse V. One of the things Billy thinks about is the value of human life. The
question he asks is how can God not value the life of people and let them be slaughtered. What he
was referring too was the concentration camps that he was in and saw people die at and the bombing
of Dresden where many people lost their lives. Billy Pilgrim felt that if God loved his people that he
wouldn't allow this to happen. So therefore there would be no God because the God that people have
learned about, loves everyone and would certainly not allow harm to anyone. This definitely takes
aim at religion and basically sees how much faith a person might have in God despite the evil he
sees around him. Another take on it is that why does God want people to be miserable. This is seen
by Doc Daneeka constantly asking "Why Me". She talks about Hungry Joe and how Yossarian is
constantly worries about Hungry Joe. She starts out by sarcastically saying that she has no stress.
She says that she knows there is a war and there are people suffering. She can't figure out why she
has to be one of them. Another theme and imagery used in Catch 22 is the prison

Ball Turret Gunner Message
This essay is about a story or poem called death of the ball turret gunner. I really like the story or
poem whatever you would like to call it.It explains how everything was back in World War II with
the bombers and how they had people on the bottom of the plane because Jets were coming up from
the bottom. And here are three messages from the ball turret gunner. One message from Walter
gutter is how they had glass have Spears on top the bottom and the back of the plane. They had on
there because the Jets they had a shoot out of there and the bottom one was not the safest. They were
out the One message from the ball turret gunner is how they had glass have spears on top the bottom
and the back of the plane. They had on there because the Jets

Analysis Of John Steinbeck's Essay 'Why Soldiers Won T Talk'
World War II was a profusioning and distressing experience for a plethora of Americans. Men and
women both suffered during the WWII. Soldiers were going thru many awful and life changing
experiences that lead most soldiers to have PTSD. But back home United States citizens were free
and loved their constitutional right amendment 14. Many authors began to expose the truth about the
soldier's experiences like john Steinbeck and Randall Jarrell, Both were in the military. So they were
conveying there experience by capturing the feeling and emotions to show public policy.
In John Steinbeck's essay "Why Soldiers Won't Talk" explains the physical, mental, and emotional
adversities combat has on soldiers. "Your eyes do not pick up much detail and the sharp lines of
objects are slightly blurred. Everything looks a little unreal" (John Steinbeck). He is describing how
sleep played a role in the lives of the soldiers during war. He also mentions how sleep is like a drug
and comes without warning. This infers that sleep in spontaneous and took soldiers away from the
traumatizing and abusive time of war because drug–abusers use drugs to escape reality. It puts their
sense at ease. However, Jarrell's poem "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" is first hand
illustrating a soldier who dies during war in the ball of a turret. "Six miles from ... Show more
According to the essay, "in all kinds of combat, the whole body is battered by emotion. Everything
seems unreal" (John Steinbeck). He proves his point by saying sleep help soldiers to cope and forget
distressing memories. In Randall Jarrell's poem "when I died they washed me out of the turret with a
hose" (Randall Jarrell). He explains how they treat soldiers like there nothing. Both John Steinbeck's
and Randall Jarrell's writing explained the difficulties soldiers faced in

Comparing Wilfred Owen And Jarrell
War Poetry: Analysis
Both Owen and Jarrell share the pains of war. Using literary devices such as diction, imagery, and
inner thoughts. Besides just the basics of literary devices the poets also use their close affiliation of
war to help express the true disasters that not many people knew of. They possessed unusual
sensibility. When digging a little deeper you are fully able to compare Owen's "Dulce et Decorum
Est" and Jarrell's "Death of the Ball Turret Gunner."
At first glance Wilfred Owen's "Dulce et Decorum Est" is blatantly organized. In fact, it is
comprised of multiple stanzas. But that is Owen's purposeful structure. When delving further into
the poem you truly start to see Owen's intentions. While some poets romanticized war, Wilfred

B-17 Essay
Could you imagine shooting at planes in a glass ball while being 30,000 meters in the air? The B–
17, B–17E, B–17F, B–17G, and B–29 were all critical in the war effort against Germany and Japan.
People had to do that while being shot at too. It was so cold they had to wear fleece clothes. There
was so little oxygen they also had to have oxygen tanks. They also had comms(radios) to talk to
each other. The planes were very basic at first, but they eventually got new sights to improve their
accuracy, new motors to fly farther, and a new design so the plane was more streamlined. As
refinements progressed, along with better pilot training and tactics, it became a formidable weapon
in the Allied war against Germany and the War in the Pacific. The planes would get in a box
formation, flying relatively close for gunners meant more firepower. Gunners on a B–17G plane has
2– 0.5 guns in the Bendix chin turret. There was also a 0.50 caliber gun on each cheek, the dorsal
fin, the tail, and the ventral ball turret. There was also a 0.25 gun at each beam position. In theory,
no one approach route outside the bomber was uncontested. All of the positions provided some level
of armor protection but ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The Norden bombsight helped the bombers get closer to their target. They were to improve the
accuracy from within 1,000 yards to 500 yards. The plane was used to make a newer and more
advanced bomber. The B–17E and the B17–F were also able to fly farther and higher. The planes
now had new "Cyclone" motors, and got a turbo super charger. The planes system was also now
electrical and ammo was still fed from outside the ball turret. The turret was still small and cramped.
The shooter would usually have to be dragged out by the crew because of the bad circulation in their
legs. The plane was made by three major companies; Boeing, Vega, and Douglas. It also could carry
more bombs. The B–29 SuperFortress dropped the atomic bomb on

Literary Analysis Of Randall Jarrell
Almost as important as the content, is the form an author chooses to express their stories. From
poetry to novels, writing form helps shape a reader's experience. "The Death of the Ball Turret
Gunner", is the perfect example of how a poem's form reinforces its content. The author, Randall
Jarrell, leaves much to the readers' imagination. Jarrell is descriptive and vague at the same time.
This style is no accident and helps convey more to the readers than the surface level of the text.
Making the readers think and question the truth behind any war and telling a story people aren't used
to reading. 1
In class, we've discussed Kate McLoughlin's ideas for how to write the best war literature. Kate
McLoughlin helped write and edit The Cambridge Companion to War Writing. In her writing,
McLoughlin discusses the difficulties of war literature, and how words can't capture the true
complexity of war. McLoughlin describes war as "a massive and complex phenomenon" and goes
on to say literature of any type cannot accurately capture war. This is especially true of war on a
global scale that spans years. To solve this problem, McLoughlin suggests that writing less and
leaving certain aspects to the reader's imagination can be beneficial. 2 Randall Jarrell's style seems
in line with McLoughlin's views on how to write proper war literature. This lack of detail is what
made his poem, one of the more compelling readings so far. Leaving the reader to imagine what the
gunner is experiencing

Write An Essay On American Airplanes
Aircraft wasn't used in a war until 1911 by the Italians against the Turks. Aviation became one of the
most important parts of militaries in WWII. The country that had control over the air usually had
defeated ground troops. Depending upon where the country lies on the map they had strengths in
their militaries and weaknesses like Japan. Japan is an island and they will have a more advanced
naval technology. Not all countries fought in the war but they helped other countries that they are
allied with by giving them supplies. In the early wars when aircraft was just starting being used.
There were what you would call a biplane. A biplane is a plane with two sets of wings. One on top
of the other. Biplanes weren't the fastest planes. Some could travel at about 228 miles per hour. It
couldn't maneuver near as well as a monoplane. They weren't as advanced in technology. They were
much cheaper and less complicated to build. There were ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Such as the Horten Ho 229. The Ho 229 was the first jet powered plane. Its name came from Walter
Horten. He was the person who developed it. It was a stealth bomber. This plane is unique because
of its shape. It doesn't have a body and a pair of wings that shoot out the sides of it. It was in sort of
a triangle shape. It weighed about 9 tons. This plane was superior to the Supermarine Spitfire. It
could travel at about 606 miles per hour. Its maneuverability was absolutely remarkable for a
bomber. The advancements in aviation changed our world today. Some of the planes, tanks, and
ships from the World War Two era are still used in militaries today. World War Two was a bad thing
in history, but there was some good that came out of it. If you think about it, we probably wouldn't
have such a strong military if it wasn't for WWII. Each country had their strengths and weaknesses.
Each country failed at the same things everyone else did. World War Two changed the way many
people live

Critical Analysis The Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner
A Doomed Fate A Critical Analysis of Three Messages in Randall Jarrell's, Gunner Douglas
MacArthur, an American general during World War II, described those who fight in war as, "The
soldier, above all others, prays for peace; for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest
wounds and scars of war." Throughout history, war has been a part of every nation. From medieval
times to present day, there have been a countless number of wars fought and even more human lives
lost. Many short stories and poems have been written about the hard times of war, but none have
been quite as inspirational as Randall Jarrell's, The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner. This five line
poem described what it was like to be a ball turret gunner during ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
These men, such as the ball turret gunners, were of the most brave and fearless men to serve for the
United States. Often, a person would think that no one would wish to be tasked with the mission of
being a ball turret gunner; however, according to the article, How to Become a Ball Turret Gunner
and Dr. Tim McGee, the waiting list to become a ball turret gunner was the longest in World War II.
The article states, "The men who served as gunners in World War II understood the dangers of the
job they were signing themselves up for" (David Sears). These men knew that they would be facing
certain death if they chose to take position on the belly of an American army plane. Jarrell writes,
"Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life..." (3). No man who signed up for this
horrendous job expected to live more than three air trips. This just goes to prove how crucial it is to
appreciate those who are willing to risk their lives just so others do not have to suffer. The last, and
possibly most heartbreaking message in, The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner, is that no one is
guaranteed a life on this earth tomorrow. During hard war times, such as World War II, thousands of
young soldiers are called upon to fight for their nation whether or not they believe in what they're
fighting for. While some were deathly afraid to serve during the war,

Analysis of Randall Jarrell's The Death of the Ball...
Analysis of Randall Jarrell's The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner
Many of the great poems we read today were written in times of great distress. One of these writers
was Randall Jarrell. After being born on May 6, 1914, in Nashville Tennessee, Jarrell and his parents
moved to Los Angeles where his dad worked as a photographer. When Mr. and Mrs. Jarrell
divorced, Randall and his younger brother returned to Nashville to live with their mother. While in
Nashville, Randall attended Hume–Frogg high school. Randall showed his love for the arts while in
high school by participating in dramatics and journalism. Jarrell continued his career in the arts
when he wrote and edited for Vanderbilt's humor magazine, The Vanderbilt Masquerader. After ...
Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Jarrell uses a great deal of imagery in this poem to help the reader get a better picture of what is
going on. In the first line of the poem Jarrell uses visual, auditory and tactile imagery. When he uses
the words, "mother's sleep," the reader can see the mother laying in her bed sound asleep. Also the
reader can hear the deep breaths that the mother is taking while she slumbers. The reader gets the
tactile image when the author says, "I fell," because almost everyone has experienced the falling
sensation before. Since the word, "State," is capitalized one can see that Jarrell is talking about some
form of government. The reader gets the visual image of a government sitting around planning
something big. In the second line of the poem, "And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze," the
reader gets visual, tactile and thermal imagery. First of all the reader can see a person hunched, with
his knees almost at his chest, in the belly of something. Also the reader can see a person with a fur
coat that is almost covered in ice. The thermal imagery comes in when Jarrell says the word,
"froze." The reader can feel the cold coming from the frozen jacket as he reads the poem. When
Jarrell says the words, "hunched in the belly," the reader gets a very uncomfortable feeling. In line
number three the reader gets visual imagery as well as slight tactile imagery. The visual imagery
comes

Analysis of Randall Jarrell's "The Death of the Ball...
Many of the great poems we read today were written in times of great distress. One of these writers
was Randall Jarrell. After being born on May 6, 1914, in Nashville Tennessee, Jarrell and his parents
moved to Los Angeles where his dad worked as a photographer. When Mr. and Mrs. Jarrell
divorced, Randall and his younger brother returned to Nashville to live with their mother. While in
Nashville, Randall attended Hume–Frogg high school. Randall showed his love for the arts while in
high school by participating in dramatics and journalism. Jarrell continued his career in the arts
when he wrote and edited for Vanderbilt's humor magazine, The Vanderbilt Masquerader. After
earning his graduate degree at Vanderbilt, Jarrell accepted a ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
When Jarrell says the words, "hunched in the belly," the reader gets a very uncomfortable feeling. In
line number three the reader gets visual imagery as well as slight tactile imagery. The visual imagery
comes when Jarrell says, "Six miles from earth." The reader gets a clear image of something being
very high above the ground. When the author says, "loosed from the dream of life," the reader gets a
slight feeling of death or a vision of someone dying. The fourth line, "I woke to the black flak and
the nightmare fighters," brings the reader visual, auditory and tactile imagery. The reader can picture
someone waking up to shrapnel, from an exploding bomb, flying by their head. One can hear the
gunfire of the, "nightmare fighters," along with the exploding shells. The reader also gets a tactile
image when the author says, "I woke up," because everyone knows what it is like to wake up from a
sleep. In the fifth and final line the reader gets a very graphic visual image. The reader can picture
someone's body being so destroyed that instead of removing the body from the turret the soldiers
must wash it out with a hose. Jarrell also used a great deal of figurative language in this poem. The
entire poem is an extended metaphor. This poem compares the struggles of war with the struggles of
being born. More specifically, it compares being killed the belly of a plane and being killed in the
womb of a mother. We see

Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner Analysis
The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" was written around the end of World War II in 1945 by
Randall Jarrell. During this time period, Jarrell wrote many poems and novels about the army and
the war while he was a celestial training navigator (Pritchard). The poem was written later in
Jarrell's service career. The poem is based on the first–person view of a dead, unknown ball turret
gunner of a bomber aircraft. The dead gunner tells us he may have been taken away from his mother
and he was drafted or "fell" in the United State military service. The dead gunner hunched into the
belly of the bomber, into the turret, and his fur jacket and collar got wet and froze. The dead gunner
is miles about earth, loosed, or cut loose, from the dream of having a peaceful and prosperous life on
earth. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The poem has a distinctive relationship of the womb. On line 1 and 2, the gunner says, "From my
mother's sleep I fell into the State, and I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze." From my
mother's sleep" seems to be "a metaphor for the womb," according to an article by Zehra Nasirali
(Nasirali). The gunner seems to be describing being drafted "falling" from one womb, filled with
"dreams of life" to another womb, filled with "nightmares fights, black flak," and, in the end, death.
The gunner also describes the horrors of war in the sky compared to the "dream of life" on earth.
The gunner tells a dark and scary story of being in the turret and fighting the nightmares in the

The Death Of A Ball Turret Gunner
Since the beginning of time, humans have sought after power and control. It is human instinct to
desire to be the undisputed champion, but when does it become a problem? Warfare has been
practiced throughout civilization as a way to justify power. Though the orders come directly from
one man, thousands of men and women pay the ultimate sacrifice. In Randall Jerrell's "The Death of
a Ball Turret Gunner", Jarrell is commenting on the brutality of warfare. Not only does Jarrell
address the tragedies of war, he also blames politics, war leaders, and the soldier's acknowledgement
of his duties. (Hill 6) With only five lines of text, his poems allows the reader to understand what a
soldier can go through. With the use of Jerrell's poem, The Vietnam War, and Brian Turner's
"Ameriki Jundee", the truth of combat will be revealed. To understand what a soldier goes through,
Jerrell's poem must be explored. His poem's time era is important, it taking place during World War
Two, because it was the most prominent war America has faced. The title alone tells the reader that
someone has died. Immediately in the first line, Jerrell reveals the speaker of the poem is retelling
his death story. In the first line, Jerrell talks about him being in his mother's belly and then falling
into the state. By his mother, he means the B–17 bomber. He has physically fallen asleep and
reawakened in the turret's chair. He could also be talking about the stages of his life. When he
sleeps, he reminisces

Poetry Close Reading
Poetry Close Reading
"The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" written by Randall Jarrell is a poem that introduces three
major ideas in only five lines. These ideas are birth, death, and war. Jarrell is able to accomplish a
lot in this short poem by using diction and syntax such as metaphor and figurative language. The
title of the poem automatically shifts the reader's mind to expect a poem about war and death.
However, after reading the title and seeing how clear it is, when taken literally, line one of the poem
is very confusing. If we try to understand the poem at a basic literal level, here's what's happening:
There is a gunner in the ball turret, underneath a bomber plane. It is so cold up high that the lining of
his wet jacket is being ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The speaker's life before war is left far below and even feels like an illusion. Like a "dream," it is
gone. When the speaker "woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters", he woke up to his worst
nightmare, enemy fighters approaching the bomber. If we take a close look at lines three and four
together, there is a stark contrast. Line three is very peaceful and serene, the words "dream", "life",
and "earth" usually have positive connotations; while line four is certain death, with words like
"nightmare" and "black flak". The last line of the poem is very straightforward, and is almost prose.
It tells us exactly what we need to know. When the bomber got back to the base, they cleaned the
speakers remains out of the turret with a hose. If we continue the metaphor of the bomber being the
mother, we can conclude that the speaker is being born into death through the womb of "the State".
"The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" by Randall Jarrell is able to accomplish so many thing with
so little lines–mainly through the use of metaphor and diction. It explains the terrors of wars in
gruesome detail and explains the ways in which wars, in a sense "breed" and "birth" death. To some,
this poem is seen as the ultimate poem of war, and rightly

The River Merchant's Wife A Letter By Li Apa Summary
I will be comparing excerpts from 'The River Merchant's Wife: A Letter' by Li Po and "The Death of
the Ball–Turret Gunner' by Randall Jerrell. The speakers in each excerpt are creating serious and
solemn dream–like worlds that convey their misery over being abandoned to suffer impending death
alone. Imagery in both excerpts is used differently to describe death as being either immediate as in
Jarrell's poem or approaching as in Li Po's. The major difference between the speakers in each
excerpt is the use of alliteration;.the speaker in Jarrell's poem uses assonance and consonance
effectively to carry the emotional load created by the dark imagery, however, a loss in translation
must be considered with regard to the speaker's voice n Li Po's poem. Both excerpts utilize a
fractured form to allow for the imagining of their life outside of the world depicted by their words
while maintaining the impact of the existence loneliness in their life and the misery of dying alone.
In Jarrell's poem the speaker dies at the end. Therefore, images like "hunched in its belly" to show
that he is like fallen prey and waking to "black flack" and "nightmare fighters" to show that he is in
immediate danger are used to prepare us for the speaker's inevitable death. In contrast, the speaker in
Li Po's poem uses images like "leaves fall early this autumn" and "already yellow this August" to
imply that death is approaching but not near enough for portents of doom. Yet, the poems are very

The Importance Of Writing In Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner
The importance of writing one's understanding of war sheds consciousness upon the cruelty,
malevolence, and death by ignorance. Reports of cruelty begins with Jarrell's recitation in his poem
"Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" in which he explicitly connects the death of a young soldier to
that of an aborted child. Though only 5 lines long, using metaphoric language Jarrell is able to imply
that only death can be fermented from the womb of the war. Harboring readers taunt emotions that
stick to them like "wet fur". Whilst bringing the audience to a resolution set in stone that war can
solely gives the taking of life from another's child. In comparison, Hemingway transcribes of a man
spat back into a life that did not change with him instead

The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by Randal Jarrell
In the first line of the "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" Jarrell states, "When I died they
washed me out of the turret with a hose"(5). Jarrell does not elaborate; he makes it very clear that
war is gruesome. However, the literary techniques used in the other four lines of "Death of the Ball
Turret Gunner" give this theme even deeper meaning and make his point so effective. Jarrell
criticizes the government for its insensitivity toward the fate if its solders. Jarrell does mention how
scared the gunner is, or call out the government for the brutalities and terrors the gunner has
witnessed and experienced; he simply states the events that occurred, allowing the reader to make
these conclusions for himself. Jarrell uses imagery to convey the gruesome horrors of combat,
perplexity to simultaneously establish the gunner's emotional condition, and finally tone to portray
the government's perspective of soldiers that die.
The imagery Jarrell uses not only conveys the terrifying situation the ball turret gunner is in, it also
exhibits the difference between the gunner's previous experiences and his current situation. The first
line indicates the ball turret gunner safe. He mentions his "mother's sleep" (1), meaning the sleep
during which he is in her womb. This gives the reader the impression that he came from a protected,
warm, and comfortable environment. This environment contradicts with his present situation being,
"hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze" (2). The

Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner Analysis
"It's not to hard to sacrifice for someone you love, but it's hard to find someone who's worth your
sacrifice." When you have a reason for what you do then, it makes it easier to work harder. One
example is when you have a job, you work harder so you can get paid money. This can also apply to
soldiers in war, they work hard for citizens to live freely. When you are trying to do something that
is worth sacrificing you start with what you love and teach or spread it to those around you. A man
by the name Randall Jarrell, he was a writer that loved reading and writing and teaching. He had a
love for writing, this helped him describe situations in history. His poetry was very deep Horne
wrote that, "moving "back and forth between life and the 'life' that is created by writing" Randall
tells of life in his stories, in one called The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner. In this poem he tells
about the lifestyle that Turret Gunners have in WWII. In The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner, there
are 3 messages described. Jarrell tells of how being a turret Gunner is like coming out a mother's
womb. A Turret Gunners job is to hang upside down in a chair at the bottom of bomber planes. The
task is to shoot any fighters trying to destroy the plane. Due to the task being so dangerous men
would only on average make it three trips. The situation these brave men were in was that they were
you in upside down, they were also wrapped in the darkness of the night. This helped Jarrell to draw
the

Analysis Of The Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner
With every great video game there is always a final battle as the same goes with every great movie
there is always a great ending, the same goes for life as long as we live our lives although not
always long but anyways amazing life sadly must always coming to an end even the beautiful
flowers in your garden or a new born puppy that is just born, that's why people try to tell you to live
your life to the fullest extent. In the poems "Death be not proud", "Because I could not Stop for
Death "and "Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" all highlight different deaths and each having there
our unique symbol and importance. In Randall Jarrell`s "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner",
although short describes a the hard and short lived life of a Ball Turret Gunner who drives a plane
that doesn`t have a parachute his plane must have been hit or crashed because early in the poem you
can he is death bed. As the Gunner is dying he is having the death flashbacks they say you have
when you're on the verge of dying he first mentions his mother saying "From my mother`s sleep I
fell into the State", probably comparing his mother's sleep to his early signs of death .Then he
remembers the experience of being that high in the air flying the plane and comments "six miles
from earth, loosed from its dream of life", using the plane distance from Earth to represent him
furthering more and more into death calling life a dream. The most tragic part of this poem comes at
the end when the Gunner is

Randall Jarrell Essay
The Fabulous Life and Works of Randall Jarrell The experience collected throughout a lifetime
shape a person's identity, with each choice made, bringing one closer to self–realization, and the
lessons of the past always affecting the decisions of the future. This phenomenon can be clearly
observed when looking back on the life and works of Randall Jarrell, a literary genius during the
World War Two era. Throughout his life Jarrell collected experiences which shaped not only his
works, but also forged who he became as a person. Events which occurred all the way from Jarrell's
early childhood up to his late adulthood, and everything in–between, were important to his
development as a writer. His passion for poetry, his time spent criticizing ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Amidst the onslaught of industrialism, propaganda, and the horrific realization of a world at war,
arose the most celebrated work of Randall Jarrell. His most famous poem: "The Death of the Ball–
Turret Gunner," came from his own background with the air force. Although he was unable to meet
the requirements for becoming a pilot Jarrell "...trained Air Force pilots and worked with them in the
'celestial navigation tower," (McCann 2) an experience which made him an authority figure among
many wartime poets. Many of Jarrell's best works came from his time in the Air Force training pilots
and operating the navigation tower. Having that kind of first–hand experience with current events
allowed Jarrell to reach an audience that became captivated by his poetry, which struck the heart of
certain issues. Without these back influencing what he chose to write about and how he wrote it,
Jarrell most certainly would not have been remembered as he currently is. More importantly,
without the experiences that he had in his life Randall Jarrell would not have been able to become
the person or the writer that he

Analysis Of Wilfred Owen 's ' Dulce Et Decorum Est
War makes all its soldiers its victims. It strips them of their innocence; all had dreams for their
future. Their future will become a lost life or a life full of memories that will continue to haunt them.
The memories of killing, friends being killed, almosts, etc. War contains many horrors like these.
The saying, "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori," was once believed; it means that it is sweet and
fitting to die for one's country. Because Wilfred Owen knew the horrors, he opposes this saying in
his poem "Dulce Et Decorum Est." The narrator provides vivid images of his experience in WWI
which includes both the exhaustion the soldiers endured while walking to their next resting point
and of the death of a fellow soldier due to gas. His PTSD shows us that the gas experience continues
to haunt him: "In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, / He plunges at me, guttering, choking,
drowning," (ll.15–16). The narrator also explains why young men should reconsider joining a war if
given the opportunity; it is not worth the horror. The war leaves, "incurable sores on innocent
tongues," (l.24), due to the overbearing evils war brings, leaving soldiers faces', "like a devil's sick
of sin," (l.20). Ironically, war is too much sin for the devil. The narrator emphasizes the vulgarity of
a war, "Obscene as cancer, bitter as cud," (l.23). Owen ultimately maintains that it is not glorious
dying for one's country because of the many horrors.
"The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" by

Importance Of Three Texts In 'The Death Of The Ball Turret...
Walt Disney, a very famous animation creator said, "There is more treasure in books than in all the
pirate's loot on Treasure Island." Books have influenced mankind in multiple different ways. Books,
such as the Bible and the Koran, have not only changes people's religious perspective, but have also
helped people's live have more meaning. Books tell a story that a reader is able to envision in his or
her mind easily. This semester in Room 303, Mr. McGee has studied many texts with his students.
So, when asked the question of which three texts were the most important, one may not know how
to respond. After close examination and careful thinking, however, it is obvious what three texts
must be the most important. In, The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner, Jarrell proves that his story is
important by portraying the message that war is more brutal than many people think, so it is
important to respect those who fight for a country. He explained how men constantly risk their lives
and complete dangerous missions everyday just for the sake of their country. This author writes of a
very brutal war time. He describes an event that most readers would not understand without prior
knowledge or a historic background. Jarrell writes, "From my mother's sleep I fell into the State..."
(1). These men, who are hanging upside down for nearly eight hours a day, had adapted the ability to
sleep while they were on the job. This was simply because of the fact that they did not get to rest or

The Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner Analysis
War Does Evil
A Discussion of Three Messages From Randall Jarrell's Gunner There was not a point in this world's
history when war was more prevalent, than that of World War Two. During this time, millions of
innocent lives were slain, and millions of soldiers died fighting, but were replaced almost instantly.
War completely manipulates the human mind, allowing it to commit actions no mind would ever
think to conceive otherwise. War takes over the will of humanity, and brings out the ferocity that all
humans have boiled down inside them. For example, journalist Roy Bing Chan recites, "On one
hand, war's violence gives witness to a world consuming itself as it lurches ever more closely to
oblivion..." As Chan states, war allows the world to cave in and consume itself, and each day of
fighting leads closer to oblivion. The short story The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by Randall
Jarrell is a perfect representation of the monstrosity called war. Jarrell was an influential and gifted
writer who lived during WWII. One of his most famous pieces of writing, Gunner, lurched the
hearts of countless people around the country as they were able to get a brief feeling of what it
meant to be an aircraft gunner during this time. Within this minute work of literature, are deep
meanings waiting to be discovered. Within Randall Jarrell's Gunner, there are three messages that
can be derived. Within Gunner, it is obvious that war was very unpleasant for the people fighting it.
In the

B-24 Research Paper
B–17 and B–24 in World War II The model B–17 and B–24 airplanes are widely known as the most
iconic American bomber planes that were used in World War II. The airplanes were manufactured by
separate companies, and both produced over a ten year period with several thousands of each
manufactured. Without the introduction of these airplanes, the aerial combat of World War II would
have changed drastically and could potentially have changed the outcome of the war. The B–17 was
manufactured by Boeing in 1935, with the original prototype called the Model 299. This airplane
was the sole focus of the company during this point in time due to the USAAC (US Army Air
Corps) calling for proposals of airplane designs be sent to them, the most promising company would
receive a contract for 220 planes. On October 30, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
With newer and better technology coming out, the company planned on changing the specifications
to make a more modern airplane that later became known as the B–24. The B–24 made some
improvements including; "higher top speed, heavier bomb load" and other slight upgrades. (Aviation
history B–24) While there were several improvements it had one flaw that made it more of a sitting
target than the B–17; the max ceiling it could operate at was around four to seven thousand less
(depending on model) making the B–24 more susceptible to flak guns. Even with this flaw the
USAAC ordered more B–24's, so much so that the rest of the work had to be divided between Ford,
Douglas and North American. (Military history) Over eighteen thousand were made between the
four manufactures. The B–24 was later given the name "Liberator" after the British ordered them for
their Royal Air Force. Though the B–24 was created in mind of updating the B–17, the upgrades
were close enough to the newer versions of the B–17 that it became more common to see them
flying together in missions rather than replacing

Night Officer Ben Daz Biography
FLIGHT OFFICER BENJAMIN DIAZ PHOENIX Army Air Corps Entered Service in February
1944 Flight Engineer on B–29 444th Heavy Bombardment Group Aviation Cadet Ben Diaz began
preflight training in early 1944 at Washington State College where he took courses in English, math
and military history. He was then sent to the San Antonio Cadet Center in Texas, where in Janu– ary
1945 he completed Flight Engineer training. Next he pro– ceeded to Hando Air Field near San
Antonio and Smoky Hill Air Field near Salina, Kansas for B– 29 combat crew familiarization.1
Prior to being assigned to a squadron overseas, the war ended with the Japanese surrender on 1.
Photo courtesy of Benjamin Diaz 63 64 Arizona's Hispanic Flyboys 1941–1945 September 2, 1945.
Discharged from the service in February 1946, he returned to Phoenix. In 1947 Ben began civil
service employment as an avionics technician at Litchfield Park Navy Facility. When this facility
closed in 1966, he joined the US Air Force Reserve at ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
From Kwajalein Atoll where he was based with the 7th Air Force, he flew his first mission on April
17, 1944. This mission, to bomb the Japanese island of Saipan, would be one he would never forget.
It was a combined operation of army and navy units flying B–24s and its navy version, PB4Ys.
Returning from the target, Julio's plane begin "escort– ing" a damaged navy bomber, and for the
next 25 minutes, they man– aged to repel a swarm of enemy fighters attacking the two stragglers. As
the ball turret gunner, Sgt Diaz shared credit for shooting down a Zero and credited with a probable
for another. After a long flight, the navy plane was able to return to its base but the army plane was
not so fortu– nate. Suffering heavy damage and running out of fuel, they were forced to ditch in
rough seas about 280 miles short of their base.

War I Was No Standard Blueprint For A War Poet
A war poet is a poet in time of and on the subject of war. A substantial number of important poets
were soldiers, writing about their experiences of war. A number of them died on the battlefield,
others like Siegfried Sassoon and Randall Jarrell survived but were scarred by their experiences, and
some were just witnesses to the war like Thomas Hardy, and all of this was reflected in their poetry.
"Many poems were British and were published in newspapers and then collected into anthologies.
Several of these early anthologies were published during the war and were very popular, though the
tone of the poetry changed as the war progressed." (Santanu) "There was no standard blueprint for a
war poet; the War Poets were from a variety of backgrounds. The whole variety of backgrounds
gives a clear idea that the impact of war in the trenches hit everyone who served there. Forbidden
from writing home with any degree of accuracy or truth about the life they led, some put their
thoughts into a diary that could be kept in secret. Others put their thoughts into poems. Most of these
writers came from middle–class backgrounds; many had been to public schools and served as
officers at the front." (Truman) Poets that actually went to the trenches and saw action, the reality
appalled them, they were all either wounded or shell–shocked, or both. They wrote powerfully and
poignantly about the effects of war on the bodies and minds of men, the horror and the waste.
"These poems have largely

Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner
The poems "Disabled" by Wilfred Owen and "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" by Randall
Jarrell have several things in common with each other. For one, both poems discuss some of the
horrific aspects that war brings about in peoples' lives and the feelings it will cause for those
involved. They also illustrate the views of war by people in the two time periods, with many people
actually believing it to be a glorifying prospect, which is revealed within the stanzas as being falsity.
Each poem presents the way people were viewed during and after they served their time in the war,
and how they were treated as human beings. All of these things come together to paint a picture of
an era in time much different from the world we live in today, at ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Nowadays people who go off and fight overseas and come back with terrible wounds are respected
and sometimes even revered by those of us back home. Such was not the case during the time of
World War One, as shown by the way the man in "Disabled" is ignored and desensitized by the
people around him. They prefer to not even see him if they do not have to. In "The Death of the Ball
Turret Gunner" the gunner is dehumanized to the point where he is nothing more than dirt to be
washed out of the turret with a hose. This displays what effect war will have on the people who are
involved and survive appalling events such as the death of the gunner. Wilfred Owen's poem does a
virtuous job of depicting the view of war by young men at the time of World War One. The fact that
it mentions the young man lied about his age in order to volunteer for the war demonstrates the way
that teenagers at the time viewed the war as an opportunity for adventure, only to find that it was
nothing but hell on

Reflections On The Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner Essay

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Reflections On The Death Of The Ball Turret Gunner Essay