Compare Kamikaze and The Emigrée: Grade 9 Thesis & Quotes (AQA)

Quick Comparison Grid (The “Ninja Cheat Sheet”)

1. Exile and Belonging: Rejection vs Displacement

Kamikaze:

• The pilot experiences social exile: despite surviving, he is treated “as though he no longer existed.”
• The third-person narration reflects the emotional distance imposed by shame and honour.
• Elite Link: The pilot’s return is not a homecoming but a punishment—survival becomes a betrayal of national identity.

The Emigrée:

• The speaker experiences physical exile: she is removed from her homeland by political upheaval.
• The first-person voice asserts ownership over memory, even when the state controls the physical place.
• Elite Link: By insisting the city is “mine,” the speaker resists political erasure through personal attachment.

Explore: Garland shows exile as something inflicted by society, while Rumens shows exile as something endured but internally resisted.

2. Memory as Survival: Awakening vs Preservation

Kamikaze:

• Memory of childhood and nature awakens the pilot’s instinct to live.
• The sensory imagery of fish and sea contrasts with the ideological “incantations.”
• Elite Link: Memory interrupts indoctrination, revealing the fragility of state control over the human conscience.

The Emigrée:

• Memory preserves an idealized homeland untouched by political violence.
• The city is personified, reinforcing emotional continuity.
• Elite Link: Memory becomes an act of defiance, protecting identity against the “shadow” of the regime.

Explore: In Kamikaze, memory triggers a decisive action; in The Emigrée, memory sustains long-term resistance.

3. Structure: Containment vs Fluidity

Kamikaze:

• The regular stanza structure reflects rigid cultural expectations.
• Enjambment reveals inner deviation and emotional drift.
• Elite Link: The pilot’s silence mirrors his lack of agency within both society and the poem.

The Emigrée:

• The loose stanza structure and enjambment reflect emotional movement between past and present.
• Absence of rhyme mirrors instability and loss.
• Elite Link: The expanding final stanza suggests the speaker’s refusal to let memory fade.

Explore: Garland uses structure to reinforce confinement, while Rumens uses structure to allow memory to flow freely.

Context Comparison (AO3 Power Move)

Elite Insight: Garland’s pilot is exiled for choosing life, while Rumens’s speaker is exiled for surviving history—both reveal how nations punish individuals who do not conform.

Exam Sentence Starters

1. “While Garland presents social exile as a punishment for rejecting nationalistic ideology, Rumens explores emotional exile as a consequence of political displacement…”
2. “Both poets use memory as a form of resistance: Garland through the pilot’s awakening to life, and Rumens through the preservation of an idealized homeland…”
3. “Garland’s restrained, third-person narration contrasts with Rumens’s lyrical first-person voice, highlighting different responses to exile…”
4. “The rigid stanza structure of Kamikaze reflects containment and shame, whereas the fluid structure of The Emigrée reflects emotional freedom and resilience…”
5. “Contextually, Garland critiques the Bushido honour culture, while Rumens reflects the universal experience of displacement caused by war…”

FAQs

What is the best poem to compare with Kamikaze?

The Emigrée works well for exile and identity. You can also compare it to Poppies for family impact, or Remains for psychological aftermath.

What is the best poem to compare with The Emigrée?

Kamikaze is ideal for exile caused by national ideology. Alternatively, compare it to Checking Out Me History for heritage and memory, or London for hostile environments.

What is the best theme linking Kamikaze and The Emigrée?

Exile, Memory, and Identity—both poems show how identity survives when physical belonging is taken away.

What quotes should I compare between Kamikaze and The Emigrée?

• “They treated him as though he no longer existed” (Kamikaze) vs. “I am branded by an impression of sunlight” (Emigrée)—social erasure vs. personal permanence.
• “Powerful incantations” (Kamikaze) vs. “My city comes to me in its own white plane” (Emigrée)—ideology vs. memory.
• “Which had been the better way to die” (Kamikaze) vs. “My shadow falls as evidence of sunlight” (Emigrée)—survival vs. resilient identity.

How do I compare structure in Kamikaze and The Emigrée?

Garland uses regular stanzas and enjambment to reflect social containment and inner conflict. Rumens uses enjambment and an expanding final stanza to reflect emotional continuity and resistance. Both use form to shape responses to exile.

What is a Grade 9 thesis for Kamikaze vs. The Emigrée?

“While Garland presents the social exile and enforced silence of a man who survives by rejecting a nationalistic death-cult, Rumens explores the emotional exile and memory-driven resistance of a speaker separated from her homeland.”

Read Next

• Kamikaze Revision Sheet
• The Emigrée Revision Sheet
• Power & Conflict Comparisons Hub