About the Author
Who is Randall Jarrell?
This American poet, who served in the US Army Air Forces during WWII, wrote "Losses"
Who are bomber crews?
The poem reflects the experiences of this group of WWII military personnel
What is detachment?
The theme that highlights how soldiers feel emotionally disconnected from their actions
In the first stanza, soldiers’ deaths are compared to these trivial occurrences.
Aunts, pets, or foreigners
What is The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner?
Jarrell's most famous poem about a gunner's tragic death in war.
What is England?
The primary setting where the soldiers conduct their bombing missions
What is personification?
This literary device shows how the cities in the poem seem to question the soldiers' deaths
The poem describes soldiers dying due to this, rather than actual combat
Accidents or mistakes
Along with poetry, Randall Jarrell was also known for this literary profession
Literary critic
What is target practice (or training ranges)?
The war practice activity mentioned, where soldiers fire at fake targets
What is dehumanization?
The theme that reveals how war turns human lives into mere numbers
The poem states that soldiers bomb these places they once learned about in school
Cities
One of Randall Jarrell's poetry collections that explores themes of war and human suffering.
The Lost World
What is dehumanization?
The poem criticizes this aspect of war, where human deaths are reduced to mere statistics
What are the cities?
The symbol representing the soldiers' inability to see the people they destroy.
In the final stanza, the speaker dreams that they are this.
Dead
The war during which Jarrell served and which inspired much of his writing.
World War II
What are bombers?
The type of planes described in the poem, often named after girls.
What is the absurdity of war?
The irrationality and meaningless destruction depicted in the poem symbolize this.
The poem implies that soldiers’ deaths are treated this way by military officials.
Statistics or low casualties