Character(s)
Who is the main character of the story?
The Irish airman, or the poethic voice.
What are the two countries that the poem makes reference to?
The United Kingdom (Britain) and Ireland.
What is the basic plot of the poem?
As the title says, an airman is foreseeing his death while in the clouds, thinking about the impact of what he is doing will have in both his life and his people.
How are the rhymes in the poem?
ABAB
How can we confirm that the character in the poem is, in fact, and airman?
Because of the references to the sky such as "among the clouds above" and "in the clouds".
In what period of time is the story set?
During the First World War.
The word "balance" can be related to two different things in the poem. What are they?
The balance the plane needs while flying and the balance his life will be once he dies.
How can we confirm that the main character is, in fact, Irish?
Because of the reference to Kiltartan, which is a parish in county Galway, in Ireland.
What are the paradoxes in the poem? Explain them.
"Those that I fight I do not hate" and "Those that I guard I do not love".
What is the impact of using the indefinite article in the title of the poem?
With the indefinite article, the poem does not have a specific speaker, therefore, it could refer to any Irish airman.
Does the character think it is important to participate in this war? Explain.
No, because he feels that the war will not make his people happier or that it will bring them sorrow.
Why does the character fly?
Because of "A lonely impulse of delight".
How can we notice the pessimistic aspect of Modernism in the poem?
We can see it in the character who does not seem to see an importance in his past nor in his future life, so death would be, as he says "In balance with this life, this death".