Randall Jarrell Poems Ball Turret Gunner

Hunched upside down in his little sphere he looked like the fetus in the womb.

Randall jarrell poems ball turret gunner. Randall jarrell the death of the ball. This poem has sat with me for many years ever since i first read it. From my mother s sleep i fell into the state and i hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. It was only very recently that i discovered that this was my father s position in the war.

At that time i had no idea what a ball turret gunner was and upon reading about it got chills. Published in 1945 it drew directly from his own involvement with military aircraft and airmen during ww2. When this gunner tracked with his machine guns a fighter attacking his bomber from below he revolved with the turret. When this gunner tracked with his machine guns a fighter attacking his bomber from below he revolved with the turret.

Poet and critic randall jarrell was born in nashville tennessee. The poet s own explanation of the poem was a ball turret was a plexiglas sphere set into the belly of a b 17 or b 24 and inhabited by two 50 caliber machine guns and one man a short small man. Randall jarrell poems the death of the ball turret gunner. When i died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.

Jarrell s collections of poetry included blood for a stranger 1942 two collections based on his experiences as an air force training navigator in. It is about the death of a gunner in a sperry ball turret on a world war ii american bomber aircraft. Six miles from earth loosed from its dream of life i woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. A list of poems by randall jarrell known for his essays criticism and poetry randall jarrell was born in 1914 the academy of american poets is the largest membership based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting american poets.

Hunched upside down in his little sphere he looked like the fetus in the womb. Find poems find poets poem a day library texts books more materials for teachers poetry near you the death of the ball turret gunner randall jarrell 1914 1965. It was not dying. The death of the ball turret gunner is a five line poem by randall jarrell published in 1945.

From my mother s sleep i fell into the state and i hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. The poet s own explanation of the poem was a ball turret was a plexiglas sphere set into the belly of a b 17 or b 24 and inhabited by two 50 caliber machine guns and one man a short small man. Randall jarrell s poem the death of the ball turret gunner can be found in many anthologies and is his most well known work. As a child he spent time in los angeles where his grandparents lived and he would later write movingly about the city in the lost world one of his best known poems.

It still gives me chills. Jarrell packs so much in so few lines it s absolutely brilliant.