Beginning of Essay
From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. Six miles from Earth, loosed rom its dream of life. I woke to the black flak and the nightmare fighters. When I died they washed me o ....

Middle of Essay
.... during the "State" of war (line 1). He describes the disconnection he feels from Earth and what he calls it "dream of life" as if life only existed in birth and death (line 3). When he awakens to "black flak" and "nighmare fighters" he seems to imply that all that lies between birth and death is war (line 4). The theme to this poem emerges in the last line with almost a plea that he not be forgotten. When he says "they washed me out of the turret with a hose" he implies that there is nothing left including the memory of him and the war goes on. Works Cited Jarrell, Randall. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner." The Harper American L ....