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"Military gear" by Benjamin Faust is licensed under CC0

“Boy Soldier” from The Rose of Toulouse by Fred D'Aguiar. Copyright © 2013 by Fred D’Aguiar. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Boy SoldierBy Fred D'Aguiar

2013

Fred D’Aguiar is a British-Guyanese poet, playwright, and novelist. In this poem from his book, The Rose ofToulouse, a speaker describes a young soldier in a war zone. As you read, take notes on how the speakerdescribes the soldier and his actions.

What a smile! One large lamp for a face,smaller lanterns where skin stretches overbones waiting for muscle, body all angles.

His Kalashnikov1 fires at each movingthing before he knows what he dragsdown. He halts movement of everykind and fails to weigh whom he stops

dead or maims,2 his bulletslike jabs thrown before the thoughtto throw them, involuntary shudderswhen someone, somewhere, steps over

his shallow, unmarked, mass grave.But his smile remains undimmed,inviting, not knowing what hit him,what snuffs out the wicks in his eyes.

Except that he moves and a face just likehis figures like him to stop all actionwith a flick of finger on the trigger.

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1. a type of rifle made in Russia2. Maim (verb): to injure someone so that part of the body is permanently damaged

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Text-Dependent QuestionsDirections: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Which statement best expresses the theme of the poem?A. Young soldiers don’t know what they’re getting into when they sign up for war.B. Children often make up a majority of the casualties during a war.C. Child soldiers don’t think through their actions and often become victims of war.D. Military groups don’t require their young soldiers to be properly trained.

2. PART B: Which detail from the poem best supports the answer to Part A?A. “What a smile! One large lamp for a face,/smaller lanterns where skin stretches

over” (Lines 1-2)B. “involuntary shudders/when someone, somewhere, steps over/his shallow,

unmarked, mass grave.” (Lines 10-12)C. “But his smile remains undimmed/ inviting, not knowing what hit him,” (Lines

13-14)D. “and a face just like/his figures like him to stop all action/ with a flick of finger on

the trigger.” (Lines 16-18)

3. How are the details of the boy soldier’s appearance (Lines 1-3) important to thedevelopment of the poem’s theme?

A. They emphasize how young the soldier is.B. They suggest that the boy is happy as a soldier.C. They hint at the boy’s eventual demise.D. They demonstrate how boys make good soldiers.

4. How impact does “undimmed” (Line 13) have on the meaning of the poem?A. It illustrates how sudden the soldier’s death was.B. It suggests the soldier is happy to leave the war.C. It shows that his death was peaceful.D. It stresses how full of life the soldier is.

5. How does the final stanza (Lines 16-18) contribute to the theme of the poem? Use detailsfrom the poem to support your answer.

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Discussion QuestionsDirections: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared toshare your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. In the poem, the speaker describes the boy soldier as not expecting his death. Do you thinkyoung people who go to war are able to fully understand the risks of war? Why or why not?

2. In the poem, the speaker describes the boy as being killed by another boy soldier like him.How do you think the boy soldiers who kill other soldiers are impacted by their actionsduring war?

3. In the poem, the speaker describes the boy soldiers as impulsive when they shoot at anymovement they see. How do you think these child soldiers understand the world aroundthem? How would you feel if you were in their position?

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