Out of the Blue – 12 by Simon Armitage explores the final thoughts of a man at a window of the North Tower of the World Trade Centre during the September 11 terror attack.
The poem is a moving examination of many of the themes surrounding conflict, attacks and the individual in the midst of death and danger.
This study guide is written for students and teachers of English Literature, particularly those studying CCEA’s GCSE English Literature Conflict Poetry Anthology. At the bottom of this study guide, you will find links to other study guides in the anthology. In addition, there are suggestions for comparison poems to support students with examination preparation.
Context: Simon Armitage's life and career
Simon Armitage was born in 1963 in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, and grew up in the village of Marsden. He attended Huddersfield Polytechnic, where he received a BA with Honours in Geography. After completing his degree, he worked as a probation officer for several years before embarking on his writing career. (Source: “Simon Armitage.” Poetry Foundation. Accessed 2nd January 2024 https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/simon-armitage)
Armitage has published numerous poetry collections, including Zoom!, The Shout: Selected Poems, and his latest, Magnetic Field: The Marsden Poems. He has also written several translations, including Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In addition to his writing, Armitage has worked as a radio and television presenter and has collaborated with musicians and visual artists. He was elected Oxford Professor of Poetry in 2015 and in 2019, he became Poet Laureate, taking over the mantel from Carol Ann Duffy. (Source: “Simon Armitage.” British Council. Accessed 2nd January 2024. https://literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/simon-armitage)
Armitage’s work is influenced by his Yorkshire heritage and his interest in history and nature. He has cited the poets Ted Hughes and Philip Larkin as important influences, sharing their dark humour and cynicism in many of his own works, as well as the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf. Armitage’s poetry often explores the themes of identity, loss, and memory, and his use of language is marked by its clarity and accessibility. (Source: “Simon Armitage.” Poetry Foundation. Accessed 2nd January 2024. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/simon-armitage)
If you enjoyed ‘Out of the Blue‘, you may also some of Armitage’s other poems: ‘I am very bothered’ which recounts the autobiographical story of the speaker’s childhood misdeeds; ‘Kid’ which tells the Batman and Robin story from Robin’s point of view; and ‘Remains’, a soldier’s story of trauma sparked by memories of war. Check out the study guides by clicking the links below:
Context: Out of the Blue and the World Trade Centre
On 11th September 2001, al-Qaeda (an Islamic terrorist organisation) hijacked four commercial jet planes and brought about the most shocking attack on US soil in recent history. This attack was out of the blue. Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre, the heart of American banking, killing 2,977 people. Armitage wrote Out of the Blue in 2006, the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, from the point of view of an English trader working in the North Tower.
‘Out of the Blue’ contains 13 poems telling the story of the realisation, fear, panic and, to some extent, acceptance, of those trapped inside. This poem, number 12, is the penultimate poem.
Out of the Blue - 12
You have picked me out.
Through a distant shot of a building burning
you have noticed now
that a white cotton shirt is twirling, turning.
In fact I am waving, waving.
Small in the clouds, but waving, waving.
Does anyone see
a soul worth saving?
So when will you come?
Do you think you are watching, watching
a man shaking crumbs
or pegging out washing?
I am trying and trying.
The heat behind me is bullying, driving,
but the white of surrender is not yet flying.
I am not at the point of leaving, diving.
A bird goes by.
The depth is appalling. Appalling
that others like me
should be wind-milling, wheeling, spiralling, falling.
Are your eyes believing,
believing
that here in the gills
I am still breathing.
But tiring, tiring.
Sirens below are wailing, firing.
My arm is numb and my nerves are sagging.
Do you see me, my love. I am failing, flagging.
Line-by-line analysis of Out of the Blue - 12
Stanza 1
You have picked me out.
- The observer is immediately addressed, suggesting a sense of being watched. Immediately, the reader wonders about the almost voyeristic nature of watching others suffer, and using images of suffering in the media.
- The personal pronoun ‘me’, along with the present perfect tense (‘have picked’) creates a sense of immediacy.
Through a distant shot of a building burning
- Imagery of a burning building introduces a sense of chaos and urgency.
- Distance implies a separation or disconnection from the event, as the observer is safe, while the speaker is trapped in the building.
- The word ‘shot’ is open to interpretation: it could refer to a photographic shot, and this fits with the mass media coverage of 9/11. However, the other meaning of ‘shot’ ie with a gun, is not irrelevant here, as the subject matter of the poem is a terror attack.
you have noticed now
- Recognition of the speaker’s presence intensifies the sense of being singled out.
- Enjambment is used between lines 2-4 to create a conversational tone. The reader does not yet feel the urgency of later stanzas.
- The alliteration of ‘noticed now’ adds sound and some stress to the end of the line.
that a white cotton shirt is twirling, turning.
- Visual imagery of a twirling shirt introduces a surreal element. The verbs are almost playful, and again, the urgency and fear have not been realised.
- The choice of a white cotton shirt becomes significant symbol later in the poem.
Stanza 2
In fact I am waving, waving.
- Repetition of ‘waving’ emphasises the speaker’s attempt to communicate or signal, and the urgency begins to creep in.
- The first person voice of the speaker explaining his actions in the present tense adds to the surreal effect.
Small in the clouds, but waving, waving.
- Contrast between smallness and waving heightens the speaker’s vulnerability.
- Repetition reinforces the persistence of the waving, suggesting desperation.
Does anyone see
- The direct question prompts reflection on the observer’s role and responsibility.
- Suggests a plea for acknowledgment and assistance.
- The rhetorical nature of the question is haunting.
a soul worth saving?
- The question finishes on this line, raising existential questions about the value of an individual life, similar to many of the poems collected in war and conflict anthologies.
- Sibilance (soul/saving) highlights the haunting nature of this line.
- Implies a plea for recognition of the speaker’s humanity.
Stanza 3
So when will you come?
- The second direct plea for assistance here intensifies the urgency of the situation.
- The direct address to this unidentified observer adds to the desperation in seeking help.
Do you think you are watching, watching
- Repetition of ‘watching’ emphasises the observer’s role.
- Anadiplosis is used in ‘watching, watching a man …’ (repetition of a word at the end of one phrase and the start of another). In addition, enjambment moves the idea straight into the next line, disrupting the rhythm of the stanza. These devices create an increasing sense of panic and chaos as the speaker realises that those watching from a distance cannot understand or help.
- The use of a question engages the reader in the speaker’s plight.
a man shaking crumbs
- The mundane image of ‘shaking crumbs’ contrasts with the reality of the speaker’s life-and-death scenario.
- The reader is forced to contrast the triviality of everyday concerns in the face of a crisis.
or pegging out washing?
- Another mundane activity contrasts with the gravity of the situation.
- The question from the speaker about misunderstanding his wave highlights the disconnection between the observer’s world and the speaker’s predicament.
Stanza 4
I am trying and trying.
- The repetition of ‘trying’ underscores the speaker’s persistent efforts and implies a struggle against overwhelming odds.
- The end stop on this line suggests the futility of his efforts.
The heat behind me is bullying, driving,
- Personification of heat creates an oppressive, threatening atmosphere.
- The two present participle (‘-ing’) verbs side by side, separated by a caesura to create a pause, emphasises the external forces pressuring the speaker.
but the white of surrender is not yet flying.
- The symbolism of the white color represents surrender.
- The speaker’s refusal to surrender adds a layer of resilience.
I am not at the point of leaving, diving.
- The speaker asserts a determination to endure, supporting the previous line.
- The imagery of diving symbolises a drastic, irreversible decision that he is not yet ready to make, and yet the dramatic irony is loud in the reader’s mind: we know many people jumped in a desperate attempt to save themselves.
- Armitage repeats the structure of the two present participles (‘leaving, diving’), creating more of the sense of desperation and fear, despite the assertion that the speaker isn’t ready to accept his death.
Stanza 5
A bird goes by.
- Nature’s presence interrupts the human drama with the bird flying by. This acts as a reminder of the height and therefore the danger of escaping the burning building.
- The brevity and factual nature of this line emphasises the fleeting nature of life while also creating the impression that the speaker is frozen in time.
The depth is appalling. Appalling
- Anadiplosis (repetition of ‘appalling’ at the end of the sentence and the start of the following one) intensifies the emotional impact of the depth, suggesting profound despair in the speaker’s thinking.
- The choice of ‘appalling’ conveys a sense of horror or shock.
- The choice of the word ‘depth’ reminds the reader that the speaker’s point of view is from a great height, and so by looking down, he sees it as depth rather than height.
that others like me
- This line implies that there are others facing similar peril, broadening the scope and making the situation more universal.
- The repeated use of the personal pronoun ‘me’ keeps the haunting nature of this internal monologue.
should be wind-milling, wheeling, spiralling, falling.
- Vivid present participle verbs depict a chaotic descent, emphasising the peril of the situation.
- The panicked actions of others around him mirrors the escalating intensity of the crisis.
- The lengthening of this line mixed among the short lines around it reflects the increasing chaos of the situation.
Stanza 6
Are your eyes believing,
- The question challenges the reality of the speaker’s predicament, inviting the observer to question their perception.
believing
- Repetition of the word ‘believing’ emphasises the significance of ‘believing’.
- The shortness of this line and the chopped up structure of the sentence reflects the increasing panic felt by the speaker, and the increasing chaos of the unfolding situation.
that here in the gills
- The unusual imagery compares the speaker’s location to the gills of a creature.
- This metaphor conveys a sense of confinement or suffocation.
I am still breathing.
- The extended metaphor of breathing (see ‘gills’ in the previous line) contrasts with the dire circumstances of the choking smoke.
- Again, the speaker declares his resilience and his will to survive.
Stanza 7
But tiring, tiring.
- As the poem draws to an end, the speaker acknowledges his weariness and fatigue in the face of peril.
- The repetition of ‘tiring’ emphasises his physical and emotional exhaustion.
Sirens below are wailing, firing.
- The auditory imagery of sirens adds to the chaotic atmosphere.
- The verbs “wailing” and “firing” convey urgency and danger, again repeating the structure of previous stanzas, creating haunting echoes.
My arm is numb and my nerves are sagging.
- The speaker’s physical sensations emphasise the toll of the ordeal on the his body.
- The choice of ‘sagging’ conveys a sense of weakness.
- The parallel phrases on either side of the conjunction ‘and’ creates a sense of finality and defeat, heightened by the end stop.
Do you see me, my love. I am failing, flagging.
- A direct address to a loved one intensifies the emotional weight. This line echoes the desperate phone calls and voice messages left by victims of the 9/11 attack.
- The admission of failure and flagging is emphasised by the alliterative ‘f’ sound.
- This final line is the climax of the poem with its emotive plea and surrender to the panic in jumping.
- Armitage again uses the now familiar structure of two present participle verbs separated by a comma. The pause between the verbs is only brief, giving a sense of the story being unfinished and allowing for the final poem in the series to tell the final installment.
Form and structure analysis
What is the form and verse structure of 'Out of the Blue - 12'?
Out of the Blue – 12 is written in seven quatrains (four line verses), creating a somewhat regular structure. Despite this regularity, the line length and rhythm varies hugely, creating a lack of consistent structure. The tension between structure and chaos in the form and structure of this poem reflects the chaos and scale of the attack.
What is the rhyme scheme of 'Out of the Blue - 12'?
What are the main themes of 'Out of the Blue'?
9/11 (September 11th) terror attack
The poem explores the conflict of the 9/11 attacks through the eyes of a fictionalised victim. The poem focuses on the emotions of determination, fear and panic rather than on the conflict itself, but nonetheless, the references to the burning building, distant shots, and the speaker’s plight allude to the 9/11 attacks. Violence and terrorism are the source of the conflict in this poem, and while the specifics of this are not referred to, the consequences of fire, pain and death are very real.
Loss and grief
Armitage captures the profound sense of loss and grief experienced by those directly affected by the attacks and the broader global community. Both the speaker and the observer represent a much larger groups: the collapsing towers symbolise the destruction of lives and the emotional aftermath of such a catastrophic event.
Resilience and hope
Amidst the darkness and despair, the poem also hints at the resilience of the human spirit, represented in the speaker’s determination not to give up. It suggests that, even in the face of tragedy, there is a capacity for hope and the possibility of rebuilding and moving forward.
Comprehension Questions on 'Out of the Blue' by Simon Armitage:
- What is the central event or incident described in the poem, and how does the poet portray it?
- Explore the significance of the title, ‘Out of the Blue.’ How does it relate to the content and themes of the poem?
- Analyse the use of imagery in the poem, especially focusing on the visual elements such as the building burning and the white cotton shirt. How do these images contribute to the overall impact of the poem?
- Discuss the emotional tone of the poem. How does Armitage convey the complex emotions associated with the aftermath of a traumatic event?
- What role does the speaker play in the poem, and how does their perspective shape the reader’s understanding of the events described?
- Examine the figurative language used in the poem, such as metaphors, personification and symbolism. How do these literary devices enhance the poem’s themes?
- Consider the absence of a strict rhyme scheme and meter in the poem. How does the form contribute to the overall effect of the poem, and why might the poet have chosen this structure?
- Explore the theme of resilience in the face of tragedy. How does the poem suggest a there is hope, despite the overwhelming tragedy?
- Analyse the impact of enjambment and varied line lengths on the pacing and rhythm of the poem. How do these structural choices contribute to the overall flow of the poem?
- What poem would you pick to compare/contrast with ‘Out of the Blue’? Make a list of the points of comparison between these two poems and the points of contrast.
'Out of the Blue - 12' compares well with:
While the settings and contexts of these two poems are vastly different (providing scope for contrast), both poems explore the psyche of an individual in the midst of a terrifying, life-and-death moment. Both poems explore the desire to live despite overwhelming odds against them. In addition, both poems refer to nature as a point of contrast to the destruction wreaked by mankind.
Get your CCEA Conflict Poetry Knowledge Organiser to make revision that little bit easier.
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