The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Jackson JarrellRandall Jackson Jarrell was born on May 6, 1914 in Nashville, Tennessee. He was the first child of Campbell and Owen Jarrell. He attended Hume-Fogg High School in Nashville and later graduated. He then attended Vanderbilt University thanks to the generosity of his uncle Howell Campbell. His teacher, John Crowe Ransom, considered him "by far the best of the young writers in his workshop." Jarrell later taught at some renowned colleges and universities. He also joined the army and wanted to become an artilleryman, but failed. Jarrell had a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized for a while. He was discharged from the medical center. He was returning from the doctor and was fatally hit by a car on October 14, 1965. "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" really has no verse or rhyme scheme, so it would be classified as regular meter. It has five lines and is a beautiful poem. It really could have many different meanings, depending on who the reader is. The main meaning that people often hear about is that this guy is a ball turret gunner and was chosen to go into battle. When the wind hits his jacket, it freezes, and then, without warning, the enemy destroys his body. The only thing the guys on the ground could do to get his mutilated body out is to wash off the turret. Many people believe that this poem was influenced by his experience in the Air Force. Jarrell wanted to be a gunner. When his opportunity arose, he was not chosen to be the gunner. He was then transferred to Tucson to serve as a member of the B-29 crew. On the other hand there are some people who have criticized the poem. They say "Jarrell shouldn't talk about the horrors of war and let people discover them when he has to go to war"..