The airman is ultimately resigned to death because he feels that the "years to come seemed waste of breath, / A waste of breath the years behind".

John "Paddy'' Hemingway, an Irish national who enlisted in the Royal Air Force before the war began ... goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge ...

If you are studying An Irish Airman Foresees his Death you are studying the Conflict anthology. The following is an example of the type of question you will get. An Irish Airman Forsees His Death ...