Bruce Weigl's Burning Shit at An Khe: People are Products of Their Environments
Michaela Pacheco
Ms. Talbot
American Studies II
June 11, 2013
What Makes a Worthless Piece of Shit? The environment people are put in often dictates their actions and reactions, which in turn shape who they are. Additionally, when a person is constantly degraded by their surroundings, it has a large, sweeping impact on their formation as a person. Bruce Weigl’s poem “Burning Shit at An Khe” is a manifestation of this concept of how people are products of their environments. Through diction, tone, and mood, Weigl conveys the message that it is not what a person does, rather how things are done unto them, that defines who they are. Weigl utilizes very strong word choice in this poem to really help to get his message across. The proof is right there in the title- “Burning SHIT at An Khe”- which leaves the reader automatically with a feeling about the tone of the poem. Weigl’s strong diction doesn’t stop there, though. He uses his vocabulary, even the smallest words, to twist and turn the reader’s thoughts into this mass that doubles back on itself and produces a hatred for the war and a sadness for the speaker. In lines three through five, Weigl says “eventually/ You had to do something/Because it just kept piling up.” Not only does his use of the word “had” imply that the action necessary was more forceful than voluntary, but his vagueness with the words “it just kept piling up” is so nonspecific that it alludes to not only the excrement in the camp toilets (the literal meaning), but the burdens of the war as well. Even though the men could literally burn the shit away and sort of clear that mess, the burdens were never burned away. They were constantly carried around in minds and knapsacks and in stress. Additionally, Weigl’s diction returns when he says in line 20, “And gagged the whole heart of myself.” The decision to use “whole heart” really clenches the emotions and thoughts behind this literal burning shit. It leaves the reader wondering: what are the
Ms. Talbot
American Studies II
June 11, 2013
What Makes a Worthless Piece of Shit? The environment people are put in often dictates their actions and reactions, which in turn shape who they are. Additionally, when a person is constantly degraded by their surroundings, it has a large, sweeping impact on their formation as a person. Bruce Weigl’s poem “Burning Shit at An Khe” is a manifestation of this concept of how people are products of their environments. Through diction, tone, and mood, Weigl conveys the message that it is not what a person does, rather how things are done unto them, that defines who they are. Weigl utilizes very strong word choice in this poem to really help to get his message across. The proof is right there in the title- “Burning SHIT at An Khe”- which leaves the reader automatically with a feeling about the tone of the poem. Weigl’s strong diction doesn’t stop there, though. He uses his vocabulary, even the smallest words, to twist and turn the reader’s thoughts into this mass that doubles back on itself and produces a hatred for the war and a sadness for the speaker. In lines three through five, Weigl says “eventually/ You had to do something/Because it just kept piling up.” Not only does his use of the word “had” imply that the action necessary was more forceful than voluntary, but his vagueness with the words “it just kept piling up” is so nonspecific that it alludes to not only the excrement in the camp toilets (the literal meaning), but the burdens of the war as well. Even though the men could literally burn the shit away and sort of clear that mess, the burdens were never burned away. They were constantly carried around in minds and knapsacks and in stress. Additionally, Weigl’s diction returns when he says in line 20, “And gagged the whole heart of myself.” The decision to use “whole heart” really clenches the emotions and thoughts behind this literal burning shit. It leaves the reader wondering: what are the