If I Die in a Combat Zone is an intense personal account of Tim O'Brien's tour of duty in Vietnam. He absolutely hated the fact of going to war. He starts off as a cocky college student, and through the course of the book, he changes. O'Brien uses very vivid descriptions of the terrain, weather and of the conflicts in which his Company is involved.…
Ethos is used when he explains the situation about his son in the Army. Barno basically explains how his son was deployed multiple times to the Middle East. He explains, “When our youngest son, an Army pilot, was called to go back after completing his first tour, I was suddenly angry” (19). Even though, Barno is a retired lieutenant general he knows what it is like to have a son deployed multiple times. Pathos is used when describing the scheme used by the well-off to avoid getting drafted. Barno writes, “And for each of those who sidestepped the call, some other, less fortunate young man was called up to take his place. Some of whom, of course, never came back . . .” (18). This affects the reader emotionally by expressing the reality of war. Logos is used when the number troops are compared between a war fought with draftees to a war fought with only volunteers. There were reported 1.2 million soldiers during the Vietnam War, 16 million serving during World War 2, and 560,00 troops serving right now. These numbers support Barno’s claim that not having a draft increases deployments on soldiers. Therefore, they are forced to face the horrors of war time after…
Many people react to the bleak truth of the US history in many ways however all can agree that it is filled with many hardships and unethical practices, however this is what makes us who we are this, being an unchangeable part of our history we can only see how it affected the people around it. In the poem Ball Turret Gunner and the Sweetheart of the song, the main characters both come to realization that you are disposable and they you can be easily replaced. In the poem the ball turret gunner, the main character tells a story in the third person about how he got all this training and he was told how he would be protected and then on his first time out he was ripped to shreds, he then uses incredibly well created lines to develop his sense…
Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People” is a short story about the connection between one’s soul and life. The story centers around Hulga (Joy) Hopewell and the life-changing experience she has with a traveling Bible salesman (Meyer 265). As a whole, “Good Country People” shows how a person’s point of view can affect the experiences they have. At the beginning of the story, Mrs. Hopewell (Hulga’s mother) has a positive experience with the Bible salesman.…
One of the most credited poets throughout the Civil War period was Walt Whitman, who wrote about the hardships of war in his work. In particular, two of his poems are not only heavily intertwined based on topic, but in structure and used literary techniques. “Beat! Beat! Drums!” and “O Captain! O Captain!” both share many similar qualities among figurative, sound and structural devices that Whitman uses to help further enhance the theme of how negatively war can impact individuals.…
This book embodies all of the facets that go along with love and death, during a volatile time of war. O 'Brien captures the theme of emotional conflict and how strongly it affects soldiers in a brilliant way. By correlating mundane goods with intangibles like feelings and emotion, he successfully points out all of the angles of war that the lay person generally cannot comprehend. He compels the reader to understand not just the daily grind of war, but how the little things can bring important things in life into perspective. He digs under the surface of the tangible items to demonstrate a much greater meaning to these mens lives. In essence, the soldiers are defined by the things they…
Upon researching for Civil War era songs, I noticed there was a pattern between the lines of the songs. They were pleasing poetry, with a simple arrangement to be played on the piano and was easily memorable to sing to others. They ranged as far from political ideas, to heroes in war, loved one's misfortune, and plenty more. Each song I listened, I felt the emotion that was poured on to the writing. I can see how it resonated in many citizens and how it the words would spread so quickly. These songs were expressing how many felt during that time period. The war was so bloody and many were injured or killed, it was a time of anguish and suffering- whether that be economically, politically, and/or socially. I think the song, Lorena, does accurately reflect the era. People could relate to it and it subtly opens the idea that everything the person is exposed too, makes them slowly get detached from their lover. They can't control it, but they can still remember the sweet few memories of the past to hold on to, to keep their sanity in this war. The song Lorena was very popular during the Civil War due to this, as the soldiers began to think of their…
My analysis of a song “The Aftermath (G3)” is by Escape the Fate. Escape the Fate’s stand in the music world is with the genre of post-hardcore and alternative metal from Las Vegas, Nevada. The band has gone through obstacles to get them where they are today. One song stood out from the rest that was written by their vocalist, Craig Mabbitt. The song was produced in their recent album Escape the Fate, that was released on November 2, 2010 as the closing track. Mabbitt uses several examples of logos, ethos, and pathos in the track to tell people soldiers will struggle from the trauma of war.…
This poem strongly represents my own perspective of protest, as I naturally agree and appreciate the messages conveyed throughout. This image truly stimulated an emotional response, which made me feel a strong sense of pity for the fallen soldiers.…
Americans, more than any country, tend to be very prideful of our young, yet extensive, war repertoire. Although there is nothing coherently wrong with this feeling of pride, we often forget the sacrifices made in the form of lives, in order for those iconic images to be taken. In James Bradley’s Flags of Our Fathers, he makes sure to emphasize the outer effects of war that reaches past that of what we can see in those instilled images. Specifically, the hundreds of thousands of soldiers that helped lead to victory and who were not credited, and also the families that were crippled by this sense of emptiness and fear while their sons sacrificed their lives for their country. He also made sure the mention the effect media had on those that were home and unaffiliated with the war, and how in turn it inspired boys to be thrown into situations beyond what they expected. As the book follows the individual lives that raised the flag in Iwo Jima, we get to see from a close perspective how the war really looked liked, instead of how it was often depicted. Although pictures are used to tell our story as a nation, it fails to exemplify the degree of suffering that all those men had to go through.…
The Robert Shaw Chorale ’s Yankee Doodle track in their 1962 album, ‘Battle Cry of Freedom’, for instance, is a personal favorite. The marching accompaniment exudes a triumphant pomp befitting the victors’ rallying song. The collective strength of a full orchestra presents vivid aural imagery of soldiers singing in unison. And finally, its fast-running flair reminds the listener that the song is meant as much to be fun and celebratory as it is to be patriotic – as much pointing a finger as putting hand over heart.…
Americans say “We support our troops” but do we really, and to what extent? In David Finkel’s Thank You For Your Service, people see the real side of the majority of our troops when they come home from war and need mental help. Finkel uses figurative language such as repetition, schemes and tropes such as anaphora, and vivid imagery and diction all to help support his goal of showing the reader how much support our troops really…
The huge sign reads “Welcome home daddy!” as the little girl runs and jumps into her father’s arms at the airport. In Carrie Underwood’s song “See You Again” there are many clips of soldiers returning home in the music video. This song reminds today’s society that they will be reunited with their loved ones, whether in this life or the next. Underwood released this song just a few months ago, after the Sandy Hook shootings and the Oklahoma tornadoes. It has become impossible not to notice that today’s society has begun to lose hope in the world. “See You Again” shows us the raw images and reasons that the society has begun to lose hope, but it reminds the population that we must find and maintain hope, because without hope today’s society has nothing. Underwood reminds people that there is so much in the world to hope for; that they must rid themselves from the negative mindsets, and begin to work to better the world again. “See You Again” demonstrates a heartwarming message through strong tension, lyrics, and many images that state today’s society must rediscover and keep hope.…
Poetry is a powerful tool used to exemplify and illustrate a message so inspirational, it will remain in the hearts and minds of one for ever. The new television show ‘Get Poetic’ has allowed the re-introduction of artistic poetry, to continue inspiring thousands of people. As our world faces the potential horrors of war every day, it is important to familiarise people with the apprehension it retains. It is essential a vast audience is introduced to the fascinating work of Bob Dylan on an episode of ‘Get Poetic’. Bob Dylan’s ‘Masters of War’ is a prestigious piece of protest poetry that shocked the world with its fierce vibe, making it an iconic stature. His poems provide the essence of profound messages and display very strong philosophies…
Since the onset of the Iraqi War, war poetry concerning the Iraqi War has been published. Prominent authors emerged from this war such as Brian Turner, Abdul Razaq Al-Rubaiee, and Adnan Al-Sayegh. Other authors, like Iraqi poets Mahmud Al-Braikan, Hashem Shafeeq, and Adil Abdullah, were already well-known poets who used the war to voice their feelings about their country. Turner was able to utilize his experiences as a soldier in his poems What Every Soldier Should Know and 2000 lbs. Here, Bullet and Hurt Locker describe the brutal reality of conflict. Turner’s most distinctive poem, R & R, expresses the average soldier’s desire to not fight, but relax and surround oneself with loved ones. Al-Rubaiee wrote of the bleak possibilities that could come out of the Iraqi War in Tomorrow the War Will Have a Picnic. Al-Sayegh, in his brief, yet emotion-inspiring poem Iraq, expressed his yearning for his old homeland; one that was not ridden by war. A general feeling shared by the public, which is skepticism, was the theme of Al-Braikan’s Of Freedom. The Needle by Hashem Shafeeq displayed the overall sadness suffered by Iraqis at the loss of the place where they had grown up. All of these poems are negative; they are completely anti-war, and each culture shares its common themes. But in order to fully understand these poems and their messages, a general grasp of the Iraqi War itself, as well as the culture of war poetry in both America and Iraq, is necessary. Without having some kind of basic knowledge of the circumstances of the war and the situation as a whole, it is impossible to empathize with the feelings of Iraqi poets, Iraqi citizens, American poets, and American citizens.…