Tongue Of War Analysis

Tongue of War, a poetry collection by Tony Barnstone, is written from the perspectives of a wide variety of characters based on the events of World War II. Barnstone shows the emotional and physical trauma these characters receive due to their race, status and position in the war. In many of the poems, Barnstone depicts the aftermath caused by the use of deadly weapons from both the culprits perspective and the victims. In one of the poems, an American Seaman was bombed from Japanese planes, he escaped out to safety from inside the burning ship only to be presented the dead bodies of his fellow comrades on the surface. In a following poem Barnstone displays the reason and justification on the attack from the perspective of Japanese Naval Officer
In another one of Barnstone's poems, a Japanese soldier explains the death of one of his comrades, Private K. The Private was shot in the thigh and although the rest of the soldiers were barely dragging on, Private K had a strong look in relation his comrades. When Private K could no longer walk, he was left behind, but the captain fearing that he would leak information sent the Japanese soldier back, ""You must go." I couldn’t bear/ It, but went, hoping that I'd find him dead./ He wept and smiled at me, "You kept your word!"/ Then I wept, too. And killed him with my sword."(61, Tongue of War) This poem, as well as others, show that although both the American and Japanese are at war, Barnstone shows how both sides are struggling with their own as well as the fight with their enemies. Earlier in the book, a poem from an American Marine stationed at Guadalcanal, shows how although he fights for America, he has to hold back due to his religion, "I ate the cheese, I ate horse cock/ (that's what we called cold cuts), same chow/ as all the men, avoiding talk/ of Jesus Christ. It's not like now. / In those days I could not admit/ to other folk I was a Jew."(43 T.O.W) The Marine goes on to explain how he huddled in the trenches like the rest of the soldiers, how he killed and just tried to live another day, yet he was still not accepted by his fellows and had to keep his identity a secret. In another poem, an African-American U.S Marine Corps Mess man, explains how he was not allowed to fight due to his race, "They made black soldiers into stevedores/ and cooks and servants since they were afraid/ of giving guns to men they wouldn’t let/ piss next to them,"(68 Tongue of War) and he goes on to say although he would cook for