(1) Point of View:
The point if view of this poem is through the poets own eyes
(2) Situation and Setting:
There are many settings in this poem as war can happen in many places
(3) Language/Diction:
One specialty of this poem is that it uses both past and present tense.
(4) Personal Response:
I feel that this poem encompasses a holistic view of war. The sorrows, deaths and friendship are all included
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
LA HBL Poem Analysis
This poem showcases the story of a man in an Iraq war. He writes down his feelings and experiences in a form of a poem. He uses hyperbole to elaborate the difficult tasks at hand. He uses present tense to give a vivid description of the atmosphere.
I know it is the Iraq war as Steve Carleson is an ordinary soldier who has experienced 3 years of war. He joined the United States Army in October 2000 and went to Infantry Basic Training, and Airborne School in Ft. Benning Georgia. He then reported to D Company 1st battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. 82nd Airborne Division in Ft. Bragg North Carolina. He deployed to Kosovo in November 2001 as part of peace keeping operations. He Deployed to Afghanistan in of December 2002 where he participated in combat operations. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 2003. This proves that this is the Iraq war as that was the only war in that time period. Also, the mentioning of Hindu Kush ,which was a prominent part in the Iraq war, further proves that this was in the Iraq war.
He brings out the difficult missions he had accomplished through the use of a wide variety of hyperbole. Firstly, he describes the difficulty of running with all his equipment through a heavy rain. He felt as if the rain was made of "lead", an extremely dense material. It also meant the lead in gun ammunition, thus, showing that he was retreating while gun shots filled the air. He also use a hyperbole in describing the mountains he was required to climb. He compared the mountains with the sky by saying that they were "so steep, so high they kiss the skies". Therefore, he feels that the mountains are extremely high and difficult to climb. He then went on to describe the war zone on the mountain as "hell" and it is so close to "god" as in heaven.
In line 3-12 he used present tense to give the reader a sense of happening. It is as if the reader is the one going through the entire ordeal. This puts us in the shoes of Steve, giving us a better and deeper understanding of what he has been through. "Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot" are all in present tense. When reading, it feels as if the reader is in the moment, looking at the bullets flying and the landing zone bustling with activity.
Reference:
http://maytheforcebewithu.blogspot.com/2010/05/we-slept-with-our-boots-on.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_Kush
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paratrooper
I know it is the Iraq war as Steve Carleson is an ordinary soldier who has experienced 3 years of war. He joined the United States Army in October 2000 and went to Infantry Basic Training, and Airborne School in Ft. Benning Georgia. He then reported to D Company 1st battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. 82nd Airborne Division in Ft. Bragg North Carolina. He deployed to Kosovo in November 2001 as part of peace keeping operations. He Deployed to Afghanistan in of December 2002 where he participated in combat operations. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 2003. This proves that this is the Iraq war as that was the only war in that time period. Also, the mentioning of Hindu Kush ,which was a prominent part in the Iraq war, further proves that this was in the Iraq war.
He brings out the difficult missions he had accomplished through the use of a wide variety of hyperbole. Firstly, he describes the difficulty of running with all his equipment through a heavy rain. He felt as if the rain was made of "lead", an extremely dense material. It also meant the lead in gun ammunition, thus, showing that he was retreating while gun shots filled the air. He also use a hyperbole in describing the mountains he was required to climb. He compared the mountains with the sky by saying that they were "so steep, so high they kiss the skies". Therefore, he feels that the mountains are extremely high and difficult to climb. He then went on to describe the war zone on the mountain as "hell" and it is so close to "god" as in heaven.
In line 3-12 he used present tense to give the reader a sense of happening. It is as if the reader is the one going through the entire ordeal. This puts us in the shoes of Steve, giving us a better and deeper understanding of what he has been through. "Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot" are all in present tense. When reading, it feels as if the reader is in the moment, looking at the bullets flying and the landing zone bustling with activity.
Reference:
http://maytheforcebewithu.blogspot.com/2010/05/we-slept-with-our-boots-on.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_Kush
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paratrooper
LA HBL Poem Analysis
Difficulty Rating: * * *
We Slept With Our Boots On
They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes
They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clue
Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot
We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell
Steve Carlsen
We Slept With Our Boots On
They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes
They washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skies
Over the mountains, villages, and valleys we flew
Where we would land we had not a clue
Bullets are flying, the LZ is hot
We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not
30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit
Get ready to go and make it quick
My heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veins
I run as fast as I can through the lead rain
The noise is tremendous, terror I can’t define
The only reason I survived that day was divine
I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more
You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more
We fought from the valleys to the mountain peaks
From house to cave, to car to creek
Dirty and tired and hungry and scared
We slept with our boots on so we were always prepared
Those majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skies
The Hindu Kush has changed so many lives
Up the mountains with heavy loads we trod
Who knew hell was so close to God
Beauty and terror are a strong mixed drink
So we drank it like drunkards and tried not to think
Good men and bad men, Mothers lost son’s
Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns
Washed in the blood, and baptized by fire
I will never forget those who were called higher
They say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than blood
Brothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mud
And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell
Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell
Steve Carlsen
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Term 2 Lesson 2
The picture depicts a soldier, lying on the floor holding a gun. His instincts of a living organism gives hi the longing to shrink himself, to be insignificant. At the same time, his soldier instincts pushes him to put up a brave front. The soldier face is in a mask of horror. It is obvious that he is scared. There is debris lying around him, suggesting that explosives have been used. He is alone. No friends, companions or fellow soldiers surrounding him. Facing your enemies with peers is definitely better than facing it yourself. In every war, the atmosphere would be dense with death and despair.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)