What Every Soldier Should Know by Turner - Essay Example

Reaction to an Article In Turner’s “What every soldier should know”, there is increasingly many instances of vivid description applications. Turner has used this method over and over along with other methods to explain and blatantly describe the context of war. However, this is done in a carefully articulated manner, paragraph after paragraph and finally the paragraphs fuse into one single conclusion and context of war. The poet’s ‘effective method of vivid description engages the reader and places them in the immediate context thereby invoking further understanding of the poem’s main idea. The poem mainly explains the environment within which soldiers, particularly Americans, thrive in while in warring zones across the borders. A look at the poem’s title gives a clue of what the entire poem is about. As a result, the entire poet’s style can considered to be quite direct to the point. This invokes the reader’s interests and brings forth a sensation that sparks curiosity thereby creating a persuasion of the reader’s mindset. By using an appropriate title, Turner has been able to give the reader a glimpse of the poem’s context. Different readers may have different perceptions of what the poem is about but it is obvious that the ideas will revolve around the military life. The title arguably holds a sense of persuasion on the readers, especially for people whose interests revolve around military issues, to want to read the poem due to the need to know more about what the poem is talking about. As a result, Turner was able to easily talk about the environment of a war zone without sparking disinterest or seeming to bring in new unrelated ideas. To express uses of vivid description, Turner has repeatedly used statements that give the reader an idea of what a war environment looks like. At the very beginning of the poem Turner uses the statement, “If you hear a gunfire on a Thursday afternoon, it could be for a wedding, or it could be for you”. Turner’s uses of this statements already alerts the reader of the nature of the environment surrounding soldiers in a war zone. The statement implies that there are underlying dangers in a warring zone countless times. In reference to this first sentence, Turner gives the reader an idea of what a war zone is like and the experiences of the soldiers. The environment of a war zone is brought out as a risky place that requires unlimited care since there is always danger lying in wait and even the usual activities are seemingly related to a war zone. In the second stanza, the poet begins to elaborate more and create a clearer picture of the environment and the culture of the area. Integration of one of the cultural practices and beliefs in the second stanza’s statement gives the reader a glimpse of the geographical location within which the poem takes place. As a result, the reader is drawn closer to the exact place and scenery surrounding the poem’s location of reference. However, the statement used is still not so direct and a reader can easily settle for a culture that is not the exact one in play. Nevertheless, Turner has already given the reader an idea of the area and an area inhabited by Arabs becomes evident. However, as the poem advances the environment is made more vivid to the reader. This is carefully done through integration of Arabic phrases. For example, in the third stanza there is a statement written, “O-guf! Tera Armeek”, and then an interpretation is given. Through the interpretation it is evident that Turner could have chosen to write in English rather that incorporating an Arabic phrase. However, presence of the phrase is used in this aspect to give the reader a vivid description of the area in which the poem is based. Other such phrases follow on in the preceding stanzas giving the reader an assurance and hardly any reader can get lost with such a vivid description. Having been given a clear description of the poem’s location, the reader can now easily relate to the events that take place in the rest of the poem. Therefore, Turner immediately embarks on describing the surroundings in the warring zone. Turner employs the same tactic of vivid description making it possible for the reader to get a clear mental picture of the surroundings. As a result, the reader is able to relate and seemingly feel the soldiers’ plight hence giving an idea of what they go through while in the war zones. It brings in the realities of war in the sense that there is always impending danger regardless even in the unexpected parts. For example, the statement “Parachute bombs and artillery shells sewn into the carcasses of dead farm animals” in the ninth stanza shows there could be underlying danger even in the least expected places. Such a statement boots a reader’s ability to get a more vivid mental picture of how hard and unpleasant war zones look like and the impending angers soldiers face while at war. Additionally, Turner goes deeper into explaining not only the dangers that lay in wait but also the general feeling towards Americans in the region. As a result the reader can relate more to the environment surrounding foreigners, particularly Americans, across the borders. For example, the statement, “Graffiti sprayed on the overpasses; I will kill you Americans” in the tenth stanza. This further gives the reader an idea of the situation and that there is widespread hate in the war zone. Turner’s tactic may be considered effective since it engages the reader creating a feeling and an environment around the reader of firsthand experience. As a result, the reader’s curiosity is parked momentarily building interest hence bringing the poem closer to reality. In addition to the vivid description employed in the poem, Turner has also made sure that the poem is easily understandable. Unlike many poems, Turner has used direct language throughout the poem and none of the statements is hard to understand. This makes the poem suitable for many readers including those without the knowledge of poetry and great skills that may be required for better understandability especially for some highly complex poems. The English is simple and basic yet at the same time achieving the purpose of the poem which is to describe the situation undergone by soldiers in war zones. Moreover, the poem is relatively short and this can be attributed to the use of short stanzas with each having only two lines. This sort of precision is highly recommended in poems but use of simple, basic grammar makes the poem better and more favorable to most readers. This can also be considered as an advantage to the readers, especially those who do not like reading lengthy passages. More so shortness of the poem can be considered a tactic to encourage its main target group which is are soldiers, bearing it in mind that many times they really do not have a lot of time to spend reading due to the nature of their job. Laying more emphasis on the general sentence structure, Turner has employed use of first person ‘you’ in most parts of the poem. For example, the statement “You will hear the RPG coming for you” in the sixth stanza. This is a tactic that makes the readers as if they are part of the narrative hence engaging them more in the poem. In addition, this increases understandability due the fact that readers can easily relate to the story. This gives the poem life and increases the levels of emotion such as sympathy hence sparking interest to want to know more of what the entire poem is about. Moreover, use of the readers as subjects of reference in the poem makes the poem act as a narrator of the story and not just a piece of writing. Turner is hardly involved in the poem and this lets the story flow in a systematic manner without unnecessary interruptions especially in relation to the emotions and transition of events. Furthermore, Turner has made sure that the poem does not only focus on the war and the cruel parts revolving around the warring zone. He has perfectly incorporated an external environment where there is continuity of normal life in a typical community. For example, the statement “Small children who play with you, old men with their talk, women who offer chai” in the second stanza. This strikes a balance in the poem and shows that the poem is not entirely focused on the negatives but also on the normal life. Additionally, this description adds to type readers’ knowledge that the events in the poem take place in a typical community. Presence of children, old men and women further increases the credibility of the poem making it seemingly more realistic and not just as a story based on imagination and creativity. Furthermore, absence of the younger and mid aged men further builds the context of war since it is known that in most cultural settings, war is for the men who are regarded as warriors and defenders of the community. In a typical warring zone surrounded by strong traditional cultures, community warriors leave their families behind and follow orders as soldiers in honor of their call as community defenders. However, after their departure, life in the community continues almost normally, especially among the children who play joyously, even with the so regarded community enemies, innocently. In conclusion, Turner’s poetry skills in this particular poem can be considered effective, especially in relation to considerations made to the readers. Use of vivid description technique to advance the poem makes it possible and relatively easy for readers to understand it. Simplicity of the poem has been achieved through use of simple language and short precise stanzas. From the title to the preceding text, Turner has kept the poem direct and simple. As a result, the poem is seemingly short hence encouraging an increased number of audience. A combination of vivid description and use of first person ‘you’ has increased the chances for readers to readily relate to the poem and given it life. Works Cited Turner, Brian. “What Every Soldier Should Know”. Here, Bullet. Farmington, Me: Alice James Books, 2005. Print. Read More