Dog Soldiers is a story laced with despair, paranoia, and several other not so fuzzy moods, and this quote from the main character elegantly demonstrates this mood. The tone of the book was a point of interest and displeasure for me, since this was one of my first experiences with total negativity, it was a fun struggle for me to understand the point or the necessity of such an angry mood. At the same time it made me very uncomfortable, sometimes to the point where I would have to stop reading for the day.
There is a constant stream of action in this story, which makes it rather difficult to process what's going on as it happens. The story rarely drags and it is written so that it feels very real and alive. Slang terms are used often too, which are also hard to understand. But after the first few chapters it seems that most readers are able to get around this and start enjoying the fast paced style in which the book is written. This style also adds to the mood of panic and paranoia that encompass the entire book as Marge, Hicks, and Converse try to flee with their dope.
Marge, Hicks, and Converse are the book's three main characters, and as the plot follows first Converse's activities and then moves back and forth between Hicks and Converse, these two main characters develop into very complicated people. Marge's character isn't delved into as much, but it didn't seem to be that she was usually thinking about much besides the next time she could get high. Some of the things Converse and Hicks did or said still baffle me, just like the characters that are a part of my real life. Because all of the characters are so weak and hurt each other with such frequency and carelessness, I found it hard to like them, but I liked the fact that not many stories center on people of such violent natures.
I had to read Dog
The poem ‘Weapons Training’ is written in a monologue style, and is in the viewpoint of one person. The persona in the poem is the drill sergeant. This poem is referring to a drill sergeant yelling at a group of untrained soldiers, as he teaches them on how to use their weapons. He uses a negative tone towards the young soldiers, using language that insults them in the aim to toughen them up. The language the drill sergeant uses is offensive and racist. He furthermore tries to get the soldiers to discover ‘hate’, so they can learn to dislike the enemies and kill ‘the enemies’. He does not portray a charming figure. However, he relishes in the brutal sense of
The diverse alternation of point of views also provides the story an effective way to reach out to readers and be felt. The characterisation is effectively done and applied as Sam, Grace, and the other supporting characters play individual, crucial roles in the course of the story. All the elements of a typical young adult novel, consisting of a gap-filled relationship between children and parents, emotion-driven teenagers, and a unique conflict that makes the book distinct from fellow novels, combined with the dangerous consequences of the challenges the couple encounter, make the book different from all other of the same genre. The plot unfolds slowly giving readers enough time to adjust and anticipate the heavy conflict when it arises. It has gotten us so hooked but the only thing we could possibly dislike about it was the slow pace of plot. The anticipation was too much to handle and we were practically buzzing and bouncing to know how the story turns out as we read. It builds the anticipation, excitement, thrill, sadness, grief, loss, and longing in such an effective way to entice and hook readers further into the world of Sam and
The book had a few characters that I liked, but a lot of characters that I disliked. For example Yasmine was a character that I disliked. I didn’t like her because she brought pain to Paige’s life. Yasmine and Paige were best friends for months in Sixth grade. They were constantly doing fun activities together, like having sleepovers or planning each other’s birthday parties, but all that was ruined by a mistake Yasmine made. Paige and Yasmine were at a school dance, when
The poet Wilfred Owen was one of many poets who were against war. He reflected this idea of anti-war in his poems, one of his poems called “Anthem for Doomed Youth”, mirrors most aspects of war all put together in this short still deep poem. An example of that would be when the speaker stated,” What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?”(1) The speaker asks is there any sound that marks our soldier’s death other than the sounds of church bell’s which are mostly rung to represent somebody’s absence? Clearly, the speaker sets anger as the tone of the poem through this question to show that soldier’s death is unremarkable.. The speaker compares the soldiers to a “cattle” which illustrates that soldiers are treated more like animals with no feelings and also shows how they are killed indiscriminately in war. Finally the line ironically contains an iambic pentameter which is a natural rhythm for such dark, grim, dull subject. The two novels, The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, and All Quiet on The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, both present a similar idea of how soldiers are killed out there in the front comprehensively and the dehumanization of war towards its soldiers. The first novel is set during the Civil War, and it focuses on the psychological aspects of one soldier named Henry Fleming and how his naive thoughts about war constantly change through the course of the novel. The second novel presents the life of a soldier named Paul Baumer and his friends who were faced with the terribleness of war and how severely it affected their lives. The Red badge of Courage and All Quiet on The Western Front are similar in the way of how the main characters develop through the novel to change from naïve and innocent men ...
The attitude the soldiers have towards their enemy in the scene shows how evil humans
It is apparent that the topic of war is difficult to discuss among active duty soldiers and civilians. Often times, citizens are unable to understand the mental, physical, and physiological burden service members experience. In Phil Klay’s Ten Kliks South, the narrator struggles to cope with the idea that his artillery team has killed enemy forces. In the early stages of the story, the narrator is clearly confused. He understands that he did his part in firing off the artillery rounds, yet he cannot admit to killing the opposition. In order to suppress his guilt and uncertainty, our narrator searches for guidance and reassurance of his actions. He meets with an old gunnery sergeant and during their conversation, our narrator’s innocence
From the first sentence in the book readers will most likely already be confused. Also, readers will have to go back and read paragraphs over and over again so they will be able to remember what, or whom the author is even talking about. The author tends to use words
“Get up!!!” The whistle of the bullets flying past my head was like nothing I have ever heard ending anything and everything in it’s path. The roaring sound of bombers Echoing down roads and through homes Like a song of the devil himself. My life flashed in my eyes. And now to think it was over was nerve racking. Fire’s blazed in homes like a flower blooming in mid spring… The year Is 1944. Me and my men are going to a place where happiness Was imprisoned and not to be let free for it would be executed at once.A place Where the sky was black as coal.a place I’d never call home.The ekos of family's cries over gone loved ones for to them there end was also there beginning. The smell of gunpowder, mud ,and maggots in my food was not what
That the soldier’s greatest fear was the fear of blushing. I think all men have this fear, to be a “man” and not a “pussy”. The fear of dishonored and becoming a lesser man. This fear was so compelling that each man within the platoon went off to war to die rather than to die of embarrassment of not going.
The book had many different things to keep track of but still stayed on the main plot. It was really good when they managed to bring in all my favorite characters which really made the ending work even better. This book was well balanced with drama and suspense and it just flowed throughout the book. The book was written in first person, in James and his friends perspective and we see everything how they see it. I like all the background information you are given whilst there is an exciting thing going on and that just makes it really good because you don’t think about it until the chapter is over and some sort of outcome has happened. This is one of those books that are written so well that you just cannot put it down it’s just so full of action you have to read it in one go!
Throughout history, there has always been wars. Whether it was about pride, money, or territories, they all have one thing in common. All the soldiers in these wars have taken on characteristics of animals. "Only by doing so can a soldier survive. This is true in any war situation."1 They become vicious, braver, protective, develop better senses, and after the war, they do not want to remember what happened in the battle field.
America is being guarded by the courageous soldiers of america. Each of those soldiers die to protect the people of America. They risked their lives and fought for our country, to be able to do that is very astonishing. I know that I can rely on those soldiers to protect my family and the people I care about. The soldiers train hard day and night, it amazes me how they must be committed to do that for civilians that they don't even know, and who haven't done anything for them. All of the various type of soldiers are the ones who work hard and sacrifice everything to protect there one love, America.
feelings in the man and the dog, of a constant battle with this world of
Mr. Davis tries to help us understand that what the men and women of the military experience, “combat or none, is a very, very long period of extended absence from comfort, security, families, and breaks” (Forbes). In war scenarios, there may be car bombs, roadside bombs, suicide bombers, mortars, or in the worst of scenarios, actual fighting. Whatever the case, these men and women are subjected to “months and months of a slow drone and a psychological beating” (Forbes). And then everything is supposed to be fine when they come home. Right? No! These soldiers are excited to be home, at first, to see their families and friends, and go to their favorite hangouts. Then comes the residual stress of combat. There is a harshness during deployment that civilians do not ever experience. This harshness is added to the natural stress of constantly worrying about being attacked, or worse, killed. “You are suspicious, tightly wound, and easily angered.” (Forbes) Sergeant Davis explains that upon returning home, many soldiers don’t “mesh well” with their families (Forbes). The soldier tries to acclimate himself or herself back into the life they left. This is exactly the problems Hemingway wrote about in Soldier’s
The three sources being analyzed are Stephen Crane's poem “War is Kind”, Stanley Kubrick's film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, and Joseph Heller's novel Catch- 22. Each source covers a chapter in American War history: The Civil War, The Cold War, and World War II, respectively. Though the wars on which the works are based occurred over a period of over one-hundred years, all three sources share a similar theme. That is, war is anything but heroic and noble, but rather, it is a convoluted, tragic, and crooked state of affairs that results in the death of many. Though this theme unifies all three works, the authors and director convey their messages uniquely. In his heartfelt and tragic poem, “War is Kind”, Stephen Crane writes about the sadness that comes with the death of individual soldiers during battle, and uses sarcasm to convey his message. On the other hand, Heller and Kubrick deliver an equally powerful message about the absurdities of war through use of dark humour and satire, though Kubrick's film focuses much more on comedic value as opposed to Heller's more bitter and realistic novel.