How Does War Affect Soldiers?

The overall message in this poem is a drill sergeant educating young soldiers and preparing them for the harsh reality of war. He is not playing ‘Mr. nice guy’, he is being tough and strict to give the soldiers no easy way out.

Upon returning home he is expecting a warm welcome, but all he sees is problems in his society. The first problem addressed is that of veterans being shunned after coming home. Either because they didn’t agree with what the soldiers fought for or because they were frustrated from the defeat, people would treat veterans badly. Many veterans would try to mask the fact they served, or otherwise would be harassed by the anti-war civilians. Gaye’s brother experienced the same and could not “find no work, can’t find no job” because the employers were discriminatory. The whole society changed after the war, as expected from a drastic event like this, but especially because this war was for a cause that most did not back. People were constantly fighting, and after years in a war, soldiers coming back would notice the difference. “I Just don’t understand what’s going on across this land” is a reflection on this, as Gaye’s brother doesn’t understand why society is changed. Lastly in this song, Gaye doubts the media and their interpretation of the war, saying “Are things really getting better like the newspaper said?” Originally, media would cover the story portraying the United States as the good guys facing the bad guys, but that changed after the Tet Offensive in 1968. After the war, media would act as if things were getting better to give the population what they wanted to hear.

The narrator than visits a Veterans Admissions office for help, but the requested assistance is turned down. The narrator then has a flash back of a friend, who fought in the Battle of Khe Sahn. He remembers that his friend at a lover in Saigon, but the relationship didn’t develop long since he was killed. The narrator then finds himself in prison, after attempting to burn down the refinery in protest of not getting his old job back. He ends by saying that he was born in the USA, but this is more of a negative statement than one of patriotism. At least, that’s how I interpreted the lyrics.

Like many others soldiers the song writer Lachlan Irvine suffered PTSD being a major reason for writing these poems so people understand what he went through. The meaning of this poem is set upon how bad Vietnam war was like and more focusing on the lesser known parts that happened. The rhetorical questions throughout this poem created great emotional affect upon the audience making them think hard about all these different events. The language used with these questioned is very strong to create lasting effects being extremely upfront one used to

The song “American Solider” is sung by Toby Keith, a country music artist. The release date of this song was 2003, and it was named one of the hot country songs on the chart in November 2003. The lyrics to American Soldier by Toby Keith explain a soldier's feelings and responsibilities to his family and his country. He wants to be a good husband and father, and to also meet the needs of everyone else. Toby Keith states that he is not a soldier for the money because he is still unable to pay all of his bills, and the glory is not a good reason because it is not always wonderful. He became a soldier because he knows that he has to fight for the future of his family and his country. There are some cons to being a soldier, such as not being able

Heard throughout the song, “war, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing” was straight to the Stars opinion about war (Starr, Lines 26-27). The entire song points to the negative aspect of war. “War means tears, to thousands of mothers eyes, when their sons go to fight, and lose their lives” is the most distressing lyric, but also the most powerful (Starr, Lines 24-25). It is the raw emotion that war creates; with its detailed description, the audience can paint a picture in their mind. The ‘thousands of mothers’ expresses the loss of mot only those at war but the loss felt back in the homeland. Loved ones left behind to mourn and support the family. The loss is felt in the population dwindling, the need for skilled workers, and the loss of what could have been. “War” had a clear message that war had nothing but negative effects. Popular culture is also seen in the lyric, “when Che Guevara taught of love being at the center of revolutionary endeavor, he meant both, for people like Che or George Jackson or Malcolm X” (Starr, Lines 16-18). Pointing to the people that were also anti-war and how they were revolutionaries.

This song has a powerful anti war statement that can still be considered relevant to today’s society and war culture. The song “Masters Of War” by Bob Dylan uses rhetorical devices, melodic rhythms, and different types of appeal to express the political message of the song. The meaning and message of the song is an anti war political song against the government. The communicator is Dylan himself who uses his song to convey the unmorality of the government to the audience through the lyrics and haunting vocals. The intended audience is the government, who Dylan feels is responsible for a lot of death and must learn from their mistakes.

The opening line of the song says, “I can’t remember anything, can’t tell if this is true or dream” (Metallica line 1, 2). These lines indicate that the soldier is waking for the first time after the traumatic event that left him wounded, but he is only semi-conscious. This is reminiscent of the Kubler-Ross model of grief, in which the first stage is denial (Jennings para 5). The soldier is unable to accept the reality to which he has

This song is against the war. This interpretation can be brought about from lyrics such as

The most interesting and mastered literary device author uses is word choice. In the second stanza, the narrator refers to himself as “we” this means that soldiers are united and think as a one person because of their similar experience and feelings. This creates a strong feeling that is making one understand how these soldiers feel deep inside. Also, I have to mention in third stanza author is finding perfect words to fit idea by saying “ya” helps us understand the character

In the first stanza, a Bishop states the glory that the boys sent to war will have earned through their service. He states that, "'When the boys come back / They will not be the same; for they'll have fought / In a just cause... Their comrades' blood has bought / New right to breed an honorable race,'" (Sassoon 1-5). In the second stanza, the boys return and bluntly state the true ways in which the war has changed them: they have returned blind, crippled, or even on the brink of death. Sassoon clearly portrays the true consequences of war and effectively negates the propaganda-fueled public perception civilians often held when they sent their loved ones to

The first stanza it is opened by asking 5 questions related to the soldiers’ frame of mind. The first question that stands out the greatest is “who are those?” this shows us that the soldiers are in such a brutal state that they can’t even decipher what a human is. The next questions ask why they sit so lifeless and depressed .They present the idea that the soldiers with shellshock are in their own frames of mind , which subjects them and keeps in a mentally corrupt trance.

A certain article concerning the Vietnam war is tied to the idea of this song as well. People protested to reasons for the Vietnam war, wanted the pointless deaths to end. Veterans of the war even lined up to protest to war. They threw away their awarded metals for courage and went to fighting in a different way, they fought on the streets of their home country. They began protesting “to demonstrate the futility of the war.” Just as Bob Dylan said, “how many deaths will it take till he knows too many people have died…” That’s exactly what they were fighting for (http://thevietnamwar.info/vietnam-war-protests/).

The last two lines show the pride soldiers inspire in others when they fight in the war, making it very ideal for those who want to impress their parents and wives. Songs like these have had a huge impact on societies all over the world because it is a form of entertainment and people listen to songs to pass time. In turn, they get the song’s messages and apply for the military.

Hero of War: The song, Hero of War by Rise Against, portrays the journey of a soldier as he joins the army. The songs shows how war changes people as it initially portrays him as an enthusiastic soldier who naively believes that he will become a hero of war. This is shown in the lines “a hero of war, yeah, that's what I'll be, and when I come home, they'll be damn proud of me.”