Fire and Forget Reponse

“Now there is talk of soldiers who seem whole at first but are actually damaged: brain injuries, nightmares, prescription drug abuse, attempted suicide. Colin did not use the hammock once.” (Fallon 22) This quote displays understatement because the narrator is here talking about serious topics like suicide and drug use, and then just sums is up with an 'oh he didn't use the hammock' like its 'just whatever'. This helped me understand that the narrator doesn't see those things as a big issue in her relationship with Colin. 

“Fiercely. It's a face Evie has never seen before: his blue eyes narrow, his teeth so clenched a pulse beats in his cheek. In that moment, Evie thinks that he must know about the man in Austin, and she leans away from her husband, her hand over her mouth.” (Fallon 22) This quote showcases character because the narrator is seeing her husband in a way she never has before. This makes me see that she kind of thinks of her husband as somewhat of a different man than she knew him as before. 

The authors perspective on war is when going to war, it is possible to lose the ones you love, it's hard to come back to society after war, coming back from the war is more difficult than dying in the war, and  a relationship as a soldier is a war in itself.

“She tiptoes around the room, turning on each lamp. Colin’s legs are twitching on the verge of kicking.” (Fallon 31) This shows imagery because it gives detail which helps you picture Colin moving in his sleep as Evie gets up to turn on the lights. 

“Her palm on his skin has the opposite effect. His breathing slows, his body stills, his sleep is quiet again.” (Fallon 38) This shows plot because for some reason she has the idea to do the opposite of what the guides tell her and it helped the best and helped him the most.

Her perspective of war is only from these guides which give her ideas to use with Colin to help him transition back from war and open up to him softly. But in the end, she finds that Colin does the opposite of what most of the guides say, and when she goes against the guide it actually gave one of the best results

Quote 1: “Daddy tell the truth,” Kathleen can say, “did you ever kill anybody?” And I can say, honestly, “Of course not.” Or I can say, honestly, “Yes.” (O’Brien 180) [Paradox]

I think this quote does a good job of showing the sides of war. But I think it better explains the two ways that one can actually perceive war. The fact that the father has two ways to tell the story, isn’t about censorship, to me, it feels like the side or way he views it. 

Quote 2: “There was no sound at all--none that I can remember. In a way, it seemed, he was apart of the morning fog, or my own imagination, but there was also the reality of what was happening in my stomach.” (O’Brien 132) [Metaphor]

This quote helps the reader understand the feeling of war for this specific soldier/author. The fact that it feels like one thing when it is another. That maybe it didn’t seem real, maybe the soldier never processed what he had done, or the moment, or even the fact he ended up there. 

Perspective on war: I think it is very clear the author’s perspective on war. I see it as, In war, there is no right answer to what it is like, what do you feel, because it is so unnatural, war. There is no right answer and no limit. War is like a mirror, the mirror doesn’t move shift or change, but everyone who walks by it sees something different.

The Wave That Takes Me Under

“The fire teams move like the silent wings of birds in slow motion.” This quote is a metaphor. When birds fly you can’t hear them because they fly quietly. This metaphor is saying that they are quite like birds flying.

“He’s back home again. He’s with her. He says her name under his breath to make her real. “Anna” “Anna.” This quote is a flash back. He’s thinking back to when he was with i’m guessing his wife or girlfriend to remember that he has something at home to go back too, thinking about her makes him calm. 

I took away from this story that it definitely took a toll on them and a lot of them had their own places that they needed to go terms of in their head wise.

1. ¨The turning of day is nearly indistinguishable from the night. Oh-dark-thirty. Oh-dark-hell. Bringer of the wave that takes them under.¨(p56) Turner. I chose Metaphor because day and night are two different things yet it's saying he can't tell the difference between the two.
2. ¨He thinks of home, of Anna, of sand pouring in their bedroom window.¨(p57) Turner. I chose perspective because if you look in his shoes he really misses his wife and his house, and the way he explains this to us, is by saying when he thinks of home he thinks of his wife, It's also like a nightmare where sand pours in his window, because of all the sand he's always around.

In “The Wave that Takes them Under” by Brian Turner, one of the stronger literary terms is understatements. For example, it says ““Everybody always says it’s like a bad dream,” Royce says. “But it ain’t like that at all. I mean, if this was a dream, there’d be all kinds of weird shit out here, you know?”” (Turner 55) This is said by someone in war, as if there is nothing weird about war, about the middle of a desert. War and Nightmares are clear comparisons, but Royce in the story seems to think otherwise. 

In “Tips for a Smooth Transition” by Siobhan Fallon, the speaker, a war vets wife, says “…his body an animal that must be tended, fed, groomed, and put out to run.” (Fallon 24) Having recently returned him, she compared him to something wild, but also something that needs caring for. While slightly cruel, it’s a fair comparison- war makes people do wild things, but after which they come out traumatized and needing care and help from their loved ones. I think these authors both have the same perspective on war; that it is a wild, indescribable thing that can do horrible things to people, which is the same message I took away from it.

In the story “Tips for a smooth transition” the two literacy terms that helped me best understand and see what was happening are Imagery and Perspective. A quote that really stood out to me is “I’ve seen kids toys loaded with explosives, snipers hiding in elementary school…” (Fallon 36). This is a good example of imagery because it is explaining to us what Colin saw in war and allows us to also create a picture in our head. 

“”You’re OK. I’m here’, she says over and over like a lullaby. She’s not quite sure when the refrain changes to , ‘I’m Ok. You’re here.’”(Fallon 38). This is an example of perspective because Evie puts us in her perspective and we see how much war affects them. It shows the struggle they are both going through from war and the toll it is taking on their relationship. 

I think the author's message about war is that war changes people. What I took away from this is that war is difficult for everyone.

“Hendersons legs stumble forward until the dune gives way, and he tumbles in the swirling dust the way a man might fall to the very bottom of his life, the carbine torn from his firing hand, coughing as he falls and spins and twists before slamming against another body slumped on the low grund. Half buried in the sand beside him, the body is curled up on itself.” (Turner pg56) This quote is an example of imagery. This helps us understand the story because we get a visual image in our head to understand the situation, the story and fear.

“He thinks of home, of Anna, of the sand pouring in their bedroom window. The slow tide of it all pours in, wave by wave, as the ceiling fan spirals a thiun cloud of dust over her.” (Turner 57) This quote is a metaphor. He's comparing the sand to him losing his life and losing anna. This helps contribute to the story by showing the emotions he's feeling and the loss he’s experiencing.

The message I got from these stories is “war is hell”, that's what I assume the author was trying to get across. He did this very well by using imagery and metaphors.

“Anna asleep in a mummy bag with her hair tangled by salt” (turner54)this quote is a good example of imagery  one of the two lit terms that  most helped me understand the negative sides of war 

“She cannot hear him when he says her name; he can only watch as her features, yielding, disappear beneath the gathering dune of their bed.”  (turner 58)This quote is a great example of juxtaposition, the second of the two terms that most helped me see the negative sides of the war. 

I think the author's perspective on war is ugly and sad. In the poem, the situation was compared to bad dreams. everyone is freaking out are not happy about it but you don't hear anyone really surprised .. The message I took about war is dangerous whether you are actively fighting or just at camp war is messy and the elements can hurt you too.  

  The Wave That Takes Them Under

“The sand buries the moonlight.” (Turner 57) - Imagery - This shows how the environment during war can be just as deadly. People might not be the only dangerous factor you have to worry about in war.

“He speaks the grammar of the sand now, Henderson thinks, and the wind will break him down to dust.” (Turner 57) - Hyperbole - This is hyperbole because Griggs is now speaking “the grammar of the sand now,” which is just an extreme for him being consumed by the sand.

I think the author's message and the message that I took away from the story is that the environment can be just as dangerous as your enemies. The literary terms (Imagery and Hyperbole) helped me understand this because it exaggerated what happened and described the sand closing in picturing what happened.

In "The wave That Takes Them Under" the literacy term metaphor is most common to me. although the author uses lots of imagery. The author seems to use metaphors to explain more perspective or elaborately. He also refers to the sand being like water, or the ocean, causing him to have a flashback to when he almost drowned when he was young. 

“He thinks of home, of Anna, of sand pouring in their bedroom window.” (Turner 57) This quote is a metaphor because the sand isn't actually puring into the window, he is mixing up memories with reality. 

The author's message on war is referring to it to be uncomfortable and unsure all the time. It also seems that his message is that more soldiers often cope with emotions and moments by remembering the past or joking to relieve the pressure.These messages show that war is exhausting and the conditions that you are in mentally and physically are not good. 

The story I chose is "Tips for a smooth transition" and the two literary terms I chose were character and perspective. 

"She knows her husband is a man full of energy, his body an animal that must be tended, fed, groomed, and put out to run." (Fallon 24) This quote helps further the character development of her husband. It helps to show her who he husband is and what he really needs as a person. 

"You're okay, I'm here," she says over and over like a lullaby. She's not quite sure when the refrain changes to, "I'm okay. You're here." (Fallon 38) This quote helps us view how Evie was having a tough time. When her husband was gone she tried to find ways to help herself understand and help her husband when he came home. But she came to realize that nothing could help her because the only thing that really could was if she spent time with her husband. 

These literary terms helped me understand the story more because the character helped me to understand more about who they were and how they felt. Also perspective helped to understand how they thought and what the importance of their actions were. 

It shows how war can change someone and things will always be different in some ways. 

Fire and forget

“Tips for a smooth transition” by Siobhan Fallon

“He uses his palm to push back whatever thoughts are there”(pg 23) this shows character and Hyperbole, because it shows collins thoughts in a physical way as he tries his best to be the man he used to be.

“Now there is a talk of soldiers that who seem fine at first but are actually damaged.”(Siobhan pg 22) this shows POV because war affects soldiers when they are coming out of war and seem to be fine. This shows the reader's soldiers may not be fine when the government claims they are.

The lesson I learned is many soldiers affected by war don’t make it out physically stable which causes them to never succeed or continue to be happy.

The message in The wave that takes them under is in war you're like a boat in the ocean never knowing if the next wave will drag you under.  I believe that the author’s perspective on war is that war is never-ending and it will drag you down if you let it.

 “The wave that drags them under”(53 Turner) is a metaphor because there is no actual wave or water they are in a desert.

“The desert is pulling them down”(53 Turner) is imagery because we can't see the desert or what is happening.  These two quotes help me understand that war is a never-ending fight.  

The wave that takes them under In this story, I have identified 2 literary devices and one of them being simile is helping me understand their perspective on where they are which currently is in war, “everybody always says it's like a bad dream.'' Here 2 men are exchanging words and he says this quote where it struck me like oh war is just a bad dream but after this, he says it's nothing like a bad dream. It's nothing like they have ever experienced, this helps me understand the author's perspective on war which I believe is showing war is hell. Therefore I believe the author is saying war is hell The second literary device is imagery this is my second choice because I believe the author is saying war is hell, “as deep into that blue and unliveable world as his body could go” this is expressing his death and what he was feeling in his last moments.

I chose the short story "Tips For A Smooth Transition" by Siobhan Fallon 

1) "And yet she assumed this trip, like other vacations they've taken, would be a compromise between her love of museums and good food and his love of sweat and activity."(Fallon 24)  "With a bitterness that surprises her, she suddenly wishes she never agreed to this trip." (Fallon 24) Both quotes shows Character because it shows what type of person evie is trying to create a compromise but never talked to him about the list of activities they shall do.  Evie doesn't talk to Colin and just assumes once again that Colin will do the activites she wants to not understanding during his deployment it was do or die.

2) "And yet, for a fluttering split second, with the strange mouth on hers, she had closed her eyes.  Closed them and considered leaning into whatever he was offering."(Fallon 30)  "Colin surfaces, still facing the boat.  He keeps his eyes on his wife as he reaches out to pet a shark, his palm running easily along its shiny back." (Fallon 34) Both quotes show character and plot because Evie lets someone get close to kiss her and even had thoughts about forgeting Colins and accepting the temptaion this unknown man was giving her.  Evie than on her trip to Hawaii with Colin was untrustful towards him, even after he all his trust to his wife and has continued to show it.

- The literary terms help me understand the authors vision of war because he talks about the difficulties the men who fight have after returning home and the phycological and hidden damages that many don't talk about.  The idea that a warrior who became a hero on the battlefield with minor scratches only hits the surface.  No matter how small the damage they recieved on the outside the damage on the inside is the most dangerous one to look out for

- I believe the author sees war as a unpredictable, unavoidable fight that one fight physically out in the world but internally back home.  The message I got from this is "A soldier is always at battle either it be an enemy or himself."

“She thinks about the things she kept from him while he was away… a worried soldier is a danger to himself and his fellow soldiers.” the literary term for this quote is character this helps me understand the whole of the story through telling the reader some of the internal conflicts in character it shows that she cares about her husband and how their marriage is going and how he is doing as a person it shows that she cares.

“Both of you may need to discuss any issues you’ve had involving trust or jealousy, even if infidelity was not a problem.” the literary term shown in this quote is plot and it helps me understand that in the story Evie is not as confidant as she wants to be with her husband and how he will react to the world that he is coming back to. The quote helps me understand Evie's uncertainty.

The literary terms help me understand the author’s P.O.V on war by showing how someone who has not been to war sees someone who has at all hours of the day.

The author's perspective on war is that war affects more than just the soldiers that go off to fight. It affects a soldier's family just as much as it affects the soldier who goes off to fight. The message that it took away is that war has a very large effect on the soldiers and the people that they interact with. That in war no one is left out and that in war we are all involved and a part of it no matter who we are.