Home Based Learning Assignment

Based on your understanding of the selected poem, perform extensive web research and write a report on your blog detailing the conflict represented in the poem(s) of your choice. Bear in mind that this piece of background information will allow your blog audience to further understand the poem as well as your analysis of the poem in Task 2.

Answer:
Steve Carlsen is an American soldier who experienced war in Afghanistan. We can see this from the "Hindu Kush" used in the poem. In 2001, American was having strong and opinionated views of retaliating against Afghanistan after the 9/11 incident and this led to military combat between the two nations in the year 2001 and 2002. Steve Carlsen was called out to the battlefield.
The main message of this poem is that war taints and scars your heart such that it can never be removed even after the war has ended. One would not understand how it would feel like to be in a war, seeing your very comrades die before your eyes.
War also throws you into a situation where you are forced to kill other to survive. It is a choice of whether to kill others and survive, or not to kill and die instead. This can be evidently seen from "The only reason I survived that day was divine, I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more". Also from "I spent my time in hell", we can say that Carlsen was forced to kill all his enemies with his bare hands and that was a torture to him, leading him to be scarred by the war forever. The brutality of war is something that distorts one's mind, one that has experienced it and this distortion remains unchanged for the rest of that person's life.

Complete the template provided below (Annex A), focusing on (1) Point of View; (2) Situation and Setting; (3) Language/Diction; and (4) Personal Response, and post your response to Task 2 on your blog.
Point of View :
The voice is extremely dramatised in the poem, except the part when it starts to fade as it reaches the end of the poem. The poem progresses at a rather fast pace, changing locations only after a few lines. This is probably done as the war he is experiencing is also rather fast, seen from "30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit". This effect may also be created from the fact that Steve is a soldier who has never experienced war before and things are progressing too fast for him to be able to comprehend. Perhaps, only his body is reacting to the precarious situation at war but his mind is left in a daze, completely stunned by the utmost brutality of the war he sees right in front of him. 'Where we would land we had not a clue" tells us that he is himself does not know what will he be facing.

Situation and Setting :
The climax of this poem is produced from a build up of events. Initially, Steve was in a plane, unsure of where he was going, thus creating a slight tinge of suspense. Then, "30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit" plunges the reader into a fast paced situation where is suddenly thrown into a daze by the turn of events. The climax is then emphasised by the strong use of imagery, "I kept pulling the trigger", "from valley to mountain peaks, " From house to cave, to car to creek". All these expresses the sheer intensity of the battle Steve was facing, such that they had to fight from places to places and the apprehension wanted to be emphasised in the climax is achieved here. There are two conflicts in this poem, the conflict between the two nations and the psychological conflict within Steve's mind. The conflict between the two nations will be resolved when the two nations make peace with each other, however, the conflict within Steve's mind will never be erased no matter how hard he tries and this is one of the message Steve is trying to bring across. War will always resolved after a period of time, but the impacts of war are everlasting and will remain as it is no matter how long time passes and Steve is able to express this well, from "I spent my time in hell".

Language/Diction :
We can see that the language used in this poem are very extreme, such as "terror I can't define", "Who knew hell was so close to God", "Washed in the blood, and baptised by fire." These terms are use to express the extreme fear one faces in war. "Washed in blood" tells us that one's entire being is immersed in the extreme killing and brutality of war and baptised by fire tells us that one's soul is immersed is forever tainted by the killing he sees, just like the meaning of baptism, which means that one's soul is eternally cleansed.

Personal Response
I feel that as I read this poem, no matter how hard I try to comprehend the situation Steve is trying to express through his poem, I am unable to fully understand for myself how war is actually like. I believe that Steve is trying to bring across this message too, that one would never ever understand how desperate, brutal a war can be unless he himself experience it himself and he is also trying to say that one should never want to experience it because it scars our entire being for the rest of our lives.

War - Living Hell

On the coast of Omaha, tension was building up. Never once it had been so immense, so strong, to the extent that I was suffocating. The boat moved on the gentle waves. Everything seemed so unbelievable. I was at home just a day ago, without a single tinge of fear, enjoying myself as always, then I was pulled into the army. Now, I find myself facing the battlefield, surrounded with those suffering the same fate as me.
The death call was made. The higher-ups ordered the barricade to be pulled down, and that meant that we were going up on the battlefield in no time. As the barricade were pulled up, the bullets came flying in without anticipation. Our frontline was shot down, in an instance. I was petrified. It was probably the first time I saw so many people killed in a single instance. This scene clinged on to my memory for a long amount of time, repeating itself without invitation every single now and then.