Yellow Birds Reflective Essay
In his novel The Sportswriter, Richard Ford states, “Some things can’t be explained. They just are.” While this quote consists of a mere eight words, it speaks volumes towards the notion that certain events in life cannot be explained as the uniqueness of these events prevents them from being compared to any other experience. How can a mother explain the overwhelming joy that encompassed her the moment she first held her newborn daughter in her arms to someone who has not yet had a child? How can a young woman convey in words the pain and grief she has battled since the day her brother passed away from brain cancer to an individual who has not dealt with the extreme sense of loss felt after watching a sibling die? Kevin Powers, a veteran of the Iraq War, wrote his novel The Yellow Birds in an attempt to explain war. What he found was that war cannot be explained. Just as it would be difficult for an individual to understand the powerful emotions of love and grief in the examples above if he or she had not personally undergone those experiences, Power’s concluded it is impossible for war to be understood by an individual who has not been to war. War is an occurrence that stands alone as the terror, guilt, pain, sadness, and conflict that soldiers often face while at battle prevents war from being related to any other experience. From the extreme emphasis Powers placed on this point as a major theme in the novel, I ironically gained a better understanding of war and a new respect for those who fight to defend our country and our freedom.
As Powers attempts to “map out” the general concepts of war through the point of view of a character that experienced the Iraq War firsthand, readers gain a vague understanding of different aspects of war. For example, Powers’ description of Murph’s tortured body with its “eyes gouged out and throat cut nearly through” proves that war is gruesome and has unfair causalities while Sterling’s inability to cope and reliance on alcohol after the war alludes to the psychological stresses war places on soldiers, (pg.205-206). As I read these vivid descriptions, I longed for them to be fictional. It is hard to believe that anyone would be subjected to such things. The harsh and upsetting reality is events such as these actually occur in war. Even though I will never have a true grasp on what war is like unless I fight in one, I feel these glimpses Powers provides at the terrors surrounding war at least allowed me to understand a small aspect of war. At the Honors Discussion Night, each table I visited seemed to come to the consensus that if there is one thing that can be explained about war, it is that it is horrible, probably even more horrific than Power leads on.
Another concept that was difficult for me to fathom was the fact that not only are the terrors of war a reality, but the adverse effects war has on soldiers is also very real. The US Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that approximately 30% of soldiers suffer from a psychological disorder just as Murph suffered from insanity and Sergeant Sterling arguably suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder, (https://www.dosomething.org). Similar to Bartle, the majority of soldiers feel guilty after they complete their tour knowing men and women that served beside them weren’t as fortunate to make it home. Despite these undeniable risks, thousands of men and women sacrifice their lives in order to protect our country and defend the freedom of its citizens and the liberties of individual’s around the world. Having three cousins who serve in the military has made me a strong supporter of US soldiers for quite some time. Reading this novel has caused me to feel even more gratitude towards those that defend my country as I now have slightly more knowledge of what exactly soldiers endure in war.
Despite Powers originally thinking that others would not want to read his novel, a belief he shared with the audience at the Night with Kevin Powers event, I personally am glad I was forced to read this novel and am grateful for his honest portrayal of war and sincere attempt to explain what war is like to those who have not witnessed it. While war may never be able to be fully explained, it important for soldiers and non-soldiers to have even a small understanding of an event that is such a significant part of the world in which we live.
In his novel The Sportswriter, Richard Ford states, “Some things can’t be explained. They just are.” While this quote consists of a mere eight words, it speaks volumes towards the notion that certain events in life cannot be explained as the uniqueness of these events prevents them from being compared to any other experience. How can a mother explain the overwhelming joy that encompassed her the moment she first held her newborn daughter in her arms to someone who has not yet had a child? How can a young woman convey in words the pain and grief she has battled since the day her brother passed away from brain cancer to an individual who has not dealt with the extreme sense of loss felt after watching a sibling die? Kevin Powers, a veteran of the Iraq War, wrote his novel The Yellow Birds in an attempt to explain war. What he found was that war cannot be explained. Just as it would be difficult for an individual to understand the powerful emotions of love and grief in the examples above if he or she had not personally undergone those experiences, Power’s concluded it is impossible for war to be understood by an individual who has not been to war. War is an occurrence that stands alone as the terror, guilt, pain, sadness, and conflict that soldiers often face while at battle prevents war from being related to any other experience. From the extreme emphasis Powers placed on this point as a major theme in the novel, I ironically gained a better understanding of war and a new respect for those who fight to defend our country and our freedom.
As Powers attempts to “map out” the general concepts of war through the point of view of a character that experienced the Iraq War firsthand, readers gain a vague understanding of different aspects of war. For example, Powers’ description of Murph’s tortured body with its “eyes gouged out and throat cut nearly through” proves that war is gruesome and has unfair causalities while Sterling’s inability to cope and reliance on alcohol after the war alludes to the psychological stresses war places on soldiers, (pg.205-206). As I read these vivid descriptions, I longed for them to be fictional. It is hard to believe that anyone would be subjected to such things. The harsh and upsetting reality is events such as these actually occur in war. Even though I will never have a true grasp on what war is like unless I fight in one, I feel these glimpses Powers provides at the terrors surrounding war at least allowed me to understand a small aspect of war. At the Honors Discussion Night, each table I visited seemed to come to the consensus that if there is one thing that can be explained about war, it is that it is horrible, probably even more horrific than Power leads on.
Another concept that was difficult for me to fathom was the fact that not only are the terrors of war a reality, but the adverse effects war has on soldiers is also very real. The US Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that approximately 30% of soldiers suffer from a psychological disorder just as Murph suffered from insanity and Sergeant Sterling arguably suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder, (https://www.dosomething.org). Similar to Bartle, the majority of soldiers feel guilty after they complete their tour knowing men and women that served beside them weren’t as fortunate to make it home. Despite these undeniable risks, thousands of men and women sacrifice their lives in order to protect our country and defend the freedom of its citizens and the liberties of individual’s around the world. Having three cousins who serve in the military has made me a strong supporter of US soldiers for quite some time. Reading this novel has caused me to feel even more gratitude towards those that defend my country as I now have slightly more knowledge of what exactly soldiers endure in war.
Despite Powers originally thinking that others would not want to read his novel, a belief he shared with the audience at the Night with Kevin Powers event, I personally am glad I was forced to read this novel and am grateful for his honest portrayal of war and sincere attempt to explain what war is like to those who have not witnessed it. While war may never be able to be fully explained, it important for soldiers and non-soldiers to have even a small understanding of an event that is such a significant part of the world in which we live.