Topic > First-Hand Experience of the Iraq War

In the email of an American soldier fighting in Iraq, the soldier writes home to his friends and family about his difficult living conditions. Email is a great example of how literary devices are integrated into writing to facilitate the articulation of a point. The following essay will analyze how the soldier uses imagery, sarcasm, and emotional appeal to explain his experience while fighting overseas and his feelings toward this overseas experience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The use of imagery allows the soldier to paint a vivid picture of what their life is like in the Middle Eastern country of Iraq. An example of this is: “Go to your vacuum cleaner, open the container and pour it on yourself, your bed, your clothes and your belongings. Now roll it until it gets in your eyes, ears, hair and... well, now you get it." (Line 3-5) Here the soldier is actually putting the reader in his shoes. The detailed image created by the author allows the reader to understand the extent of filth the soldier has to live in. Another example of imagery is: “pitch a tent in your driveway and cordon off an area inside it along a wall about six feet by eight feet. ...tear down three walls of your tent seen from the street and you will have all the privacy you desire." Me." (lines 8-12) Once again the use of images is evident, that the soldier uses them to describe his personal living conditions. The description of the harsh living quarters allows the author to accurately describe what his life is like in the desert. Evidently, the author uses images to help his intended audience understand the difficulties of their life in war. The soldier who wrote this email incorporates sarcasm into his writing and the use of this literary device allows the soldier to articulate his feelings towards the situation. An example of this literary device is: "you know it's just perfect when you slap your chest and cough up the cloud of dust you've kicked up." (line 5-7) By stating that they "enjoy" coughing after getting hit in the chest, the soldier makes it obvious that their dusty living conditions get on his nerves. No one likes to cough when moving due to the dust collected on their body, the use of sarcasm allows the soldier to indirectly describe his emotions. In another use of sarcasm, the soldier says, “He brings a kennel full of pugs; the smell, the snoring and the social graces will be just like living with my nine teammates. (lines 13-15) The soldier compares his teammates to pugs which most people associate with good things, but the author only lists the negative aspects of pugs. He sarcastically compares them to pugs, but makes it clear that it's not a pleasant experience at all. These sarcastic remarks provide the reader with valuable insight into the soldier's feelings while serving overseas. Emotional appeal is a useful writing tool, it gets the reader to think and consider their own life, often making them appreciate the quality of their life more. An example in the email might be: “Now pack everything you need to live for four months, without Wal-Mart, and move.” (lines 9-10) This makes the reader wonder what their needs would be to take on this lifestyle, without the conveniences of a city readily available to them. The author appeals to their emotion, making them understand how at home the reader is compared to the soldier. The most common use of pathos in the email is: “I don't even want to talk about the outhouse experience..