Term 2 HBL

Difficulty Rating: * * *We Slept With Our Boots On

They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyesThey washed out the blood, we loaded our ruck’s and then took to the skiesOver the mountains, villages, and valleys we flewWhere we would land we had not a clueBullets are flying, the LZ is hot We’re leaving this bird whether we like it or not30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit Get ready to go and make it quickMy heart is pumping adrenalin through all of my veinsI run as fast as I can through the lead rainThe noise is tremendous, terror I can’t defineThe only reason I survived that day was divineI kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some moreYou do what you have to do, with that I will say no moreWe fought from the valleys to the mountain peaksFrom house to cave, to car to creekDirty and tired and hungry and scaredWe slept with our boots on so we were always preparedThose majestic mountains so steep, so high they kiss the skiesThe Hindu Kush has changed so many livesUp the mountains with heavy loads we trodWho knew hell was so close to GodBeauty and terror are a strong mixed drinkSo we drank it like drunkards and tried not to thinkGood men and bad men, Mothers lost son’sEveryone loses their innocence when they carry gunsWashed in the blood, and baptized by fireI will never forget those who were called higherThey say blood is thicker than water, well lead is thicker than bloodBrothers aren’t born they’re earned. In the poppy fields, the tears, and the mudAnd when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tellAnother Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hellSteve Carlsen Task 1: Someone once said, "War is a delight only to those who have not experienced it". Indeed, when we are young and innocent, we may find war a fun subject of play, something we always look forward to be involved in. However, it does not take long for us to open our eyes to the reality of war and witness the cruelty of it. And that is exactly what Steve Carlsen is trying to bring out in his poem "We Slept with our Boots on". Steve Carlson is an ordinary soldier who has experienced 3 years of war. He joined the United States Army in October 2000 and went to Infantry Basic Training, and Airborne School in Ft. Benning Georgia. He then reported to D Company 1st battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. 82nd Airborne Division in Ft. Bragg North Carolina. He deployed to Kosovo in November 2001 as part of peace keeping operations. He Deployed to Afghanistan in of December 2002 where he participated in combat operations. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 2003. Well, he may seem like an ordinary soldier, but it is exactly, being an ordinary soldier that allowed him to experience the worse of war, and the cruelty of fighting your own kind. The theme and central idea Steve is trying to bring out in his poem is that once you are involved in war, you are eternally scarred, and will lose your innocence forever. This was clearly brought out in the line "Everyone loses their innocence when they carry gun". Steve Carlsen is a experienced poem, as can be seen through the techniques he used to bring out the theme he wants to convey to his readers. Firstly, let us look at the structure of the poem. Steve's poem is seemingly untidy, with no clear structure at all. Also, the clauses are very short in the poem, most are just 3 words: "30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit". This creates a extremely fast paced poem, and Steve uses this to show fast paced war is - you are either fighting for your life, and running for your life. It is just so terrifying that you can't settle down. The moment you have settled, something suddenly pops up, and you have to defend your life again. This is also brought out through the story line of the poem - the poet and his comrades running and fighting for their lives. They were so afraid and unsettled, that they don't even dare to take off their boots when sleeping. This, being put as the title, further emphasizes the terror of war. The setting is in a battlefield, somewhere between Pakistan and Afghanistan, as the poet wrote "Hindu Kush". The first line also shows how "They unloaded the dead and maimed right before our eyes".They probably referred to the enemy, and the enemy might be miaming their dead comrades to make sure they are dead. Therefore, this setting may be one of a lost battle on the poet's side, and he and a few comrades were probably the few who survived. Hence, they had to fight and run away, for their lives. The POV is mainly 1st person POV "I" with occasional switches to "We". First, the poet would show his own personal feelings, emotions and actions, and then he would proceed to show a collective action by using "We". This is probably to link "We" and "I" together, to show that his terror, his feeling of injustice is also shared by everyone who is involved in war, and they experience exactly the same thing as him. Hence, this poem may be representing the emotions and feelings of all involved in the war, and gaining our sympathy for them. The use of language is smart. For example, the writer uses the line "baptized in fire" to show the hopelessness and cruelty of war. As we all know, baptism is a tradition whereby all Christian have to be submerged in water before being saved. This is a symbolism of being washed of our sins and having hope for the future. However, in war, there is no water, so it symbolizes that the poets sins of killing accumulated in war can never be washed and forgived. This brings out the cruelty and sinfulness of war. Also, instead of having hope, the writer is "baptized in fire". This shows how hopeless, cruel and torturing war is, to the point where it defies convention. Another possible interpretation: baptism is a tradition for Christian to gain a new life by washing away their old sins. However, in war, the only thing the poet can do is to defend his own life through "fire", which is fighting with guns, but not water. This illuminates the terror war brings to soldiers, especially ordinary soldiers like Steve Carlsen. Other techniques being used include the repitition of the word "and". "I kept pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more ... Dirty and tired and hungry and scared". The constant use of "and", show how never-ending, dreary and tiring war is. The soldiers have to constantly do something in order to save their own lives. In conclusion, I think Steve Carlsen is a great poet. He uses much technique such as repition of certain words, symbolism and vivid imagery. His poems are always open to many interpretations like the phrase "baptized in fire". Furthermore, he experienced the most basic of war itself, and this story shown through the poem is a very true and honest depiction of war. Indeed, war is a cruel and terrifying thing. It is also meaningless terror - after all, it is just human vs human. In the end, nothing is gained, only precious lives are lost, and families separated. I can only summarize my personal response in this one quote, "Older men declare war. But it's the youth who must fight and die! Mankind has to put an end to war, or war would put an end to mankind". Task 2: Point of view The persona in the poem is probably a war veteran, someone who has survived a war. The speaker is in a resigned state and he does not care very much anymore, as can be seen from the lines "30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit " and "You do what you have to do, with that I will say no more". Situation and setting The poem is located in a chaotic setting with war going on in the Hindu Kush. The term Hindu Kush on first sight, seems like some religion, but after some research, it was found to be actually a series of mountains. Language/ Diction The language and diction used in the poem portrayed a panic state, which seems realistic. Since the first few lines, real terms are used like LZ which stands for landing zone, and lock N load which is a term soldiers use. With these, a realistic atmosphere is created, bringing the reader closer to the action. The language used also suggest the carefree attitude of the soldier, who does not care much after experiencing the war. From the lines "And when I get to heaven to Saint Peter I will tell" and "Another Paratrooper reporting for duty sir, I spent my time in hell", we can see that is does not really matter to the soldier anymore if he was sent to hell, as he just came from a war which was equivalent to hell. Saint Peter, who is the guardian to the gates of haven also appears in the poem, bringing some religious references. Besides that, the line "hell was so close to god" also brings that. This line shows that on the battle field, which is referred to as hell, is so close to god, as one could get killed easily here and sent to god right away, through "hell" one get get closer to god. Personal response I feel that this poem carries many lessons on the horror war could bring to not only those fighting it, but also those around the soldiers. It shows that although there are good and bad in this world, everyone is somebody son and no one should deserve the sufferings caused by war.