Every poem I have read thus far has been about death. It makes me wonder if Brian Turner has an obsession with it, or if the only thing for Americans in Iran is fighting and death. He mentions nothing of what the soldiers do in their free time, or the locals. Every poem has to do with a different person, and is always associated in some way with death. It's very unsettling to me. There has to be some good in Iran. Turner makes it seem as though that is the only thing in Iran.
There is also a lot of hate in this book. Turner writes of civilians getting paid off to attack or kill American soldiers. I wonder if the civilians do it because they hate Americans, or if they are desperate to support themselves and their families. It seems as though Turner believes as though everyone is out to get the American soldiers, but I feel as though that is not true, especially after reading Riverbend. However, every side has their opinion, and the truth usually lies in the middle. It is always hard to determine the reality when youre on a side.
While i agree with you that death is a theme in Turner's writings, he also takes time to describe in detail the landscape and new culture around him. Death and violence does tend to overshadow a soldiers experience in war because it is so shocking. Turner takes time to introduce words in Arabic and describe the new sounds of the culture around him, such as the muezzin call to prayer. I think that the poems reflect Turner's war experience. He noticed the new exciting land but it was overshadowed by death and violence.
ReplyDeleteI found that in some of Turner's poems he does consider the beauty of Iraq as well as referencing death, for example, Observation Post #71, "Owls rest in vines of wild grapes./ Eucalyptus trees shimmer... The sunflowers lift their faces toward dawn". He manages to still find positive things about the landscape in the midst of war.
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