Focus on feminity

While both of these narratives address the same theme; that of the war in Iraq, they are very different. Turners collection of poems is an insightful look into the life of an American soldier in Iraq, however the vast majority of his poetry expresses a similar perspective. What is refreshing about Sand Queen is that, in addition to a well portrayed insight into a soldier, Helen Benedict also explores the issues inherent in being a young female soldier.  This is a much more original take, as there are many controversial issues surrounding women in the army. This is shown in the novel from the very beginning, as there is a lot of internal conflict between Kate, the America protagonist, and her overbearingly male unit. She is faced with both the obvious violence, and the subtle conflict from her her fellow soldiers. This focus on femininity in the army is one of the main themes. It is also addressed in the misconceptions the soldiers have about Iraqi women, as is shown in the first interactions between Kate and Naema.

The fact that there are two distinct narrators, on opposite sides of the war, is a very useful technique to show the effect of the conflict on women of different nationalities. Turners collection is mostly from the perspective of the american soldier. Naema perspective, how the war has affected her and her family and her perception of the soldiers in very interesting.