Sand Bullet

Helen Benedict gives the reader insight to the soldier/civilian divide by providing Kate's story and Naema's story. Brian Turner does the same thing by writing poems that describe the civilians and others that describe the soldier's life. Poems like The Al Harishma Weapons Market that allow the reader to think about the lives of the civilians as affected by the war, rather than bystanders. Poems like Observation Post #798 let the reader peek into the mind of a soldier. Both authors make attempts at bridging the soldier/civilian divide as well provide insight to what contemporary warfare is like. Helen Benedict does a better job at letting the reader know what modern war is like. She does so by exploring the role of women in both the soldier aspect as well as the civilian aspect. In Here, Bullet modern warfare is touched upon by mostly describing the weapons, IEDS, and death. Brian Turner does not go into as much detail, or focus of his writing much on the specifics of jobs. Helen Benedict, however, does by describing Kate's job at at the prison camp and the significance of the prison.