I believe both Turner's Here, Bullet and Benedict's Sand Queen reveal to us how large the soldier/civilian divide measures in contemporary warfare. Turner discusses in various poems how a soldier cannot fully trust a civilian. He categorizes soldiers as paranoid in the poem "What Every Soldier Should Know." The poem begins with a series of phrases in Arabic that would be useful for a soldier to know in everyday situations; however, as the poem progresses the tone reveals a sense of fear and an inability to trust those around you. He effortlessly displays the soldier/civilian divide in the last four lines of the poem: "Small children who will play with you, / old men with their talk, women who offer chai- / and any one of them / may dance over your body tomorrow."
Benedict further reveals the soldier/civilian divide in the relationship between Kate and Naema. When Naema first meets Kate she does not trust her as she offers her an exchange: Naema will translate in Arabic for Kate if Kate provides her with information on her father and her brother. Kate is also distrustful of Naema, but is in desperate need for help so she accepts the offer.
The soldier/civilian divide not only permeates a sense of paranoia and mistrust, but reveals the otherness that both parties look upon the other with.
While both Sand Queen and Here, Bullet detail the daily lives of soldiers in Iraq, there are many differences between them. Throughout the semester we have read poems and stories written by men. Women at war is, although there are exceptions, a new concept. Having Kate Brady as a narrator brings a whole new aspect to war. Until this point, women portrayed such as in Here, Bullet or The Things They Carried were object of desire and dreams of the soldiers to return home. The one standout in this group is the woman in O'Brians story who "goes native" and disappears into the wilderness. The contrast between the men and women in Sand Queen in apparent as the men in Kates company come across as vulgar and sexist. Kate is stuck in the middle because she is left alone by her fellow soldiers to deal with the Iraqi women, such as Naema. Distrust between soldiers and civilians is one of the aspects Turner and Benedict have in common. The Iraqis in Here, Bullet will turn on a moments notice in the minds of the american soldiers. Where we see a difference in Sand Queen is Kate begins to develop a relationship with Naema. The two have an agreement: information for information. This allows Kate and the reader insight into the life of an Iraqi women and we are able to see that her life is not much different than an american life. She cares for her father and brother who have been interred within the prison.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point Lindsey. Both author's certainly do try to let the reader understand the soldier/civilians divide. And both authors do so by describing what the thought process and the life is like for both the soldier and civilian.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting in the Sand Queen when Naema thinks about putting Kate in her shoes - how would Kate's family feel if a son and father were taken away, etc? When reading from Naema's perspective it can be hard to empathise with Kate and the other Americans, who seem to cause destruction without reason. Nonetheless, the American soldiers are also destructive to their own kind, in the case of the attempted rape of Kate. At this point in the novel, Naema and Kate do not see eye to eye, but I imagine as the story progresses they may learn more about each other's lives and bond as women in a war.
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