The Yellow Birds - 1036 Words

Valerie Paz K88875155 03/27/13 10:00 In the novel â€Å"The Yellow Birds† by Kevin Powers the story is based on a twenty-one year old soldier and his experience in the war in Iraq. The twenty-one year old man’s name is John Bartle, a survivor of the war. The novel explains about the casualties and numerous amounts of times that John is surrounded by death and decay in Al Tafar, jumping back and forth through time explaining his experiences before and after the war. This novel is a very well written story; in some ways like a riddle keeping the reader on the edge of their seats forcing them to follow the book. At some points of the story, it becomes confusing because of how casual and emotionless John is when he speaks of death. One of the†¦show more content†¦For this reason, John ends up explaining to Murphy’s mother what exactly happened to him after she questions the letter, finishing the story with John being let out on good behavior and reminiscing on the death of his fellow comrade. A ccording to the novel the Protagonist of the story is John and the antagonist would be the war. Due to the casualties of many men and women, one would think that the war is defined by death; but because of the survival of John, the reader thinks that he has survived the pit of hell, making him the good guy in the story. Although John became weak after seeing so much tragedy for so long, he was still considered an emotionless and cold person. In the story Murphy tells John how his father had brought home a cage of canaries and set them free, assuming that they would fly away. To his surprise, they flew away sang a few songs and came right back to their cages. These yellow birds represent how the soldiers may leave the war physically but mentally they will always be there and relive their past occurrences. To sum up, this novel narrates the journey of a soldier throughout the war in Iraq and his mind altering experience. The war represents a major downfall in his life in which he enco unters many graphic scenes. Even though John describes his experiences in the war as aShow MoreRelatedThe Yellow Birds By Kevin Powers1489 Words   |  6 Pagesnovel, The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers you see characters that have the intent to do good, but come up short and fail. Everybody has instances throughout their lives where they will try extremely hard, but fail in the end. A lot of these instances may even be just the smallest things, but when they happen it is never a good feeling. You will get feelings of disappointment, and anger, but the problems that occur in Kevin Power’s book are much more than that. The book The Yellow Birds is a fictionalRead MoreThe Yellow Birds By Kevin Powers897 Words   |  4 PagesSome believe that birds help express spiritual freedom and psychological liberation with the different colors of birds that are associated with various meanings; specifically the yellow bird means you should keep your guard up. In the novel, The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers, John Bartle becomes guarded and isolated because of his internal battles created by his experiences from war. Bartle struggles with the lack of control he has over the events that happen to him in during his time in the militaryRead MoreThe Yellow Birds And Paul Haggis Movie1992 Words   |  8 PagesIn both Kevin Powers novel, The Yellow Birds and Paul Haggis movie, In the Valley of Elah the authors explore PTSD, pain and loss that many soldiers and their family members feel once they return. They explain these ideas with the help of the bodies of two soldiers. These bodies are the main focal point that they branch out and show the out reaching effects of their deaths. The biggest differences are between two of the main characters, Bartle and Hank and how they each handled their PTSD, pain andRead MoreThe Yellow Bird Spirit - analysis of Arthur Millers The Crucible play. Focuses on the yellow bird in Act II and how mass hysteria is achieved and the effects of such panic.1412 Words   |  6 PagesThe Yellow Bird Spirit One of the most vibrant, deep, and sagacious screenplays of the 21st century is Arthur Millers The Crucible. Miller brilliantly comments on human morals, authority, and mass hysteria. He parallels the events of Salem in 1600s to the blacklisting and the discrimination against those who were labeled as a communist in America during the 1950s. He proficiently shows how mass hysteria could sweep an entire community like a tsunami and erase all logical thought and rationalityRead MoreDon Robertson and Charlotte Perkins Gilman explore the theme of personal identity throughout their1300 Words   |  6 PagesDon Robertson and Charlotte Perkins Gilman explore the theme of personal identity throughout their works, from Robertson’s The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread, to Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper. Though both Don Robertson and Charlotte Perkins Gilman both illustrate and explore the theme of personal identity in very different ways, there are also many similar ways it is i llustrated and explored by both authors as well. Don Robertson shows this theme of personal identity through Morris Bird’s cautiousRead MoreCompare And Contrast The Awakening And The Yellow Wallpaper1211 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Awakening† â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† During our previews week we had many different reading assignments. The assignment I chose to talk about in this paper for week number one was â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. For the second reading assignment for this current week will be â€Å"The Awakening† by Kate Chopin. I choose this two reading assignments because they were both very similar, but at the same time very different. Throughout this paper I will be demonstrating a common theme—characters—andRead MoreAnalysis Of Abigail Williams s The Crucible 1342 Words   |  6 Pagespeople. One scene of importance in the play, would be the girls pretending to see the yellow bird flying towards them from the rafts, in act three. This scene helps to prove the theme of hysteria, as once Abigail pretends to see the bird coming at her, Mary Warren, Mercy and the other girls then follow her lead, and act frightened as they stand in fear with â€Å"the bird† flying at them. At first Mary denies the bird and is shocked at what the other girls are doing, but finally she begins to join themRead More Kate Chopins The Awakening Essay952 Words   |  4 Pagesrealises she is no longer tied to the earth. She has the opportunity to control her own life and finally decide her fate. The symbolism of birds Chopin uses in many places birds to represent failure, freedom and choices the Edna has to make right. The novel begins with the image of a bird that is trapped and cannot communicate: â€Å"A green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door, kept repeating over and over...Could speak a little Spanish, and also a language that nobody understoodquot;Read MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin927 Words   |  4 PagesBirds are the main theme in the novel The Awakening. Many people when they read the first statement, should be perplexed and try to grasp the concept of how birds can be the main theme of The Awakening. However, throughout the novel, we see many examples of birds appearing in the text. Many great authors use the power of symbolism to establish a connection between an object that seems ordinary to a human counterpart whose actions and intentions are masked by the way the actions are executed. In TheRead MoreA Visit to The Peoples Republic of China868 Words   |  4 PagesIndex.html The Peoples Republic of China established in 1949.The flag is red and yellow,It symbolizes the soldiers blood. Five yellow star represents the government and unity of the people. Red on flag symbol of revolution and yellow star said the Chinese nation for the Yellow race. Five star means we are big group. China is located in the eastern and Central Asia the west coast of Pacific Ocean.But its shape on earth like a chicken. In fact China total land area of 9600000 square kilometers.