jimmy cross presentation Flashcards
O’Brien’s negative language targets the war, the fields, and even his fellow soldiers. Because he is up against the senseless brutality of war and needless death, O’Brien attempts to make sense of all the loss by cursing the land and soil as “evil” for killing Kiowa, Cross’ decision as “terrible,” and degrades himself and the soldiers to snakes as they prowl on foreign, treacherous land.
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the words are so harsh because they reflect O’Brien’s thoughts on the land and war itself, even though he is a storyteller his still holds the war accountable for the unnecessary deaths
“Terrible” “Evil” “Stupid” “Snake”
“Nothing”&“No” are absolute, confident terms reflecting the permanency of war and its irreversible effects on life and land. “Should’ve”&“Seemed” reflect the Cross’s hesitant and regretful afterthoughts after distractedly losing one of his soldiers in an accident. O’Brien’s absolutes contrast Cross’ immature and ignorant guidance; he was never fit for leadership.
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O’Brien’s absolutes demonstrate the permanency of the war on life and liberty while should’ve and seemed sound like afterthoughts/what to do after a permanent event has occured, demonstrating Cross should not have been leLeiutenant
“Nothing” “No” vs. “Should’ve” “Seemed”
O’Brien wields militaristic diction, actively reminding readers of the expectations upon the soldiers’ and their duties, particularly Cross’s “responsibility” and mandate to “command” as Leiutenant. O’Brien’s language emphasizes how deeply war has tained the soldiers’ minds, forever etched into how they speak and think, and relating everything back to their military obligations. The language is ironic; even though the battlefield should have trained Cross to be “automatic” and behave “point blank,” his “impulses” as Leiutenant fail him.
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“Crawled” “Impulses” “Command” “Automatic”
“Responsibility” “Point blank” “Indefensible”
O’Brien’s diction describing Jimmy Cross contrasts greatly with the militaristic diction indicating the conduct expected of Cross as Lieutenant. Cross’s humanity is deadly in the war when he gives in to his “desire” and “thoughts” while he is “unprepared,” making “blunders” and “excuses” leading to Kiowa’s death. Emotion and mistakes humanize Cross in a place stripped of humanity where lives become mere statistics, but they also cause destruction; in war, one must be like machinery.
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“Excuses” “Unprepared” “Blunders” “Admit” “Guilt” “Fault” “Afraid” “Alone” “Sad” “Cold” “Thoughts” “Desire”
Participles emphasize the lack of peace for the soldiers, constantly forced into “exploded” areas and leaving them “shaking.” Action words illustrate the defenselessness the soldiers are in unforgiving war and reflects conflict both within the soldiers and the conflict surrounding them. Because the participles both apply to war and emotion, O’Brien creates a bridge between the cruelties of combat and vulnerabilities of being human, uniting as an identity for his fellow soldiers stuck between warfare and humanity.
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“Exploded” “Entrenching” “Swallowing” “Collapsed” “Reaching” “Shaking” “Knowing”
