In this blog,
I wrote a brief interpretation of how a soldier might feel returning home,
inspired by The Things They Carried and the quote "home was no longer the hills of childhood, the playing fields
of school, or the addresses of relatives; it became instead a place behind the
line, a group of comrades, the sound of familiar voices within earshot of a
foxhole" from Postcards from the
Trenches (Booth).
The thought of returning home was all that kept me sane
during the war. Whenever a friend was blown to bits or a scorching wound was
brought onto me, I imagined my family and friends lucky enough to escape the clutches
of war waiting for me at home. Sometimes that was the only reason I tried to
stay alive. To come back to them in one piece. But nobody told me I would rebound
feeling like an outsider. Initially, I didn’t understand what was wrong with
me. I mean, how could something that once felt so safe and close to your heart
feel so far upon return? That was messed up. But it just kept coming back. The sounds
of explosion ringing in your ears, the way a body dripped with blood until it
was painted in a deep, crusting red, the filth of laying in foxholes with your
buddies, some of whom were no longer breathing. Coming home flooded my mind with jubilant memories, almost overwhelmingly, though it just wasn’t the same. In a sense, I felt
that I was in a place I had never been to before. I was happy, but deep down, it simply was not home
anymore. I was forever bonded to horrors from the war.
The way you interpreted a soldier's experience in war was very interesting. I especially liked your imagery, the way you described with detail the memories and details of war and battle. The line "it was simply not home" really resonated with the Postcards in the Trenches; the same sentiment was addressed in that piece, as it discussed the true meaning of home and how it becomes redefined in the aftereffects of war. Both pieces emphasized that war never truly goes away, and I liked how you emphasized that too, and it made your piece feel very genuine.
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteI really like how you describe your feelings as a soldier like Tim O'Brien even though you have never really had any war experience. I also liked how to describe the soldier's alienation when that soldier reaches home which isn't actually bringing the feeling of "Home, sweet home". Finally, I really liked your idea of impersonating an author'idea of telling a fictional story in order to express the truth about how a soldier feels when he reaches home.
author's
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