Writing is an art that requires meticulous skill and knowledge. Different writers use different techniques to effectively communicate their message. As writers, Siobhan Fallon and David Wood employ a unique set of rhetorical techniques that help distinguish their respective literature, “The Last Stand” and “Iraq, Afghanistan War Veterans Struggle with Combat Trauma.”The Last Stand” is an insight into the life of specialist Kit Murphy a soldier who had had just returned home from the war only to find his family falling apart as his wife had become cold and indifferent. David’s article, on the other hand, is more informative in terms of factual information as he similarly gives a personal perspective on the issue from Natasha Young, who is also a war veteran. Both centered on the theme of returning veterans issues, Siobhan’s and David’s narratives give a vivid picture of how veterans are socially, mentally and physically affected by war. Whereas Siobhan appeals to her audience through the use of pathos by capturing their emotions, David conveys his message in a logical appeal with hard facts, figures and statistics as he attempts to integrate these to individual testimonies of veterans and specialists in the field.
David impresses his readers by establishing the credibility of his article by quoting the essential statements of authorities on the subject. To explain how war affect veterans emotionally, he employs the testimonies of people who had first hand experiences in war such as the combat veteran Karl Marlantes, Tom Berger who was a medical corpsman in the 1960 Vietnam war and most importantly, Natasha Young- a Marine who viewed suicide as a sweet escape. The author persuades the reader to believe his claim that war has detrimental effects to the psyche of combat veterans by quoting the explanations of doctors who have vast experience in handling PTSD cases. "No one gets out unscathed," says Col. Katherine Platoni, a senior Army combat trauma psychologist with two battlefield tours in Iraq and Afghanistan who has seen and felt the deepening effects of combat trauma". (David, n.pg.) David highlights the expertise of Platoni in order to justify his argument that war deteriorates the mental health of veterans. His consistent use of titles such as Dr., Sgt., army major, secretary of concerned government agencies, senior adviser and other respected titles constantly instill a sense of credibility to the article. Thus, the reader trusts the author including his point of views because they are backed with the opinions of individuals whose education, previous experiences and professions make them qualified to speak regarding the subject. In addition, he includes the results of reputable studies and research and provides reliable data that he collected from both government offices and health institutions.
David's noble purpose of exposing the challenges encountered by war veterans also gains additional sympathy from the readers. He devides the article into sections and marks it with thoughtful subtitles such as "Struggling with PTSD" and "I Believe in You". This technique reveals his good character and pure intention that induces the reader's positive impression towards the autors. Eventually, this positive impression induces them to sympathize with his point of views. In order to further gain the reader's sympathy, he points out that the war veterans does not only suffer mentally, but they also become weak subjects for diseases such as diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases. Again, he uses an appeal to ethos by making a hint that the statement is not only an opinion, but a result of a latest study. He gains credibility to his ideas by incorporating bunch of notable sources.
Finally, from his article, David uses the logic of supporting generalization with examples when he mentions that the amount of stress that military soldiers have to deal with is too huge for them to handle without professional help. He uses empirical approach to validate his argument and eventually convince the readers that his statements are accurate. He always support his interpretations with hard facts and figures that are released by established institutions such as the Defense Department, Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center and Stanford University Center on Stress and Health. Siobhan, on the other hand, uses pathos to form the quality of her narrative to ignite the pity and gain the sympathy of the reader. She uses vivid language to recreate the traumatic scene in the life of Kit Murphy after returning home from military service. Through the use of rich imagery, Siobhan was able to transport the readers to the world of Kit. He writes, "He had been away for more than a year, he almost died, and his wife got a room with two beds?" (Siobhan, p.135) This statement of David at the early part of the novel is sufficient to stir the reader's feelings of pity by describing how the woman whom Kit loved and longed for, showed indifference instead of mutual longing after long years of separation. Through this powerful interrogative statement, David clearly depicts the feelings of Kit that is a mixture of frustration, bitterness and pain. At this point, he had already invoked pity among the readers that they just don't remain as mere readers. They become observers of Kit's story and as observers, they have an idea of his misery and pain.
Siobhan similarly uses the pathetic appeal of pain by using powerful imagery as she describes the dreadful explosion Kit went through as a result of a blast on his Humvee that he narrowly escaped. Siobhan employs flashback images to describe the traumatic and horrifying scenarios during the war in Iraq. He uses a combination of the seven types of imagery- visual, auditory, kinesthetic, gustatory, tactile, olfactory and organic imagery to vividly describe the pains and sufferings of soldiers. Through excellent word choices, he was able to let the readers feel the danger and fear of being an army. "How he could smell Schaeffer burning and he thought it was his own flesh". (Siobhan, p.155) This olfactory image provides a vivid picture of the hostile life soldiers experience during war, in extreme cases, they suffer blows from blasts that blow off parts of their brains and are left to be vegetative cases, unable to perform some of the basic day to day tasks. Siobhan wants the readers to reflect on the cruel circumstances and painful destinies that the war veterans have to endure. By using Kit's story, he opens the readers' awareness to the painful reality that disabled war veterans where automatically discharged from their services without receiving adequate health assistance. By emphasizing this painful scenario, the author acquires both the agreement and sympathy of the readers. Since soldiers like Kit dedicated their lives to their military service, they left their normal lives and accepted the threat of either death or physical disability. So when they are discharged from the army because of the latter, they face the fearful challenge of living a difficult life outside the war zone. "He knew that when they fixed him up with a metal limb, he would be out of the infantry, and he needed Helena to know that without her, without the army, he would have nothing." (Shiobhan, p.155) This statement establishes a sorrowful image that is powerful enough to stir the reader's pathetic feelings over the condition of Kit.
At the end of the story, Siobhan do not just awakens the sympathy of the readers but she invokes a mixture of emotions among them that consists of pity, sympathy, care and sorrow. "Kit made a move toward the door, throwing himself at it, hoping something would catch him before he hit the ground, a bureau, a chair, anything that everything was gone." (Siobhan, p.157) Through this organic imagery, the author was able to reveal the internal sensations of Kit- his fear, his pains, and his hope. Siobhan creates the helpless image of a man who never broke down and successfully endured the wounds and bruises brought by war, but failed to hold his tears at the ruin of his marital affair.
Humans are both rational and emotional beings; thus, writers like David and Siobhan used the appeals to ethos and pathos respectively to ignite the readers' delicate sensations such as pity, trust, and sympathy. By doing so, they are able to create strong connection with their readers and they were able to influence their opinions and instill new ideas and perspectives. David won the confidence of the readers while simultaneously gaining their attention, concern and sympathy by providing facts and credible evidences from worthy and respected personalities. Additionally, he strengthened the credibility of his article by providing data from different known and reliable institutions. Lastly, his employment of ethos through the form of earned titles signifies truth and credibility of his article that he was able to persuade the readers to believe in his arguments. On the other hand, Siobhan's work is designed to illicit deeper emotional responses from the readers by creating vivid images of the sufferings of a war veteran. His novel is a faithful representation of the lives of other soldiers who undergo the same circumstances. Siobhan achieved his intended emotional responses from the readers through his effective use of imagery. While David uses ethos to objectively explain how war deteriorates the physical, social and mental health of veterans, Siobhan targets the emotions of the readers by recreating the life struggles of a soldier who was discharged from his military duties. Although the two writers employed different rhetorical devices, they were able to deliver a unified message. Both articles tell the readers that the military veterans are the victims of the war they once fought and they need the care and support of the country that they serve with patriotism in exchange of their normal, civilian lives.
Works Cited
David, Wood. Iraq, Afghanistan War Veterans Struggle with Combat Trauma. “TheHuffington Post”, 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/04/iraq-afghanistan-war-veterans-combat-trauma_n_1645701.html
Siobhan, Fallon. “You Know When The Men Are Gone: The Last Stand”. Amy Einhorn Books/G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2011.
