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  • Essay / The Lingering Effects of War

    In Redeployment, Phil Klay reveals the vulgar and brutal aspects of war behind the victories and heroism often shown in the media. Through several short stories, Klay shares the difficult journey soldiers take to come to terms with their war experiences upon returning home. Soldiers return from war having witnessed incidents so gruesome that many wonder if it is possible to maintain a sense of morality in war. In "Psychological Operations" and "Prayer in the Furnace", war creates blind hatred in soldiers, leaving them with lingering aggression and suffering they cannot overcome. In "Psychological Operations" and "Prayer in the Furnace", Klay suggests that a successful soldier cultivates blind hatred and devalues ​​human life. Because of all the brutal and inhumane incidents the soldiers endure, they gradually become insensitive to the value of human life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay In “Psychological Operations,” the protagonist, Waguih, tells an offensive and alarming story about war as if it were ordinary. “The Marines competed to come up with the dirtiest insults they could think of. And then we would shout over the loudspeakers, taunting the entrenched insurgents until they came running out of the mosques, all crazy, and we would mow them down” (201). This quote demonstrates the blind but rigid hatred that soldiers feel towards the lives of others. Not only do the soldiers and marines create "the dirtiest insults they can think of," but they also make the "insurgents" so angry that they manipulate them to their own deaths. “And We Would Mow Them Down” reveals that the soldiers' hatred becomes so enormous that they don't even need to be angry or passionate to kill multiple people. In fact, they are not even deterred by the murder of several people. Additionally, in "Prayer in the Furnace", Klay portrays Rodriguez as another soldier who developed a blind and rigid hatred in the face of aggression. Because Rodriguez has experienced both the deaths of several of his friends and the deaths of Iraqis, he has become insensitive to death, leading him to devalue human life. “'The only thing I want is to kill Iraqis,' he said. “That’s it. Everything else is just numb until you can do something. Not just a waste of time. “You mean the insurgents,” I said. “They’re all insurgents.” , he says” (148) This quote reveals that Rodriguez’s blind hatred and numbness towards death is so immense that he only cares about “killing Iraqis” Rodriguez has created a “they” and. a "we" saying "they're all insurgents", demonstrating that in his mind, every Iraqi he sees is an insurgent. Rodriguez's inability to distinguish between different people causes him to hate even innocent children. Klay demonstrates that after being immersed in an aggressive culture of violence, a soldier's psyche is handicapped. The blind hatred that soldiers acquire makes it difficult for them to control their aggression and violence, even when. they return from war and no longer need to act as assertively. In “Psychological Operations,” Waguih, the protagonist, experiences persistent aggression even after returning from Iraq. When chatting with a classmate who had irritated him, Waguih's actions demonstrate a rapid increase in suppressed aggression: "My breathing was still rapid – from the run – and I was full of energy. My fistswere tight. I wanted to go back and forth” (180). In this quote, Klay portrays Waguih with anxious aggression. Waguih's “breathing was still rapid,” “fists were clenched,” and “wanted to pace,” indicating the suppression of his thoughtless aggression, but his desire to explode with rage on the spot. Afterwards, Waguih talks with Zara, realizing that what he learned in Iraq is permanently engraved in him. "I wasn't having her do PsyOps, so I didn't know how she would react. Or if I did do her in PsyOps, since you're still putting some sort of pressure on even when you're naked, then it was the least conscious maneuver that I could do” (181). Waguih is so accustomed to “PsyOpsing” that it is something he does unconsciously. He constantly goes into “psyops,” blurring the lines between war and home. Waguih is later described when talking with his classmate Zara. He realizes his aggressive and stubborn way of telling stories about the war and reflects on his father's reaction to one of Waguih's war stories. Waguih: “But with my father, I continued, describing every sexual act, every crude Arabic word… he” said, “Enough, enough,” his voice shook with rage and then terror, because I was standing at the- above him, shouting insults in his face, and he could no more see his son than I could, standing over him and leaving him, my rage dissipated – I could see my father” (210 -211). In this quote, Waguih's aggression is described through his persistent narration. His actions quickly range from telling a story to describing "every foul Arabic word" and "letting [his] rage fade away", indicating that Waguih's experiences in Iraq left him in a continuing state of aggression. Furthermore, Waguih becomes aware of the extent to which the war has distorted his psyche, transforming him into an aggressive and numb individual. “He could no more see his son than I could” reveals that Waguih has become so different from the war that neither he nor his own father can recognize each other, because he has changed. Klay says that for soldiers, the legacy of devaluing human life through hatred is insurmountable suffering. The brutal experience soldiers go through at war causes suffering that they cannot overcome, even once they return home. In "Prayer in the Furnace", Klay reveals Rodriguez's suffering due to his war experiences. Rodriguez experienced the death of several of his friends, which made it difficult for him to ward off his aggression and hatred. “He pulled a plastic sandwich bag filled with small pink pills from his cargo pockets and held it at eye level. “How do you think any of us sleep?” » (137). In this quote, Klay shows how Rodriguez copes with his immense suffering. His suffering has become so habitual to him that he simply accepts that many bad things happen in life and is able to take "little pink pills" to suppress his pain and suffering. Furthermore, in "Psychological Operations", Waguih demonstrates the pain and suffering he brought back from Iraq and which he is unable to overcome. When he talks to Zara about thanking the veterans, Klay reveals that Waguih won't be able to overcome his suffering. "So should I thank the vets for their service?" » she said. “Or spit on it, like in Vietnam? I thought for a moment and then gave him a smirk. “I reserve the right to be angry with you no matter what you do” (206). In this quote, Waguih is portrayed with angry suffering, suggesting that one cannot suffer in the same way as him unless one has experienced war. “I reserve the right.