Diction Detective

Maxwell Draskovich

"'People are going to die,' he said flatly. 'It's statistics.' Then he got up and left the room."
-Chapter 2, p. 39

This quote is important because it foreshadows the death of a character, and explains the harsh reality of the war in iraq

"I was only afraid of dying."
-Chapter 6, p. 115

This quote is important because it explains Bartle's restlessness on the battle front

"Because how can you measure deviation if you don't know the mean? There was no center in the world. The curves of all our bells were cracked."
-Chapter 8, p. 155

This quote explains how Bartle and all the others were scared by the war.

"Two boys, one twenty-four, the other twenty-one, would decide what should happen to the body of a boy who had died and been butchered in the service of his country in an unknown corner of the world."
-Chapter 10, p. 206

This quote explain show these young men were left with large responsibilities

Reflection 

Many lessons can be learned from reading and discussing a book like The Yellow Birds. I learned not only the complexity of the life of a U.S. soldier but also about working together with my fellow classmates to get things done. These teachings will help me on projects and schoolwork to come.

            Because of this book I learned a lot about the difficulty of the life of a U.S. soldier and people living in Iraq. From the something such as feeling homesick to the death of a loved one I learned how hard it is to keep your head up in such brutal times Kevin Power helped me to vividly grasp the feeling of posttraumatic stress syndrome in the life of a U.S. Army veteran. This book has taught me why to show some more appreciation towards those serving for our country. These lessons will stick with me for the rest of my life

            Working with my group has taught me a lot of skills from communication to determination. I learned how to get things done not only quicker but also more effectively. My job as diction detective was to find the quotes that best explain motifs and themes. In order to do this I needed to effectively communicate with all my classmates. This project helped me acquire better communication and problem solving skills.

            Reading this book helped me in various ways, whether it be communicating with classmates or understanding the life of a soldier. These skills will help round me into a better person.