We Slept With Our Boots On~ An Analysis

Point of View:

The poem is written in the POV of well...Steve Carlson, a soldier fighting in the Afghan war. We can identify elements of life as a soldier in the poem, including "30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit" and "Get ready to go and make it quick". This creates the genuine feel of receiving orders through commanding officers in the platoon from the higher-ups, which increases his credibility. From his tone, we can assume that he is a veteran, who has gone through war and understands the rush of fear and perhaps the angst of soldiers when he stated that "Everyone loses their innocence when they carry guns' and "Brothers aren’t born they’re earned".

Situation and setting:

The poem is probably set in the Afghan war, due to the presence of the "Hindu Kush". The situation is fast moving at the start of the poem, with apt description of the heat of the battlefield and then slowly resides into that of tension where the persona reflects on everything he had been through and on how he had lived through another day of violence and bloodshed.

Language and Diction:

In my opinion, not many language devices are used. As for diction, the poet uses a lot of terms that I think is used in the army, such as "Paratrooper" instead of the conventional "soldiers", " pulling the trigger and reloading and pulling some more" instead of just "shooting" and "30 seconds they yelled, Lock N Load and grab your shit" which refer to the officers ordering his men to prepare for battle. This helps illustrate the real war time experience which is rushed, filled with anxiety and fast-paced.

Personal Response:

I think the poet is trying to pass on his experiences to the future generations. I do not really think his is taking a stand on whether war is good or evil but he is just trying to express the sentiments of a soldier when he is really in the war time situation. Due to this, I think readers will begin to feel that war is not as glorious the government makes it to be but actually a cold materialization of cruelty, bitterness and faith.