And The Friendship Only Lasted A Few Seconds

Not many people in society can empathize with those who have been in a war and have experienced war firsthand. Society is unaware that many individuals are taken away from their families to risk their lives serving in the war. Because of this, families are left to wonder if they will ever get to see their sons and daughters again. In a war, young men are taken away from their loved ones without a promise that they will get to see them again. The survivors come back with frightening memories of their traumatic experiences. Although some would argue that war affects families the most, Tim O’Brien and Kenneth W. Bagby are able to convey the idea that war can negatively impact one’s self by causing this person long lasting emotional damage.

While O’Brien and Bagby use imagery to express the impact of war on someone, Lily Lee Adams uses dialogue and repetition to convey the war’s negative impact on a person.
In the short story, “Where Have You Gone Charming Billy?” written by Tim O'Brien, the author utilizes imagery to depict the notion that war causes a person to experience severe emotional trauma due to the harsh realities that he or she has faced. O’Brien states, “The big soldier hissed at him to shut up, but he could not stop giggling and remembering the hot afternoon, and poor Billy Boy… and how a little while later poor Billy Boy stepped on the mine, and how it made a tiny little sound-poof and how Billy Boy stood there with his mouth wide-open, looking down at where his foot had been blown off, and how finally Billy Boy sat down very casually, not saying a word, with his foot lying behind him, most of it in the boot” (O’Brien 8). This passage illustrates that Paul Berlin becomes emotionally numb due to the fact that he tries very hard to stay calm while in the war. Berlin tries many methods to keep calm and not die shamefully from a heart attack like Billy Boy does. Before dying, the reader is able to visualize Billy Boy getting his foot blown off by a mine and Berlin not being able to control his laughing in what should be a serious situation. This evokes a sense of terror in the readers because Tim O’Brien’s use of imagery makes them feel as if they are apart of the scene with Paul Berlin and Billy Boy. In addition, O’Brien writes “He turned away and Private First Class Paul Berlin hurried after him. He was still shivering. He would do better once he reached the sea, he thought, still smiling a little. A funny war story that he would tell to his father, how Billy Boy Watkins was scared to death. A good joke. But even when he smelled salt and heard the sea, he could not stop being afraid” (O’Brien 9). In this quote, Tim O’Brien uses imagery to demonstrate the war’s effect on Paul Berlin by causing him great fear from triggers such as salt and the sea. The author’s use of descriptive language shows that although he is able to find a positive in his situation, whenever Berlin comes in contact with any aspect that is related to what he faces in the war, Paul will feel the same fear as he does in combat. In conclusion, Tim O’Brien’s use of imagery in “Where Have You Gone Charming Billy” depicts the notion that war causes one to emotionally numb but at the same time very fragile.
In the poem, “The Friendship Only Lasted a Few Seconds” by Lily Lee Adams, Adams uses imagery and repetition, in order to convey the emotional harm that war can cause a person by leaving him or her with only traumatic memories and despondence.

For example, in the last line of all four stanzas, the author writes, “And the friendship only lasted a few seconds” (Adams 18-19). By repeating this phrase, Adams is able to emphasize how quick her friendship with one of the soldiers lasts. Through the use of repetition, she highlights the war’s effect on her and the relationship she forms in the war. The author is able to demonstrate that war causes her to never forget about the soldier’s service and that he dies right before her. In addition, Lily Lee Adams uses dialogue to help the readers visualize the war’s distressful effects on an individual. She states, “And he told me/”I don’t believe this/I’m dying for nothing.”/Then he died/Again, the friendship/Only lasted a few seconds” (Adams 20-25). Adams’s use of dialogue portrays an image in the reader’s mind of the soldier telling the nurse that he can not believe he is dying for nothing because he will not be remembered for his service. To further elaborate, the reader is able to envision that the soldier is dying a miserable death since he is dying in vain. Before his death, the soldier becomes hopeless when he realizes that no one will remember his contribution to protecting the people that will never appreciate or remember

him. Given these points, the author, Lily Lee Adams, uses repetition and dialogue, in order to indicate that war leaves a person with memories full of dismay and can cause a person to develop a melancholy outlook towards society.
In the letter, “Dear Folks” written by Kenneth W.

Bagby, the author utilizes the literary device, imagery, to illustrate the fact that he will never be able to forget the severity of the war and the fact that fighting in the war causes him to struggle to keep his sanity due to the terrifying realities he faces. For instance, Bagby writes, “I will never be the same though, never, never, never. If I have to go into battle again, if I am not killed, I will come out insane... The friends I lost and the many bodies I carried back to the helicopters to be lifted out, I will never forget” (Bagby 1). In this passage, Kenneth W. Bagby wrote to his parents that he was afraid of having to go into battle again because felt he would go insane. By using descriptive language, the author is able to appeal the the reader’s sense of fear and helps the reader visualize Bagby carrying soldiers that are injured or deceased to be taken out. With this in mind, the readers can see that war is not an event that Bagby is able to let go of because what he experienced was so horrifying that it will leave a permanent burden on his shoulders. Moreover, Bagby writes “ I got to know this boy well, and he was my best friend. His name was Dan Davis. On Monday morning, the 15th of November, he died in my arms of two bullet wounds in the chest” (Bagby 1). In this quote, Kenneth W. Bagby described the death of his best friend, Dan Davis, which he met on the ship to Vietnam. By being specific about how Dan

dies in his arms from two bullets in the chest, Bagby highlights one event he experiences that will cause him to never forget the graphic images of all the deaths of his friends. To conclude, in his letter “Dear Folks,” Kenneth W. Bagby uses imagery to depict that after experiencing so many deaths in a war, one will struggle to keep his or her sanity and have a difficult time letting go of all these vivid experiences.
All in all, the authors Tim O’Brien, Kenneth W. Bagby, and Lily Lee Adams use the literary devices, imagery, dialogue, and repetition, to illustrate the idea that war causes one’s self severe emotional damage. The authors write about their own experience or another character’s experience in the war to convey the idea that war leads a person to suffer from emotional harm that the explicit memories can result in. Tim O’Brien and Kenneth W. Bagby use imagery to emphasize the severity of war that can cause people to struggle with their emotional stability. In her poem, “The Friendship Only Lasted a Few Seconds,” Lily Lee Adams uses repetition and dialogue to highlight how war can negatively impact a person by leaving him or her with horrifying memories. The authors’ use of literary devices highligh that war has a significant impact on one’s self by creating emotional harm because of the graphic memories that he or she must face, whether it is a nurse or a soldier. Every person involved in a war will not come back the same because their experiences will change who he or she is and how his or her perspective towards life.