What Is The Mood Of The Poem 'Jundee Ameriki'?

In Brian Turner’s poem “Jundee Ameriki” (American soldier), he gives gruesome details of a situation that triggered posttraumatic stress disorder in a soldier of war. The poem, written in 2009, addresses a suicide bombing which occurred during the War on Iraq in November of 2005. At first the poem shares the events of his doctor’s visit. While getting the shrapnel fragments removed, the soldier is quickly reminded of the horrific events that led to the injury. The poem then begins to describe the emotional effects of posttraumatic stress disorder. The narrator uses symbolism and the structure of the poem to demonstrate how the emotional pain of posttraumatic stress disorder is much greater than the physical pain it causes (even if the emotional

When the physical damage to the soldier is described, there are many objects found within him. “Shrapnel bits… Coarse gravel… Road debris… points of glass… Aged cloth…Even shards of bone” (___). This indicates that she will not only be a part of him mentally, but also physically. After the explosion, fragments of her bone and remains of her blood-soaked clothing were found within him. Although the soldier tries to escape the recollection, he is continually mocked by the memory of her last words: “Allah al Akbar” (God is greatest) (____). Since the soldier did not realize the body approaching him was a female, he was most likely more affected by her death. During war, women are rarely encountered by the enemy, since men are generally on the frontlines. The soldier has seen many men die, but this was the first woman to die in front of him. Men are looked to as the protector of women, so the soldier was not only traumatized by the event, but also guilt-ridden. He describes the bomb as the woman’s “dark and lasting gift” (16) to him. Describing the bomb as a gift is ironic. Since gifts have a positive connotation, it gives one the impression the woman seemed innocent to her, or the soldier has forgiven her for her