McLarty !

Franny McLarty
Ms. Cooper
AP English
8/28/15

Chapter 1 Only This

There seemed no collapse of their fortunes in which Afghans could not find some
reason to laugh. In my many trips to Afghanistan, I grew to adore the place, for its beauty
and its perversions, for the generosity of its people in the face of madness. The brutality
one could witness in the course of a working day was often astonishing, the casualness
of it more so; and the way that brutality had seeped into every corner of human life was
a thing to behold. And yet somewhere, deep down, a place in the heart stayed tender. I
sat in a mud-brick hut near Bamiyan, the site of a gnawing famine, and a man and his
family pressed upon me, their overfed American guest, their final disk of bread (24).

Response:
Filkins' purpose in this passage is to share his positive experiences with Afghanistan and
its citizens in order to break the American stereotype that all people in the Middle East
are violent terrorists. The American perception of Afghanistan is warped and distorted
because of United States political relations with the country of Afghanistan, leaving little
room in our brains for the reality about the majority of the citizens there. Filkins uses
opposite diction such as beauty, madness, generosity,brutality, and tender to
express that charm and kindness still shine through in an area plagued with war and
violence and death (24). Filkins has a tone of admiration for the Afghan people because
of the amount of brutality[they] can witness in the course of a working day, and yet
still be kind enough to [press] upon [him], their overfed American guest, their final disk
of bread(24). Filkins contributes to his main argument through this passage by
emphasizing the kindness of the Afghan people in the face of war revealing that war is
cruel and violent, but still people can manage to be generous toward one another.
 McLarty !2

Chapter 2 Forebodings
Walking in, watching the flames shoot upward, the first thing I thought was that I was
back in the Third World. My countrymen were going to think that this was the worst
thing that ever happened, the end of civilization. In the Third World, this sort of thing
happened everyday: earthquakes, famines, plagues I dont think I was the only person
thinking this, who had the darker perspective. All those street vendors who worked near
the World Trade Center, from all those different countries, selling falafel and schwarma.
When they heard the planes and watched the towers they must have thought the same as I
did: that theyd come home (44-45).

Response:
Filkins says that the foreigners in New York must have thought the same as [he] did:
that theyd come home (45). This means that when the attack occurred, Filkins thought
he was home, in a Third World country. By referring to the Americans in New York as his
countrymen, and also referencing the Third World as his home, Filkins builds ethos
by showing that he has experienced and appreciated both countries, America and Iraq,
that were involved in the attack (44-45). Filkins' purpose in this passage is to compare
and contrast disasters and their reactions in America and in a Third World country. He
states that his fellow Americans would see this terrorist attack as the end of civilization,
but in the Third World, this sort of thing happened everyday (44). Filkins is trying to
show that in the place where our war is actually happening, Iraq, it was affecting more
people in more ways with more violence than anything that had happened in the United
States. He is not saying that the Americans do not have the right to be scared or angry,
though. Throughout the book, Filkins expresses that war negatively affects everyone in
each country involved, but he is trying to enlighten the American perspective on how the
war directly affects people other than Americans.
 McLarty !3

Chapter 4 Land of Hope and Sorrow

Murder and torture and sadism: it was part of Iraq. It was in peoples brains
Sometimes I would walk into the newsroom the we had set up in The New York Times
bureau in Baghdad, and Id find our Iraqi employees gathered round the television
watching a torture video The Iraqis would be watching them in silence. Just staring at
the screen. In one of the videos, some Baath party men had pinned a man down on the
floor and were holding down his outstretched arm, while another official beat the mans
forearm with a heavy metal pipe until his arm broke into two pieces. There was no sound
on the video, but you could see that the man was screaming. None of the Iraqis in the
newsroom said anything. I tried to recall these things when I got impatient with the
Iraqis. Sometimes, when readers from America sent me e-mails expressing anger at the
Iraqiswhy are they so ungrateful? why cant they govern themselves?I considered
sending them one of the videos (73-74).

Response:
Filkins includes this powerful passage to bring to life the situation the Iraqis are in. He
starts out with a depressing tone, using the words murder, torture, and sadism to
describe Iraq (73). He writes that the Iraqis witness violence and cruelty everyday, but
cannot do much about it. He describes the torture video they watch in the newsroom as
having no soundbut you could see that the man was screaming (73). The imagery he
includes makes this passage unsettling for the reader because he mixes up the senses
by making the reader see a sound without actually hearing it. This imagery creates a
dark mood for the rest of the passage. He tells how the Americans get frustrated with the
Iraqis lack of authority and their disorganized government, and how the Americans judge
without understanding the full situation at hand. Filkins' tone shifts from darkness to
frustration when he brings up the complaints from the Americans. Filkins' frustration
stems from the deep seeded misunderstandings and stereotypes America has of Iraq
and that Iraq has of America. One of Filkins' main themes in the book is that stereotypes
are rarely correct, and he proves that with multiple stories such as this one, which show
 McLarty !4

that many Iraqis are not violent, they just dont quite know how to handle the violence
around them. He includes the last sentence to directly express his opinion on the subject
of complaining Americans. He wants to reply with a torture video so he can say This is
why they are so ungrateful. This is why they cant govern themselves. Do you see? Do
you understand now? If this was happening in America, you would not act any
differently. Filkins' main purpose in this passage, through tone and imagery, is to show
the Iraqi perspective on the war; he wants to show the reality of their day to day life,
witnessing their country fall apart and turn violent. He wants his Americans readers to
know more than the bits and pieces of the war they saw on the news that favored the
American point of view.

Chapter 6 Gone Forever

A Humvee was burning. It was sending up billows of flames and black fog and
crumbling into itself. The soldiers had parked it in the middle of the street in the middle
of the day in the middle of Karada, as nice as any neighborhood in Baghdad, and gone
into Al-Warda to shop for candy and sodas The insurgents had been waiting for them in
the office building across the street, on one of the high floors. When the soldiers cut the
engine on their Humvee the insurgents fired their rocket-propelled grenade from an open
window and the Humvee exploded Bullets were flying in every direction, yet when I
looked up I saw the locals immersed in their routines. A woman was hanging laundry
from her window, sheets and T-shirts. An ice cream shop was selling cones (109).

Response:
Filkins describes an American Humvee as crumbling into itself, which could be seen as
a metaphor for the American mission in Iraq because it too was crumbling into itself
(109). He repeats the word middle to emphasize that during the occupation, the
Americans did whatever they wanted, even if it got in the middle of everything (109).
Furthermore, it represents that war gets in the middle of everyones life. Filkins also uses
the detail of the locals immersed in their routines and hanging laundry and selling
 McLarty !5

cones to show that life has to go on, even during a war (109). The purpose of this
passage, through imagery, metaphor, and diction, is to emphasize that most people in
Iraq had to live in the middle of a war that they had nothing to do with.

Chapter 7 A Hand in the Air

There were always two conversations in Iraq, the one the Iraqis were having with the
Americans and the one they were having among themselves. The one the Iraqis were
having with usthat was positive and predictable and boring, and it made the Americans
happy because it made them think they were winning. And the Iraqis kept it up because
it kept the money flowing, or because it bought them a little peace. The conversation
they were having with each other was the one that really mattered, of course. The
conversation was the chatter of a whole other world, a parallel reality, which sometimes
unfolded right next to the Americans, even right in front of them. And we almost never
saw it (115).

Response:
Filkins uses polysyndeton in positive and predictable and boring to accentuate what the
Americans were looking for in their feedback from the Iraqis (115). The Americans did
not want to hear anything other than that they were helping and winning. He mentions
the conversation [the Iraqis] were having with each other as the important
conversation, because it was the honest conversation (115). The honest truth was that
the Americans werent helping, they werent making things better, and as much as they
wanted to hear that they were, it just wasnt true. Filkins also uses point of view to show
that the Americans were blind to this honest conversation. He writes that it unfolded
right next to the Americans, here he implies that the American soldiers and Military
personnel in Iraq were oblivious to the honest conversation (115). In the next sentence,
Filkins says And we almost never saw it, by using we he implies that he was also
oblivious (115). He admits that even he, as an investigative journalist whose job it is to
understand the opposite perspective, missed the second conversation. His purpose
 McLarty !6

throughout this passage is to show how easily the Americans could ignore what was
happening right in front of them, and to show that it would be important to understand
the people that we, the Americans, were trying to help.

Chapter 7 A Hand in the Air

And there, smoldering in the road, lay the remains of an American supply truck, one of
the big ones called a seven-ton. A crowd of Iraqis had gathered, and they were shouting
and waving in great excitement. One of them was holding up the bloody shreds of an
American uniform. The body of the American from whom it came lay on top of a
stretcher next to the burning truck, a heap of flesh mangled but still moving. The Iraqis
began to cheer, quietly at first, almost a hum, then rising to a shriek each time the bloody
shirt came up. Then an American tank appeared, a massive M-1, and it opened fire with
a .50-caliber machine gun mounted on its turret. Not at the crowd, but into the field off to
the side of the road. Perhaps the crew had seen some insurgents there A .50-cal. is a
horrifying instrument. Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom. Look at what the Americans are
doing to the Iraqi people! an Iraqi man yelled at me. Look at what they are doing!. I
was angry for the bleeding man in the road and for some reason I felt no fear. Thats
because they blew up an American soldier, you dumb fuck, I shouted. Nadia told me to
shut up, noting that everyone in the Arab world knows that word (132).

Response:
Filkins uses detail in the beginning of the passage to give life to a shocking scene. He
describes the bomb victim as a heap of flesh mangled but still moving while an Iraqi
man held up the bloody shreds of an American uniform in front of a shouting and
waving crowd with great excitement (132). The tragedy of a bomb set against the
unusual sight of a cheering crowd creates an alarming mood, which makes the reader
wonder why anyone would be happy after a bombing. Filkins' purpose with this scene is
to show that war can bring out the worst in people. War can make people excited, and it
can make people angry. Filkins writes about his personal reaction toward this event by
 McLarty !7

sharing that he was angry for the bleeding man in the road and for some reason [he] felt
no fear and he yelled an aggressive insult at the Iraqis (132). He also uses words like
remains, horrifying, and mangled to reveal his tone of anger (132). Filkins uses
anecdote, diction, and detail to express the feelings associated with war and violence.
The power and meaning of this passage lies within Filkins reaction. He is a tolerant,
wise, and patient person because of his experience with other countries and their
cultures, yet he still loses his cool in this situation and gets very upset. This shows that
even the most level-headed people cannot escape the emotional consequences of war.
Furthermore, this quote supports that war affects everyone, and it changes them, which
could be considered a main claim in this book.

Chapter 9 The Man Within

The American occupation was only six months old in October 2003, and [Nathan]
Sassaman had pushed so far ahead of his peers around the rest of the country that the
civilian leadership in Baghdad had already tried to slow him down. The Iraqis werent
ready for so much democracy, the diplomats told him. Sassaman had forged ahead
anyway Colonel Sassaman is very patient with us, [the Iraqis]. He tolerates our
criticisms. I respect him. No one wants the Americans to stay, but our country is not
secure yet. Six more months at least. We can live with that.. In the fall of 2003, Nathan
Sassaman, then forty, was the most impressive American field commander in Iraq. He
was witty, bright and relentless, the embodiment of the best that America could
offer (150).

Response:
Filkins has a tone of hope in this passage due to the amazing work of Colonel Nathan
Sassaman. He shows that toleration, hard work, and respect, were key values in trying
to make the occupation succeed. This passage offers a kind of counter argument to the
entire book because it expresses that war can be a success; that with the best people in
 McLarty !8

America leading the way, this war can be good. This passage provides a necessary
change in tone, from sad to hope, in order to keep a diverse collection of perspectives
on the war. Filkins uses words like forged, respect, and relentless to show one
small but positive side to the war (150). This side is necessary because Filkins' purpose
throughout the book is the share multiple perspectives and allow the reader to decide
how to interpret them. In relation to the entire book, this passage helps show that
sometimes, the best just isnt good enough.

Chapter 9 The Man Within

[The soldiers] hadnt received any instruction on holding elections or setting up police
departments. No one in [Sassamans] unit spoke more than a few words of Arabic. The
men made do We are doing a lot of missions that we didnt train for, Sassaman told
me that night. Sometimes I wish there were more people who knew more about nation
building. One night, as we sat inside a darkened chow hall eating dinner, he spoke in
despair. Sometimes I think they just want us to leave, he said. His face was invisible in
the blackened tent. I am getting tired of telling mothers and fathers that they have lost
their sons. There were ugly moments and there were hopeful ones, and they made me
wonder not only what the Americans were doing in Iraq, but what Iraq was doing to the
Americans (152).

Response:
Filkins purpose in this quote is to raise the questions Why were the Americans even in
Iraq? What were they doing? What was there plan?. His tone is downcast and aimless
because he writes that no one really knows what they are doing. The soldiers were
doing a lot of mission that [they] didnt train for, and the soldiers needed more people
who knew more about nation building (152). Filkins uses this anecdote of chatting with
Sassaman to illuminate the confusion and lack of direction the Americans had going in to
Iraq. Filkins personally saw how draining and exhausting the war was for the Americans,
and these experiences made him wonder not only what the Americans were doing in
 McLarty !9

Iraq, but what Iraq was doing to the Americans (152). This is one of the most powerful
lines in the book because it truly encompasses Filkins main purpose, which is to show
that war affects everyone involved, and it impacts them for the rest of their lives.

Chapter 10 Kill Yourself

His name was Raad, a young Jordanian lawyer on his first tour of the United States:
another Middle Eastern kid who wanted to be American You see, Mr. Banna said,
my son loved America!. And so it was especially strange when, a few nights before, the
voice on the telephone had told the Bannas that Raad had died while fighting the
Americans across the border in Iraq Your brother has been killed in a martyrdom
operation, the caller said, employing a common euphemism to describe a suicide
bombing. Congratulations. He wanted to marry an American girl and become a U.S.
citizen, Bouthana said. Her hair was wrapped neatly in a head scarf, and she freely
interrupted her husband (176-177).

Response:
Filkins tells Raads story to challenge the American and Iraqi views of suicide bombings.
Raads death was strange because he was an American-loving kid, not an Islamic
extremist (176). This story makes the reader wonder how Raad came to die in a suicide
bombing, and it makes the reader wonder if most suicide bombings had similar strange
circumstances. In this passage, Filkins also gives a glimpse into the Islamic extremist
perspective on the bombings because the voice on the phone says Congratulations,
which implies that dying as a suicide bomber is an honorable death (176). The unusual
circumstances of Raads death imply that the war was not as straight forward as it
seemed. Also, the extremist view on martyr emphasizes a gap in American and Iraqi
culture. Another gap in culture is how Filkins chose to mention that the mother of Raad
freely interrupted her husband (177). He noticed this in Iraq because it was not a
common thing to behold there, and he included it in the book to show that Iraqs situation
needs to improve, but not necessarily the way the Americans were attempting.
 McLarty !10

Chapter 10 Pearland
There wasnt any point in sentimentalizing the kids; they were trained killers, after all.
They could hit a guy at five hundred yards or cut his throat from ear-to-ear. And they
didnt ask a lot of questions. They had faith, they did what they were told and they killed
people. Sometimes I got frustrated with them; sometimes I wished they asked more
questions. But things were complicated out there in Keezletown and Punxsutawney; they
were complicated in Falluja. Out there in Falluja, in the streets, I was happy they were in
front of me (199).

Response:
Filkins describes the soldiers as kids often throughout the book to emphasize how
young they actually are (199). He does this to show how crazy it is that these young
people have to experience so much death and violence and brutality. And it makes the
reader wonder if anyone is ever old enough or experienced enough to go through some
of the situations the soldiers have been through. Filkins points out that the soldiers didnt
ask a lot of questions, and that frustrated him because he wanted them to question
why they were doing what they were doing and if it was necessary (199). Filkins writes
that things were complicated out there, things were complicated in war, and war
becomes a moral gray area; whats right and whats wrong isnt always clear (199). His
purpose in this passage is to show that war is complicated, messy, and violent and that it
is a difficult thing to understand.
 McLarty !11

Works Cited

Filkins, Dexter. The Forever War. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. Print.