In Romeo Dallaire’s essay “Cri de Coeur” we hear the story of a man amidst a country divided by war, and although the topic is heavy and blunt Dallaire implicates great compositional strategies to make the piece powerful, reflective and artistic. He displays his craftsmanship through uses of characterization, specific and tangible details and balance between narration and action.
“Cri de Coeur “exhibits instances of strong characterization, especially for the narrator. Rather than being the caricature of a hardened soldier, Romeo Dallaire as a character becomes much more real and three dimensional through his encounter with the young boy in the village. This is a perfect example of a layered character. In the moment when Dallaire is holding the child we see a much different side to the strict general that is not seen in simple, flat characters. We see Dallaire’s heart melt for the young boy and travel through his thoughts as he considers contradicting rules of war that …show more content…
There are not very many people in the general public who lived through the Rwandan Genocide and experienced the horrors of war, so specific details are very important in this piece, otherwise the story can be easily compared to every war movie the reader has seen, thus making it difficult to relate to. Dallaire does a fantastic job of thrusting the reader head first into some of the horrid events he witnessed in Rwanda. He uses simple language and clear imagery in his descriptions. One of the most powerful descriptions was that of the young boy: “He was caked in dirt, his hair white and matted with dust, and he was enveloped in a cloud of flies, which were greedily attacking the open sores that covered him.” (216) . Dellaire paints a clear image for the reader s which helps them immerse themselves fully into a situation they have never