A paper on serving in the army

1. Statement of the various views on serving in the army presented in the three texts.
Each text gives its own opinion and view on serving in the army. Text 1 is an autobiographical text written by Sarah Palin in 2010 named “Why They Serve”. She tells that her son Track enlisted in the American army. She feels proud of the young men and women, who want to give up their freedom and risk their lives for the benefit of others. Sarah explains that the society asks the soldiers to stay away from their families for a long time, to live under bad conditions and to risk their lives. “The least – the very least – we can do is support them in this mission. That doesn’t mean never questioning a war or our leaders. It means understanding what fundamental principles are at stake, and acknowledging those who bear the burden of their defense. (p. 3 line 37-40). According to this text example, Sarah presents her chief point of view. She points out that the Americans should appreciate the basic difficulties that soldiers in the American army undergo. Text 2 is an article published from The Boston Globe website, written by David Zucchino, December 21, 2008 named “A soldier’s story: War affects whole family”. In this text, Zucchino writes about the side effects of being a veteran. He portrays a story about Army Sergeant Ryan Kahlor, who returned from war. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. This of course had a major impact on him as the ‘primary’ victim, but it also had consequences for his family. Although the relatives did not experience any physical pain, they suffered from the psychological parts characterized as ‘secondary PTSD’. His mother, Laura, says about the enlistment of Ryan: “[…] it still wasn’t worth it”(p. 5 line 55). His father, Tim, also declares “[…] I wish he had never gone in” (p. 5 line 58). David Zucchino portraits enlistments as destroying and life-threatening decisions. Text 3 is a review, published on the internet, written by Joel Pitney in 2008 named “The Making of a Marine Officer”. Pitney uses a former Lieutenant Nathaniel Fick, the author of One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer, as a starting point. Fick felt that it was not so much a question of being able to kill a potential enemy, but more a question of feeling like a warrior. Pitney writes that Fick wanted to enlist because it would make him stronger and more capable. Recently, in an interview, he expressed; “I grew up in the Marines. It’s where I learned to be a citizen. It’s where I learned to use words like duty and honor and love without being cynical. I learned that decisions aren’t without consequence. According to Fick, the army is a way of developing and raising yourself through the experiences of life.

2. Analysis of how Sarah Palin engages the reader in text 1
One of the ways Sarah Palin engages the reader in text 1 is by using oratorical effects in her arguments. […] ”but they were certainly privileged to have homes, an education and opportunities in life.” (p. 2 line 15-16). […] “I was the mom of a young soldier being sent overseas to defend our country”. (p. 2 line 9-10). These two examples are just one of many who describe the feelings that rise in her mind when talking about military service. Palin appeals to the American mind and its feelings about freedom and defense of the country. It makes the reader vulnerable to her arguments. In addition, she engages the reader by the use of pure reason. “He (Track) wants a world that is safe and welcoming for them.(His brother and sister)”I suspect the same is true for most American servicemen and -women” (p. 2 line 20-21). Here, Palin appeals to the common sense that everybody feels the same as her and that it is ‘given’. It makes the reader think that what she is telling is obvious.
In the text, Sarah Palin also makes use of anaphoras as a rhetorical device. “We ask a lot […] We ask them to be away from […] We ask them to live in […] We ask them to risk[…]” (p. 3 line 35-37). Here, she uses repetitions to enhance the message of her autobiographical text.
3. A Discussion of what motivates young people to fight for their country, taking one of the texts as starting point
I have chosen “Why They Serve” by Sarah Palin as starting point.
Undoubtedly, there are many opinions on whether serving in the army is a beneficial thing or not. Nonetheless, Palin expresses her opinion in a way that indicates that it is the plain truth. In other words, her arguments about freedom and patriotism try to expel all other potential arguments for young people wanting to fight for their home country. However, there might be other solutions to this question. In contrast to Palin, it could be the product of school fatigue. There are many young people in the U.S., who are tired of being at school writing all kinds of assignments, and instead they are in the need of doing something different – maybe even physical. For instance, this could be sports, but it could also be serving in the army. It could also be an attempt at learning and acquiring potentially lacking disciplines and manners. Sarah Palin writes in her autobiographical text; “They could be off partying on spring break or working their way up a highpowered career ladder. What motivates them to put that all aside for a military enlistment?” (p. 2 line 16-18). I think that people in the western world in the 21st century have the leading thought that young people only like partying and living under the ‘Y.O.L.O’ principle – You Only Live Once. On the other hand, the young people who have a good upbringing, self-discipline and good manners are the ones you hardly ever see. I believe that the general motivation of young people enlisting is the desire to being different from the ill-mannered youngsters.