Literature Analysis #1

Topic and /or Event

The book I am reading is called, "A SNIPER'S JOURNEY,"-Gary Mitchell with Michael Hirsh. This book talks about one man's journey in the military. The beginning  when he announces to his parents about his decision and to the end of his journey and how he survived. The experiences he goes through and how they have shaped him when he gets out the military. The point is that for this man, the military left him with mental effects that were not so positive after fighting in the Vietnam war.
I believe the author wrote this book to let out his experience from the Vietnam war and how it gradually impacted his own life afterwards.
I honestly have my own plans to go into the military soon after high school, therefore I had interest in this book titled, "A Sniper's Journey." It must have some relative concept about being in the military. Once I started to read the book I remember the beginning and how it expressed feelings about the narrative's situation. It reminded me of how I would feel when I made my decision about joining the military. The book did not seem fake at all and seemed as real as can be, as if the narrator was really talking to me about his experience.
I have not yet made full connection but the concept of my joining and not knowing how to feel or what to expect when I join. I feel strong about the person who wrote this book and that I wish I could speak face to face and have a full on conversation about hi journey and he if he could just answer my questions right there and then.

People

Gary is the main character in the book and any other characters described are not put in a non-fictional manner where they would not be the same as if I were personally to meet them in person. His Sargent is described many times because he is the one to send him on missions. But Gary chose to write this book to let out to the world about his experience in the Vietnam war. How it had impacted him physically, mentally and emotionally. Also, the things people leave out about the war and how the system works on his end.
One main character was his Fist Sargent, this man he describes to be older and meaner. Always serious and tough with wrinkles on his face. I would probably used direct characterization because again it is hard to keep a real character to look like a fake on e in the book.
I believe this character is interesting, just how tough he is and that is how any sergeant is, it is just still interesting to know how they are emotionally and physically.

Style

Gary Mitchell used a journal type of writing. For example, "My mind was reeling with all sorts of thoughts-most of them ugly." Here he expresses his thought and feeling ugly about it. It is spilling his experiences, thoughts, feelings in a journal. He writes in his perspective but does not include specific dates. He throws in the month or the times of the month. His narrative perspective gives off his book to have a journalistic style.
The author uses a little bit of everything in his book from lengthy description to his dialogue. This affects how I read the book because the descriptions give better image to head and dialogue to help support what he talk's about or his sense of setting between the dialogue.
Gary shows allot of his personal thought into the setting of the book. He does use dialogue and a little description for some subjects he explains. All this helps me visualize and try to feel what he did when imagining to be in his situation.
I believe the author's attitude towards his audience is to have them feel what he felt and to see the main plot of his story. To inform and educate other's based by his own experience.
The resources used in Gary's book was his personal experience from war. There cannot be newspaper or internet at his campsites. All he had was his experience, his life worth serving there, and his word.

Summary

I will always remember his whole experience. It is the first book I read about a soldier's perspective on the Vietnam war. I have a connection because I also would like to join the army. The part of  feeling death crawling up the spine and the shadow's that haunt ones sleep, is what twists my head around. Is there a feeling like that? I personally have lived a good life and have not encountered that. I look forward to expecting the feeling though. The support and having each other's back as a team is how one will only survive. I mean there was allot of things I picked up from reading this book. Once I read it again I may have more things to add as to what will stick in my brain forever. Gary Mitchell is a Hero in the Vietnam war. That I will remember always.