Essay Questions

What does the narrator mean after the action report on page 43 when he says, "You're just an animal, doing what you've been trained to do"?

During the war, soldiers postulate that they are no different from animals, which strictly have to follow the orders of their masters. For instance, police dogs are trained to act based on orders. Similarly, the soldiers go for training to be taught how to follow orders. Even when at war, a soldier does not just act on his or her own intentions but order from the commanders. A soldier who goes against orders of the commander becomes an enemy of the troop and he can be killed at any time to avoid endangering the entire troop of soldiers. It is also surprising that even when a soldier is shot and killed at war, the rest continue to fight as if nothing has happened to a colleague.

What is the impact of war on relationships according to Redeployment by Phil Klay?

Men are more predominant in military deployments as compared to women. The senior military officials more often use the few women who are deployed in the military as sex objects. A good example is Rachel who is a military soldier and ex-girlfriend to a military veteran. The stories in the book depict war as a restraining factor in many relationships. Soldiers who are lucky to return home may suffer from post-war trauma and this makes it hard for them to manage their relationships.

Give one example of how the author uses the literary device simile in his work.

Phil Klay uses similes to make comparisons to help the reader have a better comprehension of his work. For instance, he says, “Waguih slept like a drunken baby.” However, the author notes that despite Waguih’s sound sleep, the revulsions of war still preoccupied him.