The following excerpt is from Kevin Powers' The Yellow Birds (published in 2012). In this passage, the main character, Private John Bartle, is home on leave from military service
and is thinking about a fellow soldier. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-written
essay, analyze how Powers uses literary elements and techniques to reveal Private
Bartle's complex perspective.
In your response you should do the following:
• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that presents an interpretation and may establish a
line of reasoning.
Select and use evidence to develop and support your line of reasoning.
Explain the relationship between the evidence and your thesis.
I sat down there awhile until the sun was straight above me and the light fell down in wide
columns and sweat ran down between my shoulder blades. I decided then to walk the tracks
toward the city. It wasn't so much a decision as it was a product of trying to turn off my mind. I
couldn't stop thinking about Murph. I drifted and followed the guidance of the tops of my boots
and I tried not to think and when I got back up to the porch, I wiped the sweat from my forehead,
opened the sliding door, put a few things in my duffel bag, and left.