Essay Questions

The poem "Here, Bullet" personifies the bullet. Which effect does this personification have on the reader?

A bullet in itself is just a metal projectile that has been released from a gun or rifle. In itself it has neither evil nor good intent. By personifying it, the narrator allows the audience to transfer all the agency from the shooter and those responsible for the war into this one small item. Additionally, in this moment, the bullet is the only thing the soldier worries about. The personification allows the audience to get more involved into the situation. The clear depiction of the bullet's path through the body, connected with the first person narration, give the audience a good opportunity to see the terrors of war from an angle that is rarely seen on TV.

The poem "Here, Bullet" has been written by a war veteran after his return to the USA from Iraq. Which elements of war are discussed in the poem?

The poem mainly discusses the individual sacrifice of war. While interpretations go as far as seeing this poem as a piece of anti war critique, the poem mainly focusses on the soldier's strength and suffering. The detailed description of the bullet wound, as it cracks open skin, breaks bone and rips open blood vessels, gives the audience a deeper understanding of the personal pain that is created by war. The final line gives us another insight. The narrator talks about the world's end. It is unclear if the world at large or the world of the individual soldier is meant, but that is also irrelevant. War is a means to end a lot of different worlds.

The poem "Here, Bullet" is very descriptive of the human body. What effect can this have on the audience?

The initial lines of "Here, Bullet" rely heavily on medical description of body parts. Analyzing the lines closer, one realizes that the order of elements resembles the order of organs a bullet would go through when hitting somebody on the shoulder from above. The first destruction would be the skin and muscles, followed by the bone underneath. The bullet continues and rips open the main blood vessel. At this point the soldier has realized what happens and a thought of doom comes over him. The body's reaction to pain releases a "rush of adrenaline", motivating the soldier to fight back. This clear description gives the audience a version of war that is rarely discussed, namely the personal injury. A bullet wound is said to be incredibly painful, and this description allows the reader to at least imagine that pain.