Article Analysis Essay on The Way We Live Now The War at Home

Introduction

I have chosen to analyze the article named The Way We Live Now The War at Home by Allan Gurganus. The article is about young male children forced to serve in the military. The writer says that he was one of those children. Most of them end up there because their parents could not afford to educate them. He shows the hardships they encounter, and in the end, they have almost nothing to show for it. They miss out on family time, and they can't even support themselves after the period (Gurganus 1). Because of personal experience, the author succeeds in showing the harsh life of young soldiers and how unhappy they are.

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The author was not happy with his work and would not take any opportunity to leave. The authors say," I wore my uniform as a prisoner wears his. " (Gurganus 1) He further states that he was ashamed of the uniform and spent six years in a federal pen. He even lacked confidence. The information supports the thesis statement that young soldiers have a rough time and hence unhappy. He's comparing his work life to that of a prisoner shows if he had an opportunity to leave that life or even not get into it, he would take that opportunity.

The author states that children had to learn how to be responsible and take care of themselves even at a young age. He says," if you live long enough, you become your parent" (Gurganus 2). He also states that at his current age of 55 years, he can now appreciate how young an 18-year-old is. The author had parents who could take care of him at home, but at the time of his service, he had to take care of himself (Gurganus 2). There is an age where one needs the guidance and help of the parents. A child having to take care of themselves shows hardships.

The army recruited children unwillingly and exposed then to hard work and training. The author stated, "I was a kid recruited against their will to do the massive listing for a nation launched on a mission botched" (Gurganus 3). He further says that the entrance is forced, and there is no exit strategy. He explains that the commanders take advantage of the fact that the children are in good physical health. The children are trying to leave but not being in a position to shows how helpless and unhappy they are.

The author shows that military training is harsh and not fit for children. He stated," Many had not had a plane ride before only to sleep all night under a tarp in a sandstorm sitting up against some truck" (Gurganus 3). The kids are excited to join the military only to find out that it is not comfortable. This incidence shows how tough life is for them. Instead of kids sleeping at home in the comfort of their beds, they are outside protecting the nation.

The children miss staying with their parents and hope that the service ends soon. They write letters to their parents to assure them they will be home soon. They use the love from their family members to survive during the period. The author quotes the letters, "Don't worry about me, mum; we will straighten this mess soon. Just keep my Camaro washed and good" (Gurganus 3). He describes the work as killing chores, which shows that the work is hard for them; they are just trying to get through.

The author uses fallacies to describe some of the kids in the military. He explains how the kids feel like they are making rules. They believe that they are rugged individualists, and they take orders willingly. He puts it like these kids deserve to be in service, and they do not mind all the chores given. In a real sense, the kids are suffering like all the other kids (Gurganus 4). They sleep, sitting up against the sand trucks. It shows that even the kids who follow the rules also through a rough period.

The children during the service are left out by family events, and even after the service, they do not have anything to show for it. When the mother picked the family photos, the author was not in any of them. The mother tried to make him feel better by showing some of his medals and hanging them in the house, but she discovered that the badges were not enough hence started looking for medals from when he was young. It shows how left out after service the children feel, and it makes them unhappy.

It is rhetorical when the author's dad asked Uncle Sam if he was comfortable, "We'll get him. Won't take a second you are healthy there?” The parents did not want to find out if he was pleased; they tried to buy time to call the author and have him talk to his uncle, who they believed would offer opportunities (Gurganus 4).

Conclusion

From the paper and the incidences, the author went through, and we can see that children had a bad experience in the military. They were not happy. The children had to mature at a very young age, and the children missed out on family bonding. The training was too hard for the children, even the ones that followed the laws. The experience was generally not suitable for the children, and the author would not recommend anyone to take the children for military service.

Work Cited

Gurganus, Allan. “THE WAY WE LIVE NOW:4-6-03 THE WAR AT HOME; Captive Audience.” The New York Times Mgazine, April 6,2003.

https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/06/magazine/the-way-we-live-now-4-6-03-the-war-at-home-captive-audience.html