November 2009                DS

English SL                Year 11

1a)

        This extract is written by Ambrose Bierce and is taken from “Killed at Resaca” that was published in 1891. This extract mainly salutes the bravery of the martyrs and their families. The extract’s opening line is not only very out of the ordinary but also very interestingly captures the reader’s attention, to explore further to comprehend a sensitive topic – death.

        The first setting of the extract is set on the battlefield of Resaca, where the brave Lieutenant Herman Brayle embraces death. The second setting of the extract is set in San Francisco, where the narrator informs the martyr’s lover about his death. The narrator of this extract is a soldier or a member of the army. This is evident in the quote, “ In the distribution of mementos of our friend, which the general, as administrator, decreed, this fell to me”. The fact that the narrator is the martyr’s friend he must be a member of the Lieutenant’s troop. The entire extract is written in the first person narrative. “One evening I called on Miss Mendenhall to return the letter to her.” The use of the first person pronoun, I, in the above quote substantiates the extract to be a first person narrative. The tone of the narrator is filled with sorrow and deep sadness for his fellow men. During the first two paragraphs the narrator is giving a brief description and is casually inspecting the situation with not much interest, but when he realizes the truth behind Brayle’s death on discovering the mysterious letter, he is moved and taken aback by the gravity of the situation.  

One of the several themes of this extract is the role of women in the lives of soldiers. Brayle’s lover, Marian Mendenhall writes to him, “I could bear to hear of my soldier lover’s death, but not of his cowardice”. This gives Brayle the courage to die on the battlefield. Clearly, Brayle’s strength on the battlefield is evident when, “He could not go forward, he would not turn back; he stood awaiting death.” Consequently, Brayle sacrificed his life in order to meet Marian’s expectations. Had she not encouraged him to fight bravely, there could have been a possibility that Brayle would return back to save his life! The letter’s importance to Brayle can be judged from the fact that he carried the letter even to the battlefield as it left a huge impact on his mind as Marian questioned his credibility as a brave soldier, also implying his lover’s significance in his life. The extract starts with the beginning of one soldier’s death but ends in a mayhem of internal emotions as Marian was to be faced with a burden of her lover’s death, which was perhaps never hers to begin with.

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        After Brayle’s death, his lover was sad that he died but yet was proud that he laid down his life to protect the nation. Even after being informed about Brayle’s death, his lover looked at the narrator “with a smile” and she looked very composed showing the level of intimacy between the two lovers. Initially, she was attempting to hide her grief but finally, her sadness was revealed in the quote, “The light of the burning letter was reflected in her eyes and touched her cheek with a tinge of crimson like the stain upon its page.”  The presence of ...

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