"APO 96225" ~ #13

This poem reminded me greatly of The Things They Carried. The poem demonstrates situational irony; however, one could argue that an implied dramatic irony is also included. The irony in this poem allows the speaker to prove an important point. People in general always think they want to know something until they actually gain that knowledge. The mother of the soldier continuously tries to gain knowledge from her son about what its like in the war; however, once she finds out the information, his father scolds him for telling his mother information like that. This situational irony informs the reader that the speaker is portraying the American public as ignorant. There is also an important shift in this poem. The poem begins with the mother speaking to her son, but then later shifts to the father speaking to the young man.