1. Kevin Powers’ The Yellow Birds: Teaching War Literature in the AP English Literature Classroom
Dr. Warren J. Carson
Professor of English, Univ. of South Carolina - Upstate
Chief Reader, AP English Literature and Composition Exams

4. Kevin Powers’ The Yellow Birds
Literary Considerations
The Characters
John Bartle, the narrator; 21 at the time of the action, but narrates via reflection and memory some years later
David “Murph” Murphy, 18 at the time of the action
Sergeant “Sarge” Sterling, 24 at the time of the action
The mothers
LaDonna Murphy
Mrs. Bartle

5. Kevin Powers’ The Yellow Birds
Principal Settings
Tal Afar (real name, Al Tafar), Nineveh Province, Iraq; early 21st century, beginning in 2004
Outside Richmond, Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains, southwestern Virginia

6. Kevin Powers’ The Yellow Birds
Literary Considerations
Mode—psychological realism
Narrative perspective—young, male soldier, confused about war; a victim and survivor at once
Point of View—First Person , Limited Omniscient
Language—Poetic, vulgar, violent, and brutal
Themes
The grandness vs. the brutality of war
The grand myth vs. the brutal reality of war

7. Kevin Powers’ The Yellow Birds
Literary Considerations, continued
Themes
“You can’t go home again” – Thomas Wolfe
“The old lie: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.”
An individual’s sense of self