A Veteran-Poet Trauma: US – Iraq War in Brian Turner’s Poems Ashbah and Illumination Rounds
Haider Jabr Mihsin
Haider Jabr Mihsin, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, College of Education for Women, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Al-Diwaniyah, Iraq.
Manuscript received on 06 December 2024 | First Revised Manuscript received on 15 December 2024 | Second Revised Manuscript received on 28 February 2025 | Manuscript Accepted on 15 March 2025 | Manuscript published on 30 March 2025 | PP: 11-18 | Volume-4 Issue-3, March 2025 | Retrieval Number: 100.1/ijssl.C115704030325 | DOI: 10.54105/ijssl.C1157.04030325
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© The Authors. Published by Lattice Science Publication (LSP). This is an open-access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: This study examines the concept of trauma as a consequence of the US-Iraqi War in Brian Turner’s poems “Ashbah” and “Illumination Rounds”. As a soldier-poet, Turner’s poems offer an exceptional perspective on the mental and emotional consequences of war, exploring themes such as memory, language, and identity in his poetic verses. This article aims to discover the intricacies of trauma representation and the procedure of bearing witness to traumatic experiences in times of war. The study employs Cathy Caruth’s theories of trauma and witnessing, as theorised in her two books, Trauma: Explorations in Memory (1995) and Unclaimed Experience: Trauma, Narrative, and History (1996), as the methodological tools for examining Brian Turner’s poetry. In light of Cathy Caruth’s theories of trauma and witnessing, and by thoroughly inspecting Turner’s usage of language, imagery, and narrative structure in his two poems, the findings demonstrate Turner’s mental sufferings as a survivor of political violence. The two poems show the traumatic experiences he has lived with his friends through the US-Iraqi war, enduring the effects of war. To conclude, by Caruth’s notion of trauma, Turner’s poetry conveys the lingering, vague nature of war experiences and the profound impact they have on the mind. In addition, this article contextualises Turner’s poetic expressions within the broader socio-political context of the US-Iraqi War, underscoring the enduring legacy of war on both individual and collective memory.
Keywords: Brian Turner, Cathy Caruth, Trauma.
Scope of the Article: Poetry