summer reading 2014
Book analysis
In the story the author uses theme to get the point across to the readers. The theme of this story is to always do whats right in your heart and never give up what you are trying to accomplish. An example that relates to the theme is "the sad end he met in Afghanistan was more accurately a function of his stubborn idealism--his insistence on trying to do the right thing. In which case it wasn't a tragic flaw that brought Tillman down, but a tragic virtue." This quote means that his death was very tragic but he was always doing the best that he could do and doing the right thing in his own mind and that's why the death of him is a tragic virtue. Another example from the story is "Many decisions are made in our lifetime, Most relatively insignificant while others life altering." This quote means that not everyone who makes decisions in their life choose the right path but there are a handful that do and Tillman is one of the people that chose the correct path. Lastly, an example from the story is "It is amazing the turns one's life can take. Major events or decisions that completely change a life. In my life there have been a number." This quote means that in life people can change how their life is and it can be changed many times not just one and that's exactly what Tillman did.
In the book Jon Krakauer also uses characterization to display the traits that each of the characters have. Pat Tillman in the book is described as a smaller sized man that isn't big but is big when it comes to being strong and fast. Pat was considered an overachieving Arizona Cardinals safety whose virtuosity in the defensive backfield was spellbinding. He had shoulder length hair, outspoken views, and intellectual curiosity, Tillman was considered a maverick. When it came to his wife Marie, he was very caring and appreciative of her and wanted to always be with her but couldn't because of the life choices he chose. When he came back home after getting a two month leave he was able to see Marie again. When he got home and saw Marie they were so glad to see each other that they stood hugging each other for ten minutes. Later on they went and had a romantic dinner. Pat was also very kind hearted and had respect for his brother Kevin. They were close and liked to do stuff together while growing up. Then when Pat was gonna enlist in the Army, his brother joined him and they enlisted together and went to both Iraq and Afghanistan at the same time.
All in all, Where Men Win Glory is a great motivational book to read. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes a story with some true and vibrant meaning. The book is really good if you are into sports because it shows not only that a person can try their hardest to become something that they weren't before but to be able to stand up and leave that to do something even greater in their life that also benefit's other peoples lives as well. It also doesn't matter how many pages this book has because each page is a page turner and you will get hooked into the book right from the start.