Essay planning

Often the setting in a text will carry symbolic significance, supporting as well the writer's key themes. Discuss these concepts in the light of The Sorrow of War.

-constant mention of the river. The river is used as a metaphor of life. This metaphor is used by the writer to express how war tampers with life in destructive ways.
-pg1 constant mention to water which links to rotting
"water-soaked and dull.. greenish vapour... carpet of rotting leaves"
water links to the river which is a significant symbol.
-pg4 setting symbolizes the eternal scarring war was on the landscape.
"set the village alight to cleanse it, but after the fire soldiers were still terrified.."
this touches on the spiritual side of this novel.
-the setting of the entire book is untidy and uncontrollable, reflecting the battle field and the inside of Kien's mind.

Essay planning:

Introduction: Introduce the key themes of the book as: how war can leave a permanent suffering on all those who participate, the dead and living. Bring in the theme of a spiritual world. Explore briefly how the writer uses symbols in the setting to express this key theme.

Paragraph 1: Using the metaphor of the river and quotes explore the effect of war on the living. Also use quotes from other examples throughout the book

Paragraph 2: Using the metaphor of the river and quotes explore the effect of war on the dead/spirits. Also use quotes from other examples thorughout the book.

Paragraph 3: Explore what connects the two, sorrow of war for the living and dead. close analysis using clear evidence from text.

Conclusion: summarise the key themes supported by the setting in the text: how war effects the living and non, how they are connected and the importance of the setting in the text.