Analysis of Article The Weight of What If Essay example -- Anna Quindl

In her article â€Å"The Weight of What If,† Anna Quindlen writes about the tragedy of fallen soldiers. She says that we often forget how each soldier is a life unlived, and we often forget â€Å"what if† they had lived. Speaking in a balanced tone, she deals with the Iraq conflict, as well as World War II and Vietnam. She forces us to ask questions about war and the effect it can have on us. Quindlen clearly wants us to think more compassionately about the veterans. Because we are so far removed from Iraq, we may think that â€Å"the spectacle of hometown kids’ leaving home to be killed or maimed is bearible only when it’s given an antiseptic name.† We sometimes only see war as a lot of strategy and far-away fighting, when it is something personal that affects us all. At one point, she quotes Ernest Hemingway, who asks, â€Å"Why don’t we stop fighting?† This is obviously a very personal issue for Quindlen. She is passionate about what she is writing about. She brings up powerful examples of the lives never lived. When she talks about her past, it resonates with us because we can imagine her fear. Th...