Ryan P.

Lone Survivor 

            Marcus Lutrell successfully uses many different techniques to efficiently and powerfully communicate a message in his novel “Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10.” The first, most important, technique Lutrell implements is the state of the world and the exigence of war in the Middle East. The second rhetoric that Lutrell puts to use is “pathos” and the emotional side strongly tied to war, violence, and death of American Soldiers. Throughout his eyewitness account of Operation Redwing, Lutrell successfully uses rhetoric to communicate a message to the audience.

            The first rhetoric technique that contributes to Lutrell’s message is the state of the world and exigence. As we continue to have American military presence in the Middle East, Lutrell’s story plays off the exigence of the current situation. He also uses the state of the world in his descriptions of the loss of American lives to war. In addition to this, he explores the state of the world in the soldiers’ enthusiasm to go to war writing, “I can state with absolute certainty that all six of us were excited by the prospect, looking forward to doing our job out there in the open, confident of our ultimate success, sure of our training, experience, and judgment" (Lutrell 15). Some may argue that there is a diminishing exigence in terms of this event. However, war is always existent in society and the exigence of it will never fade.

            Lutrell also uses the power of “pathos” and strong emotion towards the story to help in communicating his message. A large portion of the story is dedicated to the lone survivor driving around the United States visiting the families of his fallen comrades. Lutrell uses so much time in this novel for this examination of survivor’s guilt and he uses this emotion to communicate with his audience. During his character’s trips to the homes of his fellow soldiers he writes, "I tried to get a hold of myself. But again in my mind I heard that terrible, terrible scream, the same one that awakens me, bullying its way into my solitary dreams, night after night, the confirmation of guilt. The endless guilt of the survivor" (Lutrell 4). In particular, Lutrell is able to target the audience of men and women who are either in or have family in the army. In a broader audience, he is able to communicate to any American who loves his country and hurts to see people dying to keep it safe.

            Marcus Lutrell uses effective rhetoric in his novel “Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10” and successfully communicates his message to the audience. First off, Lutrell uses the exigence of war and state of the world to his advantage in the story. Secondly, his ability to flawlessly add to the preexisting emotion related to war and the loss of American Soldiers is successful use of rhetoric. Throughout his novel, Lutrell uses both of these rhetoric techniques successfully to communicate the powerful message of the losses of war to his audience.