The Yellow Birds

As an epigraph at the beginning of the novel, Powers transcribes a “Traditional U.S. Army Marching Cadence,” from which the novel takes its title. How does this cadence relate to the novel’s themes? Using a few key passages and/or scenes, explicate your answer in detail. Why do you think Powers chose the title he did?

Powers chose a nonlinear structure for The Yellow Birds, beginning with the events of September2004, in Al Tafar, then moving backward in time to when Bart first meets Murph and makes the promise to Murph’s mother, while also interspersing sections from after Bart’s tour of duty, when Bart is back home. Why do you think Powers structures the novel this way? What might be lost if it were told chronologically? How does the form time takes mimic the function the novel? Explain your answer using passages from at least two chapters, paying special attention to the transitions.

One of the things never fully revealed in the novel is the actual content of the letter Bart forges and sends to Murph's mother. Using passages, especially from Chapters 2, 9, and 11, discuss why you think Powers decided not to reveal the full content. How does this affect the symbolic function of the letter? How does not knowing the content affect your perceptions of the various characters involved? What do you think the letter contains, and what brings you to that conclusion? How would the novel have been different if the contents were revealed?

In "A conversation with Kevin Powers and Jonathan Ruppin of Foyles Bookshop, London" (included in the material at the end of the book), Powers says, "I also thought that by placing the emphasis on language, using it to demonstrate Bartle's perpetual, unbearable sense of awe and wonder, I'd have at least a chance of connecting to another human being on an emotional level" (Reading Group Guide, page 5). Locate and explicate passages with especially striking language. What do these sections contribute to the novel? How does Powers achieve these effects through his use of language? What do they reveal about Bart as a narrator?

Violence plays an inextricable part in a war narrative like The Yellow Birds. How does Powers approach violence in the novel? Using a few specific scenes, discuss the role violence plays in plot and character development.

How does the novel’s true present (Bart in his cabin), inform or otherwise weight upon the novel’s narrative past? What do these present moments add to the novel? What do they tell us about Bart as a narrator?

Though the novel revolves around Bart and Murph’s relationship as fellow soldiers, both of their mothers also play a significant role in the novel. Compare and contrast the two mothers and their relationships with their respective sons. What can we learn about motherhood from each case?

In the novel, there are arguably three main characters: Bart, Murph, and Sterling. Which of these characters goes through the most change over the course of the novel? Make your case using evidence from the text.