Essay Questions

What is the historical context of the novel?

The action described in The Yellow Birds takes place in the year 2003 when two men, John Bartle and Murph are sent to war. The war mentioned here takes place in Iraq and is a real-life war which took place between the years 2001 and 2011. The war started after the terrorist attack which took place in September 11 2001 which resulted in the fall of the Twin Towers and the death of thousand innocent American people. The terrorist attack was planned and carried out by a terrorist Islamic group, Al-Qaeda. American president George Bush declared war against Iraq, claiming the terrorist group and the government of the country were in close connection. As a result, during the 10-year war, more than 4.400 Americans were killed in action and almost 32.000 wounded. This time in history was an extremely tense and difficult one for those who were in one way or another involved in the war since many ended up having to deal with various health problems caused by the time they spent in war long after they returned to their home country.

What is a casualty feeder card?

After the main characters reach Iraq, they are often described as taking care of their casualty feeder card, some of them keeping it inside their helmets. These cards included personal information about the soldier as well as general information about their physical appearance. In the case of a soldier's death, these cards could be used to identify the body especially in those cases when the body was badly disfigured and the identity of the body could not be determined through traditional means. The card ensured the death would be recorded and then the next of kin informed about the passing of their loved one.

Explain the title of the novel.

The novel is entitled "The Yellow Birds" and the meaning of the title becomes obvious only after Bartle returns to America after spending a few years in Iraq. Back in America, he sees many people wearing a yellow ribbon pined to their clothes. The yellow ribbon was used by the civilian population to show their support for the soldier who fought in the war and as a sign of patriotism. For those returning back from the war,the ribbon symbolized all the horrible experiences they had to go through and became a symbol for their suffering.