No_Trumpets_Needed

“No Trumpets Needed” by Michael Morpurgo is about a cameraman who travelled to Palestine to view first hand the devastation there caused by war and conflict, which resulted in a 'Wall'. The writer deals with the theme of conflict and illustrates this by using symbolism, personification, metaphors and many more, allowing as the reader, to get the full impact of the conflict. At the beginning of the story the author allows the reader to become submerged in the full impact of what the cameraman is walking into. He does this by using a list of images, ''The anguish of the grieving, the burnt out buses, the ritual humiliation of checkpoints, the tanks in the streets, the stone throwing crowds, the olive groves and the hilltop settlements, children playing in open sewers in the refugee camps- and now the wall. The wall to separate Palestinian from Israeli, Arab from Jew'' This is a powerful and thought provoking way to start the story. It let's the reader know it was set in the middle East amidst the chaos, devastation and conflict. It also emphasises through the list form that it is a never ending, all consuming situation and the divide that has been created through his techniques and choice of words. It is impossible not to see it in your minds eye, all the destructiveness and the effects of it all. The author chooses to use a metaphor even before he sets the scene. This metaphor on it's own is very powerful at provoking an image of what's happening, ''Cauldron of Contention''. It is also alliteration of the letter C, which is a harsh sound, a sound together with the words cauldron and contention allows, as the reader, to envision a witch's cauldron. A big pot of something bubbling and brewing. Imagining the pot/cauldron to be the place and the conflict is what's bubbling and brewing- waiting to erupt and explode inside. There are several references in the story to 'The Kite'. The author throughout has personified it, ''tugging to be free'' and ''The kite was alive''. This allows the reader to make associations with the kite and how it represents Said. Said has a deep desire for the conflict to end. The 'tugging' of the kite illustrates Said's determination and the kite represents his urge, need and want for peace. The kite is also used extensively to symbolise. It symbolises a quest for peace. The author uses alliteration techniques in the description of the kite, ''swooped and soared'', ''turned and twirled'', ''dived and danced'' All used to emphasise and allow the reader to connect to the symbolic meaning; to be free of this war and invite peace and harmony. Further to this, Said drew a message in Arabic and Hebrew, ''Salaam, Shalom'', with a drawing of a dove holding an olive branch, allowing all to know and possibly take notice of his need for peace and all the conflict to end. With no more wall separating them- the visual representation of the conflict. 'The Wall' has great significance in the story also as it symbolises all the divisions between Arabs and the Jews, culture and religion. It shows in the fact that it is man made and so is the war. The wall is big and strong representing the conflict, ''The wall sliced through the olive groves and across the hillside beyond''. This metaphor the author uses is ironic in that the wall (of conflict) slices through the olive groves, which are symbolic of peace. After reading this short story and looking at all the literary techniques and the use of symbolism. I have a deeper understanding of the effects of conflicts. The children innocently caught up in it all and how they end up being the driving force for it all to end and peace to be restored. I found the writers use of personification, alliteration and the symbolic meaning of the kite's to be the most profound, in that it highlights the strength of hope within the story. A hope for restored peace. “No Trumpets Needed” by Michael Morpurgo