The imagery of warfare and mechanics utilized throughout the poem is also often directly associated with brokenness, suggesting that those who come into contact with war are likely to be damaged by it. For instance, the soldier's ribcage is comprised of "struts" in need of binding and of broken "rungs"; the "rudder" of his shoulder blade is "fractured." What's more, the use of inanimate objects to describe parts of the soldier's body make this body both unfamiliar and inanimate.

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