“King, honour, human dignity, etcetera..."

• Juxtaposition:The high ideals of “King, honour, human dignity” contrast starkly with the phrase “dropped like luxuries,”emphasizing the soldier's rejection of these abstract notions in the face of survival instincts.
• Asyndeton:The absence of conjunctions between “King, honour, human dignity, etcetera” creates a rushed, dismissive tone. It suggests a growing indifference to these ideals and the soldier’s inability to connect with them amid the chaos of war.
• Symbolism: “King” symbolizes loyalty to the state or monarchy, “honour” evokes a sense of duty or nobility, and “human dignity” represents fundamental moral values. The collective rejection of these ideals symbolizes the collapse of societal constructs in the brutal context of war.
• Irony: The ideals listed are often used to justify war, yet here they are depicted as irrelevant in the face of life-and-death realities, undermining their traditional importance.
• Dismissive Tone: The inclusion of “etcetera” trivializes the values being listed, suggesting their redundancy and lack of meaning for the soldier as he fights to survive. It also reflects the futility of clinging to such abstract ideals during moments of extreme physical and psychological pressure.
• Metaphor: “Dropped like luxuries” likens the ideals to unnecessary burdens, implying that they hold no practical value in the immediate experience of war. Survival eclipses everything else, rendering these concepts irrelevant.