EO3: Critical Reading-Flyerfan1974

Section 2

1. “Caleb has been home since 2006, way more than enough time for Brannan to catch his symptoms.”

• Home- Caleb is home after coming back from Iraq with PTSD. Home is a confined space where Caleb and Brannan spend their lives together.
• Enough Time- The author is telling us that the couple has been in this home for so long that Brannan has caught her husbands mental disorder.
• Catch his symptoms- Brannan never went to war, however being with her husband in their home everyday, she has contracted the illness

2. “When a sound erupts—Caleb screaming at Brannan because she’s just woken him up from a nightmare, after making sure she’s at least an arm’s length away in case he wakes up swinging—the ensuing silence seems even denser.”

• When a sound erupts- When any sound erupts, Caleb suddenly feels as if he is back in the war, reacting with some violent actions
• Screaming- Caleb screams to the anger he is feeling
• Nightmare- Caleb may be having nightmares due to his experiences in war
• In case he wakes up swinging- Caleb’s nightmares put him in a defensive state, and Brannan must make sure she is out of range to avoid being injured

3. “Their German shepherd, a service dog trained to help veterans with PTSD, is ready to alert Caleb to triggers by barking, or to calm him by jumping onto his chest.”

• Alert- The dog helps Caleb by showing him if a trigger is near
• Triggers- These are factors that can aggravate Caleb’s PSTD

4. “This PTSD picture is worse than some, but much better, Brannan knows, than those that have devolved into drug addiction and rehab stints and relapses.”

• PTSD is a serious problem that plagues may Americans, some have it not so serious, but many have very serious PTSD
• Picture- The author uses this word to describe Caleb and Brannan’s situation
• Drug addiction- Due to deep depression and other symptoms, many PTSD victims turn to drugs to ease the pain. The author adds this part to show what can happen to PTSD sufferers if they do not receive help
• Relapses- This word is added to show how powerful PTSD can be, it has the power to keep people unhealthy and make them keep turning to drugs

5. “Sometimes I can’t do the laundry,” Brannan explains, reclining on her couch. “And it’s not like, ‘Oh, I’m too tired to do the laundry,’ it’s like, ‘Um, I don’t understand how to turn the washing machine on.’ I am looking at a washing machine and a pile of laundry and my brain is literally overwhelmed by trying to figure out how to reconcile them.”

• Brannan cannot do the laundry do to her PTSD from her husband. She physically forgets how, and becomes overwhelmed.
• The author included this quote to show how Brannan, who was never in the war, is affected by PTSD
• Overwhelmed- The PTSD causes stress which makes her panic and not be able to do the laundry
• Reconcile- Reconcile means to restore friendly relations between. This word is added in the article to show how her brain tries to put together that laundry goes into the washing machine

6. “When we hear Caleb pulling back in the driveway, we jump up and grab their strings, plunging the living room back into its usual necessary darkness.”

• Jump up- These words are added to show the severity of his arrival. Brannan must act fast not to trigger her husband
• Plunging- This word is added to show how the darkness makes the room a dark, unlikeable place to be
• Necessary darkness- It is vital for the room to be dark so that Caleb is not triggered

7. “Now, he’s rounder, heavier, bearded, and long-haired, obviously tough even if he
weren’t prone to wearing a COMBAT INFANTRYMAN cap, but still not the guy you
picture when you see his “Disabled Veteran” license plates.”

•  rounder, heavier, bearded, and long haired- This is added to describe how Caleb has let himself go, the PTSD is affecting his health, and physical appearance
• prone to wearing a COMBAT INFANTRYMAN cap–  If Caleb wore this hat, he would be triggered
• Disabled Veteran license plate- Caleb is a strong man who you would never think is disabled by his physical appearance, but no one really knows what is going on inside