APO 96225

Larry Rottmann's APO 96225 relates greatly to the audience. Most readers understand the need for little white lies, told in an effort to protect someone. The young man in the poem wanted to do just that. At first, he kept the horrors of war from his mother. However, while the situation is relatable to the reader, it is also ironic. The mother begs the son to tell of the true terrors he faces, saying "Son, we want you to tell us everything. Everything!" (Rottmann, 846). However, when the son tells a small fraction of his true duties of war, he upsets his mother so much his father rebukes him, stating he should not write to his mother of such depressing topics. This is situational irony, because the reader expects that the mother and father would send comforting words in response to their son's depressing letter. Instead, the mother becomes upset and the father angry. The biggest irony is the mother begged her son to tell her of the truths, but she cannot handle the truth!