PTSD claims – Blue

“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. She has not, unlike military wives she advises, ever been beat up. Nor jumped out of her own bed when she got touched in the middle of the night for fear of being raped, again. Still.”

This is a CATEGORICAL claim. These two sentences categorize actions that those who are afflicted with PTSD could take, including drug abuse, frequent trips to rehabilitation centers, relapses, domestic abuse, and in extreme cases, rape. I also believe that this can be interpreted as a PROPOSAL claim. While these sentences do not have a direct proposition, the horrific nature of the actions these symptoms cause is, ethically, an indirect call to action. It pushes the reader to 1. Keep reading and 2. Learn more and become aware of PTSD. You could even say that this is a MORAL claim because the severity of some episodes as described pull on the reader’s heartstrings, thus creating the desirable results that were previously mentioned.

“Not the old ‘Nam guy with a limp, or maybe the young legless Iraq survivor, that you’d expect.”

This is a CASUAL claim. When describing Caleb, the author is making a prediction of what you, the reader, would typically picture when thinking about wounded veterans.

“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.”

This is a DEFINITION claim. The author uses adjectives such as round, heavy, bearded, long-haired, and tough to define a typical description of those who are or were combat infantrymen. This also makes it an EVALUATIVE claim. These adjectives are a stereotype, an opinion, and not an absolute fact that is completely set in stone. In reality, veterans can appear in any way and are not limited to these adjectives.

“The house, in a subdivision a little removed from one of many shopping centers in a small town in the southwest corner of Alabama, is often quiet as a morgue.”

This is a FACTUAL claim. The description of the location in Southwestern Alabama and located near shopping centers is an indisputable fact. The author, in the final words of the sentence, is comparing this suburb to the battlefields of Iraq where Caleb was afflicted with PTSD. It is highly unlikely that the suburb would ever have loud noises like a battlefield, but Caleb still has triggers and episodes of PTSD here. This is an ANALOGY claim, because although these places are so different, they still can have the exact same effect on Caleb.

“​​Brannan is 32 now, but in her portraits with the big white dress and lace veil she’s not even old enough to drink. There were 500 people at the ceremony. Even the mayor was there. And there’s Caleb, slim, in a tux, three years older than Brannan at 22, in every single picture just about the smilingest motherfucker you’ve ever seen, in a shy kind of way.”

This is a NUMERICAL claim regarding how many people attended this particular wedding and the ages of the main characters.