"Some of the other men, seeing him going about his business, were shamed into halting their pell-mell rush to the rear. Some gave him a hand with the wounded, helping them, dragging them to the edge of the cliff." Throughout his book, Hero of Hacksaw Ridge, Booton Herndon packs many literary devices into every page. Here he uses imagery to set the scene as well as the magic three, giving it a poetic rhythm, and making it a very compelling story to read. His use of such devices allows the true story of Desmond Doss to be told in such a way as to captivate the reader. Efficiently, he uses many forms of literary devices such as alliteration, anaphora, atmosphere, and cacophony, as well as those previously stated. Through his use of these six devices, Herndon weaves a story that should be read, the country over, by any class on the history of the United States as part of the common curriculum.

The first of these devices is alliteration. Alliteration is when multiple words start with the same consonant sound. On page seven, Herndon writes, "In the midst of the racket a slender young man with wavy brown hair sat quietly on his neatly made, brown-blanketed bed." His use of the words "brown blanketed bed," all beginning with the letter "b", creates an easily read and entertaining statement, similar to the way that a children's book keeps the readers interest. Since most U.S. history classes are for the upper levels of education, literary devices used in children's books may seem just that, childish. Contrarily, the alliteration here in no way hinders the book's relevance to older students.

Secondly, Herndon uses anaphora in his writing. Anaphora is the repetition of words or phrases at the beginnings of adjacent phrases or clauses. "As the lonely weeks at Fort Jackson went by, as Desmond found his misery increasing, the letters from Dorothy became more and more important." This example of Anaphora, where the word "as" is used to begin two adjoining phrases, can be found on page 20. This contributes to the poetic feel of the way Herndon writes. Similarly, it contributes to this book being a great read for students of American history.

Another literary device Herndon uses in atmosphere. Atmosphere can be defined as the feeling or mood that a piece of writing portrays or produces within a reader. Magnificently, Herndon displays brilliant applications of atmosphere, as found within the pages between and including sixty and seventy five. Here we see an example of Desmond's hopelessness, "Below, at the base of the cliff, it was even more dangerous. Men would find a crevice in the rocks, crawl into it, barricade the front, and sink into a coma of exhaustion. From behind them Japanese would silently sneak out of a hole in the rear of the crevice and slit the Americans' throats while they slept." This example superbly shows the atmosphere of war situations in an incredibly real manner. Therefore, because of its accuracy, all U.S. history students should delve into this literary work.

In addition to these literary devices, Herndon uses imagery in exemplary fashion. Imagery is the use of specific details that give the readers a mental image of the scene. It is similar to atmosphere but gives an idea of the physical looks rather than the emotions felt by the characters. "Bullets whined over his head, and mortars and artillery shells burst on the hill...A piece of shrapnel from a shell burst had shattered his arm and then ripped its way right on through his chest and back." This splendid example of imagery, found on page sixty nine, gives the reader a surprisingly clear view into the realities of war. Consequently, this book would be an incredible asset to any history student.

Throughout history, the number three has been regarded as the number of completion. In a literary work, when a sentence or phrase has three distinguishable parts, that phrase or sentence conveys a poetic feeling of understanding and completion. This can be referred to as the "magic three." Furthering his practice of applying literary devices, Herndon uses this "magic three" in his writing. Masterfully, he applies this device throughout his book. "Magic three" has been utilized in many of the aforementioned quotes. A not yet observed example of this can be found on page sixty eight, "Without thinking, Desmond grabbed his aid kits, jumped up, and started toward the cliff." Here, this conveys that poetic sense of completion and understanding of the situation. That is yet another reason why this book would give a history student depth of insight.

Finally, Herndon uses cacophony in his writing. Cacophony is a harsh joining of sounds. Such an effect is often in speeches or conversations as an official statement of something. Herndon uses it on page eighty seven when the colonel says "If I ever see that stripe on you again I'll rip it off myself." While this is an example of cacophony, Herndon uses it in such a way that it provides some comical relief from the heavy concept that is war. This would help to keep the atmosphere of the class and the topic light, despite the heavy aspects of it. As such this book should be used by U.S. history classes to be informative and entertaining.

Booton Herndon uses alliteration, anaphora, atmosphere, cacophony, imagery, and "magic three" throughout his book Hero of Hacksaw Ridge. His application of these literary devices shows that this is indeed a good book. Truly, this book is like a textbook; only this is better. This has the true accounts of someone's experience from their perspective. If students of the U.S. were required to read this book about war, there would be more understanding of the personal experiences of soldiers, which could lead to less war, for, as the saying goes, the pen is mightier than the sword.