How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
We rode deep into the night and into the early morning. The Kuwaiti desert, in spots, was beautiful. The rising sun spread like a brilliant egg flattening out. A distance away, we could see small dust storms changing the colors that played along the edge of the horizon. (3.110)
Birdy's first day of riding through the desert does sound beautiful, unlike anything he's seen before. It's also before he's seen any violence, so he can focus on the beauty and not see anything sinister in it. What do you think those sandstorms in the distance might symbolize?
Quote #2
The sandstorm blew nearer and the sky suddenly darkened. The sand, swirling through the hot air, blocked out everything. (4.28)
The sandstorm is the exact opposite of the serene desert. It's a part of Iraq, and the way Birdy describes it makes it seem like it totally consumes you.
Quote #3
Iraq is weird—kind of an odd mix with old stuff and new. Some of the cities look as if everything was built a few months ago, but other places could be directly out of the Old Testament. I guess that sounds silly because I don't know what the world looked like during the Old Testament, but it's what I imagine. (5.230)
Earlier, Jonesy told Birdy that parts of what is now modern-day Iraq were in the Bible, but that's probably why Birdy's imagining that buildings are from the Old Testament.