Rehumanization through Reflective Oscillation in Jarhead

This essay uncovers rhetorical processes devoted to rehumanizing the enemy Other as an antidote to the virulent rhetoric of war. With an eye toward disrupting a problematic process of national identity construction based on othering and dehumanization, this essay examines Jarhead as a case study that challenges current ideologies of soldiers and their enemies. Using Kenneth Burke's concept of consubstantiality and Linda Hutcheon's discussion of reflective oscillation, this essay examines Jarhead as a case of rhetoric working to rehumanize enemies, thus providing an example of how film can work against war culture.