Diane Thiel's poem, “The Minefield,” is about a man who was traumatized by his past memories of war when he was a teenager. The man saw his friend step on a mine and saw his body explode into pieces. This horrific experience has remained etched in his mind and continues to haunt him every day. The trauma he carries with him results in mental and physical abuse towards his daughter (Thiel) and the rest of his family. In the first stanza of the poem, the setting takes place in a field somewhere between Prague and Dresden. The rest of the poem continues as he and his family eat dinner. Thiel uses literary elements including tone, metaphors, and similes to demonstrate how the endless pain caused by the war impacted him and his family. At the beginning of the poem the tone seems to be adventurous and playful. In the first verse, Thiel describes his father and his friend running around the cities of Germany looking for lettuce because they hadn't eaten all day. Thiel's use of imagery makes it seem like these young boys are out on an adventure. The playful tone is established when Thiel describes his father and his friend competing with each other. Thiel states, “His friend ran a few lengths ahead, like a wild rabbit through the grass” (p. 442). The simile portrays his friend running free, without a care in the world. Even though these kids were at war, this playful tone manages to express that they were still teenagers and wanted to have fun. The tone quickly changes as he watches his friend step on a mine and his entire body is strewn across the field. This terrifying image causes the tone of the poem to change from playful and adventurous to dark and angry. Throughout the second and third stanzas, the d...... in the center of the card...... same images as his father. His youthful mentality was severely damaged due to memories of the minefield. The father scarred his children with his abuse and took away their innocence. Even though the father may not recognize it, he is taking his family through the same experiences he went through during the war. The memories caused by his father continue to haunt Thiel and his family for years to come. “The Minefield” is a dark and traumatic poem that expresses the prolonged pain and suffering caused by war. The memories Thiel's father carried with him led him to mentally and physically abuse his family. Thiel is able to recreate his painful childhood through the use of tones, metaphors, and similes. “The Minefield” represents how war can leave such a negative influence on someone's life and even affect family and loved ones.