46 pages • 1 hour read
Prepared: A Manual for Surviving Worst-Case Scenarios
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Literary Devices
Acronyms
Acronyms are powerful mnemonic devices and tools for effective communication. An acronym is formed by taking the initial letters of a phrase or a set of words and creating a new word from them. In Prepared, acronyms serve a utilitarian purpose. Glover uses acronyms to break down overwhelming amounts of survival information into easily memorable words or phrases, allowing the reader to retain information more easily. Initially used for speed and efficiency, acronyms form part of military diction, adopted widely by the survivalist movement as part of their culture. Acronyms rely on insider knowledge, fostering a sense of group community as opposed to the population at large. Acronyms are therefore important to Glover’s presentation of his advice as an expert and ex-military member and in making the reader feel like they’re part of a special group with elite knowledge.
Acronyms condense the complex concepts and lengthy details presented in Prepared into memorable symbols. For instance, the acronym PACE (primary, alternate, contingency, emergency) is used to define escape and mitigation strategies for a crisis situation and allows an individual to easily remember the correct steps required while in the heat of the moment. Acronyms allow for easy, rote memorization that aids people in high-stress scenarios. This is why the military and survival/prepper communities widely use acronyms. It can be difficult to remember multi-step strategies while confronted with a disaster scenario. Other short mnemonic devices, like “5s and 25s” or “get off the X,” serve the same purpose as acronyms, allowing for quick recall in a crisis and giving the individual a simple, concrete task to carry out, defeating “analysis paralysis” and promoting action.
Lists
Lists can serve as powerful tools for individuals to organize, emphasize, and convey information in a structured and easy-to-remember manner. Like acronyms, lists are helpful in cataloguing details and contributing to the overall style of a narrative.
Prepared presents a lot of information condensed into a fairly short book. The lists allow the reader to understand this information in a clear and systematic way. By presenting survival necessities and steps for escaping a crisis in a sequential order, Glover enhances the reader’s comprehension and retention. Lists are particularly effective in conveying details, inventory, or procedural steps without creating too much visual or narrative distraction.
When strategically placed, lists can draw attention to specific details or ideas, emphasizing their significance within the narrative. By isolating items in a list, Glover guides the reader’s focus and underscores key themes. For instance, when the concept of EDC is introduced, Glover provides a list of his own everyday carry items and clothing. This allows the reader to more actively visualize EDC, a concept that might otherwise seem alienating or overwhelming.
Lists also effectively mirror the orderly thought processes Glover developed in the military and tries to instill in the reader as well. The subheadings of chapters (especially in Chapters 5-7, which handle everyday carry, vehicle, and homestead necessities) act as a list that keeps information organized under each category of necessity, breaking down the overwhelming number of details into manageable chunks that can be handled and digested more easily.
Anecdotes
Anecdotes are brief stories used as examples of a larger principle in a narrative. They work by injecting personal experiences or humanizing stories into what would otherwise be theoretical or abstract material. This device is particularly effective in engaging readers, humanizing abstract concepts, and adding a layer of relatability to the narrative. Anecdotes can also add a sense of action and excitement. The success of Glover’s book and wider business relies on his reader’s heightened sense of risk and their commitment to mitigating it. Anecdotes help Glover to suggest that low-occurrence disaster situations are everyday enough to command personal time and resources planning against them.
The power of anecdotes lies in their ability to convey complex ideas through concrete, personal examples. Glover uses anecdotes liberally to illustrate the survival principles he describes. These anecdotes work to distill intimidating amounts of information into stories that are easier to digest. For example, Glover’s anecdote about his narrow escape from friendly fire while on a rooftop in the Middle East shows a resilient mindset, situational awareness, and good decision-making, all in one anecdote. Glover’s examples allow him to “show and not tell” the reader about different survival necessities. Other anecdotes include imagined ones, such as the fire used to walk through the different steps of a PACE plan or the step-by-step exploration of how to defend a homestead against attackers. By drawing on real or imagined situations, Glover can resonate with readers on a visceral level.
Glover also uses anecdotes to lend credibility to his arguments, pointing out his military qualifications as he explains the different aspects of surviving a crisis. This not only makes abstract concepts more tangible but also allows the reader to step into Glover’s head and learn about his own strategy-developing process.
Finally, anecdotes are used to humanize disasters and put the reader on the level of the person experiencing the disaster. It can be easy for a reader to look at crises from an intellectual and detached perspective and gain an unrealistic idea of their own crisis management abilities since they are “armchair” survivors who have the advantage of hindsight and relative calm in their mind and surroundings. Glover presents his book’s anecdotes as providing this function. However, anecdotes relating the experiences of real people also help the reader to vicariously experience the fear and confusion of a crisis, adding to the excitement and action of the book in the same way a thriller would.
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