"Children in the Darkness"Brief Report and Analysis

Henry M Bechtold was in Vietnam in 1967 - 68 and again in 1969. He goes back often because his soul lives in Vietnam and hence visits it from time to time.

He was sitting in his hotel room in Saigon just before Christmas 2009 and he was trying to write a poem about the girls who work in the park and how badly men treat them. Henry was angry but unable to write anything that did not sound trite or weak. He looked at the TV and the news was on. He did not know what the news reader was saying but in the background was a photo of a small boy with a helmet and an automatic rifle. This poem flowed out. The words just came to Henry and he typed as fast as he could to get it all down.

Analysis of Poem

1. Point of View:
An outsider.

Elaboration and Evidence:
The speaker is actually familiar with Vietnam, since he feels his soul lives there. That is why he feels so much pain for the children who are suffering in Vietnam. He feels that the children there are not doing things children their age normally do, as they are kids "Who have not seen the light".

2. Situation and Setting:

Elaboration and Evidence:

The situation now is that the children are not given a choice to do what they want, for example pursure an education as "Chalk and blackboards will not be" And that "From this life they can not flee/And these children are not free". All this sentences show that the children are trapped from the beginning, they are not free to choose their paths and the only one available for them is to train and fight and prepare to go to war in case the need arises.

3. Language and Diction:

Elaboration and Evidence:
The poet uses simple words, but they are written such that it brings out a stronger message. The 3rd stanza asks rhetorical questions, as if drilling into the readers that although we want to try and do all those things for the children, we cannot, as they are already trapped and their fates sealed ever since they were born.
The next stanza shows that a war, one that they have been training since young for, might consume them, their "body and soul". This brings forward that a war would totally destroy them, even though it might not harm them physically, it might affect their mental well-beings and their entire bright life which they would have had if they were not subject to such a fate would be "Down some endless thirsty hole".
"Darkness" is then repeated in the last stanza, seemingly depicting that there is no way out of it, that they will be trapped in there forever. It is a darkness "Into which there shines no light", n help can get to the children who are possibly crying for help inside the darkness. This use of diction again emphasises the helplessness and pitiful plight in which the children have been thrown into.

4. Personal Response:

The poem truly brings out the sufferings of the many children who are forced to lead such a lifestyle since young, forced to learn how to fight so as to prepare them for any possible attacks on the country in the future. The children were never given a choice and since they are young, they might think this is the correct way for a children to live, and hence when they grow up, they
grow up thinking that parents should ask of this of their children. This would be passed on generations down and it is all to blame for the initial people who started it all.

"Rainbow Death" Report and Analysis

Task 1-Report
Hubert Wilson
Ssgt USAF, 1968-1972

This small poem speaks of a modern day ingredient of warfare that has caused appalling death and suffering – not only to its intended victims, the Vietnamese people, but also the service personnel that used or even just came into contact with “Agent Orange”.

Wikipedia reports, “Agent Orange is the code name for a herbicide and defoliant—contaminated with TCDD—used by the U.S. military in its Herbicidal Warfare program during the Vietnam War.

According to Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange, resulting in 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and 500,000 children born with birth defects.[1]

From 1962 to 1971, Agent Orange was by far the most widely used of the so-called "Rainbow Herbicides" employed in the herbicidal warfare program. During the production of Agent Orange (as well as Agents Purple, Pink, and Green) dioxins were produced as a contaminant, which have caused numerous health problems for the millions of people who have been exposed. Agents Blue and White were part of the same program but did not contain dioxins.”

This poem may remind us that wars aren’t over when the wars are over.

Task 2 - Analysis

1. Point of View:
An American soldier

Evidence and Elaboration:
"America did not foresee" - America did not foresee the impacts of Agent Orange, which would affect the many generations to come for Vietnamese.

"Expecting others to pay a high price." - America expects the Vietnamese to pay the price for being at war with America, but it is proven that the price is too high for the to pay.

"Nefariously America led astray" - America, being a leading powerhouse in the world is showing a bad example here by using such means to try and subdue the Vietnamese.

2. Situation and Setting:

Evidence and Elaboration
"All the deceit continues to spread." - Hubert felt that the Vietnamese did not deserve this type of treatment from the Americans.

"Toll on the innocent and unborn." - Hubert felt that countless innocent people were negatively affected and harmed by America's actions, and that they were suffering badly.

3. Language and Diction:

Evidence and Elaboration

There are instances where he uses interesting diction like "potpourri", which in this case would symbolise the mixture of death on both sides of the army. The poet also personifies America, "nefariously it led astray" and it "did not foresee" the sufferings it would bring upon the many people on both sides of the war, Americans and Vietnamese.

There is is also a hint of sarcasm in the sentence "Now thinking twice?" Hinting that America should reconsider its actions but even if it really does realise its mistakes, it is all too late as the effects are already done.

4.Personal Response:

I feel that this poem has shown the true devastating effects that war has on people on both sides. Regardless of which side launches the attack, both parties are bound to suffer at a point in time, and that their generations too would suffer as a result of the war. Countless innocent people are killed just because the leader's of the countries decide on going to war. They didn't even have the chance to voice out their opinions about a war and hence it shows the selfishness of war. Aptly named "Rainbow Death", signifies the colour of Agent Orange which determines the death of the people who come into contact with it.

References for Background:
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html