My Life, My Passion

Task 2
Complete the template provided in Annex A, focusing on (1) Point of View; (2) Situation and Setting; (3) Language/Diction; and (4) Personal Response, and post your response to Task 2 on your blog. This template is based on John Lye’s ‘Critical Analysis of Poetry’, and you can make reference to this in Annex B when in doubt.

Point of View:
The point of view of this poem is of an intellectual one. This type of view allows the reader to view the situation as a whole. In this case, it shows the cruelty and impact that the Americans had caused to the people of Vietnam. There is evidence of this from “Generations untold WILL pay” Also, in this poem, it is written, in a point of view that somehow blames American leaders, for having the war with Vietnam and causing harm to the Vietnamese, which would last for generations to come due to the Agent Orange herbicide. The speaker is an American soldier who fought during the Vietnam War, and faced the situation of death and cruelty.

Situation and Setting:
The situation and setting, is of the Vietnam War, where many people were dying of the herbicide, Agent Orange. The herbicide, was part of the “Rainbow Herbicides” This can show the different coloured herbicides used, which was stated in the first stanza, “Green, pink, purple and other colours death potpourri!” This shows the high use of these “Rainbow Herbicides” and the many deaths, with the use of the word potpourri.
Potpourri: A combination of incongruous things (http://www.thefreedictionary.com )
This shows that there were many deaths, with the combination of the many colourful herbicides.

Language/Diction
This poem had combined some well combined words to make this poem more colourful. For example as already stated, the use of potpourri was very well used. Potpourri, means a combination of incongruous things, which in this case would represent the different colours of the “Rainbow Herbicides” used in the war. Also, with the different herbicides known as “Rainbow Herbicides”, the word rainbow was used as the title of this very poem, “Rainbow Death”. The title already suggests the cruelty of the war, by relating the herbicides to death.

Personal Response
I feel that this is a very well written poem, with good choice of words, which provoked my emotions. I was definitely shaken by this poem. War, definitely is very cruel and death is inevitable. In this poem, it highlighted the use of herbicides in modern warfare, in the Vietnam War. I feel that the Americans, though understandable, in their desperate attempt to win had used a very despicable way of killing: Rainbow Herbicides. This poem had raised the issue of the impact of these herbicides to the innocent people and the soldiers. These herbicides would impact the people for generations. This herbicide, as stated in Wikipedia, had resulted in 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and 500,000 children born with birth defects. This is a very serious casualty indeed.

Rainbow Death
America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.

Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread!
Nefariously America was led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!
Hubert Wilson

Task 1
Based on your understanding of the selected poem, perform extensive web research and write a report detailing the conflict represented in the poem(s) of your choice. Bear in mind that this piece of background information will allow your blog audience to further understand the poem as well as your analysis of the poem in Task 2. Be sure to include your references and credit your sources.

Hubert Wilson
Hubert Wilson, (1968-1972) was a Vietnam War veteran who served in the USAF Security Service. He, along with a dozen or so intelligence school grads were anticipating to being sent to Vietnam or elsewhere in Southeast Asia in 1970. About half ended up in Da Nang, an Agent Orange hotspot in the 6924th Security Squadron. The rest of them were assigned to Shemya Island, Alaska, with the 6984th Security Squadron. But what eventually it was, was a more contaminated environment than Da Nang. His health problems started with unexplained headaches and limb pains. For four years his central nervous system radically deteriorated with Parkinsonian type tremors, severe headaches, progressive limb pains, etc. No physician has ever diagnosed the specific illness. The most probable guess is the heavily contaminated drinking water at Shemya during his year there as an intelligence analyst. Organo-phosphate toxins may not run their toxic course until 20 to 30 years after initial exposure.

Rainbow Death
This poem speaks of a modern day ingredient of warfare that has caused appalling death and suffering, not only to the Vietnamese people, but also the service personnel that used or even just came into contact with “Agent Orange”. 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.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, dioxins were produced as a contaminant, which have caused numerous health problems for the millions of people who have been exposed. This poem may remind us that wars aren’t over when the wars are over.

reference: http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html#Rainbow