Task 2- E-Learning 2 (25-26 May 2010)

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.