Task 1
About the War:
This poem was written during the Vietnam war, which was a military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies like China and North Korea, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations like the Philippines and Australia. In the end, the communist forces triumphed and the United States' forces withdrew from the Indochina regions.
About the Poet:
Hubert Wilson is a Vietnam War veteran who has served in the USAF security service as a staff sergeant. He was sent to Vietnam where contamination of the chemical "Agent Orange" raged out of control. Since his brain is still functioning moderately well although he has mobility issues due to the contamination, he has decided to turn to writing like his father.
Conflicts:
This poem depicts chemical warfare, which was used extensively during the Vietnam War. This poem focuses on one particular type of chemical, Agent Orange, a code name for a herbicide and defoliant used by the US 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 approximately 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and 500,000 children born with birth defects. As the effects of this chemical still reign in Vietnam and other parts of the world, the poet reminds us that wars might not be over when they are over.
This poem was written during the Vietnam war, which was a military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies like China and North Korea, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations like the Philippines and Australia. In the end, the communist forces triumphed and the United States' forces withdrew from the Indochina regions.
About the Poet:
Hubert Wilson is a Vietnam War veteran who has served in the USAF security service as a staff sergeant. He was sent to Vietnam where contamination of the chemical "Agent Orange" raged out of control. Since his brain is still functioning moderately well although he has mobility issues due to the contamination, he has decided to turn to writing like his father.
Conflicts:
This poem depicts chemical warfare, which was used extensively during the Vietnam War. This poem focuses on one particular type of chemical, Agent Orange, a code name for a herbicide and defoliant used by the US 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 approximately 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and 500,000 children born with birth defects. As the effects of this chemical still reign in Vietnam and other parts of the world, the poet reminds us that wars might not be over when they are over.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War
http://y09hci0406.blogspot.com/2010/05/poem-analysis-rainbow-death-by-hubert.html
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html#Rainbow
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War
http://y09hci0406.blogspot.com/2010/05/poem-analysis-rainbow-death-by-hubert.html
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html#Rainbow
Task 2
Analysis:
Point of view:
The persona’s voice is very dramatic as he uses exclamations such as “spray!”, as well as the word “WILL” being capitalised. This tone shows the strong connection between the poet and the poem. With these evidences, we can deduce that the persona has personally experienced the Vietnam war, and has been a victim of the Agent Orange contamination. This would thus make the persona a reliable source of information.
Situation and Setting:
There is a military conflict between the communist forces and anti-communist forces in Vietnam at this point in time. The usage of dangerous chemical warfare was chaotic. This was portrayed by words like “potpourri”. The function of the Vietnam War setting is to show the effects of the various chemicals on the people. This is significant as the poet conveys that the effects of war will not die out even when the war is technically over. This encourages readers to maintain peace and security to prevent such misfortunes
Language/Diction:
The poet uses end with rhymes every two lines, for example "price" and "twice" of the third and fourth line, as well as "astray" and "pay" of the ninth and tenth line respectively. Also, these words are usually negative, in the context of the poem. Assonance of the “o” sound were used in words like “mourn”, “potpourri” and “unborn”. The poet is trying to highlight that war is negative and that people should not have wars. War would destroy the "innocent and unborn" and cause millions to suffer. The assonance of the “o” vowel sound is like mourns of pain of the innocent people who suffered during the war or due to the chemical contaminations. This emphasizes on the sadness and pain of war. The title of the poem, "Rainbow Death" is quite self contradictory as raindows are happy objects while deaths are sad subjects. However, the real meaning of rainbows in the context of the poem would be death through contamination which has colours of the rainbow.
The poet uses end with rhymes every two lines, for example "price" and "twice" of the third and fourth line, as well as "astray" and "pay" of the ninth and tenth line respectively. Also, these words are usually negative, in the context of the poem. Assonance of the “o” sound were used in words like “mourn”, “potpourri” and “unborn”. The poet is trying to highlight that war is negative and that people should not have wars. War would destroy the "innocent and unborn" and cause millions to suffer. The assonance of the “o” vowel sound is like mourns of pain of the innocent people who suffered during the war or due to the chemical contaminations. This emphasizes on the sadness and pain of war. The title of the poem, "Rainbow Death" is quite self contradictory as raindows are happy objects while deaths are sad subjects. However, the real meaning of rainbows in the context of the poem would be death through contamination which has colours of the rainbow.
Personal Response:
I feel that the poem can evoke the feelings of the readers really well because of the effective use of words. The poet emphasizes a lot on the negative aspects of war. He also questions readers whether they are "thinking twice", making use of rhetorical questions to evoke thoughts and emotions of the readers. With successful use of literary devices, the poet has successfully showed the ill effects of war.
