Task 2 E-learning

Point of view
It is written is a view of a person who has witnessed war. It is also very pessimistic about war.

Evidence
Words such as "darkness" and "shines no light" are used. These words bring about pessimism as they are usually used in sad stories.

Elaboration
Light usually means a good thing, however in the context, it says no light, thus showing that there is no hope. Darkness is also usually associated with death thus adding to the gloomy mood.

Situation & setting
The setting is during a war time where even children with no education were sent out to war.

Evidence
This can be seen from "Who someone will teach to fight" and "chalk and blackboard will not be" as children should be schooling, but not at war

Elaboration
These two phrases show that children, even orphans were sent to war. And there will not be anymore education as all there is left for the children, is death.

Languaga & Diction
The writer is succesful in telling us the disadvantages of war by creating a sombre and gloomy mood.

Evidence
He uses strong words such as "darkness" and "no light" that can invoke the reader's emotions. These words instill a gloomy mood in readers.

Elaboration
Darkness and no light shows that there is no hope that the soldiers will come out alive even after the war has ended. Thus making us feel sombre and sad for the soldiers, in this case,children.

Personal response
I feel that war is horrifying as it brings grief, death and casualties. The poem also shows that people who went to war were forced to. This can be seen from the children who were sent to war. They did not even have a primary education but were taught to fight. Thus showing that war is inglorious and people who go to war were unwilling.

Analysis of Poem - Children in Darkness( Task 1 for Home Learning )

Henry M Bechtold, the persona, was in Vietnam during 1967 - 1968. During that period of time, there was a war raging and he witnessed what was happening. The persona rarely talked about it, but he never forgot about it. Thus, he always visits Vietnam every now and then. He wrote this poem during one of his visits in 2009. He was in his hotel room in Saigon watching the news channel on the television. At the same time, he was finding inspiration to write another poem on sexism when a picture of a young boy with a helmet and an automatic rifle in hand flashed on the news channel. This reminded him of the Vietnam war that happened during the late 1960s and immediately, began to pen down his feelings of the war and it resulted in this poem.

The poem talks about children who die during war at a young age and also children who does not even have a primary education, going to war.