E-Learning Task 1

Children in the Darkness

Henry M Bechtold was in Vietnam from 1967 - 1968, during the Vietnam war. He witnessed the entire war and wrote this poem to show readers that war is not like the stereotypes, in which it is glorious, but it only causes many deaths and casualties. This poem was written during a visit to Vietnam in 2009. After the Vietnam war, he could never forgot the grueling scenes during the war, and thus travels to Vietnam every now and then. This poem was brought about when he saw a picture of a young boy in a war suit, carrying a rifle and waring a helmet when watching television in a hotel room in Vietnam. This resulted in him sympathising with these children and thus dedicated this poem to the young boys taking part in the war.

E-Learning Task 2

Children in the Darkness

Point of view
This poem is written from the view of an individual that has witnessed war, and is very pessimistic about it.

Evidence
He uses gloomy words such as "darkness" and "have not seen the light"

Elaboration
There is no stanza in the poem that states that war is good and has hope. All the stanza either gives a gloomy feeling or that the children are "kept in the darkness" and learns how to fight in wars.

Situation & setting
It is during a war.
Evidence
This can be seen from "Who someone will teach to fight" and "chalk and blackboard will not be"
Elaboration
These two short phrases states that children are "blind" as they do not have any education. Orphans and young boys with no education were sent to fight wars, instead of studying.
Language & Diction
The writer has successfully brought his message across, that war is bad. The gloomy and somber mood that the writer portrays has caused us to not believe that war is glorious.

Evidence
He uses words such as "darkness" and "no light". These words instill a gloomy mood in readers

Elaboration
As light, not in its literal meaning, usually portrays a scene that has hope, this poem does not show any hope, thus giving a gloomy mood. "Darkness" and "no light" tells us that war "has no hope" and thus portrays a gloomy and somber mood.

Personal response
I am also pessimistic about war. As humans, we should not kill one another as this is a very barbaric behaviour. War only brings about many deaths of the human race. These children's parents are very worried about their safety, and forcing uneducated children to go to war would bring tears to their parents. Thus I feel that war is terrible as it brings about many deaths and injuries.