Complete the template provided below (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.
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 led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of Agent Orange spray!
Point of View
The soldier was fighting in the Vietnam War and he was one of the victims who were suffering from the toxic agents in the war, as we can see from line 2: "Green, pink, purple and other colors death
The soldier only felt the effects of the toxins after a couple of years akin to the nuclear bomb drop on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the villagers only felt the effects of the radioactive rays after a couple of years, but the effects lingered on forever, causing deformities and even a high infant mortality rate. The author was immobilized and decided to write about war. Thus, as he had suffered the brutality and cruelty of war, his perspective may be a little extreme and contain a dense negative connotation.
This is evident from the poem which states: " Nefariously America led astray, Generations untold will pay, Execrable effects of agent orange spray. "
This line written by the psychologically scarred poet implies that war will turn soldiers into constantly nebulous and evil "Creatures", which have to fight for survival. He is also saying that the effects of war would be felt across many generations.
Though it may be true that Hubert Wilson’s POV is largely negative and maybe even
too
extreme,
this is not a reason to dismiss his perspective as irrational and incredible as he has prior experience
in t
he Vietnam War, and is very clear about the harmful effects of the war, including those caused by Agent Orange. Victims of these chemical agents do suffer from immense psychological and physical hurt, and from my research, I found out that Wilson from mobility issues.
Tension and setting
How is tension created in this poem? Well, I think that the poet has intelligently weaved punctuation marks in the second line to make us read that part of the poem more “slowly, and sharply”. By adding in three punctuation marks in that line, readers will find that the poet is trying to place emphasis on the three different colours of the chemical toxins, namely, Green, Pink and Purple. Hubert Wilson has also created tension by shortening lines 3, 4, 5 (which is the climax of the poem) to get the reader’s attention and also to speed up the pace of our reading.
But why does he want to get our attention? Well, I personally think that Wilson is trying to get us to remember the title of the poem, Rainbow Death. Well, when people think of a rainbow, a generalized thought would be that of life, purity, joy, happiness and of course beauty. But in the poem’s context, the rainbow is referring to the colours the chemical agents produce; green, pink etc. Although it is very colourful and the colours are vivid, the irony here is that the impact and the pain and suffering caused by chemical warfare will last through many generations and is like a scar that will never heal; a painful memory that shall never fade away, just like when you see a rainbow; that sight shall always linger stubbornly in your head for quite some time.
Language and Diction
I guess the most complex word in the poem would be ‘potpourri’ in line 2. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the meaning of potpourri is: a mixture of flowers, herbs, and spices that is usually kept in a jar and used for scent. Well the irony here is quite evident. As potpourri is supposed to allow people to enjoy the aroma of the flowers, the fragrance in the poem refers to the colourful chemical agents used, which can very easily kill people.
Personal Response
Lastly, I shall be giving my personal feedback on this poem. Well, most of the time, wars break out due to lack of open diplomacy. As countries are unwilling to be open-minded about certain issues, or are unable to give and take, wars will break out even due to the slightest nitty-gritty issues. However, innocent lives are lost in the process of war, and in this poem, the harmful effects that war caused are felt from the chemical warfare used, which is even more painful than dying via a battle, as chemical warfare brings about conditions that may linger in your body for a long time, or worse, cause immobility or deformities. And thus, I feel that the crux of this poem is that the poet is trying to talk about how harmful and despicable chemical warfare can be.