Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Home Based Learning Task 2


Home Based Learning
Rainbow Death
Difficulty Rating: * *
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!
Hubert Wilson

Task 2

Question: 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.

Answer: Point of View: From the statement “Now thinking twice?” Hubert believes that America should have thought twice before using Agent Orange, and he believes that America is at fault first as America invaded Vietnam and had sprayed Agent Orange in Vietnam. In other words Hubert feels that America should reflect on this incident. The statements “Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn” and “Nefariously America led astray” also supports Hubert’s point of view that America should reflect as it tells us that America, flaunting its power over the world, had sprayed Agent Orange into Vietnam although they were mindful that they were killing innocent human beings. Hubert’s point of view is affected because of his background. Because Hubert personally is also affected by the Agent Orange sprayed in Vietnam, This has changed his perspective of Agent Orange in hatred and anger.

             Situation and Setting: The historical setting in the poem happened in the Vietnam War that happened from 1961 to 1971. During the Vietnam War, between 1962 and 1971, the United States military sprayed 20,000,000 US gallons of chemical herbicides and defoliants in Vietnam, eastern Laos and parts of Cambodia, as part of Operation Ranch Hand. The program's goal was to defoliate forested and rural land, depriving guerrillas of cover; another goal was to induce forced draft urbanization, destroying the ability of peasants to support themselves in the countryside, and forcing them to flee to the U.S. dominated cities, thus depriving the guerrillas of their rural support base and food supply.

             Language and Diction: Hubert used many words like potpourri, omnipotent, deceit, nefariously, and execrable to enhance the sad tone of the poem. It is also to express the death of innocent human beings and the selfishness of America.

            Personal Response: I myself hold hatred against wars as I believe that wars give nothing but destruction and the loss of innocent lives. From the poem, I have learnt that although one possesses great power, he must have the ability to control this power and not flaunt it or use it against innocent human beings. With great power comes great responsibility.

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