Task 2

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!

Hubert Wilson

Point of view

I think the poem is from the point of view a person who have seen the causes and effect of Agent Orange on the people of Vietnam, most probably from a third person point of view. This can be seen from “America did not foresee” which show that he is saying as a bystander on how careless America was without considering the effect of the deadly Agent Orange that will “Toll on the innocent and unborn.” He is like narrating the first-hand experience that he had seen from the war and thus this support my point that the poets adopts a third person point of view and is not actually one of the victims or it will be in the first person point of view. It can also be confirm with facts that the poet was participating in the war and had survived to narrate the story.

Situation and Setting

The setting and situation of the poem is most probably after the war whereby the Americans are “ Now thinking twice” in releasing the “Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!”. This shows that the America regretted releasing the Agent during the war as “America did not foresee”. It is only after the released of the agent can we know “Execrable effects of agent orange spray” on people like “illness, birth defects and prematurely dead”. Thus, I conclude that the poem can only be set in the aftermath of the war to know the effects the agents had on the Vietnamese people and the feeling of regret by the Americans.

Language/Diction

Diction is carefully and uses very accurately to create and impact on the reader so as to let the reader feel the devastating effect the agents had on the Vietnamese people and the remorseful America.

The title “Rainbow Death” is an oxymoron whereby Rainbow is associated with death. Rainbow being colourful, lively and lead to heaven is seldom associated with death, which is dark, dull and lead to hell. The title also relates back to the Rainbow Herbicides that America used solely to remove the leaves of tree to prevent the enemy cover and concealment but have caused many deaths, which was never meant to be lethal or cause any heath problems. However, the rainbow used here has a contrast in saying that it leads to death that in turn leads to hell. This is showing how America used the Agent Orange without knowing its effect on people.

Similarly, death potpourri is also an oxymoron. Potpourri is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant material, used to provide a gentle natural scent in houses. However, it is associated with death. Death that is commonly known to be negative is seldom associated with potpourri that is something positive since it gives a nice fragrant smell. Since death potpourri shows the dying of plant material, it might also relate to the Herbicides which kills off the leaves of trees. However, what the Americans did not know was that such harmless herbicides that were used to only destroy plants can destroy or kill humans as well.

Personal Response

The poem make me feel that the people of Vietnamese or maybe just the poet bore a grudges against America for causing death to so many people and birth deformities too. It enables me to understand the feelings and sufferings of the victims of the Agent Orange and the war itself. Although America is not to be totally blamed, the poem is portrayed to be anti-war and blame America for the sufferings that it had caused on the Vietnamese people. It also allows me to sympathized with the victims. I feel that the message of the poet is that war can bring devastating effect to both sides and that we should resolve everything peacefully instead of going to war as it will bring no good to both sides. I hope that war will cease to happen in future.