E-learning -- Rainbow Death

Task 2

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! By Hubert Wilson

1) Point of View
I feel that the point of view is of a person who has witnessed the devastating effects of "agent orange spray" mentioned in the poem. The poet thinks that there would be 'Toll on the innocent and unborn' and it also expect 'others to pay a high price'. This shows that the presence of all the different agent colors will simply lead to more deaths, thus the "death potpourri". Also, he feels that 'Generations untold WILL pay' and this indicates that future generations WILL have to pay for what had been done in the past, which in this case is the war. This poem thus highlights the case which involves future generations suffering, thus shedding light on another negative effect of war which stretches beyond those who see it or take part in it.

2) Situation and Setting
I feel that the poem shows a dire and anxious situation which highlights the cruelty of war. Firstly, 'Generations untold WILL pay' and the word 'will' is in capital letters and this shows that the suffering of future generations is inevitable. Also, the poem states that a 'high price' has to be paid and this suggests that many lives would be lost with the presence of war.

3) Language/diction
To start off with, the title of the poem 'Rainbow Death' will catch the attention of the reader. There is a hint of irony because rainbow is usually associated with beautiful things as they symbolize pathways between Earth and Heaven, goodness and rebirth, as well as prologues to disturbance. The title 'Rainbow Death' thus further emphasises the fact that war can destroy everything. Also, words in the last stanza 'astray', 'pay', and 'spray' rhymes and this is used to link America's war against Vietnam to the price that people would have to pay.

4) Personal Response
I feel that war is unjustified and harsh as it results in the loss of many deaths. In a war, many people who are innocent lost their lives too and as the poem stated, a 'high price' has to be paid for war. Also, I feel that this is a great poem in describing the negative effects of war as the poet is able to fill up the reader's mind with images of grief and demise and finally, explain what these images reflect.