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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Children in the Darkness


Children in the Darkness There are children in the darkness Who have not seen the light There are children in the darkness Who someone will teach to fight Chalk and blackboards will not be To this door there is no key From this life they can not flee And these children are not free Could we simply light a candle Could we give them half a chance Could we teach them how to read Could we teach them how to dance Or will a war consume them Their body and their soul Will their life and blood be poured Down some endless thirsty hole Back into the darkness From which there is no flight Back into the darkness Into which there shines no light Henry M. Bechtold Children in the Darkness is a poem written by Henry M. Bechtold. He lives in Beautiful Bucks County, in south eastern Pennsylvania of the United States of America (U.S.A.). He was drafted as a soldier to Vietnam at 1967 and 1968. Since then, he has made several trips to Vietnam as my soul lives in Vietnam. Just before Christmas in 2009, Henry Bechtold made a trip to Vietnam. He was in his hotel room in Saigon trying to write a poem about the abused girls who work in the park. At first he found it difficult to write anything meaningful. He got his inspiration when he looked at the TV when the news broadcast on. In the background of the news broadcast was a small boy with a helmet and rifle. The poem just flowed out of his mind. Below is an analysis of the poem:

Evidence Elaboration Understanding the situation of The whole poem talks about children stuck in the middle children suffering in a war of a war Point of view of poet himself Show an understanding of the Anti-war Or will a war consume them crisis children face in war, e.g. no education A social point of view: dealing The poet it himself was with the social consequences involved in the Vietnam war of war on children Thus, the poem can be said to be written in the point of view of the poet himself. The poet argues in his poem that war will, destroy, or consume, children The childrens freedom of having an education. Chalk and blackboards will not be in times of war. Situation and Setting: Who have not seen the light Children who have not seen the light have never Children affected by war Or will a war consume them experienced anything but the tragedies of war Children are consumed Could we teach them how to silently in the midst of the read / Could we teach them All the children understand is the situation in a war, where chaos of a war how to dance men fight till their death and the dark side of humanity: No education for children From this life they can not violence. flee inescapable People are so engrossed in the Chalk and blackboards will not war that they neglect the be / To this door there is no childrens need key An education for those children will not be, they could not run away from the situation at hand. Destroys the childrens

Point Point of View:

Language and Diction: Tries to connect t with the reader Extensive use of juxtaposition/contrasts Use of metaphor

Could we darkness and light endless thirsty hole

childhood. Use of we instead of I makes the reader feel connected, that he too could play a part in improving those childrens lives. Used to compare the childrens lives to other children who had a proper childhood. Light symbolises the innocence of childhood

Thirsty hole used to describe the war, which destroy the childrens childhood Personal Response: Or will a war consume them Although the poem in itself has not much literature value, but it is a very meaningful poem. Conveys the message of abused From this life they can not children flee Brings awareness

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