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Wednesday, May 26, 2010 @ 2:33 AM
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 Task 1 Henry was sitting in my hotel room in Saigon just before Christmas 2009 while trying to write a poem about the girls who work in the park and how badly men treat them. He was angry but unable to write anything that did not sound trite or weak. However, he was inspired when he looked at the news on TV. He saw a photo of a small boy with a helmet and an automatic rifle. The words just came to him and the poem flowed out. Task 2 Point of View: The speakers takes on the view of a bystander with a strong moral sense of duty. His superiority is confirmed when he refers to the protagonists as "children". As a war veteran in Vietnam, children training to be soldiers are a common sight. The style of his writing is dramatised , highlighting his stand to grant children of their deserved rights. He is against the authorities for setting the destinies of the children, children who have not even "seen the light". He does not support the fact that children are sent to war at such a young age. The reality is harsh and war is horrific. This children will be "consumed", only be scarred for life physically, if not mentally. He wants us to realised that children are served injustice at the moment and we should stop that. Situation and Setting: Social conflict is evident in the poem. Henry addresses the problem prevalent in society at the start of the poem. This are the "children" who should be served justice. The children should be receiving education, but they are denied that. They are forced to go on a path of war and terror. The "chalk" and "blackboards" changes into "war" and "blood". The education all children deserves metamorphoses into the violence all adults are immersed. The innocence believed within children is hence destroyed without a choice for children. The poem is wrapped up with a statement of "back into the darkness". No progress has been made. The conflict has not been resolved. The poem in general is solemn. Language and Diction: There is an extensive use of figurative language in this poem. The children are "enslaved" in their childhood as symbolised by "darkness". This is then contrasted by "light", symbolising freedom. The first line is repeated to reinforce Henry's take that the children are trapped. The children are not receiving education through "chalks" and "blackboards", but instead getting taught "to fight". Their pursue to freedom is useless there is "no key" to the "door" of freedom. This children are cannot escape their fate destined by the authorities. The rhetorical question "Could we" is repeated in all four lines of the next stanza, showing the speculations of Henry that probably this children would be freed of their slavery. He sees a glimpse of hope in that they could "simply light a candle", giving them chance of freedom. Then, in the fourth stanza, it starts with the word "or". With this single word, Henry wants to present to us the consequences of this inhumane situation. Hence, he paints a gruesome picture of war. War is personified as a beast which "consumes" on the children's "body and their soul". The war will take its toll on the children psychologically and physically. Their lives would be wasted for the sake of men who thirst destruction. Personal Response: This poem reaches out to me. Despite its simple language, the emotions conveyed are strong. I am able to feel for Henry's longing of freedom. Henry questions the corruption of men to sacrifice their next generations, the future pillars of the country. Will men lost all humanity to gain what they want? Are they willing to let their children immerse in violence at such a tender age? Life is cruel. http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html#Children_ Comment | 0 Comments |