El e learning—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

Children in the Darkness
Author’s introduction

I was in Vietnam in 1967 - 68 and again in 1969. I go back often because my soul lives in Vietnam and I go back to visit it from time to time.

I was sitting in my hotel room in Saigon just before Christmas 2009 and I was trying to write a poem about the girls who work in the park and how badly men treat them. I was angry but unable to write anything that did not sound trite or weak. I looked at the TV and the news was on. I did not know what the news reader was saying but in the background was a photo of a small boy with a helmet and an automatic rifle. This poem flowed out. The words just came to me and I typed as fast as I could to get it all down.
From: http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html#Children_

1. Point of View
this is in the poet’s point of view. He views the war as outrageous as little children are being terrorized like the little girls in the park while boys are required to fight in the war as he saw a small boy holding an auto rifle in the news.
2. Situation and Setting
In this poem, the situation is in a war where children are captured to learn how to fight so that they could become soldiers and fight in war. These are evident as the poem stated that "There are children in the darkness Who someone will teach to fight" and "Or will a war consume them" the setting can also be in a hidden hiding spot. From “children in the darkness”, I can infer that the children may be hiding from the war ,not on the battle field but if hey were found, they would have to fight.

3. Language/Diction
In this poem, the words the poet use were effective in showing the terrible state the children are in. There are some repetition in the poem like "There are children in the darkness" which is used to emphasis on the living conditions of the children and words like "Could we" are being repeated. Most of the words at the end of each line rhymes with the previous word at the end of the previous line to maintain the smoothness of the poem so it seems fluent.

4. Personal Response
this is an easy war poetry that can be researched easily. (i found a website with all 3 of the stated poems. I think Mrs. raj found the poems on http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/2010warpoetry.html.but i thought it was challenging as there was nothing much to write about in this poem.