Poem analysis on Rainbow Death, By Hubert Wilson

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! by Hubert Wilson Rainbow Death Conflict This conflict occurred during the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1971. The reason why this conflict was significant both to the Vietnamese and the Americans was because of the Americans engaging in Herbicidal Warfare with their gas weapon code named “Agent Orange”. Agent Orange is the code name for a herbicide and defoliant, contaminated with TCDD, used by the U.S. military in its Herbicidal Warfare program during the Vietnam War. This Herbicide weapon cased much agony and deaths of the Vietnamese people due to its horrific effects, Birth Defects and disabilities. Agent Orange was by far the most widely used herbicide in the range of herbicides developed by the American Army called “Rainbow Herbicides” which ranged from Agent Blue to Agent White. Agent Orange resulted in 400,000 deaths and disabilities along with 500,000 children born with birth defects. Analysis of Rainbow Death 1. Point of View (Elaboration): This poem is written in a first person point of view which zooms in the situation as a whole, this point of view sufficiently shows the horrors and pain the Americans had caused even on the innocent Vietnamese people. This is evident from “America did not foresee”, “Now Thinking Twice?”, “Nefariously America led astray”. This shows their wrongdoing and urgent need to stop such chemical warfare to prevent any more agony to occur. It could also be written in a third person point of view because “America” which is repeated in the poem for its wrong acts from their herbicide weapon could instead be personified as another person in the poem. 2. Situation and Setting (Elaboration): The situation as stated in “Rainbow Death” is extremely dire and poses as a great threat to the Vietnamese people and this situation takes place in a setting combining both history ( “New step towards Herbicide Warfare for the Americans”) and agony ( Horrific effects of Agent Orange). The nature of this conflict is a combination of ethics and social characteristics. “ America did not foresee” and “Green, pink, purple and other colour deaths potpourri” shows that America did not expect or want to cause this much suffering to their opponents. Furthermore, the above poem was an example of a successful biological weapon being produced. This may result in the advancement in such horrific weapons.“Generations untold WILL pay”-“Execrable effects of the Orange Spray” shows that the horrific effects of the “Agent Orange” Spray will be passed on to the next generation of Vietnamese people, as the chemical weapon causes birth defects. This amplifies the feeling of pain and suffering for the Vietnamese as the weapon not only affects them, but also their offspring. 3. Language and Diction ( Elaboration ) :The Language used conveys the poet’s main message as it is used to reveal the truth behind the American’s herbicidal weapons in the Vietnam War. Personification is used as America was personified as a person causing untold suffering towards the Vietnamese people. The Diction magnifies the speaker’s tone which seems sarcastic. This is evident from “America did not foresee” and “Now thinking twice?”, this had established the tone of sarcasm. Despite America not being able to foresee the pain and agony the herbicides would cause to the people to such a great extent , they failed to think twice before using the biological weapon as seen from the “?” , implying that even after the Americans realised the horrific effects of herbicidal warfare , they continued to use such a weapon, signifying their little regret and guilt. Moreover, “Nefariously America Led astray” and “Generations untold will PAY” implies more of a tone of irony. America consistently took part in herbicidal warfare which led to America going against its principle of freedom and morale, America’s thirst to defeat the enemy had overwhelmed their principals which in turn will cause not only physical harm, but also mental harm to the Vietnamese. 4 Personal Response (Elaboration): I found the poem disturbing. The poem takes us out of our comfort zone as we normally see America as a country which believes in freedom and righteous ideals, but yet, we have here, a poem which describes the cruelty of the minds of the Americans, willing to sacrifice their ideals in their lust for victory. The descriptions made by the poet to signify the suffering of the Vietnamese also add to the feeling of sorrow and sadness