2010年5月25日星期二
Rainbow Death
Hubert WilsonSsgt USAF, 1968-1972
This small poem speaks of a modern day ingredient of warfare that has caused appalling death and suffering – not only to its intended victims, the Vietnamese people, but also the service personnel that used or even just came into contact with “Agent Orange”. Wikipedia reports, “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. According to Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange, resulting in 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and 500,000 children born with birth defects. From 1962 to 1971, Agent Orange was by far the most widely used of the so-called "Rainbow Herbicides" employed in the herbicidal warfare program. During the production of Agent Orange (as well as Agents Purple, Pink, and Green) dioxins were produced as a contaminant, which have caused numerous health problems for the millions of people who have been exposed. Agents Blue and White were part of the same program but did not contain dioxins.”
This is what Hubert himself commented about this poem:
Rumors persist of still another more toxic color coded herbicide at the end of this deadly rainbow! I am a Vietnam War veteran (as are my four brothers) who served in the USAF Security Service. I, along with a dozen or so intelligence school grads, prepped for about 14 months at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, Texas, before anticipating being sent to Vietnam or elsewhere in southeat Asia in 1970. About half ended up in Da Nang (an Agent Orange hotspot) in the 6924th Security Squadron. The rest of us were assigned to Shemya Island, Alaska, with the 6984th Security Squadron, and what eventually was a MORE contaminated environment than Da Nang! My health problems started approximately 15 years ago with unexplained headaches and limb pains. Four years ago my central nervous system radically deteriorated with Parkinsonian type tremors, severe headaches, progressive limb pains, etc. No physician has ever diagnosed the specific illness. NO VA physician has ever rendered ANY medical assistance! My number one educated guess is the heavily contaminated drinking water at Shemya during my year there as an intelligence analyst. Organo-phosphate toxins may not run their toxic course until 20 to 30 years after initial exposure. Since my brain still functions moderately well (and I have mobility issues), I have turned to writing just like my late Father and the late singer (and writer) Johnny Cash.
Source:
http://mon-aime.blogspot.com/2010/05/analysis-of-rainbow-death.htmlPoint of view: First of all, Hubert Wilson wrote this poem from a perspective of a narrator, although the poem does not contain any 'I'. The poem is written in a dramatic voice, on account of all the exclaimation marks and bombastic terms, and offers a very political and social tone. The background of the poet afects the perspective view alot as Hubert Wilson was a soldier himself during the war. What he wrote in this poem was what he felt during the war.
Setting and situation. The setting like the genre of this poem suggests, is at the battlefield. The situation this poem is trying to depict is about the reflections of the death at war.
This poem uses very bombastic and difficult language and dictions, which suggests that this poem might have been meant for the government to read. The bombastic words create a strong impact of the death at war, magnifying the reality.
I personally thinks that this poem is not written in a smart way. First of all, lets presume this is meant for the government. The government are the ones who are spreading the propaganda of joining the war is good, dying for your country is good, so if Hubert Wilson send this poem to them, its not very likely that they will change their mind, looking at the fact that many other poets failed at this already.
votexron
@ 01:46
