Home Learning Task 2

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!

Point of View --> First-person.
Unbiased / Candid / Truthful
Evidence:"America did not foresee / Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
"Expecting others to pay a high price. / Now thinking twice?"
"Nefariously America led astray"
"Execrable effects of agent orange spray"
Elaboration: The poet is an American who fought for America in the Vietnam war. However, here he says that America makes a mistake, being "led astray". He also sets this poem after he himself has experienced the effects of Agent Orange, and is very infuriated by it. Hence, we can tell that this is an unbiased and truthful point of view, not siding with his own country, saying that there is nothing wrong.

Situation and Setting --> In a war, the Agent Orange had been used and the effects are dire, to both sides fighting the war. In this poem, the poet feels emotional for the use of Agent Orange after seeing the aftermath of the usage of it. He clearly feels that Agent Orange should not have been used as it causes great damage to both sides in the war, and the damages affect not only his generation, but subsequent generations as well, being born with defects, etc. In a sentence that covers it all, it means that the war doesn't end even when it is said to have ended. In simple words, it means the damages done in a war carries on even after the war is said to have ended.

Language and Diction --> Oxymoron
Emphasis or words
Evidence: "Rainbow Death"
"Death potpourri"
"Nefariously America led astray"
"deceit"
Elaboration: The usage of the title, "Rainbow Death", is an oxymoron. Rainbows normally connote something joyous and positive, but it is put together with "death", making it an oxymoron altogether. It gives the reader suspense as they will wonder, a death due to a rainbow? In the end, they will realise that it is true, death due to the different agent colours.

Next, "death potpourri" is also an oxymoron. Death is used to show something negative, which is described with something solemn. However, Hubert uses "potpourri", something fragrant. He should be being sarcastic at this point, showing that death can be so colourful and pleasant, caused by the different agent colours, but it is untrue that death will be colourful and pleasant.

On the other hand, emphasis of words are used in this poem. Hubert writes the word "WILL" in capital letters. This is to place emphasis on the line itself, showing that the subsequent generations will definitely have to suffer due to the effects of the war and America's rash actions of using Agent Orange.

Lastly, Hubert displays America in a negative light, saying that America was "led astray" and that she uses "deceit". This is showing how much Hubert disapproves of America and is furious about the fact that America used the extremely harmful Agent Orange.


Personal Response

Hubert is trying to criticise America in this poem, showing how it "did not foresee" the "execrable effects of agent orange spray". He also says that America is "omnipotent and [disregards] who will mourn", showing how heartless America is, causing great harm in the war, to subsequent generations who are innocent people as well. Hubert is trying to make known to everyone how America's actions could affect the world greatly and hopes that war will not enfold again, because the war does not end when it has ended. The damages carry on to subsequent generations. He wants to show that war is nothing but harm to both sides and there is no absolute victory, because both sides will have a huge amount of suffering after a war. I personally sympathise with all the Agent Orange victims, "all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead" and that those "generations untold WILL pay". I support Hubert in feeling that America should be held responsible for this great damage done. If it was not for America, the damages wouldn't have been so dire for both sides. I feel that his main message here is to say that war is harmful and war should not occur, and I totally support his view about war, because war causes great damages and if war doesn't erupt, the world will have a much better peace and people will not be subjected to such gruesome suffering.

Home Learning Task 1

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!

This poem is about America making use of a poisonous substance, "Agent Orange". The poet is saying that America used the Agent Orange, in a bid to make the enemy in the war suffer, but in the end, it backfired and the Agent Orange was used against herself. In the end, both sides of the war gets affected and it causes negative impacts, like how Agents "Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri". This Agent Orange affects not only the generation itself but the future generations as well, when he said that "generations untold will pay". In this poem, the poet, Hubert Wilson, is trying to say that in war, it causes great damage and the damage will never be only to one side, but to both sides. And when the damage is done, it does not only affect on generation, but the damage can carry on for many subsequent generations. The conflict depicted in this poem would be how America's plan backfired and caused great harm to herself, being "nefariously... led astray", and how the damage done will carry on to subsequent generations. This conflict shows that there will always be damage done to both sides involved in a war and that a war is not over even when it is over because the damages of a war will carry on even after the war has ended.

Now, to understand better what the poem actually means and why the poet would write this, we have to first look at his background information.

He is a Vietnam War veteran who served in the USAF Security Service. He, along with many others, prepped for about 14 months at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, Texas, before anticipating being sent to Vietnam or elsewhere in Southeast Asia in 1970. About half ended up in Da Nang (an Agent Orange hotspot) in the 6924th Security Squadron. The rest of them were assigned to Shemya Island, Alaska, with the 6984th Security Squadron, a more contaminated environment than Da Nang.

His health problems started with unexplained headaches and limb pains. His central nervous system radically deteriorated with Parkinson type tremors, severe headaches, progressive limb pains, etc. No physician has ever diagnosed the specific illness. His number one educated guess is the heavily contaminated drinking water at Shemya during his year there as an intelligence analyst. Organo-phosphate toxins may not run their toxic course until 20 to 30 years after initial exposure.

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.

Hence, this poem was written because he personally experienced the feeling of being attacked by Agent Orange and how it could affect not only the original target, but you yourself as well. He is aware of these harmful consequences of war and hopes that war will stop because it will affect the subsequent generations as well. The title suggests how harmful war can be, causing "Death". "Rainbow" symbolises Agent Orange, Purple, Pink, Green, etc. These agents are what caused the death and harmful consequences of many, and the poet is showing that war is harmful and it never ends when it ends because the damage will carry on even after the war.