English Poem Speech

The Vietnam War is perhaps one of the most controversial and media-oriented wars that has ever been fought. The political reasons America entered the war were to defend democracy and the Vietnamese people and prevent the takeover of Communism in Vietnam. These reasons were challenged by the values and beliefs of humanitarians and the media of the time, who believed that America was only involved in the war for the sake of political influence and power at the expense of human life. The use of media and propaganda in this war was instrumental from the get-go, as it allowed all sides of the argument to be voiced, to the detriment or advantage of the opposing sides. This voicing of opinions revitalized the freedom of speech, heralding a new age of peaceful demonstrations and activists, whose sole purpose was to encourage the attitude of love for one another and the value of world peace. Some of the most powerful weapons that were used in this endeavor, were that of poems and songs, written by artists who wanted to capture the hearts and minds of society, relating to them on a personal level, the values of peace and love whilst also appealing to their humanity. Foremost among the people who voiced these beliefs was Pete Seeger one of the most iconic figures in American music culture and Bruce Dawe who was one of the most influential Australian poets of all time. They both championed peace movements and human rights, playing a major role in discussions of the war and in the resulting actions. Seegers song Bring em Home and Bruce Dawes poem Homecoming played key roles in influencing the outcome of the war and will be discussed and analyzed so that the composers poetic techniques can be fully interpreted. Pete Seeger is described as one of the most passionate, active and influential folk singers America has ever had. He became a symbol to rally behind as he began to sing music that voiced social changes in the areas of international disarmament, civil rights and environmental causes. This background catapulted Seeger into a predominant role in the American Civil Rights Movement, joining the ranks of other singer-activists to record the popularized and spiritual song We Will Overcome. Seeger wrote Bring em Home as a direct plea to both the American government and the American people to bring the soldiers back from Vietnam. This song As the title suggests, Bring em Home focuses on the Vietnam War and Seegers view that it is the result of political ambition, as evidenced in the line Itll make our generals sad, I know. Seeger alludes to the fact that America entered the war because they want to test their weaponry. He then points out that this is their big fallacy because as he goes on to say, If an army invaded this land of mine, youd find me on the firing line justifying the Vietnamese peoples reaction as being normal and patriotic. He then describes the death and destruction that the Vietnamese would experience under the guise of the American occupation If they brought their planes to bomb, even if they brought helicopters and napalm. He concludes that Americas generals didnt know what they were getting into, evidenced in the lines s how those

generals their fallacy and they dont have the right weaponry. Seeger then points out that the greatest weapon is peace in his lyric for defense you need common sense. This statement is further backed up by the following line they dont have the right armaments which suggests that America does not know how to maintain peace or even to produce it. The right armaments are then described as learning, specifically that of acceptance and equality, described in the lyrics the world needs teachers, books and schools and to learn a few universal rules. The rhythm in this song is very emotional as it provides a strong beat throughout the song that identifies with societys emotional values of respect for one another and freedom. This regularity gives the song more power, as it repeats its message as well as leaving an imprint on the audience about what society has come too. This links in with the stanzas of the poem which are quatrains, which allow the developing of ideas in relation to the poem. This strengthens the melody of the song which is thoughtful and hopeful, encouraging the American people that they can still save human life and create peace. The rhyming in this song is simple and persuasive as it allows the audience to draw their own opinions whilst also reflecting on Seegers choice of words. The simple lyrics Bring them home, bring them home are repetitive: they aim to enhance the effect of a strong image within the audiences imagination whilst also drilling into them the idea of bringing their soldiers back from Vietnam. This is further credited by the sound of the song which is a mixture of country and western music to create a folklore anthem that brings people together in as a community. Bruce Dawe is considered one of the most revered and respected Australian poets of all time. Known as the Poet of Suburbia for his ability to express the drama and beauty of everyday life and for his unconventionally normal lifestyle, Dawe establishes a link with ordinary society in a way that other artists envy. This relationship is said to stem from Dawes early life where he drifted from job to job, experiencing but never finding the right one for him. This gives Dawe extraordinary empathy for people of all backgrounds and cultures, who describe him as the voice of society and change. Homecoming was written by Dawe as a voice of resentment for the Vietnam War and the brutality and loss of life that it caused. Homecoming ironically does not refer to the return of the valiant soldiers from Vietnam, but rather to their devastated bodies. In the opening lines the soldiers bodies arent treated with the respect and reverence of fallen heroes but rather with the brutal necessity of war: theyre picking them up, those they can find and bringing them home, theyre bringing them in, piled on the hulls of grants, in trucks, in convoys, theyre zipping them up in green plastic bags . The imagery aroused by these words provides a vision of the cruel face of war; when a soldier dies, he becomes an unnecessary burden, handled by indifferent, dispassionate men. Onomatopoeia such as zipping, enhance the image in the audiences mind of discarding waste or rubbish, giving them a more realistic and emotive power. The visualization of this cold and offhand way of handling the dead gives way to a monotonic procedure in the following lines: theyre tagging them now in Saigon, in the mortuary coolness, theyre giving them names , theyre rolling them out of the

deep-freeze lockers-on the tarmac at Tan Son Nhut, theyre are bringing them home . The realization that this is a daily and common routine drives home the stark reality of war and the loss of human life as well as the callous handling of fallen soldiers. The pointlessness of the soldiers deaths are further embodied in the line which states curly-heads, kinky-hairs, crew-cuts, balding non-coms illustrating the senselessness and indiscriminate slaughter of war, for race, religion or culture did not decide who died. The next part of the poem provides a horrible contrast between the living and the dead, as Dawe describes the vibrancy of life whilst the soldiers bodies are delivered home; theyre shadows are tracing the blue curve of the Pacific, ridiculous curvatures of earth, the knuckled hills, the mangrove-swamps, the desert emptiness. These stanzas invoke the beauty of the Australian coastline in the eyes of the viewers, portraying the tragedy of death in the face of such virile life, accentuating the totality of death in the eyes of the living. The finality of death is expressed by the soldiers families at home when the despair and anguish that their loved ones are dead and that they died alone released in the howl of their homecoming rise surrounding them like their last moments . This outpouring of grief and sorrow released in an animal roar magnifies the need of the families to console the soldiers souls that their love surrounded them even in their last moments. The last part of the poem deals with the news of the fallen soldiers as it travels through the country where dogs in the frozen sunset raise muzzles in mute salute . This imagery depicts a country racked by grief, where nature itself salutes brave men because of the lack of respect and recognition for those who have died for their country. The arbitrary grief is emphasized by telegrams which tremble like leaves from a wintering tree . This simile emphasizes the heartache of the families, as the telegram trembles under the weight of it. The last line theyre bringing them home, now, too late, too early links together the theme of Homecoming, which is the tragedy of war where men go away and come back too late because they are dead and too early because they are too young to be taken from this world. The amount of human life lost and the horrors committed on both sides served to make the Vietnam War one of the most questionable and detested wars in history. Through singers and poets such as Pete Seeger and Bruce Dawe, the world was brought to terms with the cruelty and waste of life that marked the Vietnam War in the eyes of society. With the help of Seegers song Bring em Home and Dawes poem Homecoming, society has a view of the ignorance and egotism of war and the tragic repercussions that inevitably follow it. Through examining and analyzing the works of Pete Seeger and Bruce Dawe, the social significance inherent in these works can be fully interpreted and put into effect in contemporary society.