HBL Task 2

Children in the Darkness
Henry Bechtold

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

Point of View: This poem was written in the first-person account by Henry M Bechtold in 2010. Just before christmas, he was in Saigon, a place in Vietnam and was trying to write poems there. He often goes back to Vietnam because his "soul lives in Vietnam." This could imply that he himself was one of the soldiers fighting in the war then and as with many war veterans, they find it difficult to adapt back to their own homeland after the suffering they had seen. This poem was written after Henry watched the television and saw the picture of a small boy with a helmet and an automatic rifle.

Situation and Setting: This poem shows conflicting images of the author's mindset of what should actually be the life of a child in contrast with how the children suffering in war really are. It is in a situation where the children were forced to fight in the war, when they were supposed to be enjoying their childhood like most children do over the world. From line 7 and 8, "From this life they can not flee, And these children are not free". This line shows that children are restrained by war, and they are too weak and helpless to evade the evil and cruelty of the war.

Language/Diction: Diction and the language in this poem have certain connotations. The word 'light' and 'darkness' have been repeated many times in the poem. Light is a usual comparison with hope while darkness usually symbolizes despair and death. Therefore, from the many comparisons, it can be seen that when children are involved in the war, they cannot escape it and will live in sadness, while others remain happy and ignorant.

Personal Response:
Upon reading the poem, I sympathise children who are involved in war. Unlike us normal people, they have to go through years of fear and unhappiness at such a tender age. This poem allows me to understand the children are going through a lot of hardship and are suffering. From the poem, I learnt to feel fortunate as we are very lucky and happy compared to the "war children" no matter what problems we face. Also, I learnt that we should not take things for granted, for example, peace. We always have to keep in mind that our lives are very lucky compared to the people who are in wars. We must cherish what we have and always feel lucky.