GCSE English Paper 2 Revision (8)

What Were They Like?

• What is it about?
• written in 1971 as a protest against the Vietnam war.
• about the effects that the war had on the normal people of Vietnam.
• also about how little people knew about the damage that had been.
• About the author
• Denise Levertov protested against the war, and spent time in jail for doing so.
• In the poem, she imagines a time when no one remembered anything of the Vietnamese culture or people.
• Language
• the people of Vietnam are described with insubstantial vocab, such "echoes" , "dream" and "moths" - this suggests the fading of memories.
• harsh reality of war shown by substantial vocab, such as "bomb" , "scream" and "burned"
• In the first line, Vietnam is written as Viet Nam - highlights ignorance of foreigners?
• "buds" - represents new life, beginning
• "for ornament" - peaceful society, appreciative of beauty.
• "speech and singing" - shows the rich culture of Vietnam.
• "sir" could be sarcastic, or respectful.
• "light…