The Vietnam War Poem Analysis

These two text type are both protesting against the Vietnam war, however, they use different techniques and writing stiles to convey the message. The Song uses a first person narrative stile to convey the traumatic experiences of the soldiers, the poem, however, does not refer to experiences, instead it uses strong, passionate words that directly refer to the effect of trauma. The beginning sentence of the poem clearly shows the authors stile of writing, bringing the audience straight to the point. “War drags men to the very edge,” . The Song expresses the same message several times in the different phrases, but uses a more subtle approach. “A four week operation, when each step could mean your last one on two legs: it was a war within yourself.”. Both these text clearly protest about war and the trauma it causes, but the authors have used different
The issue that is being protested against is war. To be more Specific these text types are protesting against the Vietnam War. This is shown through the song’s setting which is set on the battle front of the Vietnam war. Both text types have protested by highlighting the trauma that the soldiers experience in all wars. This is conveyed through the songs chorus: “And can you tell me doctor why I still can’t get to sleep? And night times just a jungle and a barking M16?…”. The poem states: “Who have experienced too much death, Who have seen too much destruction,”. By conveying this trauma the text types reveal the devastation war causes to protest against it.

When examining the text you find that the poem and song direct the content to a different audience range. Both the song and the poem are directed at the public of the time, however the song reaches a wider rang of people as it would be played over the radio. The third person language causes the poem to keep the reader as an observer