What were they like?

Question 1

Bombs mirror

Answer 1

’’ When bombs smashed those mirrors”
- ‘smashed’ has violent connotations, which juxtaposes the part of very idyllic llife - LNK -peaceful clouds reflected in the paddies’

Question 2

moths singing moonlight

Answer 2

‘It was reported their singing/resembled the flight of moths in moonlight’
- ‘reported’ shows hypotheticalness/uncertainity around the fading nature of the Vietnamese
- ‘moths in moonlight’ - alliteration shows how beautiful yet small their culture is
- ‘moths’, ‘moonlight’ - partially illuminated

Question 3

paddies

Answer 3

‘When peaceful clouds were reflected in the paddies’
- ‘reflected’ has connotations of purity, peacefulness, emphasises by clouds presenting beauty of the Vietnamese

Question 4

Precious material

Answer 4

‘bone and ivory,/jade and silver, for ornament?’
- expensive rich materials to portray culture as rich and vibrant
- question shows the unknowns of the Vietnamese culture showing destrctiveness as not only has it caused physical destruction but also cultural destruction

Question 5

progression of sound

Answer 5

1. ‘inclined to quiet laughter’
2. ‘there was only time to scream’
3. ‘who can say? it is silent now’
   - from quiet to loud at climax to SILENCE

Question 6

hearts to stone

Answer 6

‘their light hearts turned to stone’
- juxtaposition of light and ‘heavy’ stone shown they went from being happy to weary showing destruction of war is not only physical but also emotional showing extent of war damages
- LNK gargoyles, Medusa, USA is the monster

Question 7

bitter

Answer 7

‘laughter is bitter to the burned mouth’
- ‘laughter’ - connotations of happiness
- burned mouth needs soothing but bitter is the opposite, laughter has been flipped upside down, fun has gone - war has created almost emotional damage laughter no longer fun LNK heart to stones

Question 8

flower imagery

Answer 8

‘perhaps they gathered once to delight in blossom/but after their childre were killed/there were no more buds’
- flower imagery and loss showing loss of war and children

Question 9

silence

Answer 9

“It is silent now”

is firmly in the present and highlights not only the war ending but also the cultural silence which has followed as a result. It also precedes an actual silence as the poem ends and the reader is left to consider their personal reaction.

Question 10

Past Present

Answer 10

“did they use bone and ivory,jade and silver for ornamnet”

“It is not remembered”
“remember most were peasants their life in rice and bamboo”

All the questions are in the past tense suggesting that the Vietnamese culture no longer exists.

The answers are in a mixture of the past and present tense which highlights the sense of confusion caused by the war.