What Were They Like by Denise Levertov Flashcards
What is the poem about?
A child asking an adult about Vietnam before the war. It reflects on the impacts the Vietnam war has on culture, nature and humans.
What are the themes?
External Conflict/ Inner conflict
“Did the people of Viet Nam use lanterns of stone? Did they hold ceremonies to reverence the opening of buds?”
-These opening lines set a peaceful scene of Vietnamese culture and traditions, emphasising the beauty and serenity of their everyday life before the war.
-> Also highlights how the child is asking the adult about what happens that alot about Vietnam is unknown due to the war
“but after their children were killed there were no more buds.”
-This line starkly contrasts the earlier peaceful imagery with the brutal reality of war.
-The metaphor of “no more buds” symbolises not only the death of children but also the destruction of the future and hope due to the war.
‘peaceful clouds, water buffalos stepped surely’
-‘peaceful’ shows how calm and tranquil Vietnam was before the war.
-The phrase ‘water buffalos stepped surely’ shows how the water buffalos were unknown about what was going to happen to them.
-Highlights how the Vietnam War impacted the animals and nature of Vietnam
‘It is not remembered. Remember their life was in rice and bamboo’
-This quote highlights how not much is remembered about Vietnam after the war.
-Verb ‘was’ shows how it is remembered how peaceful, beautiful and rural the country was in the past.
-It also shows how the war had completely ruined all the peace
“When bombs smashed those mirrors / there was time only to scream.”
-The “mirrors” here likely refer to the tranquil water in the rice paddies, a symbol of Vietnamese rural life.
-The bombing shatters this tranquillity, leaving only terror and suffering and no more peace.
-The contrast between the ‘mirrors’ and ‘smashed’ alongside ‘scream’ emphasises how the tranquillity has been disrupted due to the war.
“It is silent now.”
-The final line emphasises the complete destruction and loss caused by the war.
-The silence represents the absence of life, culture, and the once-vibrant community.
-Also the fear that lies within the country after the bombing took place.
‘Bones were charred’
-Highlights the destruction the war by Napalm gas
-Shows how much the Vietnamese suffered during the war and how their peace was destroyed
‘Sir, laughter is bitter to the burned mouth.’
-The poet’s underlying anger at what has taken place is made clear by the horrifying image and the alliteration (series of words that have the same first consonant sound) of ‘bitter’ and ‘burned’.
-The plosive alliteration of ‘burned’ and ‘bitter’ emphasises the speaker’s anger at the death and destruction.
