Task 2

Point of View
The point of view of the poem could be said to be from the author Henry M Bechtold as he had most probably experienced the war itself. He wants to tell people how cruel war is and the bad of war as even innocent children are "taught to fight", to defend themselves, and the country. These children are not able to learn and do what the other normal children are doing as they are being used as soldiers. They are also not free to do what they want to do as "And these children are not free". They may lose their lives any time as they are in war. The words "dark" and "light" are used ironically both to show the bad side of war as the children could see no "light" (reference to hope).

Situation and Setting
The situation here, in this poem, is that children, at very young age are forced to fight for the country in war although they may not be willing to do it. The author portrays the evil of war through phrases and lines like "shines no light", questions in the third stanza on whether these children could be taught the basic stuff which they are supposed to learn at their age. This could be seen from "Could we give them half a chance" and "Or will a war consume them".

Language and Diction
The language used here is very strong and against war as the poem clearly states in the first line of the first stanza that "There are children in darkness". The word "darkness" is extremely strong and significant in describing the predicament of these children then. In the third stanza, "Or will a war consume them" clearly shows how much the children will suffer in war and how high the possibility is of them dying. Following that, "Will their life and blood be poured", "Down some endless thirsty hole" shows the cruelty of war and how bloody it is. It also show that blood is rampant in times of war. Lastly, "Back into the darkness", "Into which there shines no light" shows the hopelessness the children must be experiencing then.

Personal Response
Personally, I feel that these children who have been sent to war at such tender age are very pitiful. I feel extremely angry as these children should be treated fairly and be given the education they should have. War has a scarring effect and these children would most probably be scarred mentally even if they survived the war, not forgetting some, who will come out, feeling proud of defending the country, being a more confident and better person. From this poem, I understood how fortunate I am, not being needed to fight a war and having the chance to be educated.

Source:http://balls-are-my-life.blogspot.com/2010/05/task-2-analysis-of-poem-children-in.html