What

Were They
Like
Denise Levertov
 Learning Objectives

• To develop an increasing awareness of key meanings in the poem.

• To understand context and form of poem.

• To read and annotate the poem

• To identify techniques used within the poem and discuss their effects.
 The Vietnam War

01 02
Vietnam was once split It was a conflict that took place in Vietnam, Laos,
into two separate and Cambodia between 1st November 1955 and
countries: North 30th April 1975.. It was officially fought between
Vietnam, which had North Vietnam and the government of South
recently turned Vietnam. North Vietnam was supported by the
communist, and South Soviet Union and other communist nations, whilst
Vietnam, which was South Vietnam was aided by the United States and
still a democracy. anti-communist allies. The war resulted in Vietnam,
Laos and Cambodia all becoming communist
countries by 1975.
 War
The North Vietnamese leaders wanted South
Vietnam to also become communist, and so they
began to attack and invade the country, with the
help of a group called the Viet-Cong.
Although many of this group may not have been as
well trained as regular soldiers, they were effective
as they knew the South Vietnamese lands well.
Western democratic countries felt threatened
by the increase in the number of countries
becoming communist, especially the USA. In
1965, USA joined the war to help South
Vietnam to fight off the North Vietnamese
and Viet Cong.
Despite having more power in terms of
aeroplanes, troops, and ammunition,
America found it extremely difficult to beat
North Vietnam, as the Viet Cong knew the
terrain well and easily blended in amongst
civilians, making it hard to tell who the
enemy were.
Losing more and more troops, and becoming
more and more frustrated, the Americans
began to bomb the Vietnamese forest areas in
an attempt to flush out the Viet Cong.

They often used napalm, a liquid which is

extremely flammable and sticks to skin,
causing horrific burns.

The problem was that many Vietnamese

villages were alongside or within these
forests.
Millions died, and those who were lucky enough
to stay alive often suffered from horrific,
permanent burns.

Soldiers in the war were often exposed to

horrific scenes of death and destruction, against
an enemy that they couldn’t always identify.

For a variety of reasons, ranging from anger, to

mental illness caused by the war, to hatred for
the Vietnamese, many reports of soldiers
behaving inexplicably began to be reported,
including the assault, torture, and in some cases,
rape and murder, of Vietnamese civilians.
 The Vietnam War

In total, 5 million Vietnamese lives

Eventually, in 1973, the
were lost.
American troops withdrew,
with many thousands Whilst many survived, their culture,
injured or killed, with no surroundings, and way of living had
prospect of victory in sight. been completely annihilated.
Many of these people were quiet, hard-
working, rural people, who did not
It is still remembered as an
care whether the country was
extremely painful chapter
communist or democratic.
in American history.
The poem we will look at
today, by Denise
Levertov, an American
poet, considers how life
has changed for the
people of Vietnam.
About the poet
• Denise Levertov was an English poet,
who spent a good deal of her life in
America.

• She was strongly against the violence of

war, and the amount of destruction it
caused to humanity.
• She wrote this poem in 1966, years before America pulled out of the war.

• In the poem, she foresees the destruction that the war will have on
Vietnam.
 Engaging with the Poem

Let’s watch a video on the poem now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qGmjesTb
mM
Preparing for Analysis:
Consider the following questions as you annotate.

• How does the poet use language devices (similes, metaphors,

alliteration, assonance, sibilance, personification,
onomatopoeia, oxymoron etc.) for effect?
• How do the structural features (number of stanzas/lines, rhyme
scheme, punctuation etc.) impact on the poem?
• Who is the speaker in the poem? What are their views/
experiences?
• What are the main themes in the poem?
• What do you think the poet’s main messages are in this poem?
 Structure
• The poem is unusually structured in that it takes the form of a series of
questions (stanza 1) and answers (stanza 2.)

• There are two speakers in the poem, an interviewer and a responder, however
it is not immediately clear who these two speakers are.

• The first stanza of the poem presents an idyllic, optimistic view of Vietnam,
perhaps as seen through the eyes of a child or someone who is ignorant to the
horrors of war.

• The second stanza of the poem works in contrast to this, revealing the awful
truth of how the culture of the Vietnamese villagers was destroyed.

• There does not appear to be a clear rhyme scheme.

 Tone

The poem seems to present a sense of suppressed anger. Whilst the

speaker is discussing content that would seem to provoke rage, the
answers are given in a calm manner. The horrifying images provoke the
readers to feel this rage instead.

This could represent Denise Levertov’s feelings. Whilst she was angry
about the war, like many at the time, she believed in peaceful protest.
This poem could be seen as her peaceful protest at the war in Vietnam.
 Starts off with a series of questions, offering a more idyllic view of Vietnam. Stanza 1

Repetition of ‘did’ indicates their Did the people of Viet Nam

culture is now a thing of the past.
Suggest that these people were
use lanterns of stone? spiritual, with a deep-rooted
culture
Bone & ivory: white materials  Did they hold ceremonies
innocence & purity
to reverence the opening of buds?Metaphor for growth and hope
Jade & silver: delicate & beautiful
Were they inclined to quiet laughter?
Implies peaceful & respectful culture.
Precious materials highlighting the
Also humanizes the people, enabling
people’s skills & craft, and forcing
readers to contemplate the fragility
Did they use bone and ivory, the reader to visualize & empathise
with them as people, not just
of their culture & stresses the
unjustness of their slaughter. jade and silver, for ornament? artefacts of the past. Increases the
poignancy when their deaths are
revealed.
Had they an epic poem?
Enquiries about literature & oral
traditions reminds readers that Did they distinguish between speech and
these people had their voices,
their own ideas, which are now not Simple words that highlights the everydayness
easily identifiable. singing? of reality and the value of simple things.
Speaker in stanza 2 is
subservient to speaker in
Stanza 2
stanza 1, reflecting oppression Metaphor: villagers had been
of the Vietnamese. through so much pain, they are no
Could also be sarcastic in the
Sir, their light hearts turned to stone. longer sensitive to it. Pain &
destruction have removed all
form of false respect.
It is not remembered whether in gardens elements of warmth from their lives.

Emphasizes how culture has

been lost. No one left who stone lanterns illumined pleasant ways. Image of stone lanterns: poignant
metaphor for death.
would have witnessed/
remembered. Perhaps they gathered once to delight in
blossom,
Metaphor for children/ emotive imagery, no more
People once celebrated
spring but after the deaths
but after their children wereopportunity
killed to flourish/ for growth and hope
of their children,
renewal/rebirth of nature there were no more buds. Harsh ‘b’ alliteration
mirroring the bombs.
no longer holds meaning.
Sir, laughter is bitter to the burned mouth.Burned  reference for
the napalm bombings.
A dream ago, perhaps. Ornament is for joy.
Earlier image of ornamental bone is transformed into the horrific idea of burnt human
skeletons. (Visual Imagery)
All the bones were charred.
 Stanza 2

it is not remembered. Remember,

most were peasants; their life Simplicity of the villagers’ lives shows how far
removed the victims were from the
Further fragments of warm was in rice and bamboo. complicated political causes of the war.
memories in the past.
When peaceful clouds were reflected in the paddies
and the water buffalo stepped surely along terraces,
References to nature
maybe fathers told their sons old tales. again shows the people
living in harmony with
Strong family bonds & traditions nature.
 Abruptly brings the reader back to the horrors of war. Stanza 2
Sound imagery/ onomatopoeia: helps reader
to hear the horrors of war

When bombs smashed those mirrors

No more time to pass stories as
terror began to rule. there was time only to scream. Sound imagery:
• screams of those in physical & emotional
pain.
There is an echo yet • only an ‘echo’ of their culture remains
Enjambment leaves reader
hanging, almost listening out for of their speech which was like a song.
the remnants of their voice.
It was reported their singing resembled
Analogy of their singing & occurrence of
the flight of moths in moonlight. nature highlights the organic & peaceful
* Questions in stanza 1 are nature of their culture.
in past tense, but answers Who can say? It is silent now.
are in present tense. What Moonlight: purity & innocence
Simple statement that makes the
effect does this have on the Ghostly & surreal imagery of the flight of
point that many people are dead
reader? and that a culture has been the moths reminding readers of the
obliterated, even more powerful. fragility of life.
 Themes

Human and Cultural Humanity’s

Loss Inhumanity

Consequences
of War
The Vietnam
Injustice War
 Notebook
Questions
● How do Levertov’s language choices help to
present the Vietnamese people and their culture?
Provide three pieces of evidence to support your
answer.

● How does the structure of the poem aid its key

messages?