 The Vietnam War was a cold war that started in 1959 and ended in  Around 4 million lives were lost because of it.  People from countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, United States, Laos, South Korea, People's Republic of China, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand fought in the cruel war.  The North Vietnamese army and their Viet Cong allies won the war. The United States and other foreign nations withdrew their troops by  Vietnam then became a communist country.

 Love- the scenarios the poet puts forward demonstrate obvious intimacy. The overwhelming feeling of nostalgia leaves the reader in no doubt of the poet’s affection for the subject.  Loss- as the poem nears the end pressures begin to rise. I would imagine the poet may become quite melancholy recalling the loss of her loved one.  Loyalty- the subject in the poem is clearly a very loyal person. This is highlighted at the end of every stanza when the poet states “but you didn’t”.

 The poem has a feeling of nostalgia and regret.  There is colloquial language used in the poem which creates a conversational tone. Coupled with the poet’s use of past tense, this establishes an air of nostalgia.  The increasing length of each paragraph and the use of repetition create a crescendo. The crescendo produces a slightly hysterical tone emphasising loss and making the last paragraph more effective.  Regret is evident especially in the final verse. She reminisces over her missed opportunity and is, perhaps, ashamed of some of her actions.

 There are four main images in this poem.  Each stanza centres around a different image.  The images described are not very beautiful or evocative, they are merely used to set the scene of each verse.  However, the images are simple and universal which means that a clear picture is imagined by the reader.

The images in the poem are poorly detailed and quite shallow. This makes us consider how much the poet really loved the man she is writing about. The colloquial tone may also imply that the poem was written by a young girl. This makes us ponder if the two were truly in love or if it was just an infatuation. Archaic language is evident when the poet uses phrases such as “drop me” and “the dance”. This gives an impression that the poet is an old lady, thinking back to the memories of the love of her life and that the poem is her method of nostalgic reminiscence.

 Where is repetition evident?  The end of every stanza “but you didn’t”.  What effect does repetition have on the reader?  Creating rhythm, breaking up the poem.  In each stanza she outlines a good trait (patience/forgiveness…). She reasserts his good trait through repetition.  Why doesn’t the poet use his name?  She may not use his name because it is something that happens to many people and this may make the poem easy to relate to for some people.  What is the effect of her personal pronouns?  It is something that has greatly impacted her personal life.