What were they like? LO - to explore Levertov’s use of tone in her depiction of the two speakers Starter Copy down the date, title and LO. What does this image suggest to you?

LO - to explore Levertov’s use of tone in her depiction of the two speakers All – will recognise the different tone for the two speakers. Most – will be able to explain the effect of this. Some – will use well explained evidence from the poem to discuss the effect.

The Vietnamese Culture The questions focus on the culture of the Vietnamese people in the past tense: Did they... Were they… Had they… Do you think the speakers are Vietnamese, or from somewhere else? The tone and level of interest suggest the questioner is conversant with some basic aspects of Vietnamese culture but not with how their history developed or how the country was destroyed. This may represent the stereotypical insular, ignorant American; respondent seems to couch answers in language that is simultaneously courteous, angry, bitter, sarcastic, impatient, sad and acutely aware of all that has been lost – implying at the very least a personal and emotional investment in Vietnam’s history. LO - to explore Levertov’s use of tone in her depiction of the two speakers

Did the people of Viet Nam use lanterns of stone? Did they hold ceremonies to reverence the opening of buds? Were they inclined to quiet laughter? Did they use bone and ivory, jade and silver, for ornament? Had they an epic poem? Did they distinguish between speech and singing? Sir, their light hearts turned to stone. It is not remembered whether in gardens stone gardens illumined pleasant ways. Perhaps they gathered once to delight in blossom, but after their children were killed there were no more buds. Sir, laughter is bitter to the burned mouth. A dream ago, perhaps. Ornament is for joy. All the bones were charred. It is not remembered. Remember, most were peasants; their life was in rice and bamboo. When peaceful clouds were reflected in the paddies and the water buffalo stepped surely along terraces, maybe fathers told their sons old tales. When bombs smashed those mirrors there was time only to scream. There is an echo yet of their speech which was like a song. It was reported their singing resembled  the flight of moths in moonlight. Who can say? It is silent now.

Evidence for this is… Evidence for this is… Did the people of Viet Nam use lanterns of stone? Did they hold ceremonies to reverence the opening of buds? Were they inclined to quiet laughter? Did they use bone and ivory, jade and silver, for ornament? Had they an epic poem? Did they distinguish between speech and singing? Who is asking the questions? A reporter is asking questions. He is not really thinking about what he is asking or even waiting for the answers Evidence for this is… The questions are numbered just as they might be in a reporter’s notebook and there are no gaps left for responses to be given. Who is asking the questions? The poet deliberately doesn’t say who the reporter is. She does this deliberately to suggest that it could be anyone. This reporter represents the typical insular, ignorant American who is conversant with some basic aspects of Vietnamese culture but not with how their history developed or how the country was destroyed. Evidence for this is… The short and abrupt nature of the questions, and the fact the questions are numbered, suggests that someone is asking for straightforward information, without emotion. The questions are in the past tense.

Who is responding to the questions? We don’t know who is responding, but we can tell that they have more understanding of, and compassion for, the Vietnamese people. The way this is written shows the awkwardness the responder feels in answering the questions. Evidence for this is… Someone would usually say 'I don’t know' so it is written deliberately in this way to show how the responder feels about the situation. Sir, their light hearts turned to stone. It is not remembered whether in gardens stone gardens illumined pleasant ways. Perhaps they gathered once to delight in blossom, but after their children were killed there were no more buds. Sir, laughter is bitter to the burned mouth. A dream ago, perhaps. Ornament is for joy. All the bones were charred. It is not remembered. Remember, most were peasants; their life was in rice and bamboo. When peaceful clouds were reflected in the paddies and the water buffalo stepped surely along terraces, maybe fathers told their sons old tales. When bombs smashed those mirrors there was time only to scream. There is an echo yet of their speech which was like a song. It was reported their singing resembled  the flight of moths in moonlight. Who can say? It is silent now. Who is responding to the questions? The responder displays sadness and regret through their answers to the questions. Evidence for this is… The fact that the word 'remembered' is directly followed by 'remember' emphasises the fact that a way of life has been lost and it is difficult to recall it.

The poem has a very unusual layout: Ends with a Rhetorical Question Did the people of Viet Nam use lanterns of stone? Did they hold ceremonies to reverence the opening of buds? Were they inclined to quiet laughter? Did they use bone and ivory, jade and silver, for ornament? Had they an epic poem? Did they distinguish between speech and singing? Layout The poem has a very unusual layout: 2 stanzas of free verse, set out and numbered like questions and then answers The poem can be read in a linear fashion, or you can read each question followed by the corresponding answer Gap/pause between the two blocks/stanzas Indicates the more thoughtful nature of the responder who considers answers before giving them. This contrasts with the hurried and possibly ill-considered questioning in the first block. Sir, their light hearts turned to stone. It is not remembered whether in gardens stone gardens illumined pleasant ways. Perhaps they gathered once to delight in blossom, but after their children were killed there were no more buds. Sir, laughter is bitter to the burned mouth. A dream ago, perhaps. Ornament is for joy. All the bones were charred. It is not remembered. Remember, most were peasants; their life was in rice and bamboo. When peaceful clouds were reflected in the paddies and the water buffalo stepped surely along terraces, maybe fathers told their sons old tales. When bombs smashed those mirrors there was time only to scream. There is an echo yet of their speech which was like a song. It was reported their singing resembled  the flight of moths in moonlight. Who can say? It is silent now. Ends with a Rhetorical Question The poem concludes with the responder asking the interviewer a final question. We know the question is not answered because it is followed by silence. This highlights the interviewer’s ignorance.

The Poem Does it look like a poem? What, then, does the poem remind you of? Why did the poet wish to use this layout Is Levertov possibly aiming barbed criticism at superficial media coverage of the broader issues involved in war, e.g. the annihilation of an entire civilisation? LO - to explore Levertov’s use of tone in her depiction of the two speakers

Themes in the poem horrors/brutality of war Ignorance of the outsider destruction of culture loss of memory/reminders of pre-war beauty of pre-war Vietnam loss of pride/pleasure in traditional crafts loss of pride/pleasure in tradition loss of cultural identity lost generation loss of traditional stories LO - to explore Levertov’s use of tone in her depiction of the two speakers

Did the people of Viet Nam use lanterns of stone? Did they hold ceremonies to reverence the opening of buds? Were they inclined to quiet laughter? Did they use bone and ivory, jade and silver, for ornament? Had they an epic poem? Did they distinguish between speech and singing? Theme of Anger The calm responses of the responder seem to be at odds with the rage that might naturally be felt at what has taken place. The anger is surpressed. The poet's underlying anger at what has taken place is made clear by the horrifying image and the alliteration of 'bitter' and 'burned'. Theme of Culture Different aspects of a culture are explored in the various questions and responses – art, literature, music, language, religion, technology. Sir, their light hearts turned to stone. It is not remembered whether in gardens stone gardens illumined pleasant ways. Perhaps they gathered once to delight in blossom, but after their children were killed there were no more buds. Sir, laughter is bitter to the burned mouth. A dream ago, perhaps. Ornament is for joy. All the bones were charred. It is not remembered. Remember, most were peasants; their life was in rice and bamboo. When peaceful clouds were reflected in the paddies and the water buffalo stepped surely along terraces, maybe fathers told their sons old tales. When bombs smashed those mirrors there was time only to scream. There is an echo yet of their speech which was like a song. It was reported their singing resembled  the flight of moths in moonlight. Who can say? It is silent now. This repeated phrase in the second section of the poem emphasises that many aspects of the Vietnamese culture have been lost or forgotten. Theme of War The poem explores the effect of war, specifically on the Vietnamese people The harsh realities of war are exposed by the image of bombs being dropped into the paddy fields and the sound of people dying.

Did the people of Viet Nam use lanterns of stone? Did they hold ceremonies to reverence the opening of buds? Were they inclined to quiet laughter? Did they use bone and ivory, jade and silver, for ornament? Had they an epic poem? Did they distinguish between speech and singing? Theme of Anger The calm responses of the responder seem to be at odds with the rage that might naturally be felt at what has taken place. The anger is surpressed. The poet's underlying anger at what has taken place is made clear by the horrifying image and the alliteration of 'bitter' and 'burned'. Theme of Culture Different aspects of a culture are explored in the various questions and responses – art, literature, music, language, religion, technology. Sir, their light hearts turned to stone. It is not remembered whether in gardens stone gardens illumined pleasant ways. Perhaps they gathered once to delight in blossom, but after their children were killed there were no more buds. Sir, laughter is bitter to the burned mouth. A dream ago, perhaps. Ornament is for joy. All the bones were charred. It is not remembered. Remember, most were peasants; their life was in rice and bamboo. When peaceful clouds were reflected in the paddies and the water buffalo stepped surely along terraces, maybe fathers told their sons old tales. When bombs smashed those mirrors there was time only to scream. There is an echo yet of their speech which was like a song. It was reported their singing resembled  the flight of moths in moonlight. Who can say? It is silent now. This repeated phrase in the second section of the poem emphasises that many aspects of the Vietnamese culture have been lost or forgotten. Theme of War The poem explores the effect of war, specifically on the Vietnamese people The harsh realities of war are exposed by the image of bombs being dropped into the paddy fields and the sound of people dying.

Exploring juxtapositions Levertov includes simple images of everyday Vietnamese life and culture before and after the war in the poem, drawing stark contrasts between them to emphasise the people’s tragic fate. Re-read the poem then fill in the table with what you think are the four most powerful pieces of evidence that juxtapose details of life at these two different times. LO - to explore Levertov’s use of tone in her depiction of the two speakers

Exploring juxtapositions Complete the table to show the imagery created by the juxtapositions in the answers to questions 1, 2, 5 & 6 Answer Before the War After the War 1 The people had light hearts Their hearts turned to stone 2 People gathered to delight in blossom 5 After the bombs they only screamed 6 LO - to explore Levertov’s use of tone in her depiction of the two speakers

Annotation You need to look through the poem and annotate all examples of Alliteration Metaphor Simile Onomatopoeia Repetition LO - to explore Levertov’s use of tone in her depiction of the two speakers

Vocabulary in the first block = straightforward and simple. Did the people of Viet Nam use lanterns of stone? Did they hold ceremonies to reverence the opening of buds? Were they inclined to quiet laughter? Did they use bone and ivory, jade and silver, for ornament? Had they an epic poem? Did they distinguish between speech and singing? Vocabulary in the first block = straightforward and simple. Suggests that the reporter is not intelligent or cultured. PAST TENSE Suggests the Vietnamese culture no longer exists.

This speaker has not forgotten their past OR the future. More figurative language (metaphor, simile, alliteration, etc) used in the second block: Makes the responder seem more considered and cultured than the reporter It also allows the beauty of the country and its culture to be expressed.  METAPHOR Describing their hearts as stone, which is heavy and cold – suggests they no longer feel emotion or happiness PAST & PRESENT TENSE This speaker has not forgotten their past OR the future. Also highlights the sense of confusion caused by the war. Sir, their light hearts turned to stone. It is not remembered whether in gardens stone gardens illumined pleasant ways. Perhaps they gathered once to delight in blossom, but after their children were killed there were no more buds. Sir, laughter is bitter to the burned mouth. A dream ago, perhaps. Ornament is for joy. All the bones were charred. It is not remembered. Remember, most were peasants; their life was in rice and bamboo. When peaceful clouds were reflected in the paddies and the water buffalo stepped surely along terraces, maybe fathers told their sons old tales. When bombs smashed those mirrors there was time only to scream. There is an echo yet of their speech which was like a song. It was reported their singing resembled  the flight of moths in moonlight. Who can say? It is silent now. ALLITERATION Highlights the security they used to feel. Also creates a regular rhythm – reflects the normality of their lives before the war ALLITERATION Slows down the rhythm. Allows us to reflect on the image & prepares us for the question. SIMILE Describing their voices as like song and their singing like flying moths. This suggests their voices are light and delicate, with a wide range. Beautiful image that juxtaposes with war.

Plenary How does Levertov’s choice of an original poem structure and language full of stark contrasts help her to convey her anti-war message in the poem What Were They Like? LO - to explore Levertov’s use of tone in her depiction of the two speakers