To Whom It May Concern

To Whom It May Concern
I was run over by the truth one day.
Ever since the accident I've walked this way
So stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.

Heard the alarm clock screaming with pain,
Couldn't find myself so I went back to sleep again
So fill my ears with silver
Stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.

Every time I shut my eyes all I see is flames.
Made a marble phone book and I carved out all the names
So coat my eyes with butter
Fill my ears with silver
Stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.

I smell something burning, hope it's just my brains.
They're only dropping peppermints and daisy-chains
So stuff my nose with garlic
Coat my eyes with butter
Fill my ears with silver
Stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.

Where were you at the time of the crime?
Down by the Cenotaph drinking slime
So chain my tongue with whisky
Stuff my nose with garlic
Coat my eyes with butter
Fill my ears with silver
Stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.

You put your bombers in, you put your conscience out,
You take the human being and you twist it all about
So scrub my skin with women
Chain my tongue with whisky
Stuff my nose with garlic
Coat my eyes with butter
Fill my ears with silver
Stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.
-- Adrian Mitchell

Questions:


1. How does this poem make you feel? What emotions do you feel when you read it?
When i read this poem, i feel sad, the man who is describing what he is seeing makes the whole feeling of the poem feel more real and makes the reader feel sorry for him that he had to go through all of that.
2. What is the poem about?
This poem is about the man that has come back from the Vietnam war and the poem tells us about all the things he had to go through when he came back home. The way he explains what is happening with him, makes the reader feel sorry for him and to think of vivid images to what could of happened that was so horrific during Vietnam for this man to feel like he needed to do all of these things to get him to stop thinking about it and to try and get rid of those thoughts. Everyone of the senses have been used and this shows how much the war could of affected him as a person.
3. List some of the descriptive words the poet uses and explain why they are effective.

So scrub my skin
Chain my tongue
Stuff my nose

Coat my eyes

Fill my ears
Stick my legs

These are some of the descriptive words the poet uses to explain his poem, they are effective to use as they help explain what this man was going through when he came back from the war.

4. Why do you think the poet wrote this poem? What was he/she trying to achieve?
The poet wrote this poem so that he could explain about all the traumatic things that had happened to him in the war had affected his home life and him as a person. I also think he was trying to achieve to get the point across about if you go to war, don't expect to come back after and be perfectly normal, as you will see so many horrific things and after you see them you can't un-see them.
5. Write down your favourite line/lines from the poem. Explain why you picked them.
I was run over by the truth one day.
Ever since the accident I've walked this way
These are my favourite lines in this poem, they're my favourite lines because they make me think about what things happened over in the wars that people back in there countries didn't know about, that made this men that had come back home from war so stressed and traumatised enough that some have a very hard time trying to forget about it all, plus it never really all goes away, your scared for life.

6. Does this poem rhyme?
No this poem doesn't rhyme


8. Did you like this poem? Explain why.
I like this poem as it showed me how people from war come back and think about what happened and to see if they can really get rid of those thoughts, and this poem obviously has shown me after war, it gets really hard to forget about all the things that had happened.
9. Does the poem create an image in you head? If yes, describe what you see in your mind. You may draw a picture to show what you see if you prefer.
The poem does create an image in my head, it creates an image of a man sitting around thinking about the past, trying really hard to get those horrible thoughts and images out of his head. Thinking of painful things to do to himself so he could forget about everything that had happened. It also makes me think of how traumatic the war was for people.

Grenadier; Poetry Circles

GRENADIER

The Queen she sent to look for me,
The sergeant he did say,
`Young man, a soldier will you be
For thirteen pence a day?'

For thirteen pence a day did I
Take off the things I wore,
And I have marched to where I lie,
And I shall march no more.

My mouth is dry, my shirt is wet,
My blood runs all away,
So now I shall not die in debt
For thirteen pence a day.

To-morrow after new young men
The sergeant he must see,
For things will all be over then
Between the Queen and me.

And I shall have to bate my price,
For in the grave, they say,
Is neither knowledge nor device
Nor thirteen pence a day.

A. E. Housman

1. How does this poem make you feel? What emotions do you feel when you read it?
Its sad because the Queen is paying people money so that they will go to war and fight, which could have been legal back in those days, but the men already had the choice to go to war and they obviously chose not to, so a way to get more people to go to war the Queen would pay them so that they can fight for their country.
2. What is the poem about?
Its about a man asking a young man if he will become a soldier for 13pence a day, it also says that he will not die in debt, the young man could be in debt and by going to war he could pay of his debt.The Queen is also paying men to go to war and fight for their country when they might have not wanted to go, but could not afford to pass up an opportunity to earn some money, maybe because they were poor or maybe because they had a family to support and they didnt have a very good job, otherwise they might not have chosen to go to war for 13 pence a day.

3. List some of the descriptive words the poet uses and explain why they are effective.

"My mouth is dry, my shirt is wet"

4. Why do you think the poet wrote this poem? What was he/she trying to achieve?
I think the poet was trying to tell people that the queen paid people small amounts of money for them to go to war, and even if you are payed to fight, that theres still that risk of dieing or being injured there and just because you've been paid doesnt mean you have immunity to not get hurt, theres a higher chance that you would have gotten hurt.


Does the poem rhyme?
Yes the poem does rhyme.


7. If the poem rhymes how do you think this adds to the overall effect of the poem?
I think it makes the poem more catchy, and then i can remember what it is about more.


9. Did you like this poem? Explain why.
The poem was interesting in the way the poet tried to get across to the reader about the Queen who used to pay people so that they could go and fight in the war just for 13 pence.


10.Does the poem create an image in you head? If yes, describe what you see in your mind. You may draw a picture to show what you see if you prefer.
It creates an image in my head about some man working for the Queen going to ask this young man to see if he will fight for his country for 13pence a day to pay of his debt.