Task Two

Point of view
The poet is trying to tell us that in the war, children lose their childhood(Chalk and blackboards will not be)as they will be taught to fight at a young age, to become a soldier to defend their country(Who someone will teach to fight). The poet wants to tell us that the children's job is to study and not become a soldier to protect their country.(stanza 2)
He feels that we should give them a chance, to learn how to be a real child and not let the war ruin their childhood.(stanza 3)
If we do not help these children, the war will destroy their lives, ruin their childhood and there will be no more hope for them and they will never have a childhood.

Situation and Setting

The setting is in Vietnam. Children are being taught how to fight when they should be in school learning how to read. This is a social conflict. He portays that war is a place where children will not have the freedom of a child and will never have a childhood. The poet want to tell us that war is a cruel thing and children are the one's will will suffer alot.

Language and Diction
In this poem the poet use repetition to emphasize that someone could help this children to regain their childhood.(stanza 3)
The poet compared the war to darkness. He used darkness to show that in war, there is almost no hope at all for these children to live as children and not be involved in the war.

Personal response
Personally I agree with the author that the children are the ones who suffer a lot during the war. I feel that although the children are the innocent ones, they will still be dragged into the war to become children. Children should not be the ones fighting, they should be studying in schools. I also agree that in the war children will lose their childhood as in a war children cannot play and have fun. They will always be in the constant fear that they may be killed.
War is a cruel thing and children are the ones that are suffering alot. We must do something to help these children. War is extremely terrible and men must stop having war between themselves.