Form, structure and language
Form and structure
The poem is written in a highly individual form as two blocks of A style of poetry that contains lines and verses of varying lengths and composition, usually without consistent rhyme patterns..
The first block contains six questions and the second six responses. The poem can therefore be read in sequence or by moving from each question to each answer. Try both methods to see what effect this has on your interpretation. The poem concludes with a final twist when the person giving the responses asks a A question asked just for effect with no answer expected. - 'Who can say?' 鈥 which the original questioner does not answer. Also of significance is the pause/gap between the two blocks, perhaps indicating 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.
Language
The vocabulary of the first block is relatively straightforward and simple. All the questions are in the past tense suggesting that the Vietnamese culture no longer exists.
By contrast the second section makes use of A comparison made without using 'like' or 'as', eg 'sea of troubles' and 'drowning in debt'. ('their light hearts turned to stone'), comparison ('their singing resembled/ the flight of moths in moonlight'), contrast (the bones used for making jewellery and the burned bones of the people), A sound feature; the repetition of the same sounds (mainly consonants) usually at the beginning of words. ('moths in moonlight') and other literary devices. This makes the responder appear more considered and cultured. It also allows the beauty of the country and its culture to be expressed. The answers are in a mixture of the past and present tense which highlights the sense of confusion caused by the war.
The final statement - 'It is silent now' - is firmly in the present and highlights not only the war ending but also the cultural silence which has followed as a result. It also precedes an actual silence as the poem ends and the reader is left to consider their personal reaction.