h5 war poetry intro goodnight Saigon

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 5

"Goodbye Saigon" Vietnam war

Introduction

During this  lesson you will investigate:

• The Vietnam war. 
• The lyrics "Goodbye Saigon". 
• The literary devices used to analyse war poetry.

Goodnight Saigon

Goodnight Saigon is a song written by Billy Joel. The song is about American soldiers who were sent to fight in Vietnam. Once the soldiers arrived at the battlefield their struggle would not only be about facing their ‘enemy'. (Think about this for a moment)

The song paints a picture of what it is like to go through the horrors of this war. 

A lot of people thought it was wrong to be a part of the Vietnam War and by the end of the 60’s public protest became louder and louder. The Vietnam war was from November 1955 to the fall of Saigon in April 1975. 

Poetic devices

Some poetic devices used in poetry

<img src="https://www.bkacontent.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/poetry_featured.jpg" alt="The Ultimate Poetic Devices List, Definition and Examples - BKA Content"/>

Choose  the correct combinations

ONOMATOPOEIA

SIMILE

METAPHOR

REPETITION

e use this word when comparing two things that are similar, but we do not use the words  

'like' or 'as'

The intentional use of a word or phrase for effect, two or more times

This is a word which recreates the sound it describes

We use the words 'like' or 'as' to compare two things that are similar 

Choose  the correct combinations

PERSONIFICATION

IMAGERY

RHYME

ALLITERATION

This can occur in the middle or end of a sentence. It allows a sentence to flow and gives it rhythm.

This occurs when the sounds of the consonants in a sentence are the same. e.g. Little Lucy 

Giving human qualities to objects making them come alive and being able to do human things

Is used to make the readers perceive things with their five senses. smell, see, taste, hear, touch

Questions “Goodnight Saigon”

What do you think the title means?

What literary devices does Billy Joel use in these frases?

Read the lines:

“and we were sharp as sharp as knives” 

“We came in spastic, like tameless horses”

“We left in plastic as numbered corpses” 
“We left as inmates, from an asylum”

 

 

Questions “Goodnight Saigon”

What do you think the title means?

What literary devices does Billy Joel use in these frases?

Read the lines:

“and we were sharp as sharp as knives” 

“We came in spastic, like tameless horses”

“We left in plastic as numbered corpses” 

“We left as inmates, from an asylum”

“We came in spastic, like tameless horses”
Is an example of:

1. Simile
2. Metaphor
3. Repetition
4. onomatopoeia

"And we were sharp, as sharp as knives"
Is an example of:

1. Simile
2. Metaphor
3. repetition
4. onomatopoeia

See internal rhyme in action Edgar Allan Poe’s famous “The Raven”: