Song of Napalm Analysis
Twelve poems outline the first section of Bruce Weigl's Song of Napalm, which describes the events of the soldiers on and off the battlefield during the Vietnam War. Weigl served from 1967-1968, and his poetry attests to the experiences he had during this time.1. Sailing to Bien Hoa - The opening poem describes a dream Bruce has of boat trip to Bien Hoa. He describes his indifference to his shrapnel-filled leg, and insteadlets his mind wander on. This perhaps was the thinking necessary to alleviate the negative feelings he may have experienced during the war. 2. Girl at the Chu Lai Laundry - This poem focuses on a one-time experience that Bruce has when he leaves his laundry (by accident). He runs to retrieve them but cannot get them because they are wet. Weigl describes one of the cases where, despite all of the war going on around him, he still has time to consciously admire a beautiful girl, in an intermix of work (the laundry girl) and war. 3. The Way of Tet - Here Weigl describes what appears to be a scene from inner-city Tet, and he describes a sexual encounter between a male and female from two different backgrounds (most likely and American and a Vietnamese hooker), where he describes in a very artistic way the
sexual relationship between them, perhaps to emphasize what went on off the battlefield. 4. Temple Near Quang Tri, Not on the Map - This poem explores one of the trips that the narrator takes to an unmarked temple. This may have been a foreshadow of what was to come. Weigl was probably displaying what happens when feelings are taken into account during wartime, as one of the soldier gets close to a local who takes him out (although not directly mentioned) through a charge (small bomb). 8. Surrounding Blues on the Way Down - This poem encourages symbolism, especially in the suggestiveness of the title. He refers to the war as "beautiful" because he still thinks patriotically about the war, rather than the killing of innocent lives. The poem takes a sharp turn when Weigl describes how the man goes back past the woman and gun-butts her to the ground.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Lost Private, Tri Map, Hand Hand, Surrounding Blues, Lai Laundry, Bien Hoa, Bong Son, Chi Minh, Tet Weigl, American Vietnamese, weigl describes, poem describes, tour duty, bien hoa, poem appears, block paragraph,
Approximate Word count = 885
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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