Comments on: My Brother’s Necklace, a poem. http://lp297beb.edublogs.org/2008/04/17/my-brothers-necklace-a-poem/ English 384 GVSU Mon, 21 Apr 2008 02:49:45 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Jim Schuekler http://lp297beb.edublogs.org/2008/04/17/my-brothers-necklace-a-poem/comment-page-1/#comment-11 Jim Schuekler Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:48:57 +0000 http://lp297beb.edublogs.org/2008/04/17/my-brothers-necklace-a-poem/#comment-11 If you lived in the 1700’s in the Colonies, it might have been common to write poems that would lead the reader to believe Native Americans were “savages”. If you lived in some of the US Southern states in the 1800’s, it might have been common to write poems that would lead the reader to believe all sorts of negative and insulting properties about African Americans, maybe even use some insulting names. Likewise, I think your poem is an anachronism. In the 1980’s it was common for every news and entertainment media to portray the men and women who served in Vietnam as crass “baby killers”, selfish, and totally indifferent to human life. That prejudice went out of vogue in the 1990’s as people realized it was a false prejudice. If you are opposed to war, I think you have the ability to write poems that directly address that subject. Attempting to make your readers think that those who were or are called to serve their country are vile and inhuman does not achieve that goal. If you lived in the 1700’s in the Colonies, it might have been common to write poems that would lead the reader to believe Native Americans were “savages”.

If you lived in some of the US Southern states in the 1800’s, it might have been common to write poems that would lead the reader to believe all sorts of negative and insulting properties about African Americans, maybe even use some insulting names.

Likewise, I think your poem is an anachronism. In the 1980’s it was common for every news and entertainment media to portray the men and women who served in Vietnam as crass “baby killers”, selfish, and totally indifferent to human life.

That prejudice went out of vogue in the 1990’s as people realized it was a false prejudice.

If you are opposed to war, I think you have the ability to write poems that directly address that subject. Attempting to make your readers think that those who were or are called to serve their country are vile and inhuman does not achieve that goal.

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