Robert Lowell "Women, children, babies, cows, cats"

It is with great sadness that we have to announce that the creator of Knowledge4Africa, Dr T., has passed away. Helping people through his website gave him no end of pleasure. If you had contact with him and would like to leave a message, please send us an e-mail here.

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Sonmy or Son My is a district in Vietnam which is divided into four villages, My Lai being one of them. "Pinkville" refers to a military description of the My Lai area.

In March 1968, American soldiers embarked on a "search and destroy" mission to uncover communist fighters, or "Vietcong" as they were known.

The American troops were landed by helicopter. Within three hours, between 350 and 500 Vietnamese civilians were killed in cold blood.

Hand grenades were thrown into civilian homes and the fleeing people were bayoneted. Others were grouped and executed by machine gun.

Victims were also beaten and tortured, and bodies were mutilated. Women and young girls were gang raped. Everything was burned, including houses, crops and livestock.

There was, however, no enemy fire and no Vietcong communist fighters were found. The soldiers were told to keep quiet about the incident.

Nevertheless, many soldiers did eventually speak out. The My Lai massacre thereupon caused a public outcry and led to a turning-point in American public opinion about the war.

This poem reflects the horrors of war, the deaths of innocents, the guilt at having participated and the loss of values.

The poet also conveys the bitterness and anger felt by the soldiers, using the style of an actual conversation, filled with the soldiers' jargon.

A NOTE ON ROBERT LOWELL

Robert Lowell was born in the eastern United States city of Boston in 1917. He attended Harvard University for about two years before transferring to Kenyon College where he graduated in 1940.

He suffered from bi-polar disease -- which has been described as a mental disorder that is characterised by periods of mania and depression.

He volunteered for military service during World War II but he was deeply shocked by the Allied bombing of German cities, with so many civilian deaths. He thereupon became a conscientious objector, for which he was jailed for several months and then had to do community service.

He later became an outspoken critic of American involvement in the Vietnam War. To highlight his opposition to this war, he even publicly refused President Lyndon Johnson's personal invitation to a prestigious Arts Festival held at the White House.

Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?

TEST YOURSELF!

Read the left column and then answer
the following questions:

"It was at My Lai or Sonmy or something."

What does the poet convey when the soldier says "or something"? Is the soldier simply ignorant of geography or is it more to this? (4)

[Need help?]

The poet's persona does not know the name of the place because the name is not what is important. There have been so many other places where killing has occurred that they have become just a blur. It is merely another place of death to add to his list. It is not the name he remembers, but what happened at the place. The name is not important -- the event is.

"There'd be nothing standing."

What do these words this tell us about the soldiers' orders? (2)

[Need help?]

The soldiers had to destroy the area completely. Nothing and no one was to be left in the village.

In your own words, explain what is meant by "we hopped the choppers". (2)

[Need help?]

Does the poet not mean, "As soon as we jumped out of the helicopters"?

Did the soldier shoot the lady? Give a reason for your answer. (3)

[Need help?]

Yes, he did. He thought she was holding a gun and he was the one who went up to her when she was dead. He also feels terrible when he sees that it was not a gun, but rather a baby that she was holding.

Explain in your own words how the soldier feels at the end of the poem. (2)

[Need help?]

He is appalled that he should have to do something so terrible. Soldiers are not supposed to wage war on women and children. He feels terribly guilty and filled with anguish. It was very difficult for him to accept the awful deed he had committed.

Look carefully at the title of the poem and then at the line, "standing, women, children, babies, cows, cats . . .".

Read the following sentence and choose the missing words from the list below: "These words tell us that the army commanders feel . . . . the massacre."

A. guilty about
B. responsible for
C. indifference towards (1)

[Need help?]

C. indifference towards
The use of people and animals as part of the same command tells us that they do not care about the people. They regard the killing of people in the same way as the killing of animals. It has no effect on them.

"When I turned her."

At what stage would the soldier have turned her? (1)

[Need help?]

After shooting the woman, the soldier would have gone up to check that she was dead.

"I remember . . . as we was coming up upon one area
in Pinkville, a man with a gun . . . running this lady . . . "

Who would the "man with a gun" have been? Explain your answer. (3)

[Need help?]

He would have been an American soldier. He was certainly not one of the enemy running away because no Vietcong soldiers were found and no enemy fire was returned.

Try another worksheet?

See also:

Knowledge4Africa.com

English4Africa homepage

This document is copyrighted. No part of it may be reproduced in any form whatever without explicit permission in writing from the author. The sole exception is for educational institutions which may wish to reproduce it as a handout for their students.

Robert Lowell

Women, children,
babies, cows, cats

Easier questions to cut your teeth on!

Lorraine Knickelbein

Grens High School
Updated: 4 March 2014
Contact the English4Africa Subject Coordinator

It is with great sadness that we have to announce that the creator of Knowledge4Africa, Dr T., has passed away. Helping people through his website gave him no end of pleasure. If you had contact with him and would like to leave a message, please send us an e-mail here.

Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?

The soldiers had to destroy the area completely. Nothing and no one was to be left in the village.

Does the poet not mean, "As soon as we jumped out of the helicopters"?

Yes, he did. He thought she was holding a gun and he was the one who went up to her when she was dead. He also feels terrible when he sees that it was not a gun, but rather a baby that she was holding.

He is appalled that he should have to do something so terrible. Soldiers are not supposed to wage war on women and children. He feels terribly guilty and filled with anguish. It was very difficult for him to accept the awful deed he had committed.

C. indifference towards
The use of people and animals as part of the same command tells us that they do not care about the people. They regard the killing of people in the same way as the killing of animals. It has no effect on them.

After shooting the woman, the soldier would have gone up to check that she was dead.

He would have been an American soldier. He was certainly not one of the enemy running away because no Vietcong soldiers were found and no enemy fire was returned.

Try another worksheet?

See also:

Knowledge4Africa.com

English4Africa homepage

This document is copyrighted. No part of it may be reproduced in any form whatever without explicit permission in writing from the author. The sole exception is for educational institutions which may wish to reproduce it as a handout for their students.

Contact the English4Africa Subject Coordinator

Robert Lowell

Women, children, babies, cows, cats

Easier questions to cut your teeth on!

Lorraine Knickelbein Grens High School Updated: 4 March 2014 Contact the English4Africa Subject Coordinator

It is with great sadness that we have to announce that the creator of Knowledge4Africa, Dr T., has passed away. Helping people through his website gave him no end of pleasure. If you had contact with him and would like to leave a message, please send us an e-mail here.

Have you looked at the questions in the right column?

The soldiers had to destroy the area completely. Nothing and no one was to be left in the village.

Does the poet not mean, "As soon as we jumped out of the helicopters"?

Yes, he did. He thought she was holding a gun and he was the one who went up to her when she was dead. He also feels terrible when he sees that it was not a gun, but rather a baby that she was holding.

He is appalled that he should have to do something so terrible. Soldiers are not supposed to wage war on women and children. He feels terribly guilty and filled with anguish. It was very difficult for him to accept the awful deed he had committed.

C. indifference towards The use of people and animals as part of the same command tells us that they do not care about the people. They regard the killing of people in the same way as the killing of animals. It has no effect on them.

After shooting the woman, the soldier would have gone up to check that she was dead.

He would have been an American soldier. He was certainly not one of the enemy running away because no Vietcong soldiers were found and no enemy fire was returned.

Try another worksheet? See also: Knowledge4Africa.com English4Africa homepage

This document is copyrighted. No part of it may be reproduced in any form whatever without explicit permission in writing from the author. The sole exception is for educational institutions which may wish to reproduce it as a handout for their students.

Contact the English4Africa Subject Coordinator

Women, children,
babies, cows, cats

Lorraine Knickelbein

Grens High School
Updated: 4 March 2014
Contact the English4Africa Subject Coordinator

Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?

C. indifference towards
The use of people and animals as part of the same command tells us that they do not care about the people. They regard the killing of people in the same way as the killing of animals. It has no effect on them.

Try another worksheet?

See also:

Knowledge4Africa.com

English4Africa homepage