Reading circles

To Whom It May Concern
I was run over by the truth one day.
Ever since the accident I've walked this way
So stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.

Heard the alarm clock screaming with pain,
Couldn't find myself so I went back to sleep again
So fill my ears with silver
Stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.

Every time I shut my eyes all I see is flames.
Made a marble phone book and I carved out all the names
So coat my eyes with butter
Fill my ears with silver
Stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.

I smell something burning, hope it's just my brains.
They're only dropping peppermints and daisy-chains
So stuff my nose with garlic
Coat my eyes with butter
Fill my ears with silver
Stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.

Where were you at the time of the crime?
Down by the Cenotaph drinking slime
So chain my tongue with whisky
Stuff my nose with garlic
Coat my eyes with butter
Fill my ears with silver
Stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.

You put your bombers in, you put your conscience out,
You take the human being and you twist it all about
So scrub my skin with women
Chain my tongue with whisky
Stuff my nose with garlic
Coat my eyes with butter
Fill my ears with silver
Stick my legs in plaster
Tell me lies about Vietnam.
-- Adrian Mitchell

Questions
1: When i read this poem I feel sad, like I was in this mans shoes. How he describes what he is feeling comes across as very clear and the poem makes me feel almost guilty for letting him go to war and putting him through this, even though I had nothing to do with it. The man is suffering even after the war and he can't get rid of the images and memories and it makes me feel sorry for him.
2:The poem is about a man who fought in the Vietnam war and he can't get the images, smells, feelings and memories out of his head.As the song goes on another element is added to the poem.In the last stanza there are the senses and how he tries to explain how he could get rid of them. Every one of the senses is there and this shows how much the war has affected him.
3: scrub my skin
Chain my tongue
Stuff my nose
Coat my eyes
Fill my ears
Stick my legs
These are descriptive words used in the poem.They are effective because scrub,chain,stuff,coat,fill and stick are not particularly nice words and how he is feeling isn't nice at all.This adds a certain dark mood to the poem.
4:I think the poet tried to achieve by writing this poem was understanding, by the people who were not involved in the war.'Tell me lies about Vietnam' is how he expresses that the war in Vietnam was horrific and tragic and you would have to lie to say anything else.The descriptive words used in the poem help get across to the reader how this man is feeling and I when I read the poem I thought it came across very well as I could see what lengths he would have to go to in order to forget everything he went through.
5: I smell something burning, hope it's just my brains.
They're only dropping peppermints and daisy-chains
So stuff my nose with garlic
I chose these lines because they created imagery for me.The poet is trying to say that he would rather be going crazy than believe what was really going on.He tried to make the situation better by imaging he was somewhere else,somewhere were only peppermints and daisy chains were falling.He chose these words because they are nice smelling and what he was smelling that was burning was probably bodies.In order to get rid of the smell you would have to stuff your nose with garlic.
6: The first two lines in each stanza rhyme.
7: This adds to the overall effect of the poem by using rhyming words that are easy to remember, such as day-way,crime-slime etc. Personally, I find rhyming poems easier to remember and I don't find them as difficult to read and then I can focus more :D
8:I haven't heard this poem before but I really liked it and that is why I have chosen to analyse it.
9:I liked this poem because I really enjoyed reading about what he had to do to get rid of the memories of war.I thought it was interesting and even though he wouldn't actually do it it helped me understand how extreme the situation was.This helped me fell like I could relate to the story more without actually being the poet.
10: This poem creates images in my head or a man with broken legs, trying to escape from this past by covering his ears with thick silver to block out the sound.Covering his eyes with butter so he can't see whats really happening,stuffing his nose with garlic to mask the horrible smell he can remember, getting the taste off his tongue buy guzzling down whisky.