Moral Dilemmas in W.D. Ehrhart's Vietnam War Poetry
Bethany Jones
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W.D. Ehrhart, a Vietnam veteran, has written many poems that reflect not only the sadness and brutal reality of war, but also the post-traumatic stress that accompanies such experiences. While many ad 
ults have never experienced war, Ehrhart is able to give a brief glimpse of his experiences and how they affected his life after the war had ended. Ehrhart's poems bring to light the cruelty and hatred that is involved in war and his graphic language captivates his audience so that they are awed by the sorrow he has experienced. His poetry also is filled with moral dilemma as he tries to understand whether or not war is an acceptable means to bring peace, and appears to end with the conclusion that war is unjust.
"Making the Children Behave" is a very brief poem. Ehrhart writes with few descriptive words and tends to make his point immediately. He questions his impact on the civilians around him, and asks himself if they tell their children stories about him. Ehrhart writes on the idea that many children are afraid of monsters under their bed or in the closet, and he asks whether or not he is that monster that children fear. His honest questioning depicts the horror that many soldiers face after war when they are asking "Was this war just? Did I do the right thing?" Ehrhart's questioning leads him to self evaluation. He does not question the moral actions of other soldiers; he only questions himself and his own actions in the war.
"Making the Children Behave" is a very brief poem. Ehrhart writes with few descriptive words and tends to make his point immediately. He questions his impact on the civilians around him, and asks himself if they tell their children stories about him. Ehrhart writes on the idea that many children are afraid of monsters under their bed or in the closet, and he asks whether or not he is that monster that children fear. His honest questioning depicts the horror that many soldiers face after war when they are asking "Was this war just? Did I do the right thing?" Ehrhart's questioning leads him to self evaluation. He does not question the moral actions of other soldiers; he only questions himself and his own actions in the war.