Times of Change 4

Born on the Fourth of July by Ron Kovic
Stop the Sun by Gary Paulsen
To Heal a Nation by Joel L. Swerdlow

For your final readings of Times of Change, I would like you to set aside some time on Monday (Memorial Day) to read the choices above. Once you are done, I would like for you to post in your blog a note to the men and women on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. After what you have learned over the past few days, and what you saw when we went to D.C., what would you want to say to them?
-I just want to say thanks, thanks for all you have given to make this country so great and united. It's leaders, like you that bring our country closer together. That show us that we fight for something we all believe in. You are so brave, so powerful, how do you do it? You have braved every obstacle set before you and it just amazes me. I tip my hat to the soldiers of the United States of America, I salute you.

Times of Change 3

Farmer Nguyen by W.D. Ehrhart
Massacre at My Lai by Hugh Thompson
A Nun at Ninh Hoa by Jan Barry

What do these two poems and the article say about the impact of the war on the native Vietnamese? Can you think of any other ways in which the war will impact the native Vietnamese?

-These two poems and the article really bring out the true brutality of the war. The insane beliefs that were acted to stop the war, and how the native Vietnamese were crushed physically and emotionally, watching the land the love being torn apart and some of their best friends with it. Imagine. For example in Farmer Nguyen, farmer Nguyen couldn't catch a break, whatever he did for one side, he was punished by the other. This truly shows how Natives were treated. In The Massacre at My Lai a massacre of an estimated 347 unarmed Vietnamese villagers by American soldiers was covered up by the military. In A Nun in Ninh Hoa, a Buddhist nun set himself to flames sitting proudly amid in a solemn, silent crowd. She set herself to flames as a sign to stop the war.

Times of Change 2

Jack Smith

What challenges does Jack Smith face as a soldier in Vietnam? (a bulleted list is fine)

-Jack Smith faces the challenge of being traumatized from the intensity of war and battles .

-Jack Smith faces the challenge of having to watch his friends die next to him.

-Jack Smith faces the challenge of intense and exhausting climates.

-Jack Smith faces the challenge of not knowing when he will be ambushed at any given moment and possibly even killed.

How does Smith’s attitude toward war change?

-He goes from being terrified and scared to just glad that he's alive.

I Feel Like I’m Fixing To Die Rag

This song by Country Joe and the Fish became one of the first protest songs of the Vietnam Era. Read the lyrics to the song, and then respond to the following:

-

What is the song asking the “big strong men to do”?

-Fight for the army.

… the “generals” to do?

-Come and help us get the communists, this is your big chance, the only way we'll win is if we blow them all up.

… “Wall Street” to do?

-Make money for the war effort and help supply the army.

… “mothers” to do?

-Send your sons off to Vietnam to die.

Write down four specific lines from the song that display sarcasm, cynicism, or anti-war sentiment.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;

-This is a display of sarcasm.

Times of Change

A Dubious Crusade

Look up both words in the title of the short essay. What do they mean?
Relate the title to the reading. What is Warren saying? How do you think this will relate to the rest of our study of Vietnam?

- Doubtful journey under military envolvment for a cause or purpose.

-Warren tells us how the war in Vietnam was a very hard one, and how it will almost tear the nation apart.

-This will make the rest of our study interesting to find out exactly HOW hard it is.

History

What is the overall theme of Vuong-Riddick's poem?

-The overall theme of Vuong-Riddick's poem is that no matter how long or how hard, the Vietcong and the Vietnamese fought for their own kind of freedom, whether it may be communism or a democracy. It had just happened to be that in this scenario, communism previaled.

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

What is the main thesis of the essay?

-The main thesis of the essay is that the U.S. had to go through a lot, mainly politically to get to fighting the war.

What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?

-The firing and attacking of the U.S. ships.

What evidence does the author give to support his thesis?

-Their we're many points of views.

How does this link to the theme of the first reading, “A Dubious Crusade”?

-Some people we're doubtful of the outcome of the Vietnam War.

Martin Luther King Blog Response

Why does the author feel that whites owe King the greatest debt?-

The author believes that whites owe him the greatest debt, for liberating them from the burden of America's centuries-old hypocrisy about race. It is only because of King and the movement that he led that the U.S. can claim to be the leader of the "free world" without inviting smirks of disdain and disbelief.

Was King "the right man at the right time"?-

King was definetly the right man at the right time, who else had the voice and the power to lead the nation out of this deep hole other than MLK. His victory was so complete that it will go down in history. It is impossible to think of the movement unfolding as it did without him as its helm.

Would King be upset with the current use of his most often quoted line? Why or why not-

I do not think that King would be upset with his most often quoted line "I have a dream etc..." because it is simply the truth; it was his actual dream to free this great country of segregation. I think it truly shows his crusade against "racial preferences". But then again i guess it's not for us to say if he would like it or not.