Homework due 5/29

Born on the Fourth of July
Stop the Sun
To Heal a Nation

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 would want to tell all the Vietnam veterans how much they did for our country. No matter what other people say, they made a difference, and their outstanding courage should be greatly respected by people. I would tell them how thankful I am that they were willing to give the ultimate sacrifice for the future of the country, and for the future of American people. Their actions and courage will always be remembered and praised. Thank you so much.

Homework due 5/24

Farmer Nguyen
Massacre at My Lai
A Nun at Ninh Hoa

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?
The readings show that times in war were not only hard for the troops that faught, but for the men, women, and children who live and sleep in fear. They have no idea what's going around, or when the fighting could come to their village. Innocent lives are lost for no reason. These civilians also might not ever see their husbands, dads, or brothers ever again. It was hard times for the innocent native Vietnamese.

Homework due 5/23

Jack Smith

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

• no experience in combat
• don't know what to expect
• had to make their own base camp
  
• walked straight into an ambush
• had to act dead all day to aviod being actually killed
• saw all his friends get killed

How does Smith’s attitude toward war change?
At the beginning of the war, he didn't know what to expect, but he did seek adventure He arrived on the shore of Vietnam and finally realized reality: he was in war. As his experiences progressed, he learned what combat fighting was all about. He first-handedly experienced being shot at by hundreds of machine guns, and saw his friends die in front of him. As he was acting dead, he heard the North Vietnamese killing wounded enemies. Jack felt terrible as those were his fellow Americans, friends. As the Americans were going through getting revenge by killing the wounded North Vietnamese, Jack told them not to. He gained sympathy for them, as he experienced the same as they were. His attitude went from wanting adventure, to hating of war and merciless killing through his experiences.

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”?
They are asked to fight to get Uncle Sam (the US) out of a problem it got itself into.

… the “generals” to do? They are asked to kill all the Communists.

… “Wall Street” to do? They are asked to supply the army with supplies so they can fight, and to pray that they won't drop a bomb (probably atomic) on the US.

… “mothers” to do? The mothers are asked to encourage their children to fight in Vietnam, and to have pride in their children if they die fighting for their country.

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

1. "Well there ain't no time to wonder why, / Whoopee! we're all gonna die."
2. "So put down your books and pick up a gun, / We're gonna have a whole lotta fun."
3. "Uncle Sam needs your help again. / He's got himself in a terrible jam"
4. "Be the first one on your block / To have your boy come home in a box."
   

Homework due 5/22

A Dubious Crusade

Look up both words in the title of the short essay. What do they mean?
dubious - doubtful; of uncertain outcome
crusade - any vigorous, aggressive movement for the defense or advancement of an idea, cause, etc.

Relate the title to the reading. What is Warren saying? How do you think this will relate to the rest of our study if Vietnam?
Warren is saying that the US involvement in the Vietnam War was very aggresive, yet uncertain. People were unsure when the war even started. When the US entered the war, they had no idea what to expect, but they were fighting for a cause, to stop communism. At the end, the nation was close to splitting apart.

History

What is the overall theme of Vuong-Riddick's poem?
The theme of the poem is war. Vuong-Riddick shows how in Vietnam, there is a continuous flow of people trying to control the land. Different countries are allied with Vietnam at different times, then later they're at war with them. The author is showing that Vietnamese people fight and lose their lives continuously in a variety of wars.

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

What is the main thesis of the essay?
That the whole Vietnam War was based on a lie. President Johnson had no real evidence that any attack ever happened on the US ship in the Gulf of Tonkin. Some say he made a big deal out of it to rally support for the war. The author is showing that the whole war was a controversy.

What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?
President Lyndon Johnson would send a massive buildup of men and materials to Vietnam. It was passed 416-0 in the House and 88-2 in the Senate.

What evidence does the author give to support his thesis?
The author says that President Johnson could have made a bigger deal out of the issue than it real was, just to get Congress to support his Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. The author also points out that there is no absolute evidence that there were any shots fired on that day in the Gulf of Tonkin - it all could have been a lie.

How does this link to the theme of the first reading, “A Dubious Crusade”?
Something is dubious if its uncertain or doubtful. M. Hirsh Goldberg could be saying that the war was a controversy, and based on a lie. It was uncertain that any shots were fired, or that the "attack" was even that major of an event. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was enacted without any serious evidence, making it doubtful and uncertain.

NOTE: This assignment was completed a day late, on Tuesday night. I forgot my book last night.

Korea - The Forgotten War

Ten Important Things Everyone Should Know About the Korean War:

1. Korea was a Japanese colony until Japan surrendered to the US at the end of World War II. In 1945, the US and the USSR split Korea at the 38th parallel, with the US taking the southern part.
2. Sixteen nations from the United Nations sent soldiers to Korea, most were from the US. General Douglas MacArthur was commander of all the UN troops.
3. At first, North Korea pushed South Koreans back almost to the city of Pusan, located on the southeastern tip of Korea. MacArthur decided to land his troops at Inchon, a port city behind North Korean lines.
4. The Chinese warned the UN forces to stop pushing their forces toward the Yalu River, the boundary separating China from North Korea.
5. Once the Chinese Communist troops crossed the Yalu River into North Korea on November 25, 1950, the UN troops were pushed all the way back into South Korea.
6. MacArthur tried to gain support for his plans to blockade and bomb China, which Truman refused because he feared another world war. Truman fired MacArthur for public critisism of his orders.
7. As the war progressed, it lost much of its popularity. In July 1951, Truman accepted a Soviet suggestion to start truce talks, which ended up lasting for 2 years.
8. During the 1953 presidential campaign, Truman decided not to run again, so they Democrats chose governor Adlai Stevenson as their candidate. The Republicans chose World War II hero General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who criticized the war and promised to go to Korea and end the conflict soon. Eisenhower won by a landslide.
9. During talks with the North Koreans and the Chinese, Eisenhower agreed to compromise to end the war, but he privately warned that he was ready to use nuclear weapons to carry out war in China.
10. Fighting in Korea ended in July 1953, with the 2 Koreas left near where they were in 1950, at the 38th parallel. Although communism was contained in Korea, Americans were frustrated by the indecisive war.

Has MLK's "dream" been realized?

In terms of education, there has been some improvement in the number of Blacks and Hispanics in schools from ages 3 to 34. The enrollment rate of Blacks went from 51.9% in 1990 to 59.2% in 2003, while the Hispanic enrollment rate went up 2 percent between 1990 and 2003. The percentage of African Americans that have graduated from high school has skyrocketed from 20.1% in 1960 to 80.6% in 2004. The Hispanic graduation rate has also increased from 1970 to 2004, going from 32.1% to 58.4%.
Although the statistics show that overall, education has improved for minority groups over time, the change is still not equal to whites. As of 2003, 14.2% of Blacks and 28.4% of Hispanics were not enrolled in high school, while only 11.8% of whites ages 18-24 were not enrolled in high school. In 2004, 28.2% of whites had graduated from college, while only 17.6% of Blacks had completed college. The increase in education for minority groups has increased in many different aspects, but there is still a gap between them and whites.
In order to decrease this gap between races in education, people would have to help the minorities. They could do this by encouraging minorities to stay in school, and show them diferent statistics about how their education level could drastically affect their life. More public schools could be opened in neighborhoods with a prodominetaly-minority population. If some changes are made, the education levels of whites and minorities would be equal.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Why does the author feel that whites owe King the greatest debt?
The author believes that the US wouldn't have had the same image as it does today if it wasn't for Martin Luther King, Jr. The US could not call itself the "free world" if there was still segregation all across the South. The author believes that the US could morally compare to South Africa under apartheid. According to the author, the US has its reputation today because of King and his movements.

Was King "the right man at the right time"?
Yes, King was "the right man at the right time" because his actions and movements removed the deep social split between races in America. The segregation at the time of King was intensely against African Americans. Without King, the Civil Rights Movement might not have been as successful as it was to cure the racism in the US. King was able to move the nation ahead of all the racist times and into an integrated country.

Would King be upset with the current use of his most often quoted line? Why or why not?
Yes, he would be upset because his line is being used in the opposite way as it was originally meant. King's line from his famous "I Have A Dream" speech is being used as a slogan for people opposing affirmative action. When King said those words, they were showing the urgency of the issue and the need for immediate change, or affirmative action. His line supporting affirmative action should not be used against it, and King would be upset if he saw what has become of his most famous line.