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.