Times of Change(Part 1)

A Dubious Crusade by James A. Warren
Look up both words in the title of the short essay. What do they mean?
Dubious: Doubtful; marked by or occasioning doubt
Crusade: Any vigorous, aggressive movement for the defense or advancement of an idea.
Relate the title to the reading. What is Warren saying?
The Vietnam War was a war against communism that was marked with lots of doubt by the American people. After the war, the nation was almost torn apart because the war made Americans uncertain of where America was heading.
How do you think this will relate to the rest of our study if Vietnam?
This will probably relate to opposition of the war. I think we will study why people opposed the war and why some people supported it. We will also see how the war tore the nation apart.

History by Thuong Vuong-Riddick
What is the overall theme of Vuong-Riddick's poem?
I think the overall theme of this poem is death, death and more death. All of this is talking about how one country conquered another and how the neverending chain of death occurred in Vietnam.

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution … by Goldberg
What is the main thesis of the essay?
The main thesis of this essay the whole Vietnam War wasn't actually a war and that it was all a lie.
What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?
It was a gulf near Vietnam or just southeast of Hanoi.
What evidence does the author give to support his thesis?
He talked about how the attack on the Maddox was all a big set up. The government just wanted to use this attack for a chance to wage war on Vietnam.
How does this link to the theme of the first reading, “A Dubious Crusade”?
These two poems related because they are both about lies or deception. Some people are doubtful about the war and oppose it while the whole government is lying about the "war." I think that the whole Vietnam War was avoidable and was just a reason to attack the Soviet Union.