Times of Change(Part 4)

Dear Vietnam Veterans,
I have so much to say to you. I can't thank you enough for the ultimate sacrifice you have given to save our country. It must have been horrible fighting in Vietnam. I can understand how you felt when you lost your friends to enemy fire or when you were faced with the decision of killing an enemy soldier. If I lived at your time, I know that fighting for my country would be a valiant thing to do, but all the sacrifice, I don't think I could be as strong as you guys were in defending your people from others. It must have been horrible to kill people. I would guess that many of you never would have thought that you would have a gun in your hand, but I guess that's how it goes. Thinking about war just makes me shiver. Thank you for what you have done for all of us. Everyone in America will honor your courage and bravery in the Vietnam War. Thank you.

Best of Wishes,
Michael Tao

Times of Change(Part 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?
Many people were impacted by the Vietnam War, especially the Vietnamese civilians. Some of the American soldiers would just kill the innocent as described in the Massacre at My Lai. If the Americans didn’t like what some of the civilians were doing, then they would beat them until they stop or even kill them. Some people didn’t want to survive through this horrible war so they burned themselves. I’m guessing that some people also lost their homes because the Americans would pillage villages.

Times of Change(Part 2)

Jack Smith by Ron Steinman

What challenges does Jack Smith face as a soldier in Vietnam? (a bulleted list is fine)
Temperatures were very high and it was humid. He was discriminated against because he had little experience in fighting. There were also many booby traps. He had to live with watching his friends die in Vietnam. It was hard for him to kill people at first. The Vietnamese ambushed them all the time and he was scared at all the sights.
How does Smith’s attitude toward war change?
At the beginning, he thought that war was just a game. When he saw a couple of his close friends die, he realized that war was much more serious. If you weren't careful then you could be shot or ambushed. You could also be booby trapped.

I Feel Like I’m Fixing To Die Rag by Joe McDonald

What is the song asking the “big strong men to do”?
Join the army and fight for your country.
… the “generals” to do?

Lead the soldiers and defeat the Vietnamese.

… “Wall Street” to do?

They should sell more supplies to the army so they can make more money.
… “mothers” to do?

Encourage their sons to join the army.
Write down four specific lines from the song that display sarcasm, cynicism, or anti-war sentiment.
“Whoopee! We’re all gonna die.”
“To have you boy come home in a box.”
“The only good commie is the one who’s dead.”
“We”re gonna have a whole lotta fun.

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.

The Korean War

1. After World War II. The Soviet Union and the United States agreed to divide Korea at the 38th parallel. They would control this territory until the people were ready to govern themselves.
2. In June 1950, communist North Korea, controlled by the Soviet Union invaded South Korea who was controlled by the United States, France and Great Britain. It was a suprised attack and South Korea wasn't quite ready for it.
3. Harry S. Truman thought that this would be the perfect time to test out his policy of containment.
4. At the beginning of the war North Korea was winning and they pushed South Korea all the way back to the little area of Pusan.
5. Originally, the goal of the USA was to claim back all of the land, but Gen. MacArthur ask to try and unite to whole of Korea under one democracy. President Harry Truman agreed and the USA began to conquer much more of Korea.
6. China entered the war because the United States were conquering too much of Korea. China pushed them back to the Armistice Line.
7. The Korean War wasn't very popular. Many people thought that we shouldn't waste money to fight this war for something that wasn't our problem. America also thought that we shouldn't be responsible for Korea's future.
8. Some people began to lose support for Harry Truman. People began to think that they should have pursued Korea and try to liberate the whole of Korea. General MacArthur really pushed for this. He was being a pain so President Truman retired him to his home.
9. At this point, there was a stalemate for almost two years. In the end a cease-fire ended the three year war of Korea.
10. The war didn't stop for a long time after the treaty. People were still fighting after the treaty. This was mainly a war to stop the spread of communism.

MLK's Dream - Income

The income of all American people has increased greatly. The gap between African American incomes and other incomes has been decreased. The people who live in poverty have also decreased after the major increase in the early 1990s. For the money income of families, the gap between African Americans and Caucasians have decreased overtime. In 1980, 28.4% of the people that earned less than 15,000 dollars were African Americans. In 2003 that number decreased to 21.5%. Also for people who earn more than 100,000 dollars, 2.2% of them were African Americans. In 2003, that number increased to 8.7%. There is much improvement in the field of income.

Complete equality has still not been achieved in the United States. Asians and Pacific Islanders, earn the most money by far. There is still a large gap between the income of whites and blacks. 20.7% of whites earn more than 100,000 dollars while only 8.7% of African Americans earn that much. The median income for whites in 2003 was 45,631 dollars. The median income for blacks in 2003 was 29,645. That is a humongous gap. There is still much improvement needed to close this sizable gap.

There are many ways to close this gap. First of all, we should encourage African Americans and other minorities to find jobs. We could make more jobs offers in the newspaper or advertise more on the internet. Also we could be more equal in employing people. In America, people are still selective in who they choose to work for them. If we could change this, I'm sure that the gap would be closed by a lot. Also, we could get much more education for the minorities. Many of these people just don't have the right education. We could provide them with free schools. There is still a long way to go for complete equality.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Why does the author feel that whites owe King the greatest debt?
The author feels this way because Martin Luther King Jr. has freed America of racism. He showed the United States what a "free world" actually meant. There were no slaves and everyone had equal rights. If he failed his task, we would still be racist and segregated. We may have never became a "free world".

Was King "the right man at the right time"?
He was definitely the right man. If there was any different leader at the time, I don't think he could of went throught all the things Martin Luther King Jr. went through. Everyday he would recieve death threats or bomb threats. To live under the weight of worrying about dying is suck a big ordeal. He was also preacher and African Americans at the time were most connected to their church. This means he ahd the support of many more people because he was from church. Also he was a great leader. He had a commanding voice that told everyone to follow him in the fight against racism.

Would King be upset with the current use of his most often quoted line? Why or why not?
King would never be upset with people quoting his famous line. This just shows how much influence he has on our society. Many people might think that people who say it don't know the real meaning. Everyone has to say it for a reason, deep or shallow. If Marting Luther King was still alive today, he would definitely want people following in his footsteps and trying to get rid of the last traces of racism.