MR

Vietnam: A View From the Home Front
By Melissa Robbins

At first, I doubted the success of this interview. How would I begin? (This was, after all my first interview). I was aware of the fact that [|The Vietnam War] is often a sore topic of discussion among people who lived through it. The approach would be the most challenging aspect of this interview, I thought, moments prior to his arrival.

The doorbell rang. I led him upstairs to my living room where he sat, leaning slightly to the left on the chocolate brown couch, anxious and apprehensive about the inevitable questions that were to follow. No emotions were present in his dark blue eyes. I sensed a sort of coldness in his presence that was foreign to the grandfather that I had known. The bright yellow, recess lighting illuminated his facial expressions in such a way that the sweat on his forehead was visible. As I set up my laptop, he sat as still as a statue- unable to move. The grandfather clock was ticking and every minute that painfully passed by, seemed like hours amongst the silence.

I began by asking the most obvious of questions: What are your strongest memories of the Vietnam War? His response did not shock me. “There were constant battles between moderators, on television (every single day, including weekends). The vivid image of college students taking part in riots and [|rallies], which often times turned violent, remains with me today. As I walked to work, I saw them taking place on a daily basis. One such incident occurred at [|Kent State University]. The peaceful protest quickly turned violent, resulting in the death of four college students."

For a few moments, he sat there pondering and flashing back to the war. “Well…” He finally said, “ There is no doubt that the war had a major effect on many aspects of my life, including, but not limited to the [|social, economic, and political] aspects. Socially, interaction with friends and businesspeople who had different opinions (often resulting in argument) as to what should be done about the war and where the war was taking us was a main topic of discussion.” Regardless of the decades that have passed and the changes in society that have occurred since the war, he has maintained his ground and held onto his opinions. “The economy was a different story.” A slight smile came across his face as if he was relieved. “Surprisingly, this war had little, or may I even say no economic impact on my life; nor did it effect the lives of those close to me” (which happened to be the case for the majority of the nation). So…what about politics? Can you explain it to me? Suddenly, his voice possessed a new tone- one of anger and resentment. He let out a sigh. “ The nation was divided between the [|hawks] and the doves.” Those are interesting names for political parties. What were their views on the direction that the war should take? “The Hawks believed in confrontation to fight against communist aggression, while the Doves believed that the war wasn’t resolving any issues or conflicts; therefore, they desperately wanted it to end. The war was costing too many American lives and was separating the people of the north and the south in Vietnam.”

He paused for a moment but I did not chime in to present him with a new question. A moment later, he went on to finish his thought. “I did not completely agree with the ideas of either political party, which left me somewhere in between the two groups.” Those are very much like your beliefs today: always remaining skeptical of both sides.

I’m sure that this was a controversial topic during the war and preceding it. Did you support the war in its entirety? He answered, hesitantly, “Initially, yes, based upon the information presented to us, the American public, as to how the war began. American officials claimed that it started by the North Vietnamese shooting at American naval ships at the [|Gulf of Tonkin].” This was not to be the case? “Unfortunately, it was a fabrication to get U.S. citizens involved in Vietnam.” So you became leftist as the war progressed. Why would the US government intentionally lie to its people? “The government saw this as a policy of [|communist aggression] and felt that it was the United States’ job as a world power to stop the communist, Southeast Asian war. As the war progressed, I came to see less and less reason for having our troops in this chaotic war zone.”

As he sat there, caught up in his memories of the time period, I knew it was time to confront him with the major question: did you actively participate in The Vietnam War? As I presented him with the question, the muscles in his neck and arms appeared to tense up. However, almost immediately, this tension seemed to dissipate into thin air. “No, I was not a soldier during the war. But my wife and I have family friends who were sent to South Vietnam. Luckily, they returned home safely. We were so thankful for this.” But wasn’t there a [|draft] initiated for this war? Why were you exempt? “Yes, there was a draft, but I was not a part of it because I had previously served in the military (active reserves) during The [|Cuban Missile Crisis], which, in my opinion, was a far less traumatic experience for a soldier than was Vietnam.”

Presently, you are in retirement. However, I presume that you held an occupation before the Vietnam War began. This response came easy to him. He sat back in his seat, relaxed and easy going.

“I worked for a major company that produced rubber products and that handled sales before and during the war. I have to admit, it was not the most exciting job, but it paid the bills.” Was your job affected by the war in any way? “ Luckily, the war did not affect my job because the real turmoil was across the world, in Vietnam,” he said as he wiped his forehead in relief. I know that the [|media] is a major source for information today, but how did it compare to that during The Vietnam War? “The American people were well informed regarding the war through a major source: the media, which included everything from television shows to quite disturbing and vivid images of deceased soldiers.” I can only imagine the horror in seeing that! My grandfather was shaking as he continued. “The war ended with a negotiation. The US left Vietnam when President Nixon came to office after he formulated a [|treaty] with North Vietnam. Nixon took us out of the war; he withdrew American troops from South Vietnam. After a short period of time, the North Vietnamese overran and took control over South Vietnam and declared all of Vietnam as one nation under one communist flag.” This was a major loss for South Vietnam and for the American soldiers.

What were the repercussions of the war on the United States? “Let’s see… Well, the most obvious one must be that the United States had to accept the fact that they had [|lost] a foreign war for the first time in history. The nation’s pride and the psyche of the public was one of frustration of not having achieved anything positive. The North Vietnamese eventually took over all of Vietnam after American troops left. [|South Vietnam] fell to communism, which was what we went to war to prevent.” It seems like the war was fought for nothing. That must have been a difficult fact for the country to face. “Yes, it certainly was. President Johnson decided that he wouldn’t run for a second term. He made this personal decision based upon his need to get away from the accusation of what he had gotten the US involved in. The sheer pressure of running the presidency during wartime took a toll on him, as well.” He recited these answers like a history textbook, quick and knowledgeable. “Other than that, life went back to normal in the country,” he said without concern. “Today, we have established political and commercial ties with Vietnam. Don’t be mistaken. We are not [|allies], merely commercial entities dealing with and benefiting from each other.”

=   **1984 ** =

Lesson Plans
[|Lesson Plan]**Book 1**: Politics, Economics, and Society.

• **Standard** o __Media Literacy 3.C.2 - Determine influences on news media based on existing political, historical, economical, and social contexts (e.g., importance of audience feedback).__

• **Expectations** o My group will be able to express their understanding of the political, economic, and social aspects of the text. o They will be able to compare and contrast these aspects of the novel with today’s modern society in the United States. o They will demonstrate their understanding of the influence of news media in the novel and any similarities pertaining to real life. o They will gain an understanding of the historical context of the novel and ponder the reasons for how society was able to undergo the drastic change.

• **Materials** o Laptop o Links for political, economic and social structure on wikispaces o Media Compare and Contrast handout o Pictures on wikispaces

• **Opening** o I will show my group images of the societal structure portrayed in __1984__. We will have a brief discussion about the negatives and positives (if any) that this type of society has to offer.

• **Middle** o The group will research the ideologies associated with __1984__ : focusing on the political, economical, and social aspects. o They will then research what life was like for people living under a government that had complete control. o I will give them a handout with thought questions and questions regarding their research. o We will looks at pictures (see wikispaces) and discuss the significance of them in __1984__.

• **Ending** o The group will share their findings from research o We will discuss responses to the handout o We will come together to connect our findings with modern society and the one shown in the novel.



[|Newspeak]

__**Handout**__ 1. As you research the political, economic, and social aspects of 1984, what tactics do you believe were used by the government to implement these harsh rules by which the people must live? 2. What is life like for these people who live their lives under total control. How would you feel knowing that somebody was watching over you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? 3. How is manipulation used in Book 1, and how do the people respond to it? Will this set the stage for a rebellion? 4. Research a country that was or is currently led by a single leader. What are the people’s lives like? Is this a place where you would want to live? 5. How does the society in 1984 compare with that of United States’ society today? What are some differences? Similarities? 6. Looking at the pictures on my wikispaces, what aspects stand out to you? Do you find something disturbing in each of these pictures? Explain 7. Do you believe that people can truly function in the society that is in 1984? Explain.

[|Lesson Plan]  __ **Book 2: Doublethink**  __ §  **__Standard__** o **__3.B.4__** **__ Select and discuss literary passages that reveal character, develop theme, and illustrate literary elements. __** §   **__Expectations__** o My group will be able to show their understanding of a major philosophy present in __1984__. o They will be more able to explain [|doublethink] and how it pertains to life in Oceania. o They will show that they read Goldstein’s book, rather than just skimming through it. o My group will be better able to grasp the concept discussed in the majority of Book 2. o They will use skills to analyze excerpts efficiently. §  **__Materials__** o __1984__ o Worksheet with discussion questions o Laptops §  **__Opening__** o We will begin by opening up to Goldstein’s section of book 2. I will read excerpts from his novel and we will discuss and analyze them. We will also look at a link that discusses //doublethink// as pertains to __1984__. §  **__Middle__** o I will hand out a worksheet that is to be completed as they read. o The group will read chapters 1 and 3 of Goldstein’s book and answer the questions provided on the worksheet. o Once they have finished, we will discuss what they thought of his book and their reaction to the philosophy of //doublethink//. o We will then move onto the discussion questions, and answer them as a group. §  **__Ending__** o We will discuss our ideas about what we believe is to come in book 3, as well as the fate of Winston and Julia.

·  Standard: o  3.A.1 Explore and reflect on ideas while hearing and focusing attentively. ·  Expectations: o My group will be able to understand the main themes shown in book three. o They will demonstrate their understanding of the meaning of the end of the book, as well as the events leading to it. o They will gain an understanding of how torture and brainwashing is used in society and in the novel. o My group will make use of Internet resources and technology to research the topic. o They will understand how the party used torture tactics and brainwashing techniques to gain support in their favor.

·  Materials o Laptop o __ 1984 __ o Powerpoint, Pages o Internet sources and pictures o Wikispaces

·  Opening o We will begin with an exercise regarding brainwashing tactics. If somebody is told something numerous times, will they begin believing it to be true, despite their instincts? We will then research some techniques used in torture and brainwashing. Give examples. We will analyze quotes from book 3:

" We are not interested in those stupid crimes that you have committed. The Party is not interested in the over act: the thought is all we care about. We do not merely destroy our enemies; we change them." (Orwell 253). - O'Brien to Winston "...We capture his inner mind, we reshape him. We burn all evil and all illusion out of him; we bring him over to our side, not in appearance, but genuinely, heart and soul." (255). - O'Brien to Winston " Never again will you be capable of ordinary human feeling...Never again will you be capable of love, or friendship, or joy of living, or laughter, or curiosity, or courage, or integrity. You will be hollow. We shall squeeze you empty, and then we shall fill you with ourselves." (256). - O'Brien to Winston " Do you remember writing in your diary? That it did not matter whether I was a friend or an enemy, since I was at least a person who understood you and could be talked to?...Your mind appeals to me. It resembles my own mind except that you happen to be insane." (259).

·  Middle o Each student will research 1)  Brainwashing techniques [|ministry of love]  2)   Torture tactics [|torture] o They will relate this to book 3 of __ 1984 __ o Incorporate characters (O’Brian, Winston) o Use quotes from book 3 for support o They will create a powerpoint or pages [|guantanamo]

·  Ending o We will close by coming together and presenting our powerpoints. If we were placed in the same situation, would we give in? Would we allow ourselves to become what Winston has become at the end of the novel?

[|Check out this soldier's vivid memories of The Vietnam War]

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