The Portrayal of Vietnam War

The Portrayal of Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was only a small part of the major battle between

communism and capitalism better known as the Cold War. The cold war

lasted over 20 years. The Vietnam War lasted from 1946-1954 and was a

war between capitalist France and communist Vietnam. The French were

supported by the USA whilst Vietnam had their own army- the Viet Minh.

The Vietnam War became a major turning point in the Cold War, as this

was the first time that the media were able to get a glimpse of it. As

a result, homes all over the world could view the daily goings on in

Vietnam. This generated much opposition. The opposition to the Vietnam

War was shown in many ways- contemporary literature, film and song.

A poem, which truly highlights the growing opposition to the war in

Vietnam, is “America” by Curt Bennet. This poem shows the Vietnam War

from an American soldiers perspective. We see the suffering they went

through from the start of the poem, “ and wipe the dried and caking

blood From my dead friends face”. This gives us a sense of empathy

with the soldiers and makes the war seem pointless and heartbreaking

as you watch your friends die, helpless to do anything. Another line

in the poem also shows the anger and opposition to the war, “ creating

lies to justify sending young boys off to die” this shows the authors

anger towards the leading figures in American politics. These people

dying are fathers, sons and brothers yet this poem highlights that

American leaders don’t seem to realize this and just treat a soldier

as a name and number. The poem also shows us the reaction of the

American public to the war, “ slow, rising hate makes people march and

demonstrate”. This shows how opposed the US people are to the war;

they want to protest against it.

A song, which highlights the opposition towards the Vietnam War, is

“Goodnight Saigon” by Billy Joel. This song yet again shows the

Vietnam War from an American soldiers viewpoint.