Vietnam Age Of Anxiety Analysis

Senator John F. Kerry once said, "I saw courage both in the Vietnam War and the struggle to stop it. I learned that patriotism includes protest, not just military service." The war in Vietnam created an immense amount of anxiety and tension for American soldiers and American citizens. People often felt obligated to fight for what they believed in on many various platforms. This perfectly reflects the literary age of the time, the Age of Anxiety. The tensions of the Age of Anxiety can best be seen through the passionate anti-war protests, speeches, and ballads by the dedicated activists of this time.

During the Vietnam War in the early 1960s, the draft number increased significantly causing tremendous panic among citizens. Families were terrified

as their husbands' and sons' chances of getting chosen for the draft suddenly increased. As the war continued to progress, Americans began to see the accumulating number of soldiers returning home in body bags instead of into the arms of family and loved ones. The Vietnam War was not going to be an easy and effortless win like thousands of innocent people were led to believe. Citizens were outraged by the staggering number of casualties and unimaginable violence, so many began to protest. The Mayday Protests of 1971 are some of the most famous acts of civil disobedience that the United States has ever seen. On Monday, May 3, 12,000 protesters gathered in Washington D.C., to protest the ongoing Vietnam War (Hay 174). Awaiting the protesters were 5,100 policemen, 1,400 members of the National Guard, and 10,000 Army and Marine troops. On this day alone, over 7,200 arrests were made. The next day, 3,000 more protesters gathered to listen to speeches at the capital and over 2,000 more arrests were made. In total, over 13,000 arrests were made in the three-day period of the Mayday Protests. Many protesters were held at temporary facilities without adequate food, water, and shelter. Most of those convicted were quickly released with all charges dropped, but these protesters could not help but feel as if their basic freedoms were being compromised (Super 592-593). Merriam-Webster defines liberalism as "[the] belief in the value of social and political change in order to achieve progress." These protesters exemplified a great example of liberalism in the Age of Anxiety. People were forming opinions independent from the government and questioning America's values. The Age of Anxiety was a time where people were questioning what they have always known in order to make progress as a country (Hitt). These protesters fought resiliently and ruthlessly for peace and justice for our country and for other countries.
On April 4, 1967, exactly one year before his devastating assassination, Martin Luther King Jr., appeared at Riverside Church in New York City to deliver one of the most powerful and most controversial speeches of his career in front of hundreds of critics and supporters.

He spoke on behalf of the Vietnam War (Werris 72). King was considered a strong supporter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, but he became increasingly worried about the country's involvement in the war overseas. He began to draw conclusions that the money being spent on the war would be better used in other areas in out one country. He began to wonder what it would be like if that money went towards helping the poor communities and those people in dire need. This speech was directed to the American people. King wanted to inspire a change among the nation that encouraged the citizens of this country to be ones who oppose their nation's government when someone has to oppose it. Numerous crowds criticized King for speaking out about the peace movement, and he responds to these critiques in his speech saying, "though I often understand the source of their concern, I am nevertheless greatly saddened, for such questions mean that the inquirers have not really known me, my commitment, or my calling." To Dr. King, civil rights and the peace movement were not exclusive terms. In fact, he believed you couldn't have one without the other. King also fought for the African Americans who were being forced to fight in a war to maintain the American liberties that they didn't have. To Dr. King, it was a very ironic situation to have soldiers fight for rights that they will not receive. He also believed we couldn't have peace on the battlefield until we had peace on our own home front. This speech is an excellent example of an anti-war message of the Age of Anxiety (Hitt). King was fighting for an end to the violence and terror at home and in Vietnam. Citizens in both our country and Vietnam were terrified of what

the modern weaponry could do to their homes and to their families. The threat of nuclear weapons often left most families feeling hopeless and out of control. King believed everyone had the right to feel safe in their own homes. This famous civil rights activist also believed that the only way to end the war was to simply stop fighting.
In February of 1983, singer/songwriter Billy Joel released his album The Nylon Curtain which featured a tribute song to the veterans of the Vietnam War. This song was called "Goodnight Saigon" after the Vietnamese city. Billy wrote this song with a special purpose in mind. He wanted to de-stigmatize how the American people viewed the soldiers who returned from war. Billy had many friends fighting, so he had a first hand account of the conditions they all had been dealing with throughout the war. Many soldiers often state that they were not adequately prepared and did not fully understand what they were signing up for. One line in the song is as follows: "And we were so hung ho / To lay down our lives" ("Lyrics for 'Goodnight Saigon'"). These soldiers did not know what they were signing up for; they only knew that they were serving their country. When in battle, soldiers often lost hope and ended up simply fighting for each other and to get each other out alive. Protecting their country was becoming an abstract concept, and they could only focus on protecting themselves and their fellow soldier. In the Age of Anxiety, many people felt as if they no longer had control of their own fate (Hitt). They felt completely out of control when it came to their own lives. The soldiers who fought in this tragic war are prime examples of these hopeless people. These soldiers were forced to fight resulting in catastrophic psychological issues. Even the soldiers who returned home physically alive often felt emotionally deceased. They were carrying around an emotional trauma that no one else could understand or even see. However, every morose situation has a silver lining. This tragedy created an unimaginable sense of camaraderie and brotherhood between the soldiers. When performing this song in concert, Billy Joel often asks veterans to stand up and sing the repeating chorus, "And we will all go down together" and anyone can sense the bond between all of these soldiers who have shared in the same strifes and tribulations ("Lyrics for 'Goodnight Saigon'").
This era in literature was not only a time of tension and hopelessness, but also a time of camaraderie and fighting for what is right. This age brought out bravery and courage in the American people that they did not know they had. It took enormous courage for Dr. King, Billy Joel, and the Mayday Protesters to speak their minds about an issue as controversial as the Vietnam War.