The war in Vietnam to do this day has gone down as one of the influential and controversial wars in United States history. The war lasted from 1955 to 1975.The nation as a whole began to uproar over the war and the major consequences of the war. There were many reasons why so many Americans were against the war. Public opinion steadily turned against the war following 1967 and by 1970 only a third of Americans believed that the U.S. had not made a mistake by sending troops to fight in Vietnam (Wikipedia). Not to mention, many young people protested because they were the ones being drafted while others were against the war because the anti-war movement grew increasingly popular among the counterculture and drug culture in American society and …show more content…
Soldiers were dying, and they continued to be sent over to fight. The war itself provided a major wave of anti-war rhetoric that is still prominent today. The anti-war rhetoric was pushed through politicians, celebrities, concerts, protests, average citizens of different economic classes, but most importantly through song. “In the 1960s, several now-influential artists appealed to the disaffected counterculture’s emphasis on peace and love, especially with the sliding approval rates of the Vietnam War. As public approval of the Vietnam War dwindled in the latter half of the 1960s, popular music artists began to record songs that reflected this disapproval and ultimately became a new method of protest (Hopkins).” Not to mention, “not only has music been a direct means of anti-war protest, but the culture of peace and love, seen especially in the Woodstock festival, has also pervaded the minds of the public” (Hopkins). The controversial Vietnam War affected many people in the United States, but the war caused a socio cultural revolution through the power of …show more content…
There was rock, folk music, and many more. But, in the late sixties Rock n Roll, commonly reckoned as the golden age of rock and roll when it attained a maturity unimaginable for the delinquent rebellion of the fifties, there are numerous references to the Vietnam War. The criticism of the war is submerged in or displaced by the politics of sexuality, lifestyle, and drugs. Rock music of that time period celebrated anti-materialism, spiritual awakening and social disengagement (James pg 133). Like the social movement it made possible, hippie music was ideologically and economically assimilable. All anti-war rocks songs of that time could be functional within rituals and other social practices of the anti-war movement, and on many levels rock music supplied the imaginative energy of contestation (James pg 134). Not all of these rock songs were anti-war songs. As I have mentioned before, there were a few pro- Vietnam war songs as well. For example, one of the most famous pro war songs the Ballad of the Green Beret’s written by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler. The song sketched the career of the green beret, one of America’s best (James pg 135). Sadlers song is one of many pro-war songs within the Rock n Roll genre of music. Rock was huge in the socio cultural uproar of the Vietnam War through anti-war music and pro war music as
nd including some of our own troops. It was made in 1968 and it was very popular. The second song is called Sam Stone by John Prine another Vietnam story even more depressing than the last song. It talks about a soldier who just came back from war with all these problems from its effect. He had a hole in his arm, both legs broken he was poor after the war didn't have money a job and had shrapnel still in him.
Music and War: The Effect of Music During the Vietnam War In the book called Battle Notes: Music of the Vietnam War, author Lee Andresen discussed the various viewpoints of songwriters in their music, pertaining to the American involvement in the Vietnam War. His thesis was that “All American wars had their music, but Vietnam was a conflict in which music played an especially significant role. Beyond simply entertaining, it also shaped and articulated public opinion in unprecedented fashion.” Andresen showed this in his work, by showing how different forms of both anti-war and pro-war songs had an effect on the American public.
The Vietnam war, one of the longest war in the history of United States, is often regarded as the most controversial battle. The liberal, radical and conservative interpretation tries to shed some light on the dark and murky image of the war. Radical view suggests
The Vietnam War, which lasted from 1955 to 1975, was one of the most divisive and controversial conflicts in American history. It was a military conflict between the Communist North Vietnam, and South Vietnam, with the United States and other Western powers supporting the Southern Vietnamese. The war was fought in the context of the Cold War because the United States feared that Communism would spread throughout Southeast Asia if North Vietnam managed to take control of the entire country. The war had such a profound impact on American society, and still remains a subject of intense debate and analysis today. After World War I, Vietnamese leader, Ho Chi Minh, expressed many grievances against the French colonialists.
The United States was involved in the Vietnam War in the 1960s in order to support South Vietnam’s fight for an economic and cultural ties to the West. On the other hand, North Vietnam supported the ideas of a communist economy. However, the United States’s involvement in the war caused a million of dollars and lives lost, lost of faith towards the country’s government, and divided the nation instead of uniting as one. More than three million people in the war died, and out of those three million, 58,000 were Americans. The Americans and the people in South Vietnam had fought for their beliefs of a modern Westernized country while North Vietnam had fought for a communist economy.
In McDonald’s song, the effect of the draft and its effects on society are highlighted by the lyrics, “Send ‘em off before it’s too late. Be the first one on your block To have your boy come home in a box,” [Doc B]. More than 50,000 Americans died in the Vietnam War, and after withdrawing from the battlefront, Americans felt it was for nothing. Robert F. Kennedy said, “we have sought to resolve by military might a conflict whose issue depends upon the will and conviction of the South Vietnamese people,” [Doc E]. To the war, Americans provided weapons, supplies, and troops.
O’Brien utilizes intimate, personal stories about the tragedies of the Vietnam War, while Dulles utilizes logic to portray his ideas about the war. Through telling personal stories about the war, O’Brien conveys ideas about how unnecessary the violence in the war was. This signifies the differences between individuals that experienced the war differently. Although Dulles perceived the right concept, he would never know what it felt like to endure the pain and suffering of the Vietnam War. Neil Young created the song “Ohio” while utilizing famous artists of the time to get his message more widespread.
Different races, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, and religions banded together to pretest the war. People view the John Lennon song, “Give Peace A Chance,” as a good example of how the war brought people together. The recording of the songs features an acoustic guitar, with a tambourine, and the voices of, reportedly, 50 people in a hotel room. The song was written by Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono during their “bed-in,” where they stayed on a bed in a hotel for a week at a time, in order to protest the war. This song was adopted by the anti-war movement as its
In the short story, “Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ in Woodstock”, Victor talks about his father who fought in the Vietnam War. He describes one day where he and his father discuss war and peace. Victor’s father says, “And besides, why the hell would you want to fight a war for this country?
Bruce Weigl’s poem “Song of Napalm” juxtaposes Timothy O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. Each work of literature depicts the struggles of the authors in a fictional, yet documentary way of their experiences and time fighting in the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War which erupted from 1955 till its end in 1975 affected people all across the seas. In America, men were called to military service to bear arms against North Vietnam and the attempt at the advancement of communism. Throughout the two works of literature, Weigl and O’Brien, both speak on their experiences during the Vietnam War.
One of the most controversial wars in history and a turning point in American foreign policy, the emotions and events surrounding the Vietnam War capture the essence of the era. The rise of rebellious youth culture and anti-war and anti-draft movements were key social aspects of American life leading up to and during the fighting. (Doc 2, 3) On the political side, Congress aimed to control the Chief-Executive with legislation such as the War Powers Act of 1973, requiring the president to remove all unreported troops in Vietnam and report any further sent. (Doc 7) To say the country was divided would be a massive understatement.
Moreover, the two transitions between the three verses (0:52-1:10; 1:43-2:00) also prove compelling. First, the electric guitar has a high pitch sound and it is distorted thus generating a sound that feels almost chaotic. This combination of sounds may be a reference to the general confusion that people felt towards the outcome of the Vietnam War during the 1960s. Moreover, even though the instruments build up in intensity, it feels like they never truly unleash the frustration and anger that characterizes the lyrics; this choice could be an allusion to Hendrix 's anti-violence beliefs. Therefore, not discharging all the pent-up resentment could be his way of suggesting that violence is not - and will not - be the solution to anything, neither in a war nor in a song.
Cultural Impact of Rock and Roll Amidst the 1960’s Jimi Hendrix formerly stated, “Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.” A generation which was earnestly devoted to peace, protest, and revolution, the counterculture amongst the 1960’s yearned for change. Rock and roll was far beyond just a genre of music; it influenced lifestyles, protests, and attitudes, thus, kindling an awakening in the youth of American culture. The distinction between parental and youth culture was a persistent root of concern, considering that teens throughout the world found a sense of belonging in this style of music.
By imagery, I mean the pictures used in a video, which I watched on YouTube, for this song. As we went over in class, the Vietnam War was used as material by musicians who were living through it. This material was for protests, to bring back the peace. This 1968 song refers to a military chaplain who blesses a body of troops before they head off to raid and that they're "soldiers of God", which one of the soldiers realize that it contradicts with the commandment " Thou shalt not kill" from the bible at the end of the song.
Anti-war movement was supported and the Americans lost trust in their leaders. U.S joined the World War II with a reason and many Americans supported, whereas the U.S involvement in the Vietnam War was not supported by many people since it didn’t have a proper reason and a purpose except to show their supremacy and intolerance