Two Different Views on the Vietnam WarBoth President Lyndon B. Johnson and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave truly powerful speeches about the Vietnam War. The speeches were full of passion and emotion and greatly attracted the audience. The speakers spoke with great feeling, but had differing opinions on the Vietnam War. President Lyndon B. Johnson had a more imperial view of the Vietnam War, where it seemed like it was the duty of the United States of America to "protect" the Vietnamese and involvement in Vietnam wasn't even an issue. Dr. King's speech, however, emphasized the exact opposite and emphasized how America's involvement in the war was completely unnecessary and unnecessary considering everything that was happening at home. Regardless of which point of view you might agree with, the speakers strongly appealed to the emotions of the people who played a huge role in the struggle among Americans when it came to the Vietnam War and America's involvement. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay President Johnson's speech, although short, showed a really important aspect of American ideology. In the president's mind, intervening and “rescuing and protecting” the South Vietnamese people was some sort of America's divine right. President Johnson appeals to the public's emotions by claiming that thousands upon thousands of men and women are dying as a result of attacks by revolutionaries, motivated by North Vietnam. Furthermore, he goes on to describe how “women and children are strangled at night” and how “men are murdered”. The President makes it seem like the people in South Vietnam are being treated poorly and that it is the job of the United States of America to bring peace and justice to the Vietnamese people. He goes on to explain that if America walks away from this war, it will have to fight another day. He explains how these wars, if left alone, will lead to further wars and there is no way to avoid them. President Johnson initially appeals to people's emotions and gets them on his side by making them believe that the Vietnamese people are suffering and that it is the United States' job to bring justice. He then goes on to tell the audience that it is not smart to abandon this war because it will only lead to more wars. The president also sheds light on how terrible China is and how it wants to take over all of Asia. Not only that, but it seeks to criminalize the leaders of North Vietnam and China by claiming that their goal is pure conquest. This is quite ironic because it makes people believe that the United States wants to do good and defeat all these evil forces and save the day. While in reality they end up being the force they are trying to fight. It's quite ironic because it tells people that other countries are out for conquest and that it's America's job to band together to help the Vietnamese, but they end up staying in the war as enemies of the Vietnamese state. The President's goal is to make the American people believe that America should go to war and keep the peace. King, however, in his excellent speech, lays out all the reasons why the United States should not go further and definitively withdraw from the war. He appeals to the people by telling them all the evils happening at home and how the United States of America should focus on what happens at home. His speech begins on a personal note. He explains how he, as a civil rights activist, is questioned about how he can ask.
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