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Essay / Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Lyndon B. Johnson's View of the War in Vietnam
Two Different Perspectives on the Vietnam WarPresident Lyndon B. Johnson and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. both gave very powerful speeches on the Vietnam War. The speeches were full of passion, emotion and greatly appealed to the audience. The speakers expressed a lot of emotion, but differed on their vision of the Vietnam War. President Lyndon B. Johnson had a more imperial view of the Vietnam War, in which it seemed that the United States of America had a duty to "protect" the Vietnamese and that its involvement in Vietnam was not even a question. Whereas Dr. King's speech pointed out the exact opposite and highlighted how America's involvement in the war was completely unnecessary and unnecessary given everything that was happening on its home soil. Regardless of which view you agree with, the speakers strongly appealed to the emotions of the people who played a huge role in the struggle between Americans when it came to the Vietnam War and American involvement. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayPresident Johnson's speech, although short, showed a very important aspect of American ideology. In the president's mind, it was something of America's divine right to intervene and "save and protect" the South Vietnamese people. President Johnson appeals to the public's emotions by claiming that thousands and thousands of men and women are dying because of attacks by revolutionaries motivated by North Vietnam. 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 of 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 withdraws from this war, it will have to fight another day. He explains how these wars, if left alone, will lead to other wars and there is no escaping them. President Johnson first 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. Then he goes on to tell the audience that it's not smart to walk away from this war because it will only lead to more wars. The president also highlights 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, defeat all these evil forces and save the day. When in reality, they end up being the force they are trying to fight. This is quite ironic because it tells people that other countries are out to conquer and that it is America's job to be an ally to help the Vietnamese, but they end up staying in the war in as enemies of the Vietnamese state. The president's goal is to make the American people believe that America must go to war and refuse peace. King, on the other hand, in his excellent speech, sets out all the reasons why the United States should not go further and, of course, withdraw from the war. He appeals to the people by telling them about all the evils happening at home and how the United States of America should focus on what is happening.