Dodd's Characterizations of the Vietnam War

A detailed Summary of Dodd's Characterizations of the Vietnam War

It is apparent in his essay that Dodd is a devoted citizen and representative of his country. Through his characterizations of Americans, Communists, and Vietnamese in his speech given to the Senate in 1965, his patriotism and love of his country becomes even more clarified. With these three different groups- the Americans, the Communists, and the Vietnamese- Dodd describes the perfect situation of a fairy tale story of any damsel in distress. I do not say this to lessen the extreme significance of the situation in Vietnam, but say it to make his characterizations of the three more clear.

In the fairy tale, there are most often three main characters: the hero, the damsel, and the villain. Firstly, Dodd characterizes Americans as, of course, the heroes. This is evident in several areas of his speech in which he describes America as the symbol of strength, power, wisdom, honesty, wealth and goodness. He begins by exclaiming that even though America is being faced with the debate of negotiating in Vietnam, it is not a signal of weakness. Rather, Dodd says, "It is a testimony to our strength"(810). It is strength because within this debate, America proves itself to be a hero.

The hero is always moral, strong, and willing t

Lastly, Dodd construes the Vietnam as the damsel, unable to fend for herself with the presence of the enemy. When describing the events in Vietnam, Dodd explains that the killing of the Vietnamese is a "massacre of innocents". The Vietnamese are being oppressed, and it is therefore the hero's job to fight for their salvation. "[The Vietnamese] certainly understand the meaning of "freedom" when the word is used to mean independence from foreign rule. They are, in fact, a people with a long and proud history and strong sense of national identity," Dodd explains (819). Dodd believes that the Vietnamese are being robbed of their national liberty, and being oppressed by the Communists. Unable to fend for themselves, therefore, Americans must come to the aid of the Vietnamese.

Dodd characterizes Communism as the evil villain. These peoples he characterizes as cruel, dishonest, inhumane, as well as primitive. This is evident in Dodd's descriptions of the Communist "long war" strategy. This strategy is based upon longevity and persistence in warfare in which other nations that do not practice such perseverance would be forced to surrender over time. This communist strategy, according to Dodd, is the most "cruel test of courage" ever wagered by any pol

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Approximate Word count = 850
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

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