Hearts and Minds

A detailed Summary of Hearts and Minds

Most people, without giving the subject much thought, would say that the key elements and dynamics in American culture are very simple. Americans value life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as stated in our Declaration of Independence, as well as a strong sense of pride in our way of life. The rest of the "rules" of our society are based on those truths. People who watch the documentary Hearts and Minds might begin to see things in a different light. By examining the debacle that was Vietnam, with almost a "tongue in cheek" aura about it, people will notice the obvious contradictions many American leaders were guilty of. Instead of seeing the high value we put on life, they will see the great extents our leaders went to take it; instead of liberty they will see their efforts to rob others of their own; instead of the strong sense of pride, they may notice that it not only borders on ethnocentricity, but crosses that line and does not look back.

The contradictions are made evident almost from the onset of the film. The comparison between the Vietnamese quest for independence is strikingly similar to our own. They put everything on the line to fight the greatest army in the world, as we did against the British. Fami

While the above comments and events are true, they are far from as simple as the flim Hearts and Minds makes them out to be. This was propaganda, and the view one is given is a slanted. By selecting certain segments of a clip or interview to present, the filmmaker can control what they want the viewer to see. By doing so, it is easy to persuade someone to one side or another. While this does tell a story, it does not tell the whole story. Watching this would be like reading half a book and being left to make assumptions about what happened in the half left unread. By showing all that was wrong with what the United States and its leaders did, and conveniently omitting anything and everything that the Vietnamese did, they present a prejudiced story.

The final piece of irony is the fight shown at the end of the movie. During a parade for veterans of Vietnam, the veterans themselves were they protesting the war. Words were exchanged and some of the people marching in the parade ended up in a brawl with those vets protesting it. It just proved how out of touch America was with this entire war. And to prove it, they gave the vets a parade, when what they really wanted were jobs.

The starkest contradiction the film slaps viewers with takes place when General Westmoreland is being interviewed. He makes a statement to the effect of "The Orientals don't put as high a price on life as us." The next image is one of children with burnt skin hanging off their bodies from napalm. Throughout the film, pictures of dead babies, prisoners being beaten, interviews with locals telling of the death of their entire families, and the slow death of their children from Agent Orange, berate the viewer. Most could not watch

Some common words found in the essay are:
Hearts Minds, Lt Coker, Armed Forces, Chi Minh, Agent Orange, , British Families, Vietnam Americans, Declaration Independence, Vietnamese People, value life, sense pride, hearts minds, tell story, strong sense pride, strong sense,

Approximate Word count = 1164
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History