Times of Change- Third Set of Readings

What do these two poems and the article say about the impact of the war on the native Vietnamese?



They first two readings convey that the innocent natives were threatened (they were beaten, and, in one instance, purposely and massively murdered) by American forces, and in terms of being pushed around, by the North Vietnamese soldiers. The third reading, shows a method used by natives to expressed their oppostion to the leader, and supports their buddhist beliefs. Obviously the natives lived under constant fear of being attacked is somehow conveyed in all three readings, but only the idea of escaping from the conflict via suicide is revealed in the third.



Can you think of any other ways in which the war will impact the native Vietnamese?

Their homes were probably destroyed, causing them to rebuild their villages. Also, napalm, which was meant to target the enemy, was usually used in the vicinity of native villages, and would burn the skin of unsuspecting, innocent women, children and elders. I'm assuming that the jungle was ripped apart by constant mortar fire and bombing, which, additionally, may have cost the villagers valuable resources (in the case that they used any of the plants in the jungle for medicinal purposes, or a concept of that nature). It's possible that some native Vietnamese became victims to the booby traps meant to harm the American soldiers. Finally, they had to become accustomed to heavy bombings, and find a way to get underground, or, at least, out of the open area.