The Prompt:
During the 1960s, there grew a large split between those in favor of the war, and those who opposed it. Two of the country’s most influential figures, President Lyndon Johnson and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., used their persuasive power of speech to gain support for battle (LBJ) or suggest an alternative method of peace (MLK) in Vietnam.
After reading/listening to LBJ’s “Speech on Vietnam” and MLK’s “Beyond Vietnam,” determine which speech is more persuasive and why. Within your argument, utilize ONLY elements of persuasion or argumentation within the speeches as the basis of your argument (meaning ONLY items from “The List”.
Do NOT argue based on the speaker’s already established point of view of the war. Keep in mind the context from which you are writing; do not immediately determine your position based on historical knowledge alone. This means – don’t write that MLK’s speech is more persuasive because he was against the war. This is not what is being asked of you. It’s only based on how well or how poorly they argue their point. Being anti-war isn’t on “The List”; therefore, you can not argue that! (I have seen great essays that argue MLK’s is better than LBJ’s & I have seen great essays that say LBJ’s is better than MLK’s – it’s about how well they argue, not how you feel about their stance).
Be sure to present the opposition’s side in order to fully refute that position as well as enhance your own. You are
required
to include a quote from David Farber’s
The Age of Great Dreams
in your essay to set the historical and political tone of America’s growing involvement in and shifting perspective on the Southeast Asian conflict.
