The Vietnam War originally was a civil war between the Southern and the Northern part of Vietnam. The USA started being involved in 1954. They tried to support South Vietnam. The Vietnam War ended in 1975, when the communist troops invaded the South Vietnamese city Saigon, the last American soldiers fled and Saigon capitulated without any conditions. The American aim of the war was to combat communism, as the Northern part of Vietnam was communistic. The US government feared more Asian states would fall to communism and similar battles would break out between the states (like the civil war between the two Vietnamese states); if they lost the war in Vietnam, this was called the Domino theory. During the Vietnam War about 7 Million tons of bombs were dropped and other devastations were caused by herbicides, like Agent Orange. During the Vietnam War about 55000 (concrete number below) American soldiers died, half of them weren′t even 21 years old; many of them were blacks and/ or children of a working-class- family. All in all the Vietnam War cost 2,5 Million lives, 90% were civilians of South Vietnam, people that were to be protected by the US soldiers.
But not only men were in Country, "The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs knows exactly how many men served in Vietnam (2,594,200) and how many were killed in action (58,188). It can furnish all kinds of stats about those soldiers, like the percentage of men who worked in supply (between 60 and 70 percent) as opposed to combat (30 to 40 percent). But ask about the women who served in Vietnam -- women other than nurses -- and the numbers disappear. The records are muddled, they say; the files don′t work that way. Yes, the armed forces sent women to Vietnam, but an official record of their presence there doesn′t really exist. At least 1,200 female soldiers were stationed in Vietnam in various branches of the military as photojournalists, clerks, typists, intelligence officers, translators, flight controllers, even band leaders. They served prominently in Saigon, in the Mekong Delta and at Long Binh, which was, for a time, the largest Army headquarters in the world. They could not fight, nor were they allowed to carry weapons to defend themselves. Most were part of the pioneering Women′s Army Corps (WAC), created in 1942 to integrate the armed forces. All of them enlisted for service in Vietnam, mostly in the early part of the war. Like a lot of Vietnam veterans, these women have been dogged by their experiences in country; unlike many veterans, they do not feel officially recognized and have been reluctant to seek help. Some have been plagued by symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome and exposure to chemicals. Others have harbored the fact of their service like a shameful secret." (Bunn) "Women served in Vietnam in many support staff assignments, in hospitals, crewed on medical evacuation flights, with MASH Units, hospital ships, operations groups, information offices, service clubs, headquarters offices, and numerous other clerical, medical, intelligence and personnel positions.
Table of Contents
1. ‘Hello David’ introductory poem by Dusty
2. The Vietnam War
2.1. General Aspects
2.2. Women
3. Literary Approaches
3.1. Poetry
3.1. 1. Dusty
3.1.1.1..Dusty Herself
3.1.1.2. Her poem ‘Like Emily Dickinson’
3.1.2.Emily
3.1.2.1.Emily Herself
3.1.2.2.Her poem ‘kenny’
3.2. Short Stories
3.2.1. Dusty ‘Welcome Home I’
4. Bibliography
4.1. Books
4.2. Online Sources
5. Additional Texts for reading
5.1. ‘Please forgive me’
5.2. ‘Playing Games’
Research Objectives and Key Themes
This paper examines the experiences and literary expressions of women who served in the Vietnam War, focusing on how poetry and narrative fiction served as mechanisms for coping with postwar trauma, identity loss, and the difficulty of reintegrating into civilian life.
- The role and challenges faced by women serving in Vietnam (nurses, Donut Dollies).
- Literary analysis of poems and short stories written by female Vietnam veterans.
- The use of stylistic rhetorical figures to articulate physical and psychological trauma.
- The clash between personal war memories and the expectations of home and family.
- The function of literature as a medium for finding one's identity after the war.
Excerpt from the Book
Welcome Home I ~Dusty
As I wobbled down the Jetway in my unaccustomed pumps, my stateside stockings scraping my thighs, I longed for the crumpled green fatigues and combat boots that had been my constant companions for a year. I was daydreaming of going back to my hooch and hopping into some off-duty shorts when--oh, my!--the little brothers had grown taller than I during my tour in Vietnam; the sisters were sporting gaps where front teeth had been; my mother, beginning to grey, was smiling; my father stared shyly at the ground. I had survived! I was home! I was happy.
During the two-hour ride to our family's house, high-volume cross-talk ricocheted throughout the car. I: My departure from Vietnam had been delayed for hours by incoming. They: The high school track team was probably going to win district. I: wondered whether the last casualty I had treated, a triple amp, was still alive, or whether his body had accompanied me back to the World. They: My youngest sister had received my homemade valentine in time for her first-grade Valentine's Day party. I: No, the brown on my fingernails wasn't tobacco stain; it was bloodstain.
As the miles passed, the familiar sights, sounds, and smells of home squabbled in my mind with the Technicolor reality of the war I had just left. Disoriented, I thought fleetingly that my freedom bird must have landed on the wrong planet. Maybe I was caught in a Rod Serling script. Sitting in the car surrounded by the family I had ached for, I became claustrophobic. I didn't recognize them. They didn't recognize me. I didn't recognize myself.
Summary of Chapters
1. ‘Hello David’ introductory poem by Dusty: Sets the thematic tone for the entire work through a poignant poem about a nurse’s experience caring for dying soldiers.
2. The Vietnam War: Provides a historical overview of the conflict and highlights the largely undocumented presence and struggles of women who served in the region.
3. Literary Approaches: Offers an in-depth analysis of poems and short stories by Dusty and Emily, exploring how they use language to process their war experiences.
4. Bibliography: Lists the academic books and online sources used for researching the historical context and the literature discussed in the paper.
5. Additional Texts for reading: Provides primary source materials, including poems and short stories, which serve as the foundation for the preceding literary analysis.
Keywords
Vietnam War, Women veterans, Military nurses, Donut Dollies, Post-war trauma, Poetry analysis, Short stories, Identity, Reintegration, Psychological effects, Narrative, Coping mechanisms, Autobiographical fiction, War literature, Veteran experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research?
The research focuses on the experiences of women who served in Vietnam and how they utilized literature, specifically poetry and short stories, to express and manage their war-related psychological trauma and identity struggles.
What are the core themes explored in the text?
Key themes include the invisibility of women in military records, the psychological dichotomy of returning from war to an "ignorant" home environment, and the use of stylistic devices to mask or reveal traumatic memories.
What is the primary objective of the author?
The objective is to validate the literary voices of female Vietnam veterans and demonstrate how their creative works offer a deeply personal and necessary perspective on the war, distinct from male-dominated accounts.
Which methodology is used to conduct this study?
The author employs literary analysis and close reading of poems and short stories written by women who were in Vietnam, contrasting their personal narratives with historical accounts and broader cultural understandings of the war.
What topics are covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body examines historical background, the specific roles of nurses and Donut Dollies, the literary works of Dusty and Emily, and the critical comparison between these women and famous writers like Emily Dickinson.
What are the primary keywords that characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as female veterans, Vietnam War literature, trauma, psychological coping, personal narrative, and identity formation.
How does the author characterize the role of the "Donut Dollies"?
The text describes Donut Dollies as Red Cross recreation workers tasked with providing a "touch of home" and maintaining soldier morale in combat zones, often while masking their own awareness of the war's grim reality.
What significance does the poem "Like Emily Dickinson" hold in the analysis?
The poem serves as a critical case study showing how the narrator, Dusty, uses specific rhetorical figures and stylistic structures to articulate the hidden, psychological burden of her war service and her desire to "tuck away" painful memories.
- Quote paper
- Désiré Arnold (Author), 2003, Women in country and their literature after the Vietnam War, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/22513
