Representation 2 is less comprehensive as it only contains a certain level of information in it compared to representation 1. In representation 2, we only see one form of protest, which is peaceful marching, although, we do see the silent majority represented here in the form of an older man who approaches the protesters and challenges their argument “It’s a dirty war in Vietnam” retorting “name a clean one”. It can be said that representation 2 does not need to be very comprehensive it just needs to satisfy its purpose. It is meant to spark debate and be thought provoking so it is easy to understand why some information are left out leaving the representation open to interpretation.
Representation 3 focuses on particular people or groups such as the government “Uncle Sam”, military generals, parents and “Wall Street” bankers. The artist who created this song has selected details from that era such as Wall Street making money off the war “there’s plenty good money to be made” to suit the message the representation is trying to give. Wanting to voice anti-war sentiment to the nation, provoke debate and criticise people’s views the representation is made one-sided, not telling the whole story and not being as comprehensive as representation 1 or even 2.
In terms of objectivity, representation 1 is non-biased as it uses information backed up with statistics. This is mainly due to the purpose of the representation, which is to inform based on factual detail and not to give out a message meaning the representation is free of Douglas Willoughby’s opinion. However, the text extract does not comment on supporters of the war although this could possibly be referred to in other sections of the book. The representation does mention, “the protest movement was an important factor in the American decision to leave Vietnam and in ending the war itself”. This is an opinion though Douglas Willoughby gives evidence to back up this claim.
Representation 2 being a cartoon fully supports the cartoonist’s anti-war point of view and, by that measure cannot be objective. The purpose of the cartoon is to give out a message and to provoke debate and John Fischetti does this by satirising the anti-war movement and stereotyping the characters. He also makes a conscious decision about what information to include and what to leave out in order to support his point of view and the anti-war message the representation is trying to give out.
Representation 3 puts forward a biased viewpoint supporting only the singer’s point of view. Country Joe the writer of the song was a veteran and like many veterans he opposed the US being in Vietnam and this viewpoint comes across in the representation. The representation employs sarcasm as a means to get across its message of government manipulation whose driving force is money. This subjective viewpoint was meant to appeal to a younger audience – many of whom were a part of the student protest movement.
When it comes to accuracy, representation 1 is very accurate as its statistics and the information given can be backed up by other sources. As an example the mention of Norman Morrison, a Quaker from Baltimore who set himself on fire can be verified, by the Spartacus educational website as all the information prove authentic. It is to be expected because the purpose of this representation is to inform and correct factual detail is needed for that. Moreover, the representation was published in 2001 so there was more opportunity for Douglas Willoughby to research the topic more extensively drawing from multiple sources and with more objectivity.
Representation 2 has accurate aspects such as showing students protesting which was true of the time with the 'Students for a Democratic Society’ (SDS), responsible for the first sizeable anti-Vietnam War demonstration in April 1965, with 25,000 people attending. It is also accurate in its presentation of the silent majority that in this representation was a confrontational old man who supported the war however it contains exaggerated characters that might not correctly reflect their true-life counterparts. The representation gives an accurate idea of satire during the Vietnam War showing how people protested through print media.
Representation 3 is accurate in displaying a form of protest as the song was one of many protest songs about the war at the time and so we know many expressed their opposition to the war through music. It is also reflective of the way people felt because it gained popularity at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in 1969 at a time when protest against the war was growing and only 32%-39% of people still supported the war. While the song does not also focus on those who supported the war it is nevertheless accurate in its depiction of opposition to the war.
In conclusion, with all three of my chosen criteria taken into account I believe the representation that best represents the way in which people in the USA reacted to the Vietnam War is representation 1. The representation was the most comprehensive of the three offering an overview of the movement though it failed to tell a balanced story, representation 2 and 3 were less comprehensive with the authors of those representations selecting details to suit their own message. Representation 1 was also the most objective due to its purpose, which is to inform, on the other hand the other representations were biased due to their purposes, which is to provoke debate and entertain. Finally, representation 1 was undoubtedly the most accurate with information easily verified by other sources whereas the other representations contain inaccuracy.
