Crystal Rustami 

Professor Field 

Eng 170-14 

September 8th, 2022 

 

Tony Auth on Vietnam's role in his career as a political ... 

The Consequences of the Vietnam War 

The Vietnam war was fought from 1955 to 1975, and many people had negative feelings against it, and it caused protests all over America. To this day, there are many veterans who are alive and dealing with the war, 53 years after it ended. This cartoon shows that while most Americans have moved on from the Vietnam war and shifted their focus towards other issues, veterans are still struggling and dealing with the post war consequences. 

The lack of any dialogue exchanged between characters makes the message behind the cartoon much more impactful. There is a clear disconnect, a division, between the veteran and the rest of the crowd in the image. This division is so clear that the artist didn’t feel the need to add any dialogue in order to shed light on the issue he was addressing. When looking at the image, the viewer is able to feel a sense of isolation, similar to that of what many US veterans face. The loneliness depicted in the cartoon is meant to appeal to the emotions of the viewers, in an attempt for us to sympathize with US veterans and the lack of support they receive from the government. 

The artist of this cartoon is trying to highlight the neglect Vietnam war veterans have had to endure over the years. The difference in height between the veteran in the wheelchair and the rest of the crowd is an immediate detail that viewers notice. On top of that, the people of the crowd are waving their American flags, smiles on their faces, oblivious to the man behind them. The man is unable to take part in what everybody else is celebrating and is only able to see the back of everybody else’s bodies. These small details subtly communicate to the viewer what stance the artist is trying to take. The artist is making a point about the neglect Vietnam and other US war veterans face, and how most of them are sent to war against their wills yet receive little to no compensation once they return. It is possible to take this even further and argue that not only is the artist standing up for US veterans, but he is also taking an anti-war stance as well. The American government has consistently, since the declaration of the United States as a sovereign nation, done everything in its power to promote the glory of our country. This even means sending American citizens into a war (with no choice) that has no true meaning behind it, only to strengthen America’s position as a world superpower.  

The flags in the cartoon are meant to describe how eager many Americans are to celebrate America’s strength, even if it meant drafting millions of men into a war. People are quick to give their support for America’s “glory”, but they are also quick to forget the innocent people who are forced to fight for it. During the years when young men were being drafted and sent to Vietnam, America was divided. Some thought the war in Vietnam was justified, that it was necessary for America to use its military power to prevent the spread of communism. Others believed that the war was completely unnecessary, that people were getting drafted just to be sent to their death. Protests broke out during this time, especially amongst younger generations. Some resorted to burning their draft cards, faking illnesses, or moving to a different country. It is even more disheartening to think about how the war in Vietnam did not even end with a success on either side, just hundreds of thousands of soldiers who lost their lives.  

What the artist of this cartoon is trying to communicate to the viewers is that oftentimes we forget to acknowledge how difficult it is for veterans to participate in society after they have returned from war. The war in Vietnam is an extreme example of this because it was an unjust war in the first place, and it made it even more difficult for the soldiers to receive little to no help from the government once they returned. This cartoon reminds that while American’s may feel proud of the glory and power of their country, it is important to not forget about the innocent civilians who put their lives on the line because of our government.  

REFLECTION:

As I was working on my first draft for the inferential analysis essay, I made sure to pick a topic I was pretty interested in, so that getting started on it would be relatively easy. I also first looked at the cartoon and then bullet pointed all the things I noticed about it that I could incorporate into my essay. For my second draft, I changed the structure of my essay a bit because after the peer review, I realized it was sort of disorganized. I also added more evidence throughout the essay, because I realized that was something I was lacking. On top of that, I added more analysis of the cartoon, because I had realized that in my essay, I started to write about the event the cartoon was about too much, not just the cartoon itself. I think my second draft was much more organized and in depth. I also tried to connect my ideas back to my thesis throughout the essay for my second draft. If I could do it again, I wouldn’t rush through my first draft as quickly as I did the first time. 

Tony Auth on Vietnam’s role in his career as a political cartoonist