Question

BOOK NAME: Wallace Terry, Bloods (1984)

Remember to always give as many specific examples as possible from the various narratives to support your answers to these questions.

1. What did General Westmoreland mean when he said, “I have an intuitive feeling that the Negro servicemen have a better understanding than whites of what the war is about?” Do you agree with him? Why or why not?

2. According to Wallace Terry, during the early years in Vietnam, “the Armed Forces seemed to represent the most integrated institution in American society.” (p. xiii) How accurate do you find this assessment? Also, in what ways were blacks treated the same as whites in Vietnam? In what ways were they treated differently?

3. Was there any difference based on race in the treatment black soldiers received in the base camps versus what happened to them in the field of battle?

4. How did the attitudes of black soldiers in Vietnam change over time? Give some specific examples for your assessment.

5. What did Gene Woodley mean when he said, “The Bloods is us?” Why would African-American soldiers use that term to describe themselves? Give some specific examples.

6. In what ways did black soldiers, who hoped to come home from Vietnam with more than they had before, in many ways come back home to even less?

7. In what ways did the loyalty of black Vietnam War veterans stand a greater test on the battlefield than did the loyalty of any other American soldier in Vietnam?

8. Why did these men go to Vietnam? What were some of their various motivations? What would you say was their most typical reason, and why?

Answer 1

First question is answered below

1.

Yes, i agree with the given statement.

In general, the blacks have known to be more aware of the war going on because they are the ones who are being suppressed and being denied of their rights. The whites on the other hand are only tormenting the blacks and the general white public is least interested in knowing the war because there life is not being disturbed. It is the black population which is being affected in their routne life and thus they are more aware of the war