The 1960s is an era when the Americans fought wars both on foreign lands and homelands. In Vietnam, the US army was sent to contain the communist party in the North; in America, many African Africans stood up to fight a war for their deserved rights. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. utilizes spark contrasts, personal experiences, and collective identity to substantiate his argument that Vietnam War should be stopped for its violent nature.
In the passage, the author introduces a contrast between the racial problems in the United States and the conditions of African Americans fighting in Vietnam to support his argument that America should solve its own problem before infringing other nations with violence. As Dr. King portrays, when it was said that black and white American soldiers fought together in Vietnam for the liberty and democracy of Vietnamese people, the African Americans in their homeland did not enjoy such liberty and democracy because of severe racial segregation and discrimination. By putting forth such a contrasts, Dr. King points out the irony of the US involvement in Vietnam in the name of liberty and arouses a sense of absurdity and even anger among the readers. Such a contrast significantly highlights the unjust nature of US military operations in Vietnam, making it difficult for the audience to disagree with the author. Therefore, the readers, white or black, will reflect on the true meaning of the war and refocus on the domestic racial problems.
On top of that, the author shares one of his personal experiences in the ghettoes of the north to strengthen his argument that violence in Vietnam must not continue. According to the author, when he tried to spread his idea of making social progress peacefully among the youth in the ghettos of the North, the young men there reminded him that the oppressive government itself is using violence to "bring change" to Vietnam. The implied warning is that if the US military operations continue in Vietnam, the oppressed people in the homeland will fight violently for their deserved rights. By presenting such an astonishing personal story, Dr. King makes the issue more relatable to the readers so that they can as well realize the dangerous interconnection between violence in foreign lands and in the homeland. Describing such a grave consequence, the story creates a sense of fear and urgency among the audience, compelling them to agree with the author's reasoning. Moreover, since the described story is a first-handed experience that the readers may not have, it lends credibility to the author and makes his argumentation more convincing.
Throughout the passage, the author endeavors to create a collective identity to enhance his argument that as Americans who believe in liberty and democracy, the people should join the force of opposing US involvement in Vietnam War for it is unjust and oppressive. As Dr. King frequently uses the collective pronoun "we", he establishes a common ground between the readers and himself. Therefore, he underscores that he represents the interests of American people, lending credibility to his argumentation. Also, he quotes the motto of his early activist group, that "To save the soul of America." By doing so, Dr. King is able to stir the patriotism among his audience and make the readers more inclined to agree that America is endangered by the violence in Vietnam so that all US military involvements must be stopped.
As Dr. King again warns in the end of the passage, the true spirit of America will be doomed to fall if the violence in Vietnam continues any longer. His effective use of compelling contrasts, detailed personal experience, and collective identity of Americans all contribute to making his argument more convincing and appealing to the readers