Marvin Gaye What's Going On Analysis

Marvin Gaye composed “What's Going In”, along with fellow Motown songwriters, Al Cleveland and Renaldo "Obie" B Jenson. This song was released May 21, 1971 by Motown Records. Gaye was overwhelmed by the stories his brother, Frankie Gaye, was telling him about the tragedies he witnessed while serving in the Vietnam War. His song was more of questioning why these "tragedies" were occurring and basically stating we should love more and battle less. Gaye's lyrics proclaim, "picket lines picket signs, don't punish me with brutality," which is the American people protesting the Vietnam War and being against U.S. involvement in this war. Gaye feels as though we need more love and less war to solve this issue. He is seeking peace and happiness for all mankind.

The Vietnam War in the late 1960’s was described as a tragedy, a victory, a win, and a loss, but for whom? The millions of people who loss their lives or the millions of people who fought to save others or is it for the millions of people who had to make that decision every time that they were in battle, but as for Richard Perry, a seventeen-year-old, African American just out of a Harlem High School, had to ask that question solely to himself. Perry, a talented and bright young man put away his dreams of college and becoming a writer because of the unfortunate circumstance he is in. He lives in poverty in the slums of Harlem. His single mother is abandoned by her husband and this leaves Perry and his younger brother Kenny without a father

In the 1960s, America found itself divided among various social matters. Conformity, civil rights, and the Vietnam war. While the older generations viewed fighting in the war as a civic duty and a true testament to what it meant to be an “American”, the counterculture did not share this belief. Regardless of how anyone felt about the war, it had escalated to epic proportions and as one citizen put it, “It was on our mind every single hour of the day” (PBS CITE). Vietnam was the first war ever to be televised, and with that came constant coverage and a growing concern from young Americans. In addition, the military draft made matters worse by forced the youth America to fight. “By 1968, the war in Vietnam had claimed over 15,000 American lives”(CITE PBS). Between the draft and the growing American casualties, greater tension in the US was created. Young Americans had to ask themselves if the war was worth fighting.

The Vietnam War was a controversial conflict that plagued the United States for many years. The loss of life caused by the war was devastating. For those who came back alive, their lives were profoundly changed. The impact the war had on servicemen would affect them for the rest of their lives; each soldier may have only played one small part in the war, but the war played a huge part in their lives. They went in feeling one way, and came home feeling completely different. In the book Vietnam Perkasie, W.D. Ehrhart describes his change from a proud young American Marine to a man filled with immense confusion, anger, and guilt over the atrocities he witnessed and participated in during the war.

We still feel the ripples of the war today, with men and women broken from the war in Vietnam. Our veterans, still haunted by horrid flashbacks and memories no one should have to carry. Lives were stolen in this war, leaving only behind an empty shell of a person that would come home in a body bag if you were lucky. Families lost their sons, fathers, and brothers. Our nation was wounded, and that wound still hasn’t fully healed. As time heals all wounds, we know that eventually we’ll be able to put Vietnam’s horrors behind us, and hopefully we’ll be able to look forward to a brighter future, upholding freedom and liberty for the pursuit of

When O?Brien is shot and calls for Bobby Jorgenson to come to his aid, he realizes that Jorgenson is too afraid to help his fellow soldiers out. O?Brien writes that he then felt a deep hatred for Jorgenson and wants to get him back. On the brink of a maniacal outburst against the new medic, O?Brien writes, ?I?d come to this war a quiet, thoughtful sort of person?, but after seven months in the bush I realized that those high, civilized trappings had somehow been crushed under the weight of the simple daily realities. I?d turned mean inside? (200). Here, O?Brien conveys to the reader that Vietnam had taken over nearly his entire body and personality, causing him to transform into an unrelenting, savage being. O?Brien learned that wars can change people, as the Vietnam War changed him. When Mark Fossie realizes that Mary Anne, along with the six Green Berets, has gone off into the jungles the previous night, he learns that the Vietnam War is a merciless trap that can take anybody or anything and transform it into something unrecognizable. He learns that the war has the power to completely change even somebody like his sweet girlfriend, Mary Anne. This insight causes Fossie to feel sorrow. ?The grief took (Fossie) by the throat and squeezed and would not let go? (105).

The DJ Hanoi Hannah says things to remind the soldiers of home. She taunts them with the things that the black soldiers frequently thought about such as “You’re dead as King today as Memphis” (line 2-3). The death of Dr. Martin Luther King was a touchy subject for the African American soldiers. A black sergeant granted a white soldier a physical lesson when he overheard him protesting King’s image constantly being on TV (Maycock).She mentioned things that would remind them of their communities back home. The soldiers surely missed their families. “It’s Saturday night in the States. / Guess what your woman’s doing tonight. / I think I’ll let Tina Turner / tell you, you homesick GIs” (14-17). The reminder of the fact that it was a constant struggle to stay alive is indicated in the lines, “You know you’re dead men, / don’t you? You’re dead / as King today in Memphis. / Boys, you’re surrounded by / General Tran Do’s division” (20-24). The African American soldiers are disheartened because they have more to deal with besides the mental, emotional and physical stress of the war. Other issues include racism, segregation, and inequality. Instead of encouraging the black soldiers, DJ Hannah reminds them that their fight in this war is even harder because they are black. “Her knife –edge song cuts / deep as sniper’s bullet” (25-26).Why are the black soldiers fighting? This is not a black man’s war but a white

This is talking about the bravery of the soldiers and how they were the best of the best who will fight for the oppressed. It starts to go into a story. A wife is at home waiting for her husband to return home, but he sadly dies defending the people who are oppressed. His last wish is to make his son the best of the best Green Beret. “Her Green Beret has met his fate. He has died for those oppressed,” is an important lyric to the song because it means the soldier died for the persecuted. “Leaving her his last request. Put silver wings on my son's chest. Make him one of America's best,” is a key part to the story because the man who died wants his son to be great and wants him to go to war too. This song is pro-war because the writer is proud of the Green Berets bravery and honors them very much. It makes people have gratitude for the soldiers and for the soldiers to have pride in themselves for defending a

Because of the recentness of the Vietnam War, those who have lived through it can give testament to the time period and the emotions of the war from their first hand perspective. The Vietnam War spanned a time period of growth in fashion, music, spirituality, and human rights. But, the fear, animosity, and long term mental issues that stemmed from the war have affected all of those, in the service or otherwise, that lived from November 1st, 1955-April 30th,

Tim O’Brien spoke to the Lovett Upper School in a very grim and upfront manner, careful to not “sugarcoat” any of the harsh realities from the War, which veterans have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. In a sense, O’Brien’s rash visualization of his brutal war stories was a necessary evil in explaining the war to a group of uninformed individuals. He spoke to show the confusion of the war, sharing many stories of despair and triumph in the jungles and fields of Vietnam. In many ways, the student body represents what was at the time of the war the American civilian population. While draftees were thrown into battle, the people in the United States were oblivious to the treacherous nature of combat. There seemingly was no preparation for a

The Vietnam war had its controversy. Many families were getting split apart. Left and right, people were getting taken away from their loved ones. Hundreds or maybe even thousands of people died during the war. The stories “On the Rainy River” and “John Strickland: Draft Dodger” both represent the controversy during the Vietnam War. Both Tim O'Brien and John Strickland had to leave their loved ones because they got drafted. Tim O'Brien went to the war and hated himself for that, while John Strickland escaped to Canada. In ”On the Rainy River” and “John Strickland: Draft Dodger” Tim O'Brien and John Strickland both demonstrate the similarities between their perspectives on the Vietnam War.

The Vietnam war left around 11% of American soldiers with PTSD. Many Vietnam veterans see doctors for medicine to control their PTSD. Medicine helps some veterans live longer, but today twenty-two virtuosos commit suicide everyday. An example is from The They Carried by Tim O’Brien; page 155 the first paragraph of the chapter, “Notes”. On the other hand, the song, “Goodnight Saigon” by Billie Joel, does not have any indication of what happens after the war. This essay will be comparing and contrasting Tim O’Brien’s book and Billie Joel’s song.

I agree with the statement, the best popular musicians treat social and political issues in their song. Macklemore, one of the most famous hip-hop/rap artist’s in the game right now has just come out with a song called White Privilege II fighting for the social issues of black rights. This song speaks out and supports the Black LED organization and anti-racist education & discourse. In the first verse of the song Macklemore says, “No justice, no peace," okay, I'm saying that

Marvin Gaye’s first hit “What’s Going On?” makes use of symbolism in his general topic covering the agonizing conditions of the everlasting matter

It can be hard to fully comprehend the effects the Vietnam War had on not just the veterans, but the nation as a whole. The violent battles and acts of war became all too common during the long years of the conflict. The war warped the soldiers and civilians characters and desensitized their mentalities to the cruelty seen on the battlefield. Bao Ninh and Tim O’Brien, both veterans of the war, narrate their experiences of the war and use the loss of love as a metaphor for the detrimental effects of the years of fighting.