Compare and contrast the U.S.s experience in the Vietnam War vs. the War in Afghanistan.
Have a clear argument/thesis-statement and use supportive logic and evidence to support your answer.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
A Comparative Analysis of the U.S. Experience in the Vietnam War vs. the War in Afghanistan
Thesis Statement:
The U.S. experience in the Vietnam War and the War in Afghanistan demonstrates key similarities in terms of protracted conflicts, challenges of counterinsurgency, and geopolitical complexities, while also highlighting significant differences in mission objectives, public support, and outcomes, shaping the legacies of these military interventions.
Similarities
Argument: Both the Vietnam War and the War in Afghanistan share commonalities in terms of prolonged engagements, counterinsurgency efforts, and the complexity of fighting in unfamiliar terrain against elusive adversaries.
Supportive Logic and Evidence:
1. Protracted Conflicts: Both wars were characterized by extended durations, lasting for years with no clear end in sight, leading to public weariness and questions about the efficacy of military interventions.
2. Counterinsurgency Challenges: The U.S. faced difficulties in countering guerrilla warfare tactics employed by Viet Cong insurgents in Vietnam and Taliban forces in Afghanistan, leading to prolonged engagements and high casualty rates.
3. Geopolitical Complexities: Both conflicts involved complex geopolitical dynamics, with the U.S. seeking to contain communist influence in Vietnam during the Cold War and combat terrorism in Afghanistan post-9/11, leading to entanglements with regional powers and non-state actors.
Differences
Argument: Despite these similarities, the U.S. experience in the Vietnam War and the War in Afghanistan diverges in terms of mission objectives, public support, and ultimate outcomes.
Supportive Logic and Evidence:
1. Mission Objectives: In Vietnam, the U.S. aimed to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, while in Afghanistan, the focus was on dismantling terrorist networks like Al-Qaeda and stabilizing the country post-9/11, reflecting different strategic goals and approaches.
2. Public Support: The Vietnam War faced widespread domestic opposition and anti-war protests, contributing to a divisive political climate and eventual U.S. withdrawal, whereas initial support for the War in Afghanistan post-9/11 gradually waned as the conflict dragged on without clear progress.
3. Outcomes: The Vietnam War ended with the fall of Saigon and a communist victory in 1975, leading to a period of reconciliation and normalization, whereas the War in Afghanistan saw a complex withdrawal process in 2021, leaving behind a fragile political situation and questions about long-term stability.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while the U.S. experience in the Vietnam War and the War in Afghanistan shares similarities in terms of prolonged conflicts and counterinsurgency challenges, they differ significantly in mission objectives, public support, and outcomes. These contrasting dynamics highlight the complexities of military interventions and underscore the importance of understanding historical context, strategic goals, and societal factors when analyzing the impact of armed conflicts on a nation’s foreign policy and military engagements.
