History 342

Devine

Study Questions for Hayslip, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

 

 

  1. What was the Vietnam war about? A war for independence, a civil war, a battle within the larger Cold War, a battle for economic resources?  How would your answer depend upon time (1945 vs. 1965) or location (North Vietnam, South Vietnam, or the U.S.)?

 

 

 

  1. What were the objectives of the North Vietnamese government and its supporters?  What were the South Vietnamese objectives? The Americans’ objectives?

 

 

 

  1. What does the book suggest about the Americans’ understanding of Vietnamese culture? 

 

 

 

 

  1. Does the author portray the Americans fairly?  What does she think about America, Americans, and their role in the war?

 

 

 

 

  1. What does Hayslip admire in American culture?  What does she criticize?

 

 

 

 

  1. What did the book teach you about Vietnamese culture? Did Hayslip’s description of Vietnamese culture have any influence on how you perceive the war?

 

 

 

 

  1. How did the war affect society both during and after the fighting?  For example, what were the effects on the Vietnamese people, their economy, cultural values, gender relations, political arrangements, and relations with neighboring countries?

 

 

 

 

  1. How did the war affect the author?  How did her life change?  How and why did her attitude toward the Vietcong change?

 

 

 

  1. Who or what draws especially sharp criticism from Hayslip?  Why do you think she is so critical?

 

 

 

 

  1. How did the Vietcong and the northern leaders change over time? What explains this change?

 

 

 

 

  1. Why was the Vietcong successful while the Americans had difficulty achieving success?

 

 

 

 

  1. Although all factions claimed to represent “the people,” which, if any, came the closest?

 

 

 

 

  1. The author is a woman. How does her gender shape her point of view?

 

 

 

  1. In Hayslip’s account, who are the “good guys” and who are the “bad guys?”  What, if anything, do the answers to these questions reveal about the author’s own biases?

 

 

 

  1. How does Hayslip evaluate the Communist government that took control in Vietnam? What kind of society does she find upon her return?

 

 

 

  1. Why do you think Hayslip wrote this book?  What does she want to tell her readers?