1.	Srovnání Feel Like I´m Fixing to Die Rag a Good Night, Saigon

1.1.	Začátek skladeb

1.2.	Obsah písní

1.3.	Téma války ve Vietnamu, poselství písní

"My task consists in comparing of two various songs, which both deal with the war in Vietnam but each of them does it in a different style. If I consider the style of the music, special effects, that accompany the songs, lyrics and the musical instruments, I must say that I liked the first song better. It is called “Give me an… ”and further in this essay I am going to explain why I prefer this song to the other one.
I must admit that both singers sing very well and they manage to pull you in the song. The second song embodies a weak point though. It starts with a strong special effect. When I heard this, I imagined helicopters flying above the jungle. This meant an impressive beginning to me but after a while it changed into a very slow melody and gradually I got the feeling this song does not differ from the most songs we listen to on the radio every day. Personally I do not like very slow songs. Some exceptions exist but these possess specialty in some of their features, such as an extremely intelligent text or a beautiful voice of the singer. “Good Night, Saigon” does not belong to them. The slow melody relates to the serious lyrics but as I am going to show later, the text cannot be regarded as pathetic as it may seem during the first listening. We may hear an alteration in the melody in the second third of the song when the chorus joins.
On the other hand the first song starts very loudly with exclamations on the singer’s side as well as on the audience’s. The singer cooperates with the people who listen to him by spelling a word. He draws the attention to himself right in the beginning and then thanks to the loud and cheerful melody, we can say a melody you would hear in a fun land, does not let them fall asleep. The melody makes you kick up your heels with the rhythm immediately and hum the refrain that repeats fourth times. This cheerful music hides maybe more complex lyrics than the previous one.
The author of the first song wants us to feel sorry for the soldiers who had to fight in Vietnam. He describes the conditions in which they had to live and the danger that they had to face and which awaited them in the jungle in the highlands. Some people may feel sorry for the men but I do not. If we look at the last sentence of the first paragraph: “And we were so “gung-ho” to lay down our lives!“, we can see that the people joined the army freely and eagerness was driving them into the war. And when the reality contrasted to what they imagined before and when they realized someone could shoot them, then they could blame themselves for not having realized this before they had entered the army. No soldier can expect a pleasant life and if he or she cannot handle the consequences they should not have become soldiers. I do not know how the system in the American army works but when I remember Forrest Gump, the decision to join the army depended on men themselves and no one could force them. If someone let himself to be persuaded and then ended in Vietnam, he could blame no one but himself. I do not agree with the war in Vietnam anyway."