The excerpt from "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" is about events that took place during the 1960s. Although entertaining, do you think Goines's narrative essay is relevant to readers today? What points does Goines make that would have an impact on today's youth? In a paragraph of at least two hundred words, answer these questions. Support your answers by describing main ideas or details that Goines uses in his essay. Then clearly show why his points are or are not relevant in present times.

Goines's narrative essay is relevant to readers today because its pacifist (anti-war) message, even though inspired by the Vietnam war, is a universal humanist statement.

Explanation:

Admittedly, today's youth may not be very interested in the particularities of the Vietnam war. However, they could very well relate to civil disobedience, social injustices, as well as the humorous and sarcastic tone that Goines employs when he recounts his resistance to the political establishment. For example, Goines's witty account of tampering with the bureaucracy to delay his conscription for as long as it takes for them to lose his file could be very appealing to today's young rebels at heart. Today, when there are no drafts, young people could have a hard time trying to understand the political intricacies of the 1960s and early 1970s. Still, the urge to resist war, especially when it comes at a cost so great that even the young have to pay it, still exists. This chapter is also relevant because it could help the young reassess or even redefine their definition of patriotism: am I a greater patriot if I go to fight in a war on behalf of my country or if I resist its unreasonable foreign and domestic policies?