Imagine being a twenty- one year old undergraduate girl and winning one of the most important design competitions ever held with a prize of 20,000 dollars. “Always to Remember: The Vision of Maya Ying Lin” is a two part title where each word was chosen carefully by the author, Brent Ashabranner. When soldiers were returned from the Vietnam War, they were being treated awfully. Most soldiers were never honored for serving in the war since many people opposed the war, and some were even spit on. Jan Scruggs, a Vietnam veteran, held a national design competition for a Vietnam War Veterans Memorial. Maya Ying Lin was the winner of the competition and designed and built a memorial in memory of all veterans. “Always to Remember: The Vision …show more content…
The text states that, “The memorial...would have to show the names of every man and woman killed during of missing in the war.” All 58,000 U.S servicemen and women who have been killed or have gone missing in the Vietnam War deserve to be honored by having all their names engraved in the memorial. When soldiers came home from the war, nobody respected them for what they did not have a choice to do. This evidence suggests that the author wanted everyone who was part of the Vietnam War to be recognized and didn’t want anyone to be forgotten. Furthermore, the author chose these words for the title in memory of all United States soldiers killed and missing.
The second part of the title, “The Vision of Maya Ying Lin”, is a very literal title chosen by the author. Maya Lin was at the site where the memorial was to be built when she planned out her design of the memorial. Maya Lin verbalized, “I just sort of visualized it. It just popped into my head.” Maya Ying Lin visualized the design; it was her vision of the memorial. The title, “The Vision of Maya Ying Lin”, are her ideas and thoughts of the design that would be expressed throughout her actual
Many soldiers who come back from the war need to express how they feel. Many do it in the way of writing. Many soldiers die in war, but the ones who come back are just as “dead.” Many cadets come back with shell shock, amputated arms and legs, and sometimes even their friends aren’t there with them. So during World War I, there was a burst of new art and writings come from the soldiers. Many express in the way of books, poems, short stories and art itself. Most soldiers are just trying to escape. A lot of these soldiers are trying to show what war is really like, and people respond. They finally might think war might not be the answer. This is why writers use imagery, irony and structure to protest war.
Brian Turner's "The Hurt Locker" captures his personal and painful experiences during his time spent in war and furthermore, express the tragic events he witnessed. Brian Turner's poem is miraculously able to gather multiple first hand accounts of tragic, gory, and devastating moments inside a war zone and project them on to a piece of paper for all to read. He allows the audience of his work to partially understand what hell he himself and all combat veterans have endured. Although heartbreaking, it is a privilege to be taken inside "The Hurt Locker" of a man who saw too many things that should not ever be witnessed by anybody. Turner's words bring to life what many have buried deep inside them which subsequently is one of the major underlying problems facing combat veterans today. Reading this poem, I could not help but wonder what the long term effects of war are on a human being, if it is worth the pain, and how does a combat veteran function properly in a society that is unfamiliar with their experiences?
The poem's persona and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall depend on each other to express the poem's intention. The poem's intention is to show that war is lethal, less than gloriful, and extremely real. Although years have gone by, these recollections are still affecting how he lives. Simply standing in front of the wall reminds the speaker of all of this. The Veterans Memorial takes on a life of its own. While the speaker is in its presense, the wall controls him. It forces him to remember painful memories and even cry, something he promised himself he would not do. The persona in the poem reacts to the power the wall has and realizes that he must face his past and everything related to it, especially Vietnam.
The everyday bystander would not perceive the work of art the same as a veteran or loved ones of a veteran would. In a particular instance a woman, Kathleen Cronan Wyosnick, wrote a very heartfelt letter to Abigail VanBuren [Abby] who was the first honorary member elected to the Korean War Veterans Association and previously a newspaper columnist. On November 11th, 1988 Wyosnick wrote to VanBuren pleading to consider a special group of men and women who fought in the Korean War, which is better known as the “forgotten war”. Wyosnick described in her letter how she was a former Air Force nurse who had lost her husband in the Korean War, she wrote about how the war is described in nothing more than a few paragraphs in text books. She said the only media reminder to the public of the war is a television show “M*A*S*H”. Just eight months after they got married her husband was shot down in North Korea on his first combat mission, and she never had him returned to her. She asked where the reminder of those who gave their lives in Korea was. She also asked what the Korean War Veterans Association will do to ensure that the people who lost their lives are not forgotten. The response by Abby to the letter was a sending of the check and the publishing of Wyosnick’s letter. The American Battle Monuments Commission received more than 27,000 donations totaling
...of the struggle over how the war would be remembered. Blanketed by the discourse of disability, the struggle over the memory of veterans and the country alike would be waged with such obliquity as to surpass even the most veiled operations of Nixon’s minions. While Nixon’s plumbers were wrenching together the Gainesville case against VVAW in the spring of 1972, mental health and news-media professionals were cobbling together the figure of the mentally incapacitated Vietnam veteran. More than any other, this image is the one that would stick in the minds of the American people. The psychologically damaged veteran raised a question that demanded an answer: what happened to our boys that was so traumatic that they were never the same again? As it came to be told, the story of what happened to them had less to do with the war itself than with the war against the war.
The memories of an individual will give shape to their own identity and how they are able to perceive the world around them; memories allow an individual to look back at where they were and where they are now and to see the contrast of their current life. In the text “Ru”, Kim Thúy, the narrator, finds herself looking back at her memories of her life and dreaming for more. When she arrives at Mirabel airport in Quebec, she is awestruck by the peace and beauty of it compared to her past in in the refugee camps of Malaysia and war torn Vietnam. Throughout her visit, she is able to dream of her future outside of her bleak memories of her past, and imagine a future without the constant strife of living in a post war life. Kim is able to use her memories to shape who she wants to be and allows her to truly admire where she is and where she wants to go, setting a path for her to follow throughout life. In the text, “Ru”, Kim Thúy uses her own past and memories to demonstrate the idea that an individual's memories will shape who they are and show them a life they want to live, whether it is a memory they want to revisit or a memory in which they wish to leave behind. Kim’s present is influenced greatly by her past and allows her to appreciate the little things all that much
The memorial grew out of a need to heal the nation's wounds as America struggled to reconcile different moral and political points of view. In fact, the memorial was conceived and designed to make no political statement whatsoever about the war. The Memorial is a place where everyone, regardless of opinion, can come together and remember and honor those who served. By doing so, the memorial has paved the way towards reconciliation and healing, a process that continues today.
Many New Yorkers believe that the waiting period of a year was not enough time for the American citizens to grieve and rebuild their lives. This allows us to conclude that there is a respectable amount of time needed for healing of the mourners and respect of the dead before creating a memorable monument. Fischl’s Tumbling Woman is possibly one of the most scrutinized pieces of artwork surround 9/11 because of its release date on the first anniversary of 9/11. Many other artists and American citizens created sanctum like memorials with pictures and candles. These representations of 9/11 did not receive scrutiny like the Tumbling Woman monument, which leads me to believe that the timing of the release of the monument may not have lead to the scrutiny of the
...rian thought, although if it was looked upon as Sgt. Miller did it the movie, the thought could also defend it. It could be argued that the number of men lost during battle was to save 10 or 20 times as many. In war, our armed forces also defend Deontology because it is a foundational duty and character is displayed through actions. The morality of our actions is based upon whether that action itself is right or wrong, rather than centered on the consequences of the actions. The movie carries the thought that American should lead morally standing, socially respectable lives to earn the freedom that our soldiers in battle have paid for with their lives. Hence the veteran at the gravesite in the beginning of the movie is Private James Ryan. He speaks to the grave of Captain John Miller saying he has fervently tried to “earn” his rescue by the captain and his men.
Tragic events occur not only in the United States, but also all over the world. From these tragic events communities, families, and the government decide to place memorials for people that were lost and as a thank you for people protecting the citizens of the country. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, The Wall, in Washington D.C. is one of these cases. However, what exactly was the purpose of this memorial? The purpose of putting up the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was not only to thank the veterans for their bravery, but to remind future generations about happened during the Vietnam War. Also, the memorial is important to help people and the veterans to accept the fact that the war actually
The first Unknown Soldier’s corpse was from a battlefield in France. His remains were then put into a casket and sent to America. On the day of the tomb’s opening there was a large celebration that many attended to show reverence to the unknown, and to other men that died in battle. In America the soldier’s casket was followed by a large parade of military men to his resting place on top of a hill at the Arlington National Cemetery. In the video, US Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the narrator says, “In the amphitheatre of the Arlington Cemetery President Harding delivered a speech about the tomb. He then placed a congressional medal on the casket.” In this short video you can see the grief on all the civilians’ faces. This ceremony was a special part of America’s history. People were beginning to realize how real war was. People saw first hand that soldiers were putting their lives on the line for the sake of the U.S. citizens’ freedom. There were many soldiers to choose from to put into the tomb from each war. People who were high up in the military
The poem, “Remember”, by Joy Harjo illuminates the significance of different aspects in one’s life towards creating one’s own identity. Harjo, explains how everything in the world is connected in some way. She conveys how every person is different and has their own identities. However, she also portrays the similarities among people and how common characteristics of the world impact humans and their identities. Harjo describes the interconnectedness of different aspects of nature and one’s life in order to convey their significance in creating one’s identity.
There is also the second half to interpret; “The Vision of Maya Ying Lin.” Quoted from the passage, Maya Ying Lin says in an interview, “I sorta just visualized it.” With it being the memorial, this clearly shows the first part of the second half of the title; “The Vision.” The memorial was first just a visualization. “When I looked at the site I just knew I wanted something horizontal that you took in, that made you feel safe within the park, yet at the same time reminded you of the dead. So I just imagined opening up the Earth,” Maya Ying Lin continues. For the second part, it says in the text, “The creator #1026 was a twenty-one year old student at Yale. Her name - unknown as yet in any field of art or architecture - was Maya Ying Lin. Maya Ying Lin, being pretty much the main focus, had to have her name in the title. The “Maya Ying Lin” part of the title comes from the one that won the Vietnam Memorial contest - Creator #1026 - Maya Ying
War is cruel. The Vietnam War, which lasted for 21 years from 1954 to 1975, was a horrific and tragic event in human history. The Second World War was as frightening and tragic even though it lasted for only 6 years from 1939 to 1945 comparing with the longer-lasting war in Vietnam. During both wars, thousands of millions of soldiers and civilians had been killed. Especially during the Second World War, numerous innocent people were sent into concentration camps, or some places as internment camps for no specific reasons told. Some of these people came out sound after the war, but others were never heard of again. After both wars, people that were alive experienced not only the physical damages, but also the psychic trauma by seeing the deaths and injuries of family members, friends or even just strangers. In the short story “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” by Bao Ninh about the Vietnam War, and the documentary film Barbed Wire and Mandolins directed by Nicola Zavaglia with a background of the Second World War, they both explore and convey the trauma of war. However, the short story “A Marker on the Side of the Boat” is more effective in conveying the trauma of war than the film Barbed Wire and Mandolins because of its well-developed plot with well-illustrated details, and its ability to raise emotional responses from its readers.
It has been stated that the application of memory functions in fictional works which act as a reflective device of human experience. (Lavenne, et al. 2005: 1). I intend to discuss the role of memory and recollection in Kazuo Ishiguro’s dystopian science-fiction novel Never Let Me Go (2005).