The Vietnam War is considered one of the most controversial and longest wars in the American history. It led to the construction of the Vietnam Veterans memorial wall in 1982, having been crafted by Maya Lin, an architecture student at Yale University. The Vietnam Veterans moving memorial wall is a national memorial located in Washington D.C. The wall contains names of servicemen who died (Killed in Action) or went missing (Missing in Action) during the Vietnam War. “The memorial comprises of
Banks Jaquith English Carter/ Morrison 8-5 18 April 2017 Vietnam Veterans Memorial In the Vietnam Veterans Memorial there are many things to see. In the Vietnam Memorial there is history of how the wall was made, why the wall was built, why some women are on the wall, and shows us the casualties of the Vietnam War. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was built in November 13, 1982 in Washington D.C. “On March 11, 1982, the design and plans received final Federal approval, and work at the
“I felt a memorial should be honest about the reality of war, and be for the people who gave their lives.” Maya Lin, an undergraduate architect, designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for the support of veterans who fought in Vietnam. The 58,000 names on the memorial represent who served in the Vietnam War. The 21 year old girl’s design caused many controversies towards the memorial. The memorial had a significant impact on Americans that changed some of their views about the veterans who sacrificed
Everlasting Stories Memorials not only remind people about specific events and leaders, but also sets history in stone for future generations. When creating and building a memorial for a specific person or event, many factors should be considered. Sometimes, these memorials honor great achievement while others pay homage to deep sacrifice. However, there are many ways to memorialize people or events, locally or nationally, ranging from pictures to monuments. When considering to memorialize a person
in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. We honor and remember their sacrifice”(“Vietnam War in Memory”). This simple inscription stands at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in recognition of the names who are not able to join the walls with their fellow soldiers. The memorial as a whole contains the names of deceased Vietnam veterans, and stands tall for people to view and remember their friends and relatives who fought diligently in the war. However, Maya Lou’s Vietnam Veterans
Washington D.C. Vietnam Veterans Memorial 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
Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial When I visited the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington, D.C., I was struck with an immense feeling of patriotism and gratitude for the soldiers that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. While I was walking through the dark-tiled pathway, the solemn environment at the Wall gave me a chance to reflect on the lives and service of these great men and women. I imagined these warriors fighting in an unknown land for the freedom of people they would never meet, the
Although controversial in its inception, Maya Lin's Vietnam War Memorial adequately fulfills the vision of Jan Scruggs, who returned home wounded from the conflict in Southeast Asia at the age of 19, for a monument to his fallen comrades in arms that would "provide a symbol of acknowledgement of the courage, sacrifice, and devotion to duty of those who were among the nation's finest youth."1 Lin's work, unlike most previous military monuments, rejects the emphasis on heroics in favor of a poignant
all about the "healing" portion that comes with the memorial. It supports her statement that was stated before that she had wanted the memorial to be a quiet, serene, peaceful area where a person can go to accept and come to terms with a loss, and more importantly heal. We see that Maya Lin and Jan C. Scruggs had the same interests. They both are able to sympathize with the hurting, and they are two very large figures in the making of this memorial that put a lot of time, effort and energy into helping
The Vietnam War is the longest war fought in American history, lasting from November 1955 to April 1975. The Vietnam War greatly changed American forever. It is one of the most important events in the history of the United States. During the late 60’s and early 70’s, anti-war movement was steadily progressing in the United States. The peace movement was directed to stop all forms of war. During this time, many artists produced songs either with or against the protesting. Merle Haggard wrote the song
different perspectives will be presented. Owen portrays war as a horror battlefield not to be experienced and the glorious feeling to fight for one’s country. Komunyakaa on the other hand shows an African American that serves in Vietnam War and visits the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. The poets’ choice of diction, setting of battlefield and various uses of poetic devices create a desired effect. Owen presents us a sarcastic view towards the idea of being honorable to sacrifice for their country and
had once loved so dearly. Although lacking a physical presence, this deceased individuals spirit lives within those that loved him/her and must live the remainder of their lives devoid of the departed being's living influence. As a result of the Vietnam War, one of the most contested and debated wars in American history, two million seven hundred thousand men and women lost their lives on the battlefield in their service of our nation (Dictionary). Many may argue that those influenced most by these
Upon first glance the Vietnam Memorial, also called the Black Gash of Shame, doesn’t look like much. So then why do so many come to see it? They come because of the symbolism surrounding the beautiful monument. The memorial is designed like a gash to represent the gash in U.S.A.'s society. A gash cannot be seen from one side and so can’t the memorial. This symbolizes America healing. On the stones, are written all lost or dead in the war. This way you can read every single one of them and give them
required little introduction and less explanation. Amidst them I, not yet 15, variably slithered with ignorance, the inexperience of war; and alongside, my Belgian-bred grandmother, veteran to a war these men could not know. Uncharacteristically, I fell prey to tourist trappings: photographing the Lincoln Memorial, vainly attempting to hunt down and shoot the one angle of the Reflecting Pool that no one, in the history of history, had yet to see. Others swarmed... ... middle of paper ...
religious individuals, but non-religious individuals are also performing it as well. This paper will discuss the ways in which religious and non-religious pilgrimage rituals are very similar in what they provide to society by drawing on the video clips “Vietnam wall stories” as well as the texts “The Janai Purnima Pilgrimage of the Tamang Shamans of Nepal” by Larry G. Peters and “Heartland of America: Memory, Motion and the Reconstruction of History on a Motorcycle Pilgrimage” by Jill Dubisch, as well as
not always seen as the positive memories that one wishes to. However, sometimes those are the only ones that you can remember. Yusef Komunyakaa's poem "Facing It," written about the flooding of vibrant flashbacks of war when a veteran visits the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site, is a poem which fully incorporates an underlying theme of nostalgia. Equally, in "Ghost of a Ghost," written by Brad Leithauser, a man is distraught over the fact that despite the remembrance of his accident, his family has
physical differences to explain the inequalities between soldiers, so too does the poem. The narrator defines his situation as “hiding inside the black granite” to describe how he died in the Vietnam war (2). Later on, the narrator sees a veteran who “lost his right arm / inside the stone” (28-29). The veteran was physically scarred as a result of the war; however, his situation is not equal to the narrator’s, for the narrator was killed. Another example of the unfairness of war is seen in the final
In the two poems “Facing it” and “The names” there is a great deal of similarities and differences that can be compared and contrasted between the two pieces of writing. Some of these comparisons being in the similar themes of each poem, the difference in situations that are being used, and the differences in how they go about explaining the aftermath and effects of so much death and/or tragedy. The first way that both “Facing it” and “The names” are comparable is in the way that the themes
Maya Lin is a driven and innovative artist of our time. Many of her works have been seen as controversial and received harsh criticism. She manages to trudge on. Her works express both an artistic and mathematical feel, somehow finding a beautiful marriage between. Her obsession with art and knowledge can be greatly attributed to her parents, as she was very successful at an early age. Her art career is one of many triumphs and breaking boundaries in the art world. Lin has a great love for nature
dangerous thing to do. Therefore, they used music, writings, writing poems and stories was the best way to put out their situations. In Yusef Komunyakaa’s poem “Facing It,” he discusses his experience during the Vietnam War. Komunyakaa was in Louisiana during the civil War. During the Vietnam War, he joined the army as a correspondent (Poets). Later, he began writing newspapers for the military called The Southern Cross. The poem begins with the reflection of Komunyakaa’s face fading as he views the