Analysis: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

SPRINGFIELD — Shirley Flores’ eyes filled with tears Friday as she read the name of her brother on a newly unveiled Vietnam War veteran’s memorial in Springfield.

No war in American history not fought on American soil can claim to have as big an impact on America as a whole than the Vietnam War. The social and political divisions caused by the war changed America as a nation and especially changed those who fought in it. Despite the sacrifices of these veterans, both those who returned and those who did not, Americans on both sides forgot or even vilified those who fought, either as losers or as tokens of an unjust war. To remedy this problem through reconciliation and honor those who died in Vietnam, a group of veterans campaigned to build a national memorial in Washington, D.C. From its original design to the present

The artist of the memorial, Maya Lin, is an American of Asian descent who is famous for her sculptures and land art. Her most famous work, the Vietnam Memorial, was chosen in a contest, and her designs both mesmerized and angered many people. Since them, works and designs she has created for competitions have been mainly memorials and remembrances based on historical events. Her works are intended to use the natural texture and geology of the space around the monument to its advantage in its creation.

The Vietnam Veteran Memorial, a commemoration of the deceased 58,000 men and women who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. The memorial also has the names of the veterans in chronological order from 1959 to 1975. It is made from granite with a polished surface to reflect the visitors' face that will link visitors to the dead one together.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall is made of Black Granite. The design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was a contest. Within the contest different U.S citizen submitted design ideas for the memorial and 8 different artists judges the entries in order to pick the best one. The wall was created by Maya Ying Lin. The wall is not extremely tall but rather is longer than most normal monuments. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall invites those visiting it to come closer and in contact with it. This is due to the fact that the print on the wall is small and visitors can also do a rubbing or tracing of the different names on the wall. The Vietnam Memorial Wall was an intentional monument since it was planned out and designed with a purpose of commemorating

The Vietnam War was gruesome and it was terrible for the United States. A little after the war ended, there was a contest for the Vietnam memorial in Washington, D.C. Maya Lin was chosen as the designer of the memorial, but John Carhart has some problems with her design. After reading Carhart’s article, he does make some good points about the memorial, but others are not quite right.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is unlike any other. The names of the casualties are arranged by date of death not in alphabetical order or rank. The black granite turns each visitors own image into a virtual part of the surface. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of the most amazing and emotional memorials in Washington (Moeller 1 Pg. 85). “Take a knife and cut open the earth,” she said, “and with time the grass will heal it.” (Maya Ying Lin).

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is in D.C., and hundreds of people visit it each day. It stands as a symbol of what Americans did in the Vietnam War, and how many we actually helped. The Vietnam War was a brutal war were many of the soldiers were wounded or killed, and those who died fighting for our country will always be remembered because of the Vietnam Veterans War memorial. The Vietnam Veterans War memorial is a lasting tribute to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives while fighting in the Vietnam War.

After creating her visionary Vietnam Veterans Memorial she suffered much controversy and criticism. Many Veterans believed her simple black wall with listed names was a “black wall of shame”(Ergas 265) and insulting to the traditional idea of white marble and statues of soldiers the veterans had expected. Critics even began using her asian background to discriminate against her, which had not been an issue for Lin before this time. Even Ross Pero after finding out she was asian was heard to call her an egg roll. Lin feels if her lineage had been known at the time of the contest she never would have won. This criticism almost caused Lin to exit the world of art forever, if it hadn’t been for the immense impact the wall had on visitors and the sheer number of them. Many visitors found closure and rejoice in finding there loved ones names and leaving flowers. The rubbings of loved ones names even

The Vietnam War was a war that included the United States involvement. The United States fought in this war to stop communism. After almost 20 years, the war ended and the result was Vietnam was split into two parts, North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam was communist and South Vietnam was non-communist. Though this war ended, the American people who fought in this war were never forgotten. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was built in Washington D.C in 1982, to always remember the people who fought in the Vietnam War for the United States. This wall has approximately 58,000 names on it of those who died fighting in the war. One person who fought in the War was James Avery. Although his name is not on the wall because he died in 2013

This heartwarming story is about a young boy and his father who visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. they’re looking for his father’s name on the giant wall of names. While looking for his grandfather’s name, the young boy witnesses a soldiers who lost both of his legs, and is confined to a wheelchair, an older couple who are embracing each other crying, and a flower that id drooping. His father seems saddened, as well as the others who are visiting the memorial. The young boy is sad because he doesn’t have a grandfather, but his father tells him that he couldn’t be more proud to see his name on that wall because he died fighting for our

"It is a V formed by two black granite walls that diminish in height as they extend outward, making the monument appear to descend into the earth. Chiseled into the walls are the names of the 57,930 men and 9 women who died or are listed as missing in the Vietnam War" (Foss). The creation itself, was symbolic for the argument presented by a faction during the late 1960's and 1980's arguing against the motifs that the U.S. had to engage in the Vietnam War. For a majority, involvement in the Vietnam War represented tyranny, because we had no right to fight a battle that pertains to South Vietnam. Second, if South Vietnam wanted to remain a democratic nation, then they should have fought directly against communism, instead of depending on U.S

The Vietnam War Memorial is a classic example of a place to pay respects. It also gives

Making A Memory Of War: Building The Vietnam Veterans Memorial by Kristin Hass illustrates the carefully constructed nature of national memory and how this construction is a politically and socially contested process. This contestation is evident in the struggles that memorial faced at every step of its creation beginning with the lack of attention that it received, which made funding the memorial difficult. This was partially due to the unpopularity of the war and partially due to the lack of social clout that members of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) led them to rely on politicians and other celebrities. Even with proper funding, because the Vietnam War was so unpopular, the memorial had to be for the servicemen, not

The Vietnamese memorial was started by a man named Jan C. Scruggs. Jan was a veteran who had served in Vietnam he a couple of problems which are now associated with PTSD. Jan had received a Purple Heart,medal of valor,