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Vietnam Memorial Analysis

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The Artistic Controversy of the Vietnam War The Vietnam memorial spiked artistic controversy even before it was built in 1982. Veterans and other Americans were against the memorial, calling it a “black gash of shame”(Carhart, 1981). Conversely, others thought it was a beautiful representation of the Vietnam War. The New York Times wrote “But perhaps that is why the V-shaped, black granite lines merging gently with the sloping earth make the winning design seem a lasting and appropriate image of dignity and sadness”(New York Times, 1981). The memorial was not just a memorial but also a piece of art that commemorated the soldiers lost at war. After the memorial was built arguments against the memorial were prevalent among political and artistic …show more content…

Those included Lin herself, artists, and architects of the memorial. Architects from the Architects Fight Additions Journal argue “The additions, which treat the original work of art as no more than an architectural backdrop, reflect an insensitivity to the design 's subtle spatial eloquence”(AIA Journal, 1982). The architects were, in a sense, arguing that any additions would destroy the original thought and meaning of the sculpture. It was created with a specific purpose and had a specific design but adding additional sculptures would take away from the intensity and original …show more content…

It is a pattern that inevitably repeats itself throughout history. Personally, my grandpa fought in the Vietnam War and after talking to him he put it quite simply. He said that he could careless what the wall looked; he used it as a reminder to himself of the hardship of that war, the struggles that he faced, and the good friends that he lost in the war. James Reston of the New York Times writes “ Its inspiration lies in its ambiguity, for it encourages one to ponder the enormous cost of human life without addressing the issue of whether the cost was justified. Veterans, regardless of their support or loathing of their war, have rightly embraced the memorial as their own”(Reston, 1984). The controversy over the art itself is important in that it emits a sense of raw emotion and hurt. However, just as Reston states, whether you like the memorial or not you come to accept it and use it for the main purpose of

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519 Words | 3 Pages

She didn 't want the actual memorial to be different from her design because it would take away from her hard work and effort and the memorial wouldn 't look like hers. When Maya Lin was not studying she was taking independent courses at the University of Ohio and spent most of her free time casting bronzes in the school foundry. The memorial was a black cut stone masonry wall that had the names of all 57,661 fallen soldiers carved into it. The wall was in the shape of a V and it was strategically placed so that one side of it pointed to the Lincoln memorial and the other side pointed to the Washington Monument. People voiced their negative opinions about Maya Lin specifically because of the fact that she was of Asian ethnicity.

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I firmly believe that such memorials are extremely valuable to veterans. It has been said of veterans that they seldom talk about their military experiences; however, in my thinking, that is not an accurate appraisal. We think about those times; nonetheless, it’s difficult to find, even among loved ones, those with whom one feels at ease to share those memories and feelings. YET, standing in the solitude of these memorials, a soldier’s thoughts flow freely as he/she reminisces

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She also describes how wishes the Wall to assuage people. She says that her monument will console not by denying the horrible truth of the war, but by acknowledging it through peace and serenity. Moreover, when viewed from the sky the wall resembles a closing wound. It has sometimes been referred to as “The Black Gash of Shame” by Critics. This symbolizes how as a country this memorial has helped us close our wounds that were opened by the Vietnam War.

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Nicholas Capasso once said, “ The national Vietnam Veterans Memorial may have generated more controversy than any work of architecture in recent history”. Three parts make up the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which are “The Wall”, The Three Soldiers statue, and The Vietnam Women’s Memorial. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall was a tribute which is in Washington DC. Maya Lin entered a nationwide competition to create a design for the wall and won. The wall is made of two black granite walls that form a V-shape and has the names of all 57,939 Americans who died during the war.

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It shows tribute to all the people who were lynched and killed during that time. It gives them recognition for losing their life and it allows history to be showed through the monument. An example of the lynching happening is when fifteen blacks were lynched during Watson election (Zinn, pg. 292). This just shows how innocent blacks were killed trying to bring peace and justice to them in America.

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There is typically a definitive reason behind why a particular memorial is placed where it is, especially when the memorial commemorates a certain war. There is no doubt that the United State’s involvement in the division of Vietnam is questionable, however, American lives were taken away from their friends and families as a result of the government’s decision to go to war. The lives of those who fought for our nation were cut short, and their remembrance will surely be lost in time if they are not memorialized. Memorials are representative of past memories, both good and bad, and are largely developed out of respect towards those who lost their lives. Providing the public with a memorial, such as the Philadelphia Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, allows for the people to gain further insight into the events that led up the present; past events define the modern world.

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184 Words | 1 Pages

But In “Architect 's Dilemma on Memorials”, an interview of Alison Hirsch, Alison thinks that a good monument is easily accessible and open to offerings. I think a good monument should reflect the importance of why it is there. The monument should use details about the person’s life being honored

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750 Words | 3 Pages

Kirk Savage suggests in Source A (Savage), “The public monument speaks to a deep need for attachment that can be met only in a real place, where

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370 Words | 2 Pages

Civil War Monuments The Confederate monuments from the Civil War in many cities, colleges, and universities are being asked to be taken down. The monuments are causing problems between the U.S. citizens. Many people are protesting and saying that the monuments are a symbol of racism, and symbolism of traitors to the U.S., and are used to show white supremacy. These monuments should be taken down from the public but they should not be destroyed.

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Many people were for taking the statue down and many against taking it down. The statue should be taken down seeing that as, the statues are an inaccurate representation of our past, many people don’t want to look in the past, and this statue didn’t honor the hero, but honored a killer instead. One reason that the statue needs to be taken down is that this statue is an inaccurate representation of our past. Many people also focus on the money and how much it would cost to maintain the statue.

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In Atlanta Ga, Charlottesville Nc, and in every other formerly Confederate State in the U.S. there has been controversial debates on whether or not the current standing Confederate statues should be removed from public areas. Many people claim that a modern society should not honor the racist soldiers who fought for slavery. Others believe that preserving historical accuracy is essential to learning from the mistakes of the past. The opinions of thousands of citizens clash with one another over the debate between offense and information. I believe that it is most beneficial for the majority of people if the current Confederate monuments remain where they are.

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For instance, Confederate monuments would allow generations to see that America isn’t “a place reserved for people who still want to spit our country, but rather a place for education that we can learn from the ugly protraction of our history” (Lanktree). Often, we talk about learning from the past so that the same mistakes won’t occur in the future. This specifically can be represented through these monuments; by having a symbol of the past where racism occurred, it serves as a reminder of what discrimination can do when one side is filled with bigotry. Having a place where one can learn about the effects of someone’s wrongdoings can allow today’s people to decide for themselves the future they want to create. Additionally, the author of the article Keep Confederate monuments, but put their horrific history on stage describes how Americans have been “willfully blind” about racial justice and that the statues could be used as reminders of the “catastrophic consequences” (Cose).

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In the film, “The Monuments Men,” we get a good understanding about what happened of pieces of art during World War II. This is my view on the film, “The Monument Men.” The film begins with Frank Stokes, played by George Clooney, talking to the President about getting a small group of men to go find important pieces of art like Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and “Last Supper,” Jan van Eyck’s “Ghent Altarpiece,” and Michelangelo’s “Madonna of Bruges.”

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One must keep in mind that, monuments may never make everyone happy. As long as a monument was not made with the intention of attacking a group of people it deserves to be

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1053 Words | 5 Pages

Before I watched the movie, I actually answered that art cannot have equal or greater importance than a human life. My initial reasoning was that one human life has the potential to do much more than what one piece of art can. However, after watching Monuments Men, it made me seriously reconsider my own reasoning on the subject. To those men, the pieces of art meant more than just a monetary value or some symbolic piece of art, the art was an integral part of human history. Europe was one of the oldest and most developed places on Earth, and the art that was being talked about were crucial to our understanding of previous times, like the Ghent Altarpiece.

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