Preview

What Are the Effects of the Building of the Vietnam War Memorial?

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1047 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
What Are the Effects of the Building of the Vietnam War Memorial?
What Are the Effects of the Building of the Vietnam War Memorial? The Vietnam War memorial is a wall covered with the most serious graffiti imaginable. It is a wall, but a human wall, a stone record of human flesh, its very hardness made of vulnerability (Johnson 1). This research paper is going to highlight the impact that the memorial has had on individuals that have visited the wall, the intention of the creation of the memorial, and how the memorial has changed individual’s perspectives of the Vietnam War after visiting the remembrance site. The Vietnam War was a tragedy for all who experienced it and it left a scar on America as one of the most traumatic wars in United States history. The Vietnam War Memorial has impacted many individuals who have visited the wall. Many war veterans, of the Vietnam War, visit the wall in order to help reflect and heal from past traumatic images. They feel that the wall provides them with a sense of security and protection because they know that they had a high chance of death. There were many casualties as a result of the Vietnam War. The memorial has 58,256 engraved names etched into the, “…black granite walls with alternations of shadow and illumination,” (Garber 1). These names represent all of the fallen soldiers, who gave their lives to fight for America’s freedom, as well as the soldiers who went missing in action and remains who have not been discovered. Also, the Vietnam Memorial provides a place for individuals to feel close and reconnect with loved ones and friends. As the wall was being constructed, there were many critics who felt that the wall was going to be, “…a black gash of shame,” (Garber 2). Individuals felt that it was not going to be a monument that grabbed people’s attention. However, the Vietnam veterans loved it. Bearded veterans could be seen reaching towards the names of remembered fallen soldiers, running their fingers across the letters (Garber 2). These men of the war were frequently forced
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Arlington National Cemetery
    • 1951 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Arlington National Cemetery

    Arlington National Cemetery, one of the most visited cemeteries in the United States, contains many interesting features (World Book; Vol.1; pgs.716-717). Some of the features consist of: the National cemetery, the Arlington House, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, and the Changing of the Guards. The National cemetery covers six hundred and twelve acres for the burial of many honorable people (Kane, Robert S.; pgs.53-54). In amongst the cemetery, Arlington House sits upon a hill. The location of Arlington House becomes the centerpiece of Arlington National Cemetery when the U.S. government purchased the land in 1864 (Scheffel, Richard L.; pgs.162-163). The Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers contains the remains of four veterans from various wars (Kane, Robert S.; pgs.53-54). Trained guards protect and respect the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers day in and day out. The Changing of the Guards, one of the most exciting sites to see in Arlington National Cemetery, can also become the most serious site to see in Arlington National Cemetery. The seriousness of the guards that protect the tomb shows the respect the guards have for the four unknown veterans buried in the tomb. The national quote of Arlington National Cemetery sounds like this, “For almost four million people who visit annually, Arlington National Cemetery represents many different things. For some, it is a chance to walk among headstones that chronicle American history; for many, it is an opportunity to remember and honor the nation’s war heroes; and for others, it is a place to say a last farewell during funeral services for a family member or friend (http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/index.htm.).” While visiting Arlington National Cemetery, individuals will learn numerous historical facts about the National cemetery, the Arlington House, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, and Changing of the Guards.…

    • 1951 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Summary Of On Hallowed Ground
    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Summary Of On Hallowed Ground

    Poole’s tone through his descriptions of the growth and architectural development of Arlington National Cemetery is astonishment. Poole’s detail included in his writing when talking about the building of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier really illustrated how amazed he was by the time it took to make it to perfection. Poole used this same tone when he was describing the incredible growth and transformation the cemetery went through after the civil war. The cemetery went from a military fort to a giant cemetery in a very short period of time. Poole’s impressed attitude when discussing the growth of the cemetery allowes the reader to share the same impression of the growth.…

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Annotated Bibliography Vietnam War Essay Example
    • 939 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Annotated Bibliography Vietnam War Essay Example

    This article reports on the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and the depiction of the Vietnam War from the perspective of the Vietnamese. The article discusses the options Americans had about whether to support the war and whether to submit to the draft and join the armed forces. The article describes how the U.S. has moved on from the war while the effect of the Agent Orange herbicide and cluster bombs linger. Information is also provided on lingering effects of unexploded ordinance and dioxin in the 21st century.…

    • 939 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Maya Lin Vietnam War Memorial
    • 1581 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Maya Lin Vietnam War Memorial

    Lin 's work, unlike most previous military monuments, rejects the emphasis on heroics in favor of a poignant, contemplative, apolitical design which conveys an almost unbearable sense of loss. Simple, graceful, and abstract, the design specified two 246.75 –foot long walls of polished black southern India granite, set below grade and connected at a 125 degree angle.2 Each segment of the wall is composed of 70 panels. At their intersection, the walls are 10.1 feet high and they taper down to a height of 8 inches at their extremities.3 The largest panels have 137 lines of names.4 The smallest panels have just one line. Each line consists of five names, which were sandblasted into the polished surface by hand, rather than cut into it with machine tools.5 Currently, the monument wall lists the names of 58,175 members of the armed forces who were confirmed killed or listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War.6…

    • 1581 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    One Ride With Yankee Papa Analysis
    • 1104 Words
    • 5 Pages

    One Ride With Yankee Papa Analysis

    The time period from 1955 to 1975 was a rough time for America. America was in the middle of the Vietnam War, and was a very hard war for America because the soldiers had no support for the war effort from home. The public could not see the reason for the war, and therefore did not support it, and because of this led to America’s first punch in the gut from communism. Along with every war comes the many heartfelt photos and stories of their countries soldiers fighting in the name of their country that show the public what the soldiers have to go through to fight the war. The photographer Larry Burrows captures many astonishing images of these soldiers in the Vietnam War to show the public that they should support the troops fighting for what America stands for. Despite all of his hard work and the risks he took to take the pictures the American public still rejected the belief that America’s involvement in Vietnam was for a good cause.…

    • 1104 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    DBQ Vietnam War APUSH
    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages

    DBQ Vietnam War APUSH

    Throughout America’s history, few things have left the nation in such controversial turmoil as the Vietnam War. With an American death toll of almost 60,000 troops, the Vietnam War has gone down in infamy as one of the most tremendous struggles Americans have faced both overseas and on the home front. Because of the tumultuous controversies caused by the war, Americans split into two social factions – those against the war and those who supported it. During the years of 1961-1975 - the era in which the war had its greatest effect on Americans - the population of citizens from 18-35 years old and the Presidency were both affected irreversibly.…

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did The Vietnam War Affect Children's Image
    • 1056 Words
    • 5 Pages

    How Did The Vietnam War Affect Children's Image

    The Vietnam war was a long and costly conflict that affected the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. An image that is striking and important in this time period is of the aftermath the napalm bomb caused to a Vietnamese village. It is a historically important image because the idea of war and its terror is shown. I chose this image because it is striking and catches the eyes of the viewer. It brings out the idea that a bomb can drop down anytime during a war, no matter where one is or what they are doing and affect individuals in shocking ways.…

    • 1056 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did The Vietnam War Affect American Youth?
    • 930 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Did The Vietnam War Affect American Youth?

    Another young performer, Jimi Hendrix, insisted that he performed last because he had something special in mind for the crowd (Evans 215). Jimi Hendrix was a dreamer with a very determined heart he refused to abandon any belief he sincerely believed in. The climax of the show at Woodstock was Hendrix’s electrifying version of the “Star Spangled Banner,” which encased both the musical and political tone of Woodstock that would be absorbed and distributed by the American youth that attended (215). Hendrix’s rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” created much controversy in the media and public works, however it was inquired the reason he performed this song was to represent the celebration and disgust, yet alienation and engagement that the world was undergoing. People were starting to realize the unjustness of the American system, so as a result…

    • 930 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did the Vietnam War Affect the Veterans and Their Families?
    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Did the Vietnam War Affect the Veterans and Their Families?

    Just imagine you went to war, having killed people, seeing friends and enemies die, and living in fear of dying yourself. Think about how you must have felt if you had to sneak your way back into our country, with nothing said and you had to just pretend nothing happened and start all over. For many veterans, returning home has been a distressing and apprehensive experience.…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Daisy Memorial Analysis
    • 951 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Daisy Memorial Analysis

    For my conceptual memorial I decided to pay a homage to both the fallen American soldiers in Vietnam, and the American citizens back on the homefront promoting peace and an end to the war. During the war, America had been involved in direct combat from 1961 all through till their defeat in 1975. During this time of direct-involvement over 50,000 troops met their end, and back home an outpour of emotion and sorrow was displayed. American citizens were no longer in approval of the war, and so began an era of the promotion of peace and love. Without this intense amount of protest by “hippies” and the heavy feel of anti-American involvement in the war, it is possible that many more American lives could have been lost. It is this promotion of peace…

    • 951 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay on the Things They Carried
    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Essay on the Things They Carried

    The soldiers who served during the Vietnam War carried more than their fair share of tangible and intangible items. The soldiers bore the weight of their packs, they lugged around heavy equipment, and they struggled to cope with the violence and death that surrounded them. But the heaviest item that they would bear would not be by choice at all. Every passing day that the soldiers served in this war, more weight would be added to this item. When the time came for the soldiers to return home, they laid down their heavy packs, they returned the equipment that belonged to their government, and they waited on the “Freedom Bird” that would carry them safely home to their loved ones. However, the heaviest item, the weight of the intangible emotion, could never be laid down, given back, or taken off. One critical analysis of Tim O’Brien’s short story “The Things They Carried” says, “The weight under which the men struggle cannot be lightened by the discarding of war equipment for it extends far beyond the physical reminders” (Korb, par. 6). “The Things They Carried” invites the reader to sympathize with the soldiers’ inability to shake off the intangible weight of emotion while shedding the tangible weight of the things they carried.…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    My Lai Massacre
    • 2623 Words
    • 11 Pages

    My Lai Massacre

    Starting in 1964, the war at Vietnam seemed necessary and useful, in the minds of the public. After years of combat, the American opinion slowly worsened, and by 1967, the war was highly questionable. The public support was completely lost after the information of the gruesome massacre at My Lai was leaked. During all of this, the American public was trying to figure out how the Americans who partook in this event became so evil. While secondary sources provide information about the United States soldiers, the details of the My Lai Massacre, and the trial of Lieutenant Calley, oral history grants the historian a wider perspective by showing the soldiers’ motives for revenge and the emotions of those involved.…

    • 2623 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Vietnam Veterans Memorial
    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Essay On Vietnam Veterans Memorial

    The wall encompass the first and last deaths, recognizing all who served in the war and giving special recognition to those who will never return from it. This individuality focusing on the soldiers themselves, made many veterans and their families feel recognized. This personalization of a Memorial was unlike any seen before, and an amazing step in the way monuments are designed.…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Things They Carry
    • 1844 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Things They Carry

    Staying alive through the war wasn’t the only struggle that the soldiers of the Vietnam War faced. In the novel, The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, the damages are illustrated to see the psychological strain. For some soldiers, trying to forget the unforgettable for some soldiers was more traumatizing than the war itself: Killing people, watching them die; these are all the things that the soldiers have to live with, but some just can’t live with it. The mental and physical trauma that was brought upon by the Vietnam War, still affects United States, and the stressed topic of the things the soldiers were carrying.…

    • 1844 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Things They Carried Term
    • 2338 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Things They Carried Term

    How can one realize the seriousness of a particular event? Situations in history exist only in our thoughts rather than our presence. As past events have unfolded so has the opportunity for growth. One such era includes the Vietnam War. Tim O' Brien's novel entitled The Things They Carried creates an atmosphere of knowledge surrounding the struggles related to the Vietnam War. To grasp the concept of such a brutal historical event one must understand the struggles and decisions…

    • 2338 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More