The Vietnam War was not a victory. Many Americans were ambivalent at best, or outright opposed to the war. Some returning veterans themselves became anti-war activists.
How do we honor and commemorate American soldiers and sailors who lost their lives in such a war?
This reflection asks you to consider the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in D.C. as a piece of public history and commemoration. The Memorial was a radically new approach to commemorating fallen service members, and though it is an iconic tribute today, it was controversial in 1981.
Materials:
Watch this video on the memorial, and look over these images of families and veterans seeing the memorial for the first time, and reflect on this commemoration.
Prompt:
In 250-400 words: Why is Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial so enduringly powerful?
In your answer, consider some of the following:
In what ways is the memorial distinctly different from traditional memorials?
How was Maya Lin chosen as the designer, and what backlash did she and the design face?
As a piece of public history, what story does the memorial tell?
In your analysis, do you think Maya Lin created an apolitical memorial that does not contain an argument about the war?
How did veterans and families react and/or interact with the memorial in the photographs of the unveiling?
This is a less-formal reflection (not a formal essay), though you may want to practice crafting a thesis here.Use quotation marks if directly quoting, but formal citations are not required. You can use them if you want to practice, though.
