Sense of Place/Spatial Interpretation
After viewing both Vietnam Memorial websites, brainstorm with a partner and create a claim (an introduction paragraph is fine, with a thesis) for a potential cause and effect essay based on the following:
Looking at:
1. How
spaces manipulate and control you
2. How
spaces encourage certain behaviors
3. How
spaces encourage certain ideals/values/beliefs
Task:
In
this task you will take a virtual field trip to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington , D.C.
ReplyDeleteThe Vietnam Memorial’s black wall full of names sets a sad, dark, quite scene. One walks gracefully on the path as they look at all the names on the side of them. The memorial with all the names that aren’t clear gives a solemn presence. The scene gives you a respect for what the people went through during 1959 and 1975.
Taylor, Deirdre, and Morgan
Okay, good... can you dive a bit deeper into the effect that the scene has on the people and why?
DeleteThe Vietnam memorial wall was constructed to remember all the lives that were lost in the war. The wall is a black granite rock polished to the point where you can see yourself on it, which might as well be the point. The symbolism of the wall might as well be an anti war propaganda: showing all the names, death and sadness but while you're looking at it you can see yourself within that darkness as if this could be your future with we continue down the dark and terrible war path.
ReplyDeleteThe Vietnam War Memorial in Washington is one of the most visited sites in Washington D.C. It’s dark, grey granite wall stands by the Washington monument and is carved with 58,286 names of soldiers who lost their lives from the Vietnam War. The wall goes into the ground, symbolic to a scar that is left on the earth from this terrible event. Many visitors leave flowers at this site for loved ones who passed away. This memorial mostly has an emotional impact on the public when they visit the sight, however they may experience shock due to the overwhelming long list of names or even have pride for the people who risked their lives for the United States.
ReplyDeleteLauren, Pat, and Will
Good
DeleteThe wall was designed by a Yale student in 1979, which shows a branch between two generations-those who fought, who were older, and those who did not, who were younger and didn’t fight. This causes a bond and relationship between the younger and older generations, and an appreciation in the younger one for those that fought. The wall is black and shiny, which gives viewers a somber mood and reflects their faces in the wall. The wall also has every name of every person who dies in battle on it, which forces everyone viewing it to see the number of people who died, and doesn’t let them walk away without appreciating the sacrifice of the heroes. After seeing the entire wall, viewers are left emotional and thankful for those who died.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! Insightful perspective!
DeleteThe Vietnam memorial wall is an area that if full of rich history and remembrance of the war and the soldiers who have fallen. The list of names of the soldiers who have had their lives taken is overwhelming. Family, friends, and Co-Americans pay the respects in different ways. One way that stood out to us was the display of the small American flags surrounded by flowers and a soldier’s pair of boots. In our eyes this symbolizes honor, love, and loyalty that the people had for him, and that he had for his country. These soldiers have given the ultimate sacrifice by giving up their lives, fighting for their country. Although they’re gone, they will never be forgotten.
ReplyDeleteDom and Joe
DeleteKelly Rini and Victoria Pappalardo
ReplyDeleteThe Vietnam Memorial is a place for people to mourn. It is a place to remember loved ones and all the good that they did. The long, black wall full of names as far as you can see, promotes a dark, somber feeling as if you are at a funeral full of mourners wearing black. The quantity and layout of the names is quite overwhelming, and truly evokes emotion when one realizes just how many lives were lost from this one war. The entire wall is full of names put together side by side, yet it still stretches on and on for what seems like forever. One man wrote about crying in the rain, which was almost symbolic for how unnoticed and insignificant one person’s tears are in the grand scheme of things. So many people were affected, that it is far from unusual for one man to be crying at this place. The Wall was symbolic of bringing the war here, and perhaps that is why it makes so many veterans emotional. They are reminded both of the war they fought in Vietnam, as well as the one they fought at home with public opposition and their own trauma. The sturdy wall reminds the veterans that the war will always be with them since the pain of war lasts much longer than an actual battle.
The expressions on people’s faces are dull and cheerless as they stand under the dark, gloomy sky. There is a true meaning behind the statues and walls and it shows on the faces of the people at the site. The site was made in memory of all the soldiers who lost their lives to fight in the Vietnam War. The whole point of the memorial is to honor the people who lost their lives, but the impact of it is huge. The way the wall is designed puts you in a depressive, sorrowful mood. The reactions on peoples face reflect back at them on the black, shiny surface of the wall. Being at this site puts an impact on the people and many may become overwhelmed with emotion.
ReplyDeleteMichele Anthony Billy Cj
The vietnam memorial is one of the most powerful remembrance sites in the US today. It’s home to the names of tens of thousands of past soldiers who gave their lives for our country. They may no longer be here, but the intricate design keeps their spirits and sacrifices alive and remembered through time. One feature of the wall that exemplifies this would be the tradition of leaving flowers and mementos at the wall beneath the names. Often times family members decide to honor their ancestors in this way because it shows tribute and reminds them of the sacrifice they made. The many flowers and mementos express the significant losses that Americans faced during the war. The architectural design of the wall has a profound impact on all who visit as well. The extreme length of the one sided wall represents the countless losses that Americans endured during the Vietnam Wall. It’s design forces spectators to see their own reflection in the wall, which enables them to reflect on how the war has impacted them and America as a whole. These characteristics evoke deep emotions from visitors as they mourn the immense loss of human life, and more deeply, that of their relatives. This monument provides an opportunity for people to grieve over their loved ones, pay their respects, and remember the profound impact that the Vietnam War had on American society.
ReplyDeleteMichael Carlin, Brielle Arneo
The Vietnam memorial is very important because it symbolizes a generation and pays respect to the men and women who served our country during this war. By visiting the website you can see all of the people who come out to pay their respects and you can see all the monuments and statues honoring these soldiers. This memorial also brings generations together because the new generations and the old are coming together at these memorials. This memorial is very powerful and the pictures on the site show how many people visit this memorial. The location of the memorial is important also because it is in Washington D.C and this location symbolizes America. These great men and women will never be forgotten.
ReplyDeleteKevin Sheridan, Nick Perillo, Joe s
The reflective characteristic of the black marble wall conveys the most important message of the Vietnam War Memorial. When visitors walk down the length of the wall they look at the names of all of the fallen and see their own reflection and the reflection of the other visitors. Looking at the names and seeing the reflection forces the spectator to make the connection that the names on the wall are not just war-casualties. The names are the identities of actual people that are exactly the same to the visitors that see the wall. The names are not just fallen soldiers but people with their own unique lives and stories that traumatically ended when they were sent to a strange outlandish country that they had never heard of before to fight for a cause they may not have believed in. The Vietnam War Memorial attempts to humanize the otherwise endless list of names by providing a reflection that shows that the soldiers that fought and died in the war were ordinary people just like the many visitors that walk through the memorial every day.
ReplyDeleteThe war in vietnam was never a popular war, and in fact to many Americans it was a war that resulted in more death and loss than it did in benefits to America for having fought it. Soldiers where coming home to crowds of people, but unlike those serving in the World Wars and other conflicts, these brave men and women were returning to mobs of people cursing at them and spitting in their way. The men of our military who worked so hard to serve the United States in a land far off where returning to more sadness here on American soil as they ventured home, this is what was attempted to be embodied by the Vietnam Memorial. This black marble memorial is located in a wooded area of the National Mall, an area where it could easily sit in silence and allow for people to walk the brick, lit pathway understanding the feeling of solitude and respect for those that had served. People walking through the memorial are usually greeted by a deafening amount of silence for the number of people that are present. People young and old are commonly seen running their fingers over the names of those lost, and trying to understand the amount of sacrifice those brave men and women must have suffered while serving in a land far away.
ReplyDeleteThere are many aspects that make “The Wall” a special place; they can be broken down to visually and emotionally. This space needs to be presented in a very nice manner. The wall is surrounded by a freshly kept lawn and healthy trees; also the wall is kept very clean and presentable. This space is very emotional because of what it represents. It lists all of the brave soldiers that fought in that war to protect our country. The dark stone wall does a great job in honoring the fallen soldiers, this monument is one of the most visited sites in the city of Washington and I’m sure the walk down along side of the wall is very heart warming.
ReplyDeletekevin schroeder and tommy marino
DeleteThe space that is occupied by the Vietnam Wall can encourage various behaviors and beliefs. Having the physical presence of something extraordinary can be influencing on anyone but can also induce feelings of hate and depression. The Wall is a national monument that was built for remembrance of those who gave their lives in Vietnam to protect the nation; People feel entitled to go to this physical place and pay their respects. If there wasn’t a physical place to honor those who have fallen the general population would not feel the need to remember the soldiers. A wall such as this one could also produce feelings of hatred and rawness towards the Vietnamese or even our own government because all of these lives were lost because they were told to fight by a higher power and this physical wall gives a backbone for people to really see what this war did and how many people lost their lives. I think these monuments are needed because it represents a time in our history as a country and resembles all that we went through and one cannot seem to get a sense of nationalism and pride for overcoming such a horrendous war.
ReplyDeleteThe Vietnam War Memorial was constructed in honor of those who fought and died during the war. The memorial has the names of every fallen soldier impeded into blacked granite that is polished to act like a mirror. Those who visit the memorial are able to see themselves in the granite wall while they look upon the name of their loved one. Seeing their image next to their loved one’s name allows them to feel as though they are with them once again, and it also allows the viewer to see the sadness of others visiting the memorial which adds to their own emotional distress. As they look upon the wall, they are able to witness the pain everyone else is feeling. This memorial not only allows us to see the effect of war on those who fought, but also on their loved ones.
ReplyDeleteThe shiny, reflective, and long Vietnam Memorial Wall located in Washington D.C. holds more than one purpose. It is not only to remember those who died to protect our freedom as Americans, but it also symbolizes the brutality of war. The long, gloomy wall stretches on and on to stress the number of casualties of this horrible war. It seems that whatever day you go, whether it be a clear and shiny day or a rainy and cold day, that the wall will still set a depressing mood upon the people visiting it. When people look at their reflections on “The Wall”, all they see is there body filled with the innumerable amount of people that fell fighting for their rights. They see just how terrible war is and know that all of this fighting could have been avoided. This wall's main purpose is to serve as a deterrent from war. We must remember the amount of people that died so we do not make the same mistakes in our futures.
ReplyDelete