I went to the inauguration this past January and I get to see the Vietnam Memorial. It was absolutely beautiful. It’s most definitely one of my favorites, so I enjoyed this documentary a lot. Seeing Maya Lin and her passion for her monument was such a refreshing turn from the other movies we have watched. So far the others have focused on the suffering and damage caused by Vietnam. This focused on the healing of a county and I really just thought it was wonderful.
Seeing her first sketch of the monument and it being transformed to the structure it is today is just mind blowing. It really tells a story of its own.
I never thought inanimate objects could have rhetoric, but this one definitely does. It tells of the people, not the politics. It shows the sorrow, pain, and acceptance of the Vietnam War and how our Country can look back and remember, but still move forward into healing. It answers the question of making a monument to honor so many different and diverse men.
As far as the one veteran saying he felt that the monument was a “black scar”, I feel he is incorrect. Many had a problem with the chronological listing of the names, but I agree with Maya Lin- taking the time to find the name and seeing it stand alone, and not in a sea of Smiths is so powerful. The design is beautiful and it really tells the story of the Vietnam War from start to finish. This monument has an argument and it makes it loud and clear. The Vietnam War may be a scar, but it is a scar to be remembered and honored and I think Maya Lin did just that through her idea for the monument. It allows us to remember and move forward.
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