Vietnam Research Writing Exercise: Brittany Kuykendall

Maya Lin was only 21 years old when she found out that her design won first place for the Vietnam Memorial Wall design contest. Being didn’t yet have her bachelors degree in architecture and only received a “B” for the design in her class so this only added to her shock. The design that Lin submitted was a simplistic, sleek, V shaped wall that was built into the ground. The win did not come without controversy though. "They did not like the idea that it was below ground level. They did not like its minimalist design. They felt it was a slap in the face to those who had served because it did not contain traditional symbols honoring service, courage, and sacrifice." (VVMF) Many of the protesters did not agree with the wall being black because it seemed like “a big black trench that scars the Mall.” Some opponents simply did not like the fact that Lin was a young student, a woman, and of Asian descent.

This is the design Maya Lin submitted to the contest with a one page, hand written description of the design and why she chose to make it like that.

This subject is important because Maya Lin saw the beauty in the park when she first visited the site to begin the process of designing the wall. She didn’t want to disrupt the nature and fun that was taking place of the kids playing frisbee, an elderly couple going for a stroll and even a group of people picnicking. This lead her to have the main design into the ground, not because of shame but to add importance. As you approach the wall, the names seem infinite in number but they all belong to a whole. The actual area is wide and shallow, giving a sense of privacy as you walk through from one end to another. During this whole process of entering the competition, designing, selecting, and finally building the wall, America was divided about the design but shocked and brought together by the outcome.

Maya Lin and Jan Scruggs holding the winning design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Word Count: 312
Link of source: http://www.vvmf.org/maya-lin-design-submission
http://www.vvmf.org/the-controversy