Question

Give a speech that takes a clear stand about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Instead of just giving information about the memorial, your speech must present an argument about a controversy related to the memorial. Is it a proper memorial for veterans? Was the architect qualified to design the memorial? These are just two examples: You decide which controversy to explore.

Answer 1

Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a monument of 8000 square meters. It honors the members of the US Army who have died and are missing. Construction and manufacture was the cause of the controversy, which led to an additional construction. The memorial wall that was the cause of the controversy was designed by architect Maya Lin. The problem would be that the wall is black and without ornaments, then, it was lacking in resolving the national conflict over the war. It did not reflect the real circumstances that would speak about conflicting opinions about the war, as well as the minimalist design of the monument that diminishes the value of sacrifice of US soldiers. Some officials, among whom the most vocal were James Webb and H. Ross Perot, called it "the black wall of shame," "slapping in the face of those who served." At first they were supporters of Maya Lin's design, but later they became opponents seeing how the design looks. They also called it a "Nihilistic stone slab". Their claims were supported by the fact that Maya Lin is a young Asian student, and as such is not qualified to design such a monument.