Reflection 2

I found last weeks lectures about the war memorials interesting. I have seen the memorials and always knew the importance of remembering our soldiers, but I never realized how controversial they were, and how much went into every detail. I think that the fact that people didn't like the Vietnam Memorial because it wasn't "masculine" enough brings us back to one of the major themes of the course which is gender roles. We would like to think that we have come a long way since the civil war, yet we still consider war, and soldiers to be masculine, and turning boys into men. The same goes for the controversary the race of the soldiers caused. At the time that these memorials were built, race should not have been such a big issue.

The fact that bringing loved ones items to the site of a death, or tragedy began with the Vietnam memorial was also new to me. I am used to seeing flowers and stuffed animals on the side of the road or at a grave site, but I was never aware until last week that this orginated with the Vietnam Wall. The sight of all the memorabila along the wall, gives us insight to how many people and families this war affected.After Professor Hass's lectures I have a new appreciation for the war memorials, and for the people who designed them. I now realize that they not only represent the fallen soldiers, but their families, and all of the people affected by the war both at home, and in foreign countries.