Macaulay Seminar One at Brooklyn College

    The 9/11 memorial was incredible. The rushing water, the omnipresence of the victims’ names, the imperceivable depth of the falls; the memorial was unforgettable. As you tour the perimeter of the pools you are engulfed in memory, empathy, and pride. Seeing the grandeur of Freedom Tower and the healed wound that was ground zero made me feel ridiculously in touch with American pride; to see how we bounce back after such tragedy was truly inspiring. However, upon seeing first-hand the kind of destruction and loss terrorism causes, I felt angry. I didn’t and still don’t know how to deal with those feelings; the feelings of fear, vulnerability, desire for vengeance. I suppose George Bush felt the same way, and that’s how we ended up in Iraq. I believe memorializing such a horrific event in this refined, simplistic, elegant fashion can help heal the collective scar that 9/11 has left. It shows that we can overcome any obstacle, no matter how daunting. Seeing the rise of the new World Trade Center proves that while our buildings may have been broken, our spirit never was.

     The Vietnam memorial was different, but no less powerful. This memorial incorporated letters from soldiers no older than I am; this hit a melancholic note for many of us there. The weather mimicked these feelings, as dark clouds rolled overhead, a violent wind propelling them. This was accompanied by tiny raindrops that hit the pavement like tears. I imagine on a spring day this memorial must feel different, but in the atmosphere we saw it, it seemed despondent, sad, and in all its disrepair, almost lost. In many ways, that’s what Vietnam was: a generation of lost boys, fighting fruitlessly and without cause, but nonetheless, gallantly. While the memorial may seem detached and far away, Vietnam is still very much alive in the hearts and minds of the American people. The policy and events surrounding Vietnam will always haunt us, regardless if we did not live through it. We will never forget the travesty that was the Vietnam War.

The trip to the 9/11 Memorial was absolutely phenomenal. I, in my 12 years since the events had never been to that memorial and it is truly breathtaking, for lack of a better word, it catches you off guard and floods you with emotion when you see it. The memorial is comprised of 2 gigantic square fountains that pour water into a seemingly endless abyss whose bottom is impossible to see, unless you could fly or hover. The memorials are massive because they sit where the twin towers stood, which add a lot to the effect of the memorial.

When I realized that the fountains were in place of the actual twin towers, I began feel fear. I felt what I assume to be the fear that people may have felt on that day because I was standing inches away from where these massive buildings collapsed. To think of how people must’ve run and and panicked when the towers fell, I can’t fully comprehend what they must’ve been feeling in those moments. Each of the fountains at the memorial have names inscribed on the metal plate around the fountain, one has the names of the citizens who passed away in the attacks and that was very saddening to see, but also hopeful, knowing that they wouldn’t be forgotten. The other has the names of the firefighters, policemen, and all others who helped during the attacks but eventually perished. After seeing this I felt happy to know that these people did their best to help anyone they could in any way they could, those people were heroes. Another big aspect of the memorial was the combination of the sight of the water rushing down, and the sound of it. As you stood in front of either of the fountains, the sound of the water was dominating and soon I found that I could barely hear anything besides the sound of the falling water. Seeing this enhanced the effect because you could see and feel the gravity of what happened here, it was serious and you feel that completely and totally. It was an outstanding experience to see the memorial, truly amazing.

The Vietnam Memorial on the other hand, had a very small effect on me. Though this memorial had personal letters from soldiers and was overall more personal, it wasn’t well kept, it was run down and seemingly abandoned. This was disheartening but it was the truth. I didn’t have a big reaction to it because I had just seen the 9/11 memorial which I think was better. Another reason it didn’t have much of an effect on me was because I wasn’t alive for the war so even though I know it was serious and very controversial, I can’t connect to it in the same way I could to the 9/1 memorial. It didn’t move me in a big way, though it it sad that it’s been abandoned

Walking in to the 9/11 memorial I was surprised at the security measures that were taken before getting to see the actual place the metal detectors and the security guard at every corner actually got me a little paranoid. When approaching the memorial the sound of the water was so beautiful. It was so refreshing and I feel like the water coming down just gave off a sense of relief. The day the towers fell, I remember, it was a hot day and just the smoke and fire must’ve made that area an unbearable place to be, so I really liked the way water was utilized in this memorial. I also didn’t realize the massive amount of people who had lost their lives until I walked down the whole memorial. I liked how the names were the focal point of the memorial. The discussion we had in class made me realize that after death, that’s all a person really has as remembrance and to put the names on the memorial is something every memorial should have to pay homage for those who died.
The Vietnam memorial although it wasn’t very well maintained had its own beauty. I liked the location of the place it was kind of eerie with the inscribed letters of people who passed away on one side and the life and busy roads of New York on the other.
For me, the 9/11 memorial had more of an impact because it was a memorial for something that happened to my home, New York. I think it’s very rare to have a memorial be located at the exact place where the event happened and that’s what makes the 9/11 memorial all the more beautiful and emotional.

As much as I enjoy art, it took a visit to the 9/11 and Vietnam War Memorials to solidify my understanding of how memorials are an art form. I still love observing oil on canvas, a tapestry here and there, and ideal beauty carved in stone, but I had rarely been moved as greatly as I was on our visit to these memorials. I was alive for 9/11, but not yet an idea during the Vietnam war, and although I witnessed the second plane hit the tower from a television set in San Diego, I had more of an emotional response when we visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Yes, a name may be how we identify people at the most basic level, but reading the letters written to and from soldiers allowed me to better connect with conflict in which they were engaged.

The sheer magnitude of the waterfalls was humbling; the center of each – where the water fell out of sight –  was symbolic, and in fact, each stage the water went through on its way through the cycle represented each stage of that terrible day. I had no desire to speak. It was as though some greater force kept my mouth shut. I had no urge to fight back. But reading the letters of the American soldiers in Vietnam awakened an entire world of thought in me. The phrases “Dear mom” of “Dear son” or “Dear [the soldier’s name]” forced my to reflect deeply on how much I value the people who love and care for me unconditionally, so much so that began to tear up. (You might say I’m a momma’s boy, and you’d be right). Lastly, the circumstances surrounding the two conflicts being remembered differ; every person was in some way innocent in each conflict, but the knowledge of death in the minds of the Americans fighting in Vietnam was clear, and the days events were entirely unknown to the victims of the terrorist attacks. Somehow, the unfamiliarity of the unknown realm that is death and love for my family and beloved friends was more strongly affected.

I am fortunate not to have lost any friends or family in the 9/11 attacks, and all my heart goes out to those who did. The events of 9/11/01 are still fresh in the minds of the many, but the quiet and firm essence of the Vietnam War memorial showed me that the terror of the past may fade, but will never disappear; it’s silhouette will forever stand behind us as we look forward.

The water’s roar hushes the buslte of the city

rendering it a whisper.

The engraved letters mummify the soldier’s voices

lending silence to the city’s seasons.

Each blankets the city

as though the present is in infancy, whimpering,

and the past echoes

n’er to be forgotten.

9/11 is one of the most vivid memories of my childhood. It was my sixth birthday, and not only that, but I also lived and went to school within walking distance from the towers. Every day I woke up to the majestic sight of the twin towers outside of my window and often would go to the stores in the towers. (I especially remember the Discovery store and the Krispy Kreme that I loved.) I remember the moment the first plane hit–I was in school, and we were doing “silent reading.” We heard a tremendous crash and everyone ran to the window to see what happened. We couldn’t see anything because our room faced in the opposite direction. We all assumed it was something related to construction, until we heard over the loud speaker that there had been “an accident at the World Trade Center” and that we must all move to the south west area of the building. Soon enough, parents started picking up their children. I remember my parents picking me up and the three of us ran to Chelsea to pick up my brother from his school. I remember having to wear face masks and practically being chased down the street by enormous clouds of dust and smoke. I didn’t see the second plane hit, but I just remember turning the corner as we got to Chelsea Piers and watching the second tower as it fell.

We were all in complete shock. I remember sitting in a cafe with my parents right after, eating a bagel and watching the news silently. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John was playing on the radio. We all knew that things would never be the same after that. Even at my young age, seeing the towers fall and knowing I couldn’t go home and seeing people falling from windows, I knew that this was a big deal. I remember feeling so angry and confused as to why someone would do this to my home, my neighborhood. I was so shocked that someone would kill all these people and cause such massive destruction.

I had never been to the 9/11 memorial before we went on Thursday. Although I had lived in that neighborhood from my childhood up until the end of this summer, and walked past it every single day, for some reason I never had any interest in visiting it. I think I avoided it for so long because I knew it would bring back really painful memories. I was kind of afraid of visiting it, because I knew it would be extremely emotional. However once I actually went inside and looked closely at the waterfalls and all the names, I found the memorial to be a beautiful way of remembering those lost on that day. Although I have my suspicions and mixed feelings about the truth behind the 9/11 attacks (but that’s a whole other story…), I thought the 9/11 memorial was amazing. The white noise of the water, the way that it seemed like the pits went on forever, the white roses placed on the names of those whose birthday it was…it was all quite overwhelming. The fact that this was the exact spot where all of these people died made it feel very haunting and real. I found that I could connect with it on a very personal level because I used to walk on that same earth as a child, and I could remember so vividly all of the images of the burning towers on those exact spots.

The Vietnam Memorial was a somewhat different experience. This memorial is much more subtle, much more subdued. Not only that, but there are many Vietnam memorials and this one is clearly not one of the most famous or beautiful of them. Despite everything though, this memorial was still very emotional. Even though it wasn’t as flashy or spectacular as the 9/11 memorial, it felt very personal. Reading the stories of the soldiers and reading their letters gave it a shock of reality that wouldn’t have existed had there only been the names of those lost in the war. Although the memorial was sad, I must admit that I didn’t feel the same kind of relatable, personal sadness that I felt with the 9/11 memorial, which is probably because I actually experienced 9/11 on a firsthand level. I remember it vividly and I know people who were really affected by 9/11 even more than my family was. Also, 9/11 is still very prevalent in our society. People still talk about it a lot and relate it to what’s going on in the world today. Vietnam, although a tragic, pointlessly bloody war, was a much longer time ago and hasn’t affected people of our age as much as 9/11 did.