Memorials

As soon as I got onto the streets of New York City, I saw one thing everywhere. It was the Freedom Tower and it could be seen in the sky wherever I was that day. It basically followed me as I went towards the memorial and as I left the memorial. It was like a memory that could never be forgotten, a memory that was always just there. The 9/11 memorial was the largest memorial site that I have ever been to. The majority of memorial sites that I have visited ended up being no larger than an average sized living room, and objects were randomly scattered about. The 9/11 memorial was well organized and executed. Everything that was in it had a meaning that could be understood by anyone who ever heard of 9/11. When I walked into the memorial site, from the city streets, I noticed that all the noise of the city just vanished. As soon as you enter the premises of the memorial, the only sound you really hear is the sound of the water flowing into the earth. It created an environment that promoted concentration and serenity. Wherever you looked, you see massive skyscrapers that would only permit you to see the different landmarks in the memorial. Once you got inside the memorial, there was no getting out- unless you physically left the memorial.

You can’t compare the 9/11 memorial to the Vietnam War Memorial. The each provide two completely different atmospheres that cannot work together. The Vietnam memorial promotes a sense of struggle. No sound is lost from the outside world. The lighting was extremely dim due to the two buildings that surround the memorial. The letters on the blocks were extremely tiny. Whoever designed the memorial wanted to make sure that whoever read the memorial would struggle and feel extremely uncomfortable just as the soldiers did during the war.