

In America, there are plenty of pieces of artwork such as the one pictured above that have significant importance to our country. Different people see and interpret these pictures how they choose to and there are many ways to do so. This photograph of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C. is one of those mentioned pieces of artwork. At first glance, the first thing that I notice is the wall of names. Secondly, the reflection of the six soldiers staring back at the working man, and the red roses with the American flag laying at the foot of the wall beside the man’s feet. Lastly, what most people would fail to notice about this picture is the colors and the overall dark hue the picture portrays. All of these individual aspects of the piece of art are what brings it together and makes it as important as it is.

The wall of names, or the Vietnam War Memorial is one of the most visited landmarks in D.C according to www.theatlantic.com. Etched into the wall by a machine are almost 53,000 names of the men and women who gave their lives to fight for their country. In the picture, you can see what looks like the names of just some of these men and women. This is significant to this picture because it clarifies further that this is the Vietnam War Memorial that is being picture and because an onlooker can conclude that the man standing there with his hand on the wall has something in common with that particular section of the wall. Out of the almost 53,000 names on the wall, approximately 1200 of them are still Missing In Action (MIA) or Prisoners of War (POW). I think that says a lot about our country that they even went to greater lengths to include the POW and MIA men and women in the wall as well as the ones who had already died. 

Secondly, I noticed the small things lying at the foot of the wall or the bottom of the picture. What really stood out to me about this though was that the man, slumped over with the briefcase at his feet, looks like he had a really long day at work and is tired. But, then I realized that where his hand is resting on the wall, there is another or one of a reflection pressed against his. An observer can the understand from the context clues of this picture that the younger looking guy in the reflection is the working man’s relative or friend that had passed away in the Vietnam War. At the foot of the wall you can see where some other visitors have places red roses, small American flags, and even a black POW MIA sign. These small items included in the picture show us that not only the man in the picture, but others, has relationships to the wall as well. 

Lastly, I notice the things that others sometimes fail to see or do not realize are even there, such as the dark and gloomy mood in the picture that gives off feelings of sadness and grief. In the top right hand corner of the picture you can see a small sliver of the sky from this particular day. It seems to be cloudy in this area and there is no sunlight; it’s looking like it will rain soon. Next, I notice the bricks at the bottom of the picture that the man’s briefcase is set on and his black suit jacket is neatly thrown over. These bricks of differentiating shades and patterns cast a sort of realization that all the people on the wall are on there for unique reasons and led unique lives. Some are white, some are black, some are deceased and some are alive. They are all different and died of different circumstance, but they all worked together, both in life and on the wall, to make our country a better place. 

Finally, there are so many different ways, especially around the world that this picture can be portrayed from different points of view. There are many ways to interpret all things and this picture is no exception. The Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. is a perfect example of one of these landmarks or images. Any picture can be inspiring but I think that this one deserves to be at the top of the list. 
