The Wall Within Me
One of my first visualization of the nation’s hardships was on my 8th grade trip to Washington D.C. Before my trip, I had no expectation on what I was going to see. I just wanted to have a good time. The first stop we got off at was the Lincoln Memorial. I stared in fascination as our most popular President looked into everybody's soul as they entered the massive marble columns. Our time was up and I thought we were going to head back to the bus, but our tour guide was walking in the opposite direction towards the Washington Monument. I was confused at first, wondering why we had to walk all the way there when we could have just gone on the bus. We trekked through the snow which drowned us in a fluffy white powder creating no visibility. We suddenly stopped and I saw our tour guide staring at a bunch of snow, looking on with pride. I, confused once again, went to take a closer look when I banged my head on something hard. Dazed, I took a step back to see an overwhelming black wall in my path. I saw the label and it said Vietnam War Memorial. I stood there for a few minutes, drowning out all the complaints or screams of my peers wanting to leave due to the heavy snow. Dragging my hand along the wall, I see names zooming by. I felt like I was at a moment of fullness. The pit I was in felt like I was being swallowed and pushed into wall. I glanced back but I couldn't see my friends through the swirling snow. The wind started to blow and I started being forced against the wall. I was struggling to get free pulling myself with all my might. My head going to explode with the amount of fear, tension and exuberant energy I felt. All of a sudden, the snow stops, the wind slows down and the air gets clear. Everybody came into view, taking pictures of the Washington Monument or themselves. I couldn't explain what I felt in the pit of the Vietnam War Memorial that day. I felt as if I was drawn into the wall and I would never come out. "While the dead body occupies a grave to which the living may attend, the missing body is marked by unoccupied space through which the living may stroll" (Booth 3). When I read this quote in class this week, it all made sense. When I was at that monument two years ago, the dead and the missing, being lonely, were trying to draw me in while I was struggling to retain my life. War always will make you a different person when you come out and there will always be a point of loneliness in your soul as the memories fade.
One of my first visualization of the nation’s hardships was on my 8th grade trip to Washington D.C. Before my trip, I had no expectation on what I was going to see. I just wanted to have a good time. The first stop we got off at was the Lincoln Memorial. I stared in fascination as our most popular President looked into everybody's soul as they entered the massive marble columns. Our time was up and I thought we were going to head back to the bus, but our tour guide was walking in the opposite direction towards the Washington Monument. I was confused at first, wondering why we had to walk all the way there when we could have just gone on the bus. We trekked through the snow which drowned us in a fluffy white powder creating no visibility. We suddenly stopped and I saw our tour guide staring at a bunch of snow, looking on with pride. I, confused once again, went to take a closer look when I banged my head on something hard. Dazed, I took a step back to see an overwhelming black wall in my path. I saw the label and it said Vietnam War Memorial. I stood there for a few minutes, drowning out all the complaints or screams of my peers wanting to leave due to the heavy snow. Dragging my hand along the wall, I see names zooming by. I felt like I was at a moment of fullness. The pit I was in felt like I was being swallowed and pushed into wall. I glanced back but I couldn't see my friends through the swirling snow. The wind started to blow and I started being forced against the wall. I was struggling to get free pulling myself with all my might. My head going to explode with the amount of fear, tension and exuberant energy I felt. All of a sudden, the snow stops, the wind slows down and the air gets clear. Everybody came into view, taking pictures of the Washington Monument or themselves. I couldn't explain what I felt in the pit of the Vietnam War Memorial that day. I felt as if I was drawn into the wall and I would never come out. "While the dead body occupies a grave to which the living may attend, the missing body is marked by unoccupied space through which the living may stroll" (Booth 3). When I read this quote in class this week, it all made sense. When I was at that monument two years ago, the dead and the missing, being lonely, were trying to draw me in while I was struggling to retain my life. War always will make you a different person when you come out and there will always be a point of loneliness in your soul as the memories fade.
I like how you connected something that happened in the past to something you learned in the present. I feel like there's a huge stigma that what happens in the past should stay in the past, but you proved that remembering the past can make something in the present more meaningful.
ReplyDeleteEhhh Anish. I can totally relate to you but nice job dramatizing the whole Washington DC trip into an adventure story. Alright, jokes aside, I totally agree with the way you feel when approaching such an important part of the past, present and future. I love how you incorporated the difference of how you felt versus how your classmates felt.
ReplyDeleteI remember going on the same trip with you. It's very interesting to see how you felt in front of the Vietnam War Memorial. I really liked your use of imagery and how you connected it to our in class readings. I feel like I am able to relive the moment through your writing.
ReplyDeleteI really like how vivid your description of this entire chain of events was. I wonder what it was within you that caused these feelings to emerge and make you feel a connection with the memorial that nobody else seemed to have.I also like how this event was still remembered by you to this day and was applicable to what we have been talking about in class recently.
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