Ambiguity as persuasion: The Vietnam Veterans memorial |
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| Authors: | Sonja K Foss |
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| Institution: | Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech , University of Oregon , Eugene, OR, 97403 |
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| Abstract: | Visitors to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial generally are deeply moved by it—regardless of their positions on the Vietnam War itself. In this essay, five visual features of the memorial are identified that enable it to appeal to virtually all visitors: (a) It violates the conventional form of war memorials; (b) It assumes a welcoming stance; (c) It provides little information to the visitor; (d) It focuses attention on those who did not survive the war; and (e) It generates multiple referents for its visual components. The effectiveness of the memorial suggests that it may serve as a model for contemporary anti‐war rhetoric. |
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| Keywords: | Vietnam Veterans Memorial ambiguity aesthetic response meaning intentionality form multiple referents anti‐war rhetoric |
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