Always to Remember: The Vision of Maya Ying Lin

Always to Remember: The Vision of Maya Ying Lin

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Reading: Make Connections Between Supporting Paragraphs and the Main Idea

Main ideas are the most important points in a literary work. Writers often organize essays so that main ideas are part of a clear structure. An introduction states the main idea, and then each paragraph supports or develops it. Make connections between supporting paragraphs and the main idea.

Reading: Make Connections Between Supporting Paragraphs and the Main Idea

• Pause to note the main idea of paragraphs or sections.

• Write notes, or complete an organizer to track main ideas and key details.

• Review the main ideas and details in each section to see how they support the essay’s main idea.

Reading: Make Connections Between Supporting Paragraphs and the Main Idea

Read this passage from the selection about Maya Ying Lin.

Announcement of the competition in October, 1980, brought an astonishing response. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund received over five thousand inquiries. They came from every state in the nation and from every field of design.

The details support the main idea: the astonishing support for the competition.

Open Ended

Maya Lin grew up in an environment of art and literature. She was interested in sculpture and made both small and large sculptural figures, one cast in bronze. She learned silversmithing and made jewelry. She was surrounded by books and read a great deal....

Main idea of whole section: Maya Lin’s home was full of art and literature.

What is a supporting detail?

Open Ended

On the day of their visit, Maya Lin remembers, Constitution Gardens was awash with a late November sun; the park was full of light, alive with joggers and people walking beside the lake.

Main idea of whole section: Maya’s visit to the building site was memorable.

What is a supporting detail?

Open Ended

The designs were displayed without any indication of the designer’s name so that they could be judged anonymously, on their design merits alone. The jury spent one week reviewing all the designs.... On May 1 it made its report to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund; the experts declared Entry Number 1,026 the winner.

Main idea of whole section: Designs were judged impartially.

What is a supporting detail?

Literary Analysis: Biography and Autobiography

•A biographical essay is a short work in which a writer tells about an important event in the life of another person.

• An autobiographical essay is also a true account, but it is written by the person who experienced the event himself or herself. It includes the writer’s thoughts and feelings about an event.

Both types of writing look at the influence of personal experiences, such as schooling, on the later personalities and accomplishments of a person.

Multiple Choice

According to “Always to Remember,” who had the idea that Vietnam veterans deserved a memorial?

• two lawyers

• a Vietnam veteran, Jan Scruggs

• Maya Ying Lin’s professor at Yale

• the author, Brent Ashabranner

Multiple Choice

According to “Always to Remember,” who was particularly interested in entering the memorial competition?

• college students

• war veterans

• designers and sculptors

• residents of Washington, D.C.

Multiple Choice

According to “Always to Remember,” who had the idea for Maya Ying Lin to submit a design to the competition?

• her college professor

• Maya Ying Lin herself

• her parents

• her friends

Multiple Choice

Based on your reading of “Always to Remember,” which word best describes the response to the design competition for a memorial?

• enthusiastic

• lukewarm

• uninterested

• angry

Multiple Choice

“Always to Remember” tells that Maya Ying Lin visited the park where the memorial would be built before she created a design. Why was the visit a good idea?

• She needed to take a break from her studies.

• She was able to talk with local people about the memorial they envisioned.

• She did historical research in a Washington, D.C., library.

• She was able to imagine a design that fit the landscape.

Multiple Choice

According to “Always to Remember,” what was not an important condition for the design of the memorial?

• It had to be easy to take care of.

• It had to fit in the park’s environment.

• It had to be very tall.

• It had to have artistic merit.

Multiple Choice

According to “Always to Remember,” why were the judges surprised by who won the design competition?

• The winner had an artistic background.

• The winner was inexperienced.

• The winner was not from Washington, D.C.

• The winner entered at the last minute.

Multiple Choice

According to “Always to Remember,” which word best describes the home in which Maya Ying Lin grew up?

• wealthy

• artistic

• poor

• unhappy

Multiple Choice

According to “Always to Remember,” what subject did Maya Ying Lin decide to concentrate on in college?

• art history

• ceramics

• literature

• architecture

Multiple Choice

According to “Always to Remember,” when was the deadline for building the memorial?

• Veterans Day, 1982

• New Year’s Day, 2000

• President’s Day, 1970

• George Washington’s Birthday, 1952

Multiple Choice

Whom does the Vietnam Veterans Memorial honor?

• those in support of U.S. action in the war

• those against U.S. action in the war

• the officers who led troops in the war

• U.S. military killed or missing in the war

Multiple Choice

Which word is the closest in meaning to eloquent?

• expressive

• absent

• boring

• unjust

Multiple Choice

Which word or phrase is closest in meaning to unanimous?

• justified

• in agreement

• divided

• not accurate