Monuments Men Essay

The Monuments Men is set during World War II, but primarily focuses on the Monuments Men and their activities from June 1944 to May 1945

Upon entering the room, visitors’ eyes dart to that mysteriously empty frame centered on the opposite wall. In such a painstakingly designed museum, this frame looks out of place. On these walls hang the memoirs of revered artists, but the empty frames scattered throughout remember something more tragic: the largest property theft in world history (Menconi, 2012). Head of security at the Gardner, Anthony Amore, refers to these empty frames as “placeholders, not memorials” and urges visitors to see them as a “testament” to their belief that they will reacquire the stolen paintings someday (Menconi, 2012). Whether they do or not, the 1990 Gardner theft greatly impacted

This ‘cult’ had one goal-through monuments and other means-to rewrite history to hide the truth, which is that the Confederacy was on the wrong side of humanity” (p 2). Using a periodic sentence structure, Landrieu puts an emphasis on the fact that the Confederacy was wrong, and people should not follow in its footsteps. The fact that the cult was trying to re-write history implies they know they were wrong and wanted to cover up their wrongdoings. He then goes on to talk about this in a logical sense to persuade the listener, as he then goes on to say, “...these men did not fight for the United States of America. They fought against it” (p 3). In any logical person’s mind, they should believe that it’s better to have someone that is standing up for their country in power, than someone who is not. Landrieu also uses a short and ‘sweet’ sentence to say how these Confederate men were against America’s cause, putting an emphasis on the facts. With his allusions to past events, Landrieu touches on the listeners pathos; while his differing sentence structure and logical remarks relate to the listeners logos. Using these appeals, Landrieu is able to help his listeners truly understand the history and image of the Confederate monuments.

Arlington National Cemetery is located in Arlington, Virginia and is home to over 400,000 graves. Service members who died while on active duty, retired members of the Armed Forces, and certain veterans and family members may be buried there. Seeing the countless rows of headstones allowed me to reflect upon the sacrifices made by our U.S. soldiers. I have a tremendous amount of respect for every person buried there. Monuments, memorials and dedicated trees commemorating individuals and significant events in our nation's history are interspersed throughout the cemetery among the headstones of service members for whom Arlington is the final resting place. These people shall never be forgotten. Walking beside the graves allowed me

From Trajan’s Column, completed in 113 AD, to the statue of Christopher Columbus in Easton, Pennsylvania, monuments and memorials have been a significant element of celebration and honor throughout history (Source B). Though monuments are typically meant as a symbol of honor, recent controversy over statues dedicated to Confederate leaders and generals has sparked the debate over how to choose subjects to memorialize, and the actual development of these memorials. When considering what or who to honor, one must also consider the subjects impact on history, ensuring that it is positive. In creating memorials and monuments, groups and agencies should examine the historical significance of the events or persons they wish to memorialize, and the

The purpose of many monuments is to honor and protect the legacy of some of America's greatest heroes. Kirk Savage in the book Monument

Living in close proximity to Gettysburg, I have spent many weekends of my childhood hiking through the numerous acres of woods on Culp’s Hill, climbing the gigantic boulders in Devil’s Den, and tramping through the marshes of Plum Run. Enjoying the scenic beauty is just the beginning as to what Gettysburg has to offer. However, why is Gettysburg so important to us all as Americans? What made this small town so famous that tens of thousands of tourists from all over the globe come to walk through the many wheat fields in the surrounding countryside? While wandering those same fields that Union and Confederate soldiers fought on some one hundred and forty years ago, I asked myself why this place was so significant.

Monuments are a way of remembering the past and either honoring or celebrating a person or event. Monuments can teach people and help to preserve a memory or spread awareness. Furthermore, when a group or agency wants to memorialize an event or person and create a monument there are factors it should consider, such as the location, the monument itself and the significance.

many people create meaningless buildings and sculptures just to please the eye which is why they need to people need to identify reasons a memorial would benefit them.

The idea of keeping monuments in public spaces is a challenging choice for us all because for those who don’t like the idea of the monuments being removed they can become really violent much so that in the article “Battle Scars”

Note the types and sheer volume of the arts/images revealed in this film. What might be the cumulative effect of 150+ years of these images on Americans?

People can honor a historical figure or event in various ways, such as a film or museum. People may also memorialize events or people with a monument. Monuments help remember great moments of achievement and they pay homage to deep sacrifice. When creating a monument to commemorate a person or event, a group or agency should consider the factors of location, size, and material.

This memorial is very effective in the way the message and symbols are presented. The memorial emphasizes the United States’ side of the war and how it affected the country. The ways the illustrations are depicted are accurate in a sense that it only shows the effects it had to the U.S through symbolism. The way nationalism is used though the symbols are directly connected to the war and the nationalism that is emphasized in that setting. The layout and design is used to help build that intensifying persuasion. Persuasion can be found in many different ways an in the case of this memorial, it is found through the symbols, layout, and materials used to put the WWII memorial together.

Location; where the monument is plays a big role in how effective a monument is in memorializing or honoring a person or moment. For instance Mount Rushmore, to the untrained eye, is four important men of the past on the side of a mountain, but it is actually quite more. “I have to admit: Mount Rushmore bothers me. It was bad enough that white men drove the Sioux from the hills they still hold sacred; did they have to carve faces all over them too?”(Source C). Source C is saying that the location of Mount Rushmore is disrespectful to the Sioux because that mountain is sacred to them, and the people who drove the Native Americans off the land have their faces on that

Throughout history, art has caused wars and forged alliances. In modern times, cultural treasures are being sorted into place after much misplacement. Restitution/repatriation, the act of returning cultural treasures to their rightful owners or nation of origin, often ensues difficult legal decisions, but remains a moral necessity. This act of returning cultural treasures, grows more common due to the media’s interest or publicized legal battles. The movie “The Woman in Gold,” involving Gustav Klimt’s painting of Adele Bloch-Bauer, is an example of the influence it has on media.