Construction of memorials and monuments have been a costly and prevalent occurrence throughout history as a way to remind current and future generations of important events and influential people; “There is no doubt that the modern state has been built on the mass circulation of the written word. Public monuments by contrast, offer an anachronistic experience:” (source A, Savage). From the remembrance of influential heroes to the installation of respect towards your country, the construction and importance of monuments has always been a major undertaking. Due to it’s significance, the construction of memorials should be treated with respect and cautiously planned. Elements such as location, budget, and design are all key factors.
One of the most important factors when considering design is location. Poor placement of monuments could result in criticism, confusion, and rebellion. For example, the placement of Mt. Rushmore; where the faces of historical figures are carved into the side of the same hills the Sioux were forced out of (source C, Downes). Because memorials are intended to be educational and honorable, “It’s not surprising that immediate and intense controversy erupted when plans were publicized to build a Holocaust museum, on The Mall in Washington, D.C.” (source E, Musser).
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The use of certain materials can be costly so an artist needs to have the proper funds for a monument before beginning their project. A memorial should not be slapped together or makeshift, it should be well planned and pleasant to look at. A sloppy memorial can portray the opposite message of what the designer had originally planned or make out a certain event to be insignificant. Sloppy work has the potential to make an artist seem irresponsible or careless, “But Maine ran out of money, so the artist just slapped a coat of bronze paint over the plaster model and shipped it to New
There are many monuments in the world and they are all built to honor someone or something that was done by that person. For example, after the Maine Lobsterman was built, the fake bronze statue returned to Maine and spent several decades being moved from city hall to museum to museum. No one seemed to want the man and his lobster. The issue at hand is if the monuments being built are memorializing the person or moment created accurately. Monuments capture legacy and preserve the individual's actions throughout history. Specifically, monuments should consider purpose, location, and size in their creation.
When you are trying to honor an event or person, what should you consider? There are many things to consider, yet what are the most important things? Well, you should consider the location of the monument, the time it takes to create and the money used and gained from the monument. When you are creating a monument, you should consider location. Source b was a picture of the Christopher Columbus statue, and when I first saw this picture it impressed me on how beautiful the statue was.
The main problem to take into consideration when thinking about building a monument is the damage it will cause to the area it is being built on. An example of this is the previously mentioned Crazy Horse statue. Just like Mount Rushmore, this mountain-side carved statue deeply disrupts the natural state of the region. In fact, Source C points this out by saying that “It’s easy to feel affection for Mount Rushmore’s strange grandeur, but only if you forget where it is and how it got there”. To me, it’s too close to graffiti.”
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.
Depending on the placement of the monument the importance of the events contues genrations on. For an example, inorder for placing something of sagnificant value, the holocaust, would be placed somehwere of sagnifcant value, like a nations capital, but just anywhere in the nations capital. Eventhough DC is the nations capital "placeing the holocaust museum in a mall in DC is disrespectful and offensive" to the people who died and the servivers(source E). Just because its the national capital doesnt mean a mall in the nations capital is appropreate, besides lives were lost, not material things being bought. The failure for the creator(s) to think of that stripped the meaning and the pain behind the holocuast away. The placement of that museum made fun of, or even mocked the holocuast as if it is important to be remebered by America but not important to petray horrifying details of it. If the placement of the museum was to be in central DC near the White House, it creates a more important rule in Americas everyday life, because its near where the prisident lives, its near where people go to live the American dream. It would reinforce the meaning of the tragidy, the menaing of being saought out just becuase of you religion, the meaning of being gased alive, the meaning of being torn away from your family, the meaning of starving in the cold winters, and lastly
It will contain historical accuracy, to provide further meaning to the monument
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
A monument is an solid, carved in statue that is an representation of a person or event that has made an remarkable time in the past. However, there are many different ways to remember a person or event. Memorializing an person or event is a great way to preserve history; because everyone agrees to enormous expensive statue is more entertaining than reading a boring textbook about the person or event. As a matter of fact, every person in American can not remember every person or event in history because there isn’t enough time and space for that. Therefore, a group or agency should consider the three main factors, size, location, and materials when planning or creating an memorial monument of an important person or event.
"For famous men have the whole earth as their memorial" (Pericles). Memorials are an icon to represent some historical events that have happened or even people who have made a significant impact on society. For example, they symbolize many things that had happened in the past and people could go there and remember some good things that it has caused. People can even go there and pay tribute to the person the memorial is about. There are three sources that show the importance of memorials and why they should be built.
Statues are typically large and may cover a fair amount of space, plaques are small-scaled, even though they are not as big as statues they still achieve their purpose which is to make people see it and remember. In the making of a memorial agencies should work with the space they have and not try to overpower it. As Maya Lin said, “I wanted my design to work with the land, to make something with the site, not to fight it or dominate it” (Source G). The memorial should stand out but not overshadow the setting.
The monument that stand in my hometown is the soldiers and sailor monuments as tribute to the men in the Civil War from Athens, Ohio. The monument was built in 1963 for the 2,610 men who served for the Union from Athens County. The men went into battle for the defense of the Union. A lot of these men served in the 18th Ohio infantry. The veterans of the Civil War along with resident General Grosvenor set out to find funding for the monument. There were a lot of troubles in the beginning. The monument had failed to be erected previously because of placement issues. Where the monument stand now is in middle of Ohio University, and one of the question that arises when finding a proper place for the monument was is the University capable of maintaining this monument and whether or not it was a good location. Grosvenor led other residents from Athens to create the Athens Monument Association to fund the monument. And so the monument was then erected in 1963.
Accordingly, people raise monuments, create memorials, secure antiques, and fund museums to record and preserve the past events in a country. In accordance with the Merriam Webster dictionary, monuments are structures erected in commemoration of a distinguishable person or event. Nowhere in the definition it is stated that the matter in remembrance has to be praised or is considered a model for the society. As a matter of fact, they only portray people or events that should be remembered, no matter if they are regarded as admirable or detestable. Each and everyone of these objects should be maintained in public view to remind people of their past, especially those from the catastrophic Civil
Monuments, are how we as people can relive the past and be able to put ourselves at that time period. For Americans the 9/11 memorial puts us in the gravity and it gives us the impact of what that disaster did but, it also shows a sense of beauty with how the water falls into the spot where once stood a tall and powerful building. Monuments, have the aura that has a sense of empathy and shows more emotion than words ever could, the Holocaust museum gives a solid reminder of what genocide really is. Monuments and memorials should be based on the size location and what it is actually standing for it should be for someone who has been influential or it should be something of war or tragedy. We as Americans don’t pay attention to local cemeteries but when they see the Arlington cemetery or Vietnam memorial or even the WWII memorial people understand what death is really like and are more appreciative of those people who fought for the United States. Monuments and Memorials are not to remember those who fought for slavery, who have committed genocide, or any acts of treason and terrorism there should be no reason to make a statue that symbolizes something that a culture and a nation does not stand for anymore. Therefore, a Monument should consider the location, size, and why the monument is built along with the emotional aura that goes along with it.
Secondly, placement is a key factor in creating a monument of someone or an event. As described in Source E, placement could offend the surrounding population. In this source, the Holocaust Museum is located in The Mall in Washington, DC and it offended both Jewish and non-Jewish communities. This is “primarily due to the fact that a museum dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust would be built in the United States, who did little to stop the Holocaust from occurring, or…”...open our shores to the few survivors…””. The United States didn’t act on what it stands for, equality and freedom, and so to have it there seemed to be a sign of disrespect to many. On the other hand, supporters believed, such as George Will, a political columnist, that, “No other nation has a broader, graver responsibility in the world...No other nation needs citizens trained to look like in the face.” Due to what the United States stands for, he says this because by displaying your mistakes you can create a