The Importance Of Symbolizing A Monument

The most stunning monument in our capital is the Washington Monument. At 555 feet high, it is the tallest such monument in the world. It is an obelisk by shape, yet not a true obelisk because it is not carved out of a single stone. The monument was built at intervals between 1848 and 1885. It memorializes George Washington's achievements and his devotion to principles and to his country.

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.

Take “The Maine Lobsterman” for example, H. Elroy Johnson was not a major historical figure—compared to those such as Christopher Columbus or Trajan—but he was dedicated a sculpture nonetheless (Source F). However, the difference between the Lobsterman and something akin to the statue of Christopher Columbus is the Lobsterman was forgotten for a period of time. Due to the fact this statue did not commemorate something more well known: “[n]o one seemed to want the man and his lobster,” causing it to be forgotten for decades (Source F). Though there is now a cast of the Lobsterman, it is more of a roadside attraction than a true monument, the statue is viewed as an amusing tale rather than an important

If pictures are worth one million words then a 3-d picture which is a monument is worth one million stories. The purpose of monuments is to tell a story about an events therefore crital thinking adn efforts are placed into making monuments. Depending on where the monuemnt is located and how it is built including its pose and the material it is made up of, it helps the audience live in that moment with the monuments,making the monument and the sudience one.

The Veterans Freedom Flag Memorial, near Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, is a memorial dedicated in 2007, to everyone who has fought, died and sacrificed for the safety and freedom of our country. War memorials are important things because they honor the lives and sacrifices of those who have protected freedom for hundreds of years. They serve as sentimental representations and/or reminders for some. Pathways into the emotional and physical pain that so many deal with everyday. In short they are important things to have in our society.

Mount Rushmore, the Mall at Washington, and the Statue of Liberty are all monuments across the US. The location of these monuments is important and when one is going to build a monument the location matters. Monuments, as stated in Source A, are not necessarily built at the place of what it is memorializing, “typically it holds no relic or spiritual of a past presence.”

Monuments should be be put in a location where it is a hub or if the person or event was in fact there. The memorial was built

Within the past year there has been a controversy between the confederate monuments staying up or coming down. For some reason many people suddenly want these historical monuments to come down. Even though there was not a big fuss about it before, now that Donald Trump has been elected many people seem to have a problem with these monuments that have been up for a numerous amount of decades. In New York Times, “Why Confederate Monuments Must Fall,” Karen Cox gives a brief explanatory story about why these monuments should come down, but in my opinion overall these monuments should stay up no matter what.

Is a good monument or memorial all about looks, or is it about the contextual meaning behind it. A monument’s size, location, materials and more are all considerations when planning and creating a memorial to the past. The audience of a monument/memorial site is not as important as it’s location and funding.

In every culture, respect is a quality that communities embrace around the world. Whether it be to remember a person’s achievement or to provide a sense of connection in a community, monuments link together the present and the past with the motive of respect. Memorials are far more relevant than a seemingly trivial granite monument that one could notice in a park (Source B); they embellish meaning, symbol, emotion, and memories into a collective emblem. In memorializing an event and creating a monument, it is essential for the group or agency to not only consider the basic elements such as the historical significance or size, location, and materials but also to acknowledge the emotional linkage the event or monument may induce through attachment

The responsibility of designing and building a monument is no small feat. After all, the end product is meant to memorialize important, and sometimes tragic events and/or people that have significantly contributed something to society. How does one begin to plan a memorial in the first place? Certainly, it can not be rushed, and can be a very grueling process. Several things need to be considered, including determining the proper location of a monument that suits the people who see it. One must also consider the intended audience and what the monument represents. Of course the simplicity or complexity of the monument structure must also be determined. Along with that, monument builders need to consider the positive and/or negative affects on people viewing the monument. In short, there are three main things that need to be considered when debating how, or even if, to make a monument.

First of all, the agency should consider the monument correctly place on what region best fit. Putting history in a random location does not correspond the meaning behind the statue. An example would be meaningful such as a park. For example, the statue of Christopher Columbus, where he is standing tall and proud in Riverside Park, located in Pennsylvania (photo). The agencies decided to place him there because so people can remember him, Christopher of what he accomplished in history. On the other hand, a group of people are deciding whether to place a Holocaust Museum near a shopping mall in Washington D.C. For this reason, that creates controversy and a wrong location to place a devastating moment in history . A supporter says, “would enhance The Mall’s

Monuments are used to memorialize and honor moments, individuals and events of the past. Some monuments do this better than other monuments. In creating a monument there are three essential factors a group or agency should consider to make the monument as effective as possible: location, design features, purpose and backstory. Why these factors? Location and design factors play a massive role in the reception the monument will receive, based on its environment, size and looks a monument will be perceived differently. The purpose and backstory are the two single most important factors to consider in creating a monument. The monuments history, its reason, is the reason just? Is the purpose proper? Does it accurately memorialize the subject? All these questions come with the purpose and backstory of a monument.

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