Why Do We Need To Construct Monuments

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.

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

After its creation there was public backlash, people were wondering why they would a build a museum for holocaust survivors in a place where they did do anything to prevent it from happening (Source E). Groups and agencies must look at the possible ethical effects a monument may

Why build public monuments? In a podcast that I once listened to it said something along the lines of we build monuments to honor great leaders. I think that is something to keep in mind at all times when building monuments. We build monuments to honor, to honor those who have done great and wonderful things that helped our country. It’s not saying that don’t recognize the bd that they did in their life, but they had redeemable qualities or actions that redeemed them in the eyes of the public.

My monument is very complex, it will look like john Adams with a extended arm holding a flag and in the other hand lies a sort of paper that says “life, liberty, and happiness.” During John Adam`s life, the first thing i knew prior about him was how he thought the high taxes and the unfair treatment was undeniably wrong. He went to do something about it and decided to fight for our life, liberty, and property. Therefore, knowing this, i decided to incorporate that concept into my monument.

There are also monuments that are more salient and mention the concentration camps that the individuals survived (Appendix B, Figure 2). The community purposefully includes monument inscriptions to show an individual’s connection to the Holocaust. This action creates tribute to those who were victims of the Holocaust. This practice also creates a collaborative means for the community to mourn over these survivors.

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

Source A (Savage) states that memorials are important to some people of our nation. For example, in Source A (Savage), the author states that "In this way the monumental core in Washington functions somewhat like a pilgrimage site, where communities of believers actually come together in the act of occupying a holy site, seeing a relic, reenacting a sacred event" (Kirk Savage). Some people go to the memorials in Washington D.C. to get a sense of how important that person was.

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 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”

In creating a monument and memorializing an event, the group or agency should consider its importance in bringing together a community, thus providing a sense of attachment. In creating public monuments, it furnishes “a face-to-face encounter in a specially valued place set aside for collective gathering” (Source A). Essentially connecting the past and the present, monuments stand as an absolute reminder of our past. Not only does it serve as a reminder, but it also acts as a holy site as people come together to experience the monument in a simple but powerful way. Monuments establish the sense of community in both a real and imagined fashion. Connections between the people among themselves visiting the authentic public space, and connections between people and history are made. As Source A states, “The public monument speaks to a deep need for attachment that can be met only in a real place, where the imagined community actually materializes.” With memorializing an event, it is important that the emotional connection built off of its fundamental historical significance is considered. Based on Source E, controversy over not only just creating the monument, but also the idea of memorializing the Holocaust was deliberated. Because the United States made little to no effort in preventing the Holocaust, the memorialization of the event drew protest as opponents felt as if this act of remembrance would be offensive emotionally. From this, it is clear that it is important to assess the emotional underlying behind an event and how it could affect communities consequently. Memorializing an event should connect a community, not divide

Memorializing is often the way to remember a very important, intelligent, or rich person who lives above the rest of us. When we memorialize it sets a way to remember someone long after they have passed from life. More often than not those we put in statues and remember are those who change the world for the better or discover something new like Christopher Columbus, and his statue in Riverside Park (Deegan, Jim, source B). Lincoln's memorial isn’t where or had any importance to Lincoln, but it succeeds his most infamous speech he ever had “The Gettysburg Address” (Savage, source A). H. Elroy Johnson a famous lobster trapper, had a statue made but never finished during his lifetime, not until after his death, was the real statue made to memorialize him (Roadside America, source f).

Veronica Hernandez began her working career in a factory sweatshop. She was only 8 years old. After more than 12 years of intense and monotonous work in a number of different factories, Hernandez still, “felt as poor as the day she first climbed onto the lower rungs of the global assembly line” (Ferriss, source#2). Veronica works about 45 hours a week for only a base salary of $55, an occupation where she assembles RCA televisions by the Thomson Corporation. While some people you know complain of not having cable or enough channels for their big screen television, Veronica is blessed that she even owns one. She lives in a one room hut that includes no more than an out-house and an old refrigerator. She has

Part One: Notes on “The Public Life of Monuments: The Summi Viri of the Forum of Augustus”