The Controversy Over Denton’s Confederate Monument The Denton Confederate Monument, erected in 1918 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, is hotly debated on the basis of what the monument represents. Advocates for the removal of the monument maintain that it is a glorification of slavery and racism that cannot be tolerated. Proponents for its retention argue that it is a tribute to the soldiers who died in the Civil War. The monument is in the style of a triumphal arch, with the Confederate soldier set atop it. These formal elements suggest both that the Confederacy won the war, and by extension that the racism of the Confederacy is still alive, and that the Confederate soldier is dominant over the viewer, similar to the way in which …show more content…
As such, additional care must be taken to both comfortably incorporate all people into the space and to preserve our history within its confines. Both solutions, leaving the monument as it stands or removing it, fail to meet both criteria of incorporation and preservation. A compromise is necessary, one that is able to both shelter people from the potentially oppressive nature of the monument and simultaneously provide insight into our county’s history. Hudspeth served on an advisory committee which made a recommendation that the monument should stay on the grounds of the Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square with added context in the form of a plaque and videos that discuss slavery in Denton …show more content…
Those who wish for the Denton Confederate Monument to remain claim a different intent- to honor those soldiers who owned no slaves, were unwillingly drafted, and died in the war. While there is no doubt that these men were not perfect, their coerced sacrifice deserves respect. Regardless, many Denton residents do not believe that this is the true intent of the monument. Instead, they see a reminder of the racism of the past. This is common in art, wherein the intended meaning of an artwork is not the meaning that is conveyed to the viewer. Such was the case with artist Chris Ofili’s work The Holy Virgin Mary which caused controversy on the grounds of the artist’s use of elephant dung in his representation of the Virgin Mary–a reference to the African ritualistic use of elephant dung in the artist’s eyes, but blasphemous to many viewers. For reasons of miscommunication and ignorance, context is key to potentially controversial works of art, such as Denton’s Confederate
As I gazed across the book isles and leaned over carefully to pick one up out of the old dusty vaults of the library, a familiar object caught my eye in the poetry section. A picture in time stood still on this book, of two African American men both holding guitars. I immediately was attracted to this book of poems. For the Confederate Dead, by Kevin Young, is what it read on the front in cursive lettering. I turned to the back of the book and “Jazz“, and “blues” popped out of the paper back book and into my brain. Sometimes you can judge a book by it’s cover, I thought. Kevin Young’s For the Confederate Dead is a book of poems influenced by blues and jazz in the deep rural parts of the south.
Newman, Ralph G. "Gallant Symbol of the Confederacy." Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963), Sep 15, 1957. 1, http://search.proquest.com/docview/180274550?accountid=12085.
1954's Brown vs. Board of Education case court ruling marked the dawn of desegregation in America. A short time after the sentence, South Carolina replaced their state flag with the Confederate flag, raising it above their statehouse, the Georgia and Mississippi state flags were changed to incorporate the Confederate flag, and Confederate monuments were suddenly built. The brief time period between the two events led many to believe the gesture to be the state of South Carolina's reaction and response to desegregation in public areas. Many were offended by the exhibit and confused as to whether the flag responded to desegregation or honored the state membership in the confederacy. The erection of the Confederate flag was a reaction preponderantly to desegregation and has become a contributing factor to the pain of racism; it should be lowered as soon as possible.
“The Confederate Flag: Controversy and Culture.” David Sarratt American Studies University of Virginia. Web. 22 Feb. 2014
Kara Walker’s Silhouette paintings are a description of racism, sexuality, and femininity in America. The works of Kara Elizabeth Walker, an African American artist and painter, are touched with a big inner meaning. A highlight of the picture displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco will be discussed and the symbolism of the sexuality and slavery during the Atlantic slavery period will be enclosed. The modern Art Museum has works of over 29,000 paintings, photos, design and sculptures among others. The use of black Silhouette is her signature in the artistic career.
Most people may not know who Chris Ofili is, but chances are that many of them know one of his works, his painting “The Holy Virgin Mary”, displayed at the Brooklyn Museum of Art’s “Sensation” exhibition in 1999. The painting was extremely controversial because of Mary’s exposed breast being made of elephant dung and because of the porno cutouts surrounding Mary. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and others, saying that such works were not appropriate for public display, immediately attacked the painting, along with the entire showcase of art by different artists. These sharp criticisms were an extreme injustice, condemning the work “The Holy Virgin Mary” based on prejudiced views of what is and what is not acceptable in art, rather than viewing the painting for its true meaning. Chris Ofili did not mean for his work to be offensive, but rather, meant to honor the Virgin Mary using traditional African symbolism.
Taking the statues down is like ignoring standing up for what you believe in and death by war. A quote from “Monumental Battle” states, “‘But many of those who support keeping the monument say their motive are about honor not race.’” This quote shows that not all who support the statues agree with slavery. Some don’t want them to come down because it’s honoring all who fought for what they believe. Others might argue that even though those people lost their lives for what they believe in, slaves lost their lives from working to hard or starvation. I would argue against that by saying, in school students are taught to stand up for what they believe in, if we take the statues down that’s saying don’t stand up for what you believe in; if you do, nothing comes from it. In other words, if we are able to take down statues of people who stand up for what they believe in, then that’s like taking down a statue of Lincoln, He stood up for what he believed in, no slavery; just like, for example, General Robert E. Lee, stood for
The controversy of the confederate flag has been an issue for many years. Whether one believes in the historical importance of the flag or the negative symbolism of the flag, it is merely an opinion. However, even though there are many pros to the confederate flag, the cons seem to outweigh the
Chris Ofili is one member of this oft-abused group. His 1996 work,The Holy Virgin Mary, depicts the classic Christian icon with a nonrealistic black face above swirling, sequined green and blue patterns and one exposed breast composed of dried elephant dung. Cutouts of photographs of women's buttocks and genitals dot the background of the canvas. The disturbing elements of this piece are all based in ambivalence-the audience is not sure how to react. To begin with, the multiplicity of media, some of them quite unusual-sequins, oil, collage, and elephant dung-makes the piece a bit different from "traditional" visual works and thwarts our desire to categorize. Is it painting, sculpture, collage, garbage, or something else entirely? The title brings into play the most powerful set of cultural prejudices in the world, organized religion. Does Ofili honor the Virgin or defile her? The caricaturized African wide mouth and nose on a figure typically drawn as Caucasian offer a potential racial slur to blacks (the "Negro" caricature) or whites (the assumption that Mary was white). Finally, the juxtaposition of a mainstream religious icon and a serious art-museum context with two very marg...
Mich Landrieu’s speech that he delivered to the public on May 19th, 2017, was a beautiful speech written and expressed by him about the removal of the four monuments within the city of New Orleans. This message was given by the Mayor due to racist comments of these statues and Landrieu expressed in his speech the true history of the city. For some of the people of New Orleans, they thought these statues were the identity of the city and a celebration of confederacy, however, African Americans took offense to the statues. The mayor effectively uses logos, pathos, and ethos to persuade his audience that taking down these confederate monuments is what needs to be done. Confederacy and the widespread demonstrations found many in other southern states as well discussing different monuments and their meanings. .Bill Golash, a gentleman interviewed from Richmond, Virginia said “I love the city of Richmond and I want to see us grow” (Raddatz). This statement reaches out to many of the issues being faced with decisions of change and Golosh echoing we can’t change
The famous Battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1 to July 3 of 1863 in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle proved to show the most casualties of the entire war and resulted in a crushing defeat of the Confederates. The Battle of Gettysburg is generally considered to be the turning point of the American Civil War. This paper will demonstrate the various reasons as to why the Confederates, led by General Robert E. Lee, were unsuccessful in the Battle of Gettysburg during their invasion of the north. General Lee’s over-confidence, the confederate army’s disorganization and failed coordination, and the shift of intelligence all contributed to the crushing defeat of the confederates at Gettysburg. Following his “flawless” battle at Chancellorsville, General Lee was instilled with absolute confidence in his men and failed to see any deficiencies in his army’s offensive capabilities. Lee was not only over-confident, but also knew less than his opponent during the most crucial stages of the battle. The final contributing factor as to why the confederates were defeated was Alexander’s failure to provide effective artillery bombardment and his failure to advise General Pickett not to make the charge after the ineffective bombardment.
Imagine standing in front of the defaced statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee only to hear two sides of people curse, hurt each other. This situation is too familiar for people who visit Charlottesville, VA, the formerly peaceful town. The controversy between Confederate memorials never ends. Many people argue that Confederate monuments should be taken down because they become the flashpoints of unrest and violence. As far as I am concerned, confederate memorials should remain as these memorials are the legacy of history; history is value-neutral and innocent.
Kara Walker’s piece titled Gone: An Historical Romance of a Civil War as It Occurred b 'tween the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her Heart represents discrimination on basis of race that happened during the period of slavery. The medium Walker specializes in using paper in her artwork. This piece is currently exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art. Even though this artwork depicts slavery, discrimination is still an issue today in America, the country where people are supposedly free and equal. Even though slavery ended in the 19th century, we still see hints of racial discrimination for African Americans in our society. Walker uses color, image composition, and iconography to point out evidence of racial inequality that existed in the
The American Civil war is considered to be one of the most defining moments in American history. It is the war that shaped the social, political and economic structure with a broader prospect of unifying the states and hence leading to this ideal nation of unified states as it is today. In the book “Confederates in the Attic”, the author Tony Horwitz gives an account of his year long exploration through the places where the U.S. Civil War was fought. He took his childhood interest in the Civil War to a new level by traveling around the South in search of Civil War relics, battle fields, and most importantly stories. The title “Confederates in the Attic”: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War carries two meanings in Tony Horwitz’s thoughtful and entertaining exploration of the role of the American Civil War in the modern world of the South. The first meaning alludes to Horwitz’s personal interest in the war. As the grandson of a Russian Jew, Horwitz was raised in the North but early in his childhood developed a fascination with the South’s myth and history. He tells readers that as a child he wrote about the war and even constructed a mural of significant battles in the attic of his own home. The second meaning refers to regional memory, the importance or lack thereof yet attached to this momentous national event. As Horwitz visits the sites throughout the South, he encounters unreconstructed rebels who still hold to outdated beliefs. He also meets groups of “re-enactors,” devotees who attempt to relive the experience of the soldier’s life and death. One of his most disheartening and yet unsurprising realizations is that attitudes towards the war divide along racial lines. Too many whites wrap the memory in nostalgia, refusing...
In Natasha Trethewey’s poetry collection “Native Guard”, the reader is exposed to the story of Trethewey’s growing up in the southern United States and the tragedy which she encountered during her younger years, in addition to her experiences with prejudice. Throughout this work, Trethewey often refers to graves and provides compelling imagery regarding the burial of the dead. Within Trethewey’s work, the recurring imagery surrounding graves evolves from the graves simply serving as a personal reminder of the past to a statement on the collective memory of society and comments on what society chooses to remember and that which it chooses to let go of.