Monuments Dbq

The memorialization of certain people or past times is an important part of humanity. These can be memorialized in books, poems, and artwork, but many times these times or people are memorialized by creating monuments. There are many monuments throughout the world, all of these having different, special meanings. When creating monuments, people must consider the materials they’re made of, size, and the location in which they are placed. In doing so, the monuments can have greater meanings, and can cause powerful emotions inside people.

Figuring out the materials to create a monument with is a key part to establishing a new monument. The monuments should be made out of durable materials so they can be around and help people remember the past

for a longer time. A statue named “The Maine Lobsterman” of H. Elroy Johnson, a lobsterman from Harpswell, Maine(Source F), was created in 1939 to be a part of the Maine exhibit in New York’s World Fair to help people get a sense of what Maine was like. The artist was supposed to cast the statue in bronze, but ended up painting the cast with bronze paint. The statue ended up being moved around and was practically destroyed by people and rats. If the statue had been made of bronze sooner than 1973, more people would have seen it and saw that it was memorializing a hard-working Mainer and given them a sense of what lobsterman in Maine are like. Another important part of choosing what material to create a monument with is the connection between the material and whatever the monument is memorializing. Maya Lin, a designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.(Source G), understood the importance of what materials to use. She chose black granite to use for this monument because of its sleek, mirrored look. This look is supposed to give the feelings of peace and unity of the nation’s past and present. Using a different material such as slate produces less feelings for the viewers because of the dull, grey look. There’s nothing to reflect from a giant piece of grey slate whereas the sleek, black granite makes people think more about what it’s memorializing. Both the lobsterman statue and the Vietnam Memorial look a lot more pleasing with the shiny metal they are made of, and the better material gives a stronger effect on people. Overall, the materials of a monument can create stronger emotions inside the viewers and must be considered greatly in the creation of a monument.
Both the size and location of any monument changes the level of remembrance and meaning immensely.

A great Sioux leader named Crazy Horse, has a large monument carved into the side of a South Dakota peak(Source C). Even though it isn’t complete, people can see this monument from great distances because of it’s size which can remind them of a time when America was still wild and was inhabited by other peoples. This monument can bring mixed emotions to people because of the wonder and beauty of its landscape which shows them how beautiful the U.S.A. truly is, and it also can remind them of a time when white men fought endlessly to rid the land of the Native Americans, such as Crazy Horse. If it had been smaller and carved in some random park in New York City, the monument wouldn’t have as much meaning and would confuse people for being out of place. The monument is in a perfect location. It endlessly stares over the plains of South Dakota which is still a piece of the country that stays wild. Being as large as it is, it shows that Crazy Horse was a very important and powerful figure in history which stirs emotions inside of many people. Another monument’s size that contributes to it’s meaning is the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.(Source A). This colossal, marble statue sits in front of the rest of the Lincoln Memorial, almost welcoming everyone to his memorial. The size of this reminds one of the greatness of Lincoln’s job as the President. It shows how large and powerful he was during that time and it wonders people. This monument helps everyone appreciate what Lincoln did and, it especially helps that the monument is in our nation’s capital where Lincoln probably spent most of his time as President. Two speeches are carved into this monument and if it was smaller, people wouldn’t see these wonderful speeches every time they visit the memorial because they wouldn’t be carved into the side.This monument wouldn’t be as known or important if the memorial had been

Lincoln’s normal height or placed in a place such as Los Angeles where Lincoln really didn’t visit or do anything life-changing. Lincoln was a powerful President who made many great changes to this country and his monument is a great way to memorialize his rule. Crazy Horse and Lincoln were both famous historical figures in our nation’s lifetime and they are both memorialized perfectly in their giant monuments in South Dakota and Washington D.C.
Anyone who has to design a monument to memorialize a person, or event must consider it’s size, location, and the materials needed to create it. Without doing so, the monument wouldn’t be as meaningful and couldn’t portray it’s message as clearly. Most monuments are very moving and can really make a person ponder the subject they are memorializing.