The Importance Of Monuments

Imagine being frozen in time. All of the achievements, emotions, and history standing still, that’s what monuments do. Monuments are important structures that can capture a significant moment in time, or capitalize on important people or events that took place throughout history. The decision to memorialize a person or event is big because of the leading factors that would need to be presented when creating the actual monument. An agency or a group should consider the significance of the event or what the person’s achievements and goals were, the location of where the monument (or landmark) would be held, and what purpose the monument would serve to the world. Essentially, to memorialize is to honor and remember the great efforts of one man. Thinking of the history is very important when deciding whether or not to commemorate an event or person. Take Christopher Columbus for example. Columbus sailed, what he

What benefit is there to the people when the monument is built? These questions are vital when constructing a monument. The Lincoln Memorial, one of most memorable monuments in the US, sits in Washington D.C. and is a colossal statue of the former president with his two famous famous speeches carved on enormous panels (source A). The way this monument was made easily lets the sightseer connect to the site, and exposes them with numerous proud feelings as they read the iconic speeches made. With the Lincoln Memorial, Kirk Savage believes that it is pure representation as he exclaims “ the monument manufactures its own aura.” Similarly, the use of names in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was a “way to bring back everything someone could remember about a person.” (source G) As Maya Lin stated, “The need for the names to be on the memorial would become the memorial” and “The people and their names would allow everyone to respond and remember.” Thanks to this memorial, families of the victims can grieve or