The U.S National World War II Memorial

1290 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays on war memorials

Americans have often used art to symbolize the relationship between themselves and their history. Therefore, art is used to honor and remember someone or an event where people died, through a memorial. As an example, The National World War II Memorial is a memorial to honor and remember the people who served in World War II. The success or failure of a memorial depends on how well it represents the image that people have of a certain person or event. Especially in America because they find the construction of a national monument so controversial that no memorial has been erected in the National Mall without a discussion. The National World War II Memorial on the National Mall was a poor addition; its location diminishes the formerly open space between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, its design is vague, and it is a poor choice even when compared with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. A very good start.

The U.S National World War II Memorial is a national memorial to honor and remember the sixteen million people who served in the armed forces of the United States and also the people at home during World War II. It is also a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people (National). The memorial is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on the former site of the Rainbow Pool at the eastern end of the Reflecting Pool, between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. Composed of 56 fifty-six pillars and a pair of arches surrounding a plaza and fountain (Fig.1), the memorial is symbolic of the defining event of the 20th twentieth century. The northern arch is inscribed with Atlantic; the southern one, Pacific. Each pillar is marked with the name of all the 48 forty-eight ...

... middle of paper ...

...ttp://www.wwiimemorial.com/archives/factsheets/memorialdesign.htm>.

"Monument proposal draws criticism Design's appearance called similar to that of Nazi architecture." The Baltimore Sun. N.p., 22 June 1997. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. .

National Mall & Memorial Parks. National Park Service, 8 Feb. 2011. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. .

National WWII Memorial.Web. 3 Apr. 2011. .

Pressley, Sue Anne. "Design's Critics Not Listening To Their Hearts, Visitors Say." The Washington Post 31 May 2004. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. .

"Symbol of sacrifice." Paraplegia News 52.5 (1998): 41+. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 Apr. 2011.

Show More
Related

  • Camp Logan War Memorials

    1490 Words  | 3 Pages

    War memorials consist of civic memorials, war cemeteries, larger national monuments, private memorials and a variety of practical designs such as parks, dedicated to remembering those involved in a conflict. Sometimes these memorials work, but other times they do not. Simply put, Camp Logan does not memorialize World War I or the fallen troops. Aside from a historical marker located on the edge of the massive Memorial Park, there are few physical remains of the camp hidden by the wooded landscape and most visitors do not know of the camp’s existence in the first place. Also, the camp played a role in some of the darkest moments in Houston history that most would rather leave forgotten. These things, especially when combined, further take away the little bit of presence that Camp Logan has in public remembrance.

    Read More

  • The Attack on Pearl Harbor Shapes American History

    2445 Words  | 5 Pages

    Today, if you ever visit the island of Oahu, you can go to the Arizona memorial. It has all the names of the men who died, and you can still see the Arizona underwater. Even today, oil bubbles up from the watery entombment of hundreds of men, making sure that we never forget Pearl Harbor and to make sure we are always prepared for every battle we might face.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Alcatraz Island And Pearl Harbor

    1378 Words  | 3 Pages

    Almost two million visitors from all over the world visit this attraction, exploring the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and experiencing an unforgettable moment on the USS Arizona Memorial, and Battleship Missouri Memorial. Today, Pearl Harbor remains an active military base, Headquarters of the Pacific Fleet, and a National Historic Landmark with unique attractions. Pearl Harbor will always be a place where survivors and loved ones of those who died in the attack can reflect on the tragic event which led to war, and had an impact on an entire generation worth of people.

    Read More

  • Essay On Crazy Horse Memorial

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    History has a strange way of coming back around when it comes to human civilization. It has been said repeatedly that those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. However, just because there is a potential for danger in the future, this does not mean that humanity must ignore what once was. History is normally remembered through what is known as a memorial. When a memorial is put into physical representation, it is then known as a monument.

    Read More

  • American Homefront During World War II

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American home front during World War II is recalled warmly in popular memory and cultural myth as a time of unprecedented national unity, years in which Americans stuck together in common cause. World War II brought many new ideas and changes to American life. Even though World War II brought no physical destruction to the United States mainland, it did affect American society. Every aspect of American life was altered by U.S. involvement in the war including demographics, the labor force, economics and cultural trends.

    Read More

  • Arlington National Cemetery Essay

    1492 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the midst of one of the busiest cities in the world there lies a sanctuary. There lies an area where all men are equal, where poverty is non-existent, where all men are united under two things; the first being death and the second being America. Arlington National Cemetery is a tribute to all of the fallen heroes, the patriots, the soldiers, the pioneers, all who have cried American tears. I have been forever changed since visiting Arlington National Cemetery and it is a visit that every American should make.

    Read More

  • Arlington National Cemetery

    360 Words  | 1 Pages

    As the birds are singing their sweet melody, the terrain of Arlington National Cemetery is filled with sadness. Although the brilliant rays of sun are shinning through the thick colossal treetops, there is a chill in the air. While watching the mourners, the feeling of their sorrows is all too real.

    Read More

  • The Marine Corps Memorial: A Description Of The Marine Corps Memorial

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    On February 6, 2016, I had the privilege of being a chaperone for Byron Elementary School 5th grade class in Byron, Georgia on a trip to Washington D.C. However, when the students and I began to tour the different memorial sites at in Washington D.C. we came across a lot of sculptures, but the one sculpture that I felt was amazing was the Marine Corps Memorial. The Marine Corps statue was designed in honor of the men and women that served in the Marines during World War II, who gave their lives to protect the United States during the war since 1775 (Marines, 2016). The sculpture is known as the Iwo Jima Memorial, which we visited outside of the Arlington National Cemetery, which is located in the Arlington Ridge Park. The sculpture is adjacent to the Potomac River from Washington D.C.

    Read More

  • Arlington National Cemetery

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    Not only are military heroes buried at Arlington, but memorials have also been built to honor others who have given their lives for America. The memorials that are located throughout Arlington tell a story about people throughout American history (Reef 43). Each year families walk the endless rows of white head stones at Arlington in order to pay their respects to the ones that have given their lives for America.

    Read More

  • The Vietnam War Memorial

    566 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Vietnam War Memorial. It is a wall, but it is also a monster that many avoid, and many are nervous to visit. In truth, all it is though is facts. It lists the names of all the soldiers that died in the conflict that was staged in a small country in Asia. All the names. There are so many names. Names that go on and on. There are over fifty-eight thousand of them, and every single one of them is a real person. A real man. A real woman. A real person. A real soldier. A real American. It was probably a man who considered whether or not to even serve his country. He probably left his crying mother behind, and when he arrived in the hell that would serve as his home for many miserable days, months, years. A hell that eventually would serve as his funeral home. Maybe he came back in plastic, or maybe he did not come home at all, as several thousand GI's turned into MIA's or POW's, which then changed into names on the wall. Those brave boys, not men, boys who gave their lives for a cause that they didn't understand were reduced from ambitious citizens in the greatest country in the world to names on a wall.

    Read More

  • Jefferson Memorial and the Pantheon

    1341 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Memorial is located in Washington, DC in an area of the city known as "The Mall" (Weeks, AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington DC, pg.61). It is dedicated to America's third president, Thomas Jefferson.. Jefferson was a man of many talents, in addition to being president Jefferson was once a statesman, architect, drafter of the Declaration of Independence, adviser on the Constitution, and founder of the University of Virginia (Pamela Scott and Antoinette Lee, Buildings of the District of Columbia, pg. 102). The Memorial was officially dedicated in April 1943, on Jefferson's 200th birthday, by FDR. The Jefferson Memorial is surrounded by other national monuments, some of which are the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The chief architect responsible for designing and building the Jefferson Memorial was John Russell Pope in 1939 to 1943. Pope was a neoclassicist who was inspired by the Roman Pantheon. The Memorial's basic form is a domed rotunda fronted by a Greek portico, or entrance porch, and surrounded by Ionic columns. At first glance ...

    Read More

  • Sternfeld Portafolio Analysis

    367 Words  | 1 Pages

    After examining Sternfeld’s portafolio, i believe his photographs do show what a memorial is, and what it should do. The first photo shows Mount Rushmore national memorial, Mount Rushmore displays the faces of four great presidents and it's a symbol for us to remember our history and to learn who who those presidents were and what they did to earn their memorial site. The second picture shows a 1950’s grocery store. This particular memorial tells a story and shows how much racism was alive and how easy it was for a black person to lose its life over something really minor. It also shows how white men ran the political and judicial system. The third photogram shows the site of what used to be a research site for the United States army. The

    Read More

  • Stanley Saitowitz

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    ONE OF MY FAVORITE PROJECTS OF SAITOWITZ’S IS THE HOLLOCAUST MEMORIAL. THIS MEMORIAL CONSISTS OF SIX GLASS TOWERS; EACH ETCHED WITH ONE MILLION NUMBERS, SYMBOLIZING THE 6 MILLION INNOCENT JEWS THAT PERISHED UNDER THE EVIL HANDS OF THE NAZIS. THIS IS LOCATED ALONG FREEDOM WAY IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. FOR THIS HE EARNED THE HENRY BACON MEDAL, AN HONOR ONLY GIVEN TO 8 PREVIOUS ARCHITECTS SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1966 AFTER THE ARCHITECT OF THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL. EACH OF THE BOHEMOTH GLASS TOWERS SITS ASIDE A PIT LIT WITH FIBER-OPTIC LIGHT AND A STEAM GENERATOR. SAITOWITZ STATES THAT "SOME PEOPLE THINK THE PITS OF FIRE SYMBOLIZE THE SIX NAZI DEATH CAMPS, OTHERS FEEL THAT THE WARM AIR RISING UP FROM THE GROUND IS LIKE THAT OF HUMAN BREATH AS IT PASSES THROUGH THE GLASS CHIMNEYS TO HEAVEN." THIS IS VERY SIGNIFICANT TO ME BECAUSE MANY OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS PERISHED LONG BEFORE I WAS BORN IN THE HANDS OF THE NAZIS. MY GRANDPARENTS STILL BEAR THE LIFELONG SCARS, THE TATTOO ENGRAVED ON THEIR ARMS ARE LIFE-LONG REMINDERS OF THE MASS DESTRUCTION OF LIFE THAT OCCURRED IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

    Read More

  • The American Civil War

    1139 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Vietnam Veterans Memorial recognizes and honors the men and women who served in one of America's most divisive wars. The memorial was conceived and designed to make no political statement whatsoever about the war. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a place where everyone, regardless of opinion, can come together and remember and honor those who served. By doing so, the memorial has paved the way towards reconciliation and healing, a process that continues today. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial accomplishes these goals through the three components that comprise the memorial: the Wall of names, the Three Servicemen Statue and Flagpole, and the Vietnam Women's Memorial.

    Read More

  • monuments

    444 Words  | 1 Pages

    Many people feel a strong sense of patriotism and nationalism when they view a monument. Pride in one’s country is a great feeling. Monuments help bring out those feelings of nationalism. Homeland monuments such as the Statue of Liberty and Madison Square Garden makes one feel special. Millions of people from all over the world come to where you call home to view something that is special to you. We take such things for granted too often.

    Read More

More about The U.S National World War II Memorial

Open Document