In the article Half-Measures Won’t Erase the Painful Past of Our Monuments, by Holland Cotter, cotter describes the connotations of historical monuments from the past and how it impacts the present by using rhetorical choices such as ethos, pathos, and a neutral tone, to relate to those who have been impacted by the history and to spread more awareness about their history. The government’s actions on whether the monuments convey a positive or negative messages, is not satisfying, which is related to the title “Half-Measures Won’t Erase the Painful Past of our Monuments”. Through the use of pathos, Cotter relates to readers who have been impacted by the people who are being celebrated by monuments, by referring to the messages monuments
Although, we have to “come to the table of democracy as equals.” The statues represent a time when not everyone was equal or treated equally. Mitch Landrieu uses pathos to encourage us to unite and remove the monuments. To achieve “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,”
But In “Architect 's Dilemma on Memorials”, an interview of Alison Hirsch, Alison thinks that a good monument is easily accessible and open to offerings. I think a good monument should reflect the importance of why it is there. The monument should use details about the person’s life being honored
In conclusion, I have stated he facts behind the monuments and the flag and continue to believe these symbols of hatred have no place in our modern-day society. We are an embarrassing nation filled with hatred and racists in positions of power. We may never get better from here on out, but at least some of these monuments to oppression will continue to be taken down; whether it by their local government or by the hand weary citizens who want to make a change in this rapidly hellhole of a
If you go to Washington D.C. you can see all these different memorials that all stand for something different. You have the Lincoln memorial, Washington memorial, and so on. Then if you head to the west some you will find Mount Rushmore, which have the heads, of what people believed, the best presidents carved into the mountainside. When you look at all these great memorials that we have built to honor the people of the past you can’t help but feel some sense of awe. The thought that these great people once lived in the same country as you and that the past really did happen.
There is a vast amount of events throughout America’s history in which Americans have been cruel to other people, oftentimes wrongdoing of our own U.S. citizens. From the beginning of the United States’ history of forcing Native Americans from their homeland, to current day events such as the Charlottesville riots where Confederate flags were raised and claiming that the Confederate flag has good meaning and is not racist. Coates expresses how America uses good intentions as a way to make up for all of the harsh events that have occurred. Before reading this, I was aware of Americans making excuses for their actions, but Coates helped me to realize that even in events such as slavery, the United States has found ways to justify their actions,
Civil War Monuments The Confederate monuments from the Civil War in many cities, colleges, and universities are being asked to be taken down. The monuments are causing problems between the U.S. citizens. Many people are protesting and saying that the monuments are a symbol of racism, and symbolism of traitors to the U.S., and are used to show white supremacy. These monuments should be taken down from the public but they should not be destroyed.
When World War I ended, building a memorial for Iowans who sacrificed their lives was a growing interest (About the MU). Many ideas were suggested, but the one that was agreed upon was a living memorial, a building that will preserve the memory of those fallen students as well as serve the current ones. Hence, The Memorial Union was created: a place of historical significance, beautiful architecture, and a campus-defining structure. If you have ever entered the Memorial Union (also called the MU) from the north side, you have walked through the Gold Star Hall.
Throughout the Bush presidency, there were many rise and falls of his approval rating by the American public. The greatest rise and falls were due to the aftermath of the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and the fallout caused by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the book A Tragic Legacy,Glenn Greenwald illuminates a spotlight that focuses on the many falls of ex-president, George W. Bush. Greenwald, who is a former constitutional law attorney and is now a contributing writer at Salon, has been a regular contributor to The American Conservative. His views and analysis of the bush presidency in A Tragic Legacy are supported by his former experiences.
The fundamental reason a monument is created is for a connection to be remembered or forged. It functions as a palette for the viewer to paint his own thoughts and emotions. When an organization sets out to create a monument, it must bear in mind that the monument must arouse a deep emotion, either positive or negative, otherwise, it will become obsolete. In Jim Deegan’s photo, Christopher Columbus is staring off into the distance, his clothes billowing in a seemingly long-forgotten sea breeze.
The need to memorialize events or people is complex; in some cases, monuments honor moments of great achievement, while in other cases, monuments pay homage to deep sacrifice. A monument 's size, location, and materials are all considerations in planning and creating a memorial to the past. In any case, the need to honor or pay homage to a specific person or event is prevalent within society. A monument has to mean something to the society it is place in. The location of a monument is perhaps the most important aspect of creating a successful monument to honor and show respect to a person or event.
For instance, Confederate monuments would allow generations to see that America isn’t “a place reserved for people who still want to spit our country, but rather a place for education that we can learn from the ugly protraction of our history” (Lanktree). Often, we talk about learning from the past so that the same mistakes won’t occur in the future. This specifically can be represented through these monuments; by having a symbol of the past where racism occurred, it serves as a reminder of what discrimination can do when one side is filled with bigotry. Having a place where one can learn about the effects of someone’s wrongdoings can allow today’s people to decide for themselves the future they want to create. Additionally, the author of the article Keep Confederate monuments, but put their horrific history on stage describes how Americans have been “willfully blind” about racial justice and that the statues could be used as reminders of the “catastrophic consequences” (Cose).
This emphasis on healing is important because it creates the idea that the Wall is a symbol for healing. By representing mending the Monument comforts those who lost people in the war and closes their metaphorical wounds by giving them some closure about their fallen loved ones. By being a symbol of healing the Wall expresses the large amount of lives lost in the
Monuments, displays, and museums are all examples of how history influences our daily lives. Without realizing it, we assume that the things we read and the physical history we can see is always true. History also has the effect of being “watered down” when given to the public. We can better understand that the credibility of each source from each story will differ with the information given. Having a better knowledge of how history is created by the realities seen by the historians.
One must keep in mind that, monuments may never make everyone happy. As long as a monument was not made with the intention of attacking a group of people it deserves to be
Monuments Men is a fairly recent film with the premise of a group of soldiers during World War II tasked with protecting the artwork within the continental Europe from those who want to take it. It primarily centers on the story of Frank Stokes, played by George Clooney, and how he is able to assemble a ragtag group of “soldiers” and actually enter the frontlines. Over the course of the story, the group loses a few members, but do manage to discover the stashes of art hidden by Hitler and save it from destruction, including the Ghent Altarpiece and the Lady Madonna. Despite having already watched this movie, is still struck me how much the movie’s message still resonated with me. The movie makes a clear case for the value of art, and I feel