Summary Of Monuments Wars By Kirk Savage

Monument Wars by Kirk Savage is a work that aims to investigate the larger significance of the progress of the planning and edifices of the National Mall which is the face of the United States’ capital. Savage looks at the many near-forgotten statues in hidden areas of the city along with the major monuments that most people can name in his inspection. Among Savage’s many points such as the National Mall, as it is known today, is a far cry from the plan that city designer Pierre L’Enfant had originally designed for it; Savage is clear on his thesis that the shifting role of memorials, tributes, and monuments in society can easily be drawn to the nation’s capital. Savage begins by explaining how important the National Mall was to the identity

As president Reagan stated: “It’s been said that these memorials reflect a hunger of healing”

An organization needs to be aware of the location, material, and historical memories in remembering an event or person and in the creation of a monument. Finding the proper location to create a monument and memorializing an event or person is very important to take in consideration to prevent disrespect towards the monument. It is extremely necessary to find a “specially valued place set aside for collective gathering… ” (Source A). Furthermore, the respect for a monument is greatly needed to successfully memorialize an event or person.

Around the world people memorialize great hero’s, express great sorrow for those lost in battle, and celebrate the triumphs that had built the ground and infrastructure from one nation to the next; monuments are constructed to remember our past. Yet, monuments cannot be constructed out of nothing ,great goes into planning, paying, and research that goes into making sure correct homage is paid those who are due. If one wishes to build a memorial a few things must be taken into consideration,making sure the monument honors or recognizes an important person or event, the design of the building including shape and size,and lastly the monument is placed in an acceptable location based on the subject matter. The most important factor in building a monument is making something that people will recognize and feel an attachment to.

However wretched it might be, human beings seem to thrive on the brutalization and abusement of others below them. If there is no one below them, history is an indicator that a caste system will be created in order for someone to be. Whether you hear "history does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme," or "man learns from history that man never learns from history", the message remains the same- the human race has a tendency to repeat the same mistakes in all kinds of creative, innovative ways. For instance, the United States has a tendency to enslave, massacre and exploit marginalized groups; whether it is the Japanese, the homosexual, African, female; or even the disabled-in this way the United States is history's greatest poet. If human

Growing up, I was told that students are taught history to prevent repeats of mistakes made in the past. Museums are buildings in which artifacts of interest are put on display for the public to learn about the history of the artifact and the role it played in the past. As years go by, museums are being replaced with the easiness and convenience of technology. With more children being immersed into electronics, the connection to the past is lost. The removal of the Confederate flag from the capitol of South Carolina removes a piece of history from the public eye and further disconnects newer generations from an important event in America’s past.

The 8th grade class took a 4 day trip to Washington. We did many things to explore Washington D.C. including visiting monuments. Some people think differently of how a monument should be made. Good monuments to some people could be to make people remember about the person or thing being remembered or to just reflect the person’s life or importance. In “The Follower Problem” by David Brooks, David thinks a good monument should show power and authority.

I decided to choose the 9/11 memorial area as my observation site, living in New York City my whole life, I felt like this was the most significant place to observe for this particular project. The physical location of the memorial is located right in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, and to no surprise, the area is very well organized to attract tourists. Just about every part of the space is being used by the pedestrians during the busy hours. The design of the area is well thought out, the two main pools where the World Trade Center use to be is surrounded by the new buildings and the relatively new museum, this makes every part of the new experience easy and very accessible during the tour (if you pay for it of course). Almost

I was honored to visit the National September 11 Memorial in New York City on the sunny afternoon of 16 March. Assumptions An initial assumption that I made prior to arriving at the site was that the only participants in this fieldwork were other visitors at the memorial. After getting out of the uber and taking steps backward to take a picture of the new World Trade Center tower, I humbly recognized the real participants at this site were the victims who lost their lives due to the tragic events of 9/11.

The 9/11 Memorial Museum sits on 180 Greenwich Street in New York City directly where the twin towers used to sit. It was made commemorate the tragic event that happened on September 11, 2001. This is the first year that this event will be taught in history classes in high schools across the nation since this year’s high school freshman class was not born in 2001. I was about four years old when 9/11 happened and although I don’t remember when it happened it has impacted my life. It has helped me to understand the concept of History besides what is taught in our textbooks.

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.

Kirk Savage suggests in Source A (Savage), “The public monument speaks to a deep need for attachment that can be met only in a real place, where

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).

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.

However, these monuments are history and although they may not be suitable for a public place nowadays, they are sure a great piece of history for a museum. These monuments are part of all that is left from a certain period in our history. Even though the Confederate period, for example, is not the period of the United States that many are proud of it still happened and it is still history. These monuments should be saved for the sake of knowing about the past, not for personal gain. Some monuments can stay in public for everyone to see.