National Mall Photo Essay: the meaning of architecture
Memorials in our Nation’s Capitol: What makes them important?
Each and everyday we go out and about to live our lives, we pass by buildings, memorials, and monuments. Sometimes we admire their beauty, their size, and how they have been able to withstand the elements over the years. Not only in the United States, but across the world, different memorials and monuments are created to symbolize people, events, or amazing creations from the creation of the world. When creating buildings around the world each and every architect has different and unique ideas on how to develop them. How can we differentiate why it was built that way? What makes the piece special the way created and shown, and what is the specific meaning that the architect himself meant to put behind the piece? We can look at several exhibits in our own nation’s capital of Washington D.C., for clues and insight on key attributes.
One of the most obvious and most noted monuments in the nation’s capital is that of the Washington Monument. It is the tallest monument because to represent our place in society and the world, we keep ourselves at a high standard and high expectations and high level of success. It is also visible from citizens as well as travelers when entering the nation’s capitol in an airplane. The monument is also recognized for our first president, George Washington, and how he started the roots of our great country. George Washington not only being the first president started the path for the US, which has an unlimited room for growth, as it points to the sky. The monument also symbolizes how high we’ve made our way in society in such a short time. The monument can also be found on George Washington’s $1.00 bill. The top portion of the obelisk has an illuminated eye, which I feel symbolizes that someone is always there to watch you. The United States is a country that is very diverse and open to people of all races and cultures. No matter where you are, the monument is high enough and is there to guide you and watch over your shoulder. The Washington Monument continues to serve as one of the most popular attractions in Washington D.C.
Much like the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, created for the remembrance and life/work of Abraham Lincoln. This building was created with the authentic Greek style, found in Greece. This Greeks were known for democracy, and if anyone, it was Abraham Lincoln who defended democracy during the civil war and by succeeding in the war. He essentially “saved” our democracy and by doing such, they made a vast memorial using Greek architecture. Not only did Abraham Lincoln help our country but the most noted Emancipation Proclamation is something he was also remembered for. The ability to recognize and fight for different races and cultures, was also a reason for his great size inside the monument, sitting in a huge chair, arms and legs open and embracing everyone who entered. This was a man who believed in doing good deeds everyday, and establishing a sense of unity and nationalism in our country. The character and morals behind this great American president is a reason the monument was built with such detail and care.
Lastly, the Vietnam War Memorial is one emotional as well as intriguing memorial in our nation’s capitol. It differs greatly in size and in comparison to the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, but the size does not take away from its importance. One reason why the wall was created was during the harsh times of the Vietnam War there was a “wall” between democracy and communism. People fought to break down that wall and let democracy win. By making a wall they are basically saying that this was the barrier which the soldiers tried to break down. This was a barrier between democracy and communism, in order to spread communism. There were many people opposed to the war, but the US continued. The wall has names of those lives fallen, and the names of people who died trying to support our democracy at home. Lastly, the most ironic thing about the memorial is that of the reflection from the black marble which it is made of. We can see ourselves in the reflection of the memorial, which should be to look at ourselves, to not make the same mistakes as those made in the past, and remember to do good deeds and why we are here in the first place. We should serve our country as those names on the memorial did so valiantly.
As we look and compare all of the monuments and memorials, one thing is common about all of them. They were created for us as citizens, visitors, and human beings to understand the importance of actions that instilled the creation of the memorial. From president’s actions to wars, we should all learn an important lesson, life is too short to be close minded. We must open up, and have a sense of nationalism, and support our respective country that we live in with our full heart. Even one person can change the course of history, which is very susceptible to change. Who knows, in the future a memorial might be created to honor acts of a family, person, or even me.