Size and Numbers
There are numerous monuments within Washington D.C. which represent the memory of either great events or those who took place in these great events. The National Mall is almost like a tribute to all the historical events that America has gone through. Each monument is trying to say something different from the World War II Memorial which is full of life and excitement to the Vietnam Memorial which is fairly plain and dark. The elements of several of the monuments in DC which really impressed me is size and number. The three monuments that contained the element over all others, for me, are the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Monument, and the Korean War Memorial. The size of these monuments tries to illustrate the significance of the events or people that they involved and show that they should not be forgotten or taken for granted.
While taking a trip to Washinton DC, it is almost impossible to miss the Washington Monument. It is a giant white obelisk that sits in the National Mall. You can see it from a lot of places in DC. It is 555 feet and five and a half inches tall. This monument is a tribute to our first president George Washington. He laid down the path for America to rise to what it is today, symbolized by this monument. He was a great president and he also played a crucial role in the American Revolution. On top of the Washington Monument there are red lights that periodicalyl flash on and off. This seems to show that regardless of what is going on in the country, there is always someone there to watch over America. It was great going to the Washington Monument because of peoples reactions towards it. Everyone standing near the base of it were saying things regarding the height. They were all standing there with their heads looking straight up to try to take in the entire monument. This awe that the monument inspires seems like a fitting tribute to a man who did so much for America.
The next monument I visited was the Lincoln Monument. It sits right across fromt he Washington Monument with only the Reflecting Pool between the too, which is actually a very long walk. When you first see this grand building, you really are taken back at just how massive it is. It looks, fairly, similiar to the Parthenon from the outside. The entire monument is raised off the ground and you have to climb many stairs just to get inside. Once inside, you are still amazed at how big everything is. The first thing you see is obviously Abraham Lincoln sitting in a throne. His statue stands at nineteen feet tall. Lincoln was a tall man in life, so his size in this monument helps illustrate this fact but mainly the fact that he was a great president. He freed the slaves in America and helped pull the Union through the Civil War, which unfortunately led to his demise. As you continue to look around the monument, on both sides of Lincoln are giants columns to support his monument. On the far right and left sides of the monument are two of Lincolns speeches, the Gettysburg Address and his second inaugural address, both of which are gigantic as to show their importance. The Gettysburg address is especially important because it helped rally the Union to continue the war. Although short, it had a substantial effect on the American people. It is one of the most famous speeches in America today. Above both these speeches are large murals which are artistic representations of the work Lincoln did in his life.
I visited several other monuments in Washinton while I was there, many of which contained the element of size of number. The one I ended up choosing was the Korean War Memorial. I did not choose it because it made my project easier, because it didn’t, but because of the fact that not many people really talk about it. It is know as “The Forgotten War” which is very disappointing because many people died in the call of duty. This memorial is actually very interesting. There are several soldiers who are all larger than life. This symbolizes that they went above and beyond the call of duty to help another country in need and to defend what America stands for. Their size also shows that America is a very powerful country. Next to the soldiers is a large black wall, similiar to that of the Vietnam Memorial. This wall is covered with faces of people. The wall is quite tall, but the aspect that struck me was the number of people on this wall. Many of these were soldiers or people involved with the armed forces, however they also had average people and children on it as well. This shows just how many people were involved in this war and all wars. Another part of the memorial was a pool of water which was line with plaques that listed the number of people who were injured, killed, or missing because of the war for the United States and the United Nations. The numbers on these plaques were not small to say the least. Many men lost their lives. How we as Americans can overlook any conflict we were involved in, I really don’t understand it, however this monument shows that the Korean War is not an event to be overlooked.
The size of a monument helps to show the significance of the event or person it is meant to honor. The Washinton Monument is meant to show just how important George Washington was to the birth of America which is illustrated by the size. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves against much opposition, and great achievement represented by a great monument. Those soldiers involved in the Korean War went above and beyond the call of duty which is shown by the larger than life statues and their memorial. Size always inspires awe in people, but when the size of a monument or memorial has a deeper meaning than just being a giant hunk of rock, it makes that monument or memorial all the more special.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Memorial