Synthesis Essay: The Lincoln Memorial

There are multiple beautiful monuments around the world that all represent different people or events in time who may or may not be historical. Although to the people who view the monuments only see the final product the group of people who chose to put it there see all the factors that go into creating that monument and putting it in just the right spot so the person or event can be remembered in a peaceful and respectful environment. When a group or agency is trying to memorialize an event or person by creating monuments there are many factors that go into not only creating the actual monument but making sure the event or person is memorialized correctly. Before brainstorming ways to make the event or person’s legacy come alive an actual …show more content…
Location is important because the group should think about who will see it and how to make where the statue is appealing and in a respectful environment. Source A states that the Lincoln memorial didn’t exist in Lincoln’s time and is near a river. Although the choice of location doesn’t seem too pleasing the statue itself has “… its own aura..”. Since Lincoln is a honorable man who many admire because of his contributions to the victory in the civil war the monument of him speaks for itself by giving off a honorable and proud atmosphere by being able to in a way connect and thank Lincoln. This feeling of patriotism is replicated in the Washington D.C. monument of Lincoln where the gettysburg address is written boldly all over the walls as Lincoln sits in his throne and looks out over the rest of the National Mall. Not only is he placed in an enormous temple but he literally looks out over the National Mall making Lincoln seem as a protector of the people and of the other people that the monuments represent. Location can create a certain atmosphere around the monument and that can determine how people feel towards the monument and the event it is showing. If a monument is too big it can overpower its surroundings and take away from the real message and just create hateful feelings towards the topic. This occurred with the idea of putting a huge holocaust memorial in the National Mall (Musser 2008). Although the idea seemed good the national mall already consists of many other monuments that could be overshadowed by this big museum and take away the purpose of the holocaust museum by not allowing it to represent all the hardships the holocaust put on the Jewish people (Musser 2008). Location is a crucial aspect of planning to build a memorial because the ceremony/memorial needs to be