Purpose of Monuments
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The common view of monuments is that they are statues or buildings made of marble or stone that commemorate people who have died. However, the true definition of a monument is found in what it accomplishes. A monument memorializes something or someone; it brings that thing or that person to our remembrance, honors them, and inspires us profoundly. A monument is not just a memory, however; it is an enduring memorial that stands throughout the ages to convey to us what the person or thing it honors stood for. In this sense, a monument can take many manifestations. It could be a poem, a song, a play, a photograph, or even a letter. Some of our finest books are memorials. A monument is never trivial, so monuments are imposing and unforgettable. They capture an event, the essence of a person, or a moment in time, and pay homage to it by revealing its worth. A monument that is not riveting and evocative is not doing its job and should be demoted to the designation of ômere statueö or ôsomebodyÆs reaction.öOne of the most compelling monuments in America is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial designed by Maya Linn to commemorate the soldiers who died or were missing in the Vietnam War. The founders established four basic criteria for the monument that demonstrate an excellent grasp of what a monument must do and be: that it be reflective and contemplative in character, (2) that it harmonize with its surroundings, especially the neighboring national memorials, (3) that it would
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to prove that what the people reported actually happened, and they facilitate what for some is a long-overdue grief process. The WAAC Newsletter states in its article ôThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Preserving History Against All Oddsö that
Quite often, donations are received from Holocaust survivors who are now in their seventies and eighties. They carry their personal treasures in shopping bags and shoe boxes retrieved from the back of their closets. These possessions are almost always presented with a story: the object takes on a significance beyond its physical state.
The work of receiving these donations and ministering to these devastated people is taken very seriously and is approached with deep respect and compassion. The newsletter further states
There will come a time when it will not be possible to hear such first hand accounts. With the passing of the Holocaust generation, a part of that history or even the artifact itself may be lost. And so, the gift enters the Museum, it is handled quite literally with white cotton gloves, housed under carefully controlled conditions, and is meticulously documented. With each new acquisition, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum recommits itself to the preservation
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Approximate Word count = 1290
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)
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