Ways to Remember
How History and People are Remembered
There are countless means that people can keep the memory of others alive. It is usually through tangible ways like writing, photographs, songs, plaques, building and more. Key events in history are relived in many books, movies and memorials. We don't really pay attention or concern on how people are remembered, even when we come across an article, see or hear about a notable person from the past. In class, I realized that besides memorials, there are numerous ways to remember what is significant. As the world changed and evolved, so has how we remember the past. With modern technology, artists, architects, and writers have developed more abstract and more open ended avenues in doing so through tv, movie, and social media.
Books
In class we learned about how the book The Things They Carried reflects the experience that the soldiers in the Vietnam war faced. The odd nonlinear structure of the book manifests the issues and the commotion that the soldiers faced during the war. Although the book is fiction, it mirrors certain aspects of the war that the reader can understand. The specifications and details in this book are great at helping the reader envision their presence in the battlefield. This is one of the most real and compelling memoirs. Buildings/Statues
When one thinks of a memorial they think of some extravagant architectural monument. Memorials and monuments for individuals who with great effort, strived to make the world a better place. This is the most common and remembered types of memorials. In class we learned about Cenotaphs and memorials for those who are missing. These are designed to allow the visitors to experience something they will remember. These have symbolic designations that makes visitors contemplate and have sentiments on those honored at the memorial. The memorial on the left is the U.S Air Force memorial which looks like planes ascending and leaving trails of smoke. This phenomenal display, symbolize how the soldiers went up so high and vigorously fought. Some memorials may appear to be artistically odd, but still serve the purpose of commemorating those who changed our society. For example the monument for Charles La Trobe, is a monument for the first lieutenant governor of Victoria (now Melbourne). The monument is upside down to bespeak the modernism in memorial design and moving away from traditional commemorative statues.
(Right: The Cenotaph designed by Lutyens in London, England)
(Left: Trailer Movie remembering the Apollo 11 Moon Landing)
(Above: Memorial to Charles La Trobe designed by Charles Robb in Melbourne, Australia)
Media
(Below: Tribute to Whitney Houston at the 2012 Grammys)
With the rise of the internet, TV, and social media, memoirs of celebrities are often put to honor them and reflect on their accomplishments. These are the most effective in spreading news of dead to the mass media. These however become old news as other things pile on top of it. On the left was a tribute to Whitney Houston at the 2012 Grammy Awards.
With movies and documentaries big events in history such as the Apollo moon landing would be relived and remembered. Movies are not just for entertainment they also can be memoirs of key events and people. Movies are an effective tool to help give audiences an experience of a lifetime. Today people still try to find the best way to honor the influential and history. This is to help remember the past as the past can influence the future. What type of memorial would have an impact on you most?
(Left: Trailer Movie remembering the Apollo 11 Moon Landing)
Hi, Lance! I enjoyed how you detailed all of the ways that we humans choose to remember history and people and divided the sections with spaces and different text colors. I also liked how you chose to integrate both images and videos into your post, something I haven't seen yet in a blog.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know that you enjoyed the contents and presentation It is good to explore our options, how we honor even the unsung heroes. Thanks.
DeleteNice Job Lance! I liked how you expanded from what we discussed in class, which is using memorials and books to remember history, and talked about how media and statues also help us learn or remember history. Every section is very nicely detailed with pictures and videos. Let's go Lance!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mathew, I’m glad to know you liked the diverse approach of memorials. I myself had always thought that memorials are meant to, only be, sculptures or statues. I enjoyed our discussion and lectures in class about memorials, it helped me broaden my views and changed how I see people were honored.
DeleteGood job Lance! I liked the way you included movies and tributes as memorials. Before, when I thought of memorials I only thought of statues. I realize now that a tribute by a celebrity or other powerful figure can be just as powerful. In response to your question, I believe that a statue would have the greatest impact on me because you can visit a statue multiple times and each time you can observe something that you didn't see before. For example, when I first saw the U.S. Air Force Memorial I didn't realize that the structures looked like planes taking off. Every detail symbolizes something and is important!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Sohil that the statues would have a bigger impact as this is something that’s usually permanent in a location. It just made me realized that watching a movie like Apollo 11 or a documentary of “The Kennedy’s” is not just an entertainment, it is to re-create history, like going back in a time machine. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI believe that these unconventional methods of memorials are especially powerful. Many of these memorials are easily accessible due to the rise of the digital age, and the fact that these unconventional memorials are not physical means that it is very easy to go back and experience the memorial.
ReplyDeleteI like how your post is very organized and has pictures to give an example of each. I feel that the best type of memorial to create depends on what's being honored. If it's a famous person or a big event such as a war, statues and museums seem the most effective, hence why they're the most common. However, with smaller, more personal things, more unconventional methods like poetry, art, and music may be effective as well.
ReplyDelete