A Study of Classification and Memory--Frames of Mind

Frames of Mind

Classification

304-305

1.

n  Monuments with human figures

n  Monuments commemorating war

n  Large-scale monuments

n  Monuments relating to another country

n  Monuments as a sign of hope/positive

n  Monuments as a memorial/sad

n  Monuments commemorating past presidents

2.            Things memorialized here in 3 groups:

 War—The Vietnam Memorial, Korean War Memorial

Presidents—Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial

Death/achievement – all

3.            New principle of classification: emotion/senses evoked from monuments:

Sadness/Loss

Achievement/recognition

Gratefulness

Eerie

1.       Martin Luther King, Jr., War in Afghanistan, People who gave their lives on 9/11 (not just the Twin Towers) – not represented in the nation’s capitol.

To commemorate MLK, a statue or symbol of black oppression would be appropriate.

To commemorate the War in Afghanistan, a structure that lists numbers of troops, supplies, and families that the war used/changed.

To commemorate 9/11—a recreation of the firemen or police offers, something that suggests turmoil and chaos, but rebirth as well.

2.       Characteristics—recognition to those people and events that changed our nation’s course of action and future. There are many more figures, other than presidents, and many more events that helped shape our nation that ought to be memorialized.

3.       N/A

1.       The United States likes to memorialize huge events that most of the population remembers or wants to remember. Sometimes that includes horrific events—not just positive presidents that bettered our nation. We wish to remember the struggle that got us to where we are now. They are deemed worthy of memorializing because of the perseverance in the face of opposition and their ground-breaking results as either people or events.

2.       The size of the monuments will show future generations that the US is proud of its achievements while also regretful and respectful to those who gave their lives to the greater cause of the nation. They will come to understand that honor is mostly done on a large-scale, so that everyone understands its force and mark it has left on our country.

3.       I believe that the United States should erect a monument in honor of our forefathers who wrote the Declaration of Independence. Without them and their efforts, we would not be here today. There ought to be something dedicated to the risky and brave efforts that they made when drafting such a then controversial constitution. The monument would fit into the group commemorating the achievements of our nation and past presidents. It should be some sort of recreation of those who were present at the convention where they wrote the document. It would be great to recreate the setting so that students could understand and visualize how it happened.

4.       Classification has helped to think about the bigger picture—about why certain monuments are created and what they represent. I also used patterns of inquiry such as cause and effect and ethos.

1.       I think that Centennial Park is a great place to build another memorial. I consider the Parthenon and the statues inside of it a memorial, but I believe that the park is big enough to house something that represents a different set of ideals. I’m not sure what would go there, but it would make sense for it to have something to do with democracy and the 100^th anniversary of our nation. Perhaps some aspect of government that we adopted from the ancient Greeks.

2.       Another form of collective consciousness that is shared among large groups is pride. People are often proud of different things, different aspects of their lives. But there is also a sense of national pride—pride of our government, pride of our troops, pride of our religions. Perhaps this idea of personal and national pride could be further explored.