Charlie Karp

Gratitude is the act of saying thank you and the acknowledgment of social debt. Doss points to the parallel between gratitude and humility. It is the feelings of humbleness that is the root of authentic thanks. In other words, a social consensus of indebtedness fuels the demand for memorials. This thanks can take the form of memorials. I found the debate over the legitimacy of living memorials fascinating. Lewis Mumford quote included on page 193, speaks to the argument that living memorials do not feature the same humility as a statue or memorial. This results from the fact that the community gains something for themselves from a living memorial, as it serves to both commemorate our heroes and add functionality. I personally disagree with this idea, because if I were a hero I would prefer to have a function community space than a statue. However, I do understand the nature of the argument given by Mumford. In my view, war memorials are much more about remembering the veteran than celebrating the wars in which they fought. Doss includes the fact that dogs are no being remembered for their service. While I am not much of an animal lover, I do believe that their memorialization will touch many members of the audience. The addition of the dog statues to war memorials brings the sacrifice into perspective for many.

In the text there seems to be a shadow that stands with many memorials, that they serve to celebrate America’s routine militarism. The collective nature of the memorials serves as an artistic rendering of America as a militaristic empire. With this broader view of memorials, the audience can experience “war porn” or the hyper exposure and glorification of war. When I visited Washington D.C. at age fifteen, I did not view the memorials in this way. However, now I can see that when all of the memorials are looked at together they form a larger piece of art that could allow America to be easily mistaken for an empire. This view came after I visited Rome this past summer. While in Rome, I recognized many similarities in the Roman architecture to what I had seen in Washington just a few years previously. The artistic themes taken from the Roman Empire make Washington a beautiful city but also a modern representation of a great empire.

            I do believe that war memorials should exist for they serve the important purpose of remembering those who sacrificed to keep our country safe. However, it is important to remain mindful of the controversy. It would not be smart to be give more propaganda to those who call America an empire. They should exist to allow American’s the forum to feel patriotic and thankful.