Doss on Gratitude by Ali Burner

In Chapter 4, I thought that the author’s opinions strongly came through when she looked at how we express gratitude. Doss formally defines gratitude as “a gesture of appreciation, an expression of thankfulness” (194). However, throughout the chapter she looks at how we use this expression of gratitude as so much more than this. I thought it was interesting that Doss shows how we use these memorials to quell conflict, to define who we are as a nation, and to show our solidarity. One of the things I found most interesting about this chapter was Doss’s analysis of the World War II Memorial. I have visited this Memorial in D.C., but never thought of it in such political terms. She writes “memorials are made because they correspond to immediate social and political needs” (212). This idea shapes the way Doss looks at the World War II Memorial. The location, the style, and the size of it all suggest political underpinnings. The political undertones of the memorial are what Doss shows have created so much controversy and criticism. Memorials like these represent both political leanings and the way that our ideals have been changed and shaped over time.

When looking at its location, the World War II memorial makes a very grand statement. Its placement between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument not only puts it in a prominent place along the National Mall, but also changes the theme of the Mall from honoring two great men who shaped our nation’s Republican ideals, to the theme of war. The Lincoln memorial becomes a symbol of the Civil War and the Washington Monument a symbol of the Revolutionary War, with the “good war” tying them together (207). Its location also changes the way we interpret other wars. Vietnam was unpopular and controversial. It is considered by many to be a blemish on a previously respectable record. The World War II Memorial’s location, at the center of the national mall, diminishes the importance of the Vietnam memorial and does not give it the recognition of America’s more glorious wars. The point I found most interesting was when Doss pointed out that the World War II Memorial’s placement on the National Mall would serve to decrease the ability of people to gather, march, and protest on the Mall, which had previously been such an important part of our history (215). This memorial, built in 2001 reflects the changing political ideals of the United States and a call for consensus as America moved toward crisis and war.

Doss also discusses how the style radiates militarism and solidarity.  The Style of the memorial is neo-classical and its association with Roman times draws out ideas of imperialism in America. Many critics claimed that it reflected the style of the Axis powers that the U.S. had fought to defeat (214). The style, the scale, and the location of this memorial all serve to transform the Mall from an “active space of civic participation…to a more passive consumption of commemoration” (216).

Doss’s discussion of the focus on the national mall on military victories instead of social, civil, or political ones leads her into the idea of “war porn.” America’s obsession with war commemoration has led us to idealize war and to see it as normal (220). She talks about the National D-Day Memorial is Munster, Indiana, where a memorial has been turned into a “theme park” where children and adults can enjoy themselves amidst scenes of destruction (227). As Doss points out we do not like to see ourselves as militaristic or imperialistic, but when looking at memorials like these and the ones chosen for the National Mall, it becomes apparent that this is what we have become.