Doss explores gratitude in relation
to the WWII memorial exploring psychological conditions, morals and its
political obligations (Doss-190). She writes that WWII memorials are now
popping up as veterans are dying about 1,000 per day. She writes that gratitude
must be given “before they are all gone” (190). Additionally, there is a
fascination with WWII as shown in pop culture through movies and books.
After WWII Americans seemed more
practical, often opting for living memorials instead of ostentatious statue
memorials. They built auditoriums, parks, stadiums, hospitals, airports, art
centers, libraries and museums (193). Some Americans were unhappy with these
memorials that seemed to better serve the living than to thank the dead, but
most of America liked that they were able to live in and use the memorials.
Doss discusses how memorials are
built in a manor that is significant to the time. She cites Choay: “very
essence of monuments… lies in its relationship to lived time and memory” (212).
By nature memorials are political because they have to take a stance on the
feelings of those it honors as well as those that come to honor it. This has
accounted for many of the grander memorials because the neoclassic style
promotes that it is distinguished.
Pop culture in America seems to
romanticize war with it featured prominently in movies, books and video games. Doss
defines war porn as “the contemporary American lust for
war, evinced not only in war movies, war games, war toys, and war memorials but
in the general fetishization of war itself on every conceivable level of
American society.” She writes that Americans have a giddy pursuit of all things
war (220). It is seen as the war on drugs and the war on AIDS.
She
also writes to the war dogs that are honored. They are in many ways the most
innocent because they don’t chose to serve. They work for a master and will die
for them. The dogs were instrumental in the war, but because they aren’t people
that are often forgotten. I think that it is important to honor them because they
were so important.
-Charlotte MacDonald
No comments:
Post a Comment