Today as I woke up on this blustery
spring day, I was apprehensive to begin our pilgrimage to DC. The forecasted
rain and cold temperatures encouraged me to stay in bed. However, when we
reached DC the magic of the city overwhelmed me. This excitement began when
Megan pointed out the Washington Monument from the highway, when we were still
over ten minutes from the city. After that our interest was peeked and we began
pointing out the memorials as they came into our line of sight. This prompted
us to reminisce about our previous trips to DC.
When we exited the van for the
Lincoln memorial, I was excited to seek shelter under the colossal structure
that is the memorial. After we had quickly walked up the first set of stairs,
Professor Kerin stopped us and encouraged us to notice the scale of the
memorial and the contrived access. The
physical contribution that must be made to reach Lincoln’s feet is a pilgrimage
in itself. Allowing the audience a time to feel work. The contrived access is
just as purposeful as the scale and as I walked up the stairs I felt more aware
of my minuteness. In comparison to the mammoth memorial and statue, I was
small. The size puts the importance of Lincoln and his legacy into perspective
for the audience.
When we left the Lincoln memorial
to examine the Vietnam Memorial, I was unexcited to reenter the rain. However,
the rain brought a stillness and a silence to an otherwise bustling memorial.
As I ran my fingers across the names of soldiers, wiping the rain away, I had a
sensation of wiping tears away. It is through the tactile interaction, that the
memorial is helping Americans heal their emotional wounds caused by the war.
When we arrived at the changing of
the guards I was immediately reminded of the picture that Sarah used in her
presentation of the guards watching over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during
Hurricane Ilene. Although it was a significantly lighter rain today, it allowed
me to admire the dedication of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment. It
was also very special to see the wreath ceremony. It was my first time to see a
ceremony other than the changing of the guards.
Today was a successful field trip
to Washington DC. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to revisit many of the
most important memorials in our country. It gave a greater meaning to the
presentations and my understanding of memorials and their significance within
society.
No comments:
Post a Comment