Thoughts on Memorials - Ali Burner

I think that the class has been very interesting so far. It has forced me to think about aspects of memorials that I had never thought of before, in particular the ritual surrounding memorials. Whether it is the ritual of actually creating the memorial, like with roadside crosses, or the act of leaving a letter at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, I think this class has shown me that ritual is one of the most important aspects of memorialization. That is why I am so excited for the Buddhist Stupa tomorrow.

I have also enjoyed working on my paper, because it has made me really think about what is classified as a memorial. Since my memorial it is in a museum and the public has less direct access to it, I would never have thought of it as a memorial before this class. I think that this has shown me that sometimes the process of creation and conceptualization is the most important part of memorialization.

 I am excited to look at memorials in the Eastern culture and see how they differ from the Western and war oriented memorials that we have been studying. I think it will be interesting to compare the ritual practices of these cultures with our own. I also remember learning about the importance of movement in Buddhist and Hindu sacred spaces in another class. I learned that the idea of moving one in a circular path through the space has significant meaning that relates to wisdom and cleansing. I am interested to see if people are moved through the space differently at these memorial sites.