Andy Kopp

Ms. Thompson
AP Lang, Block 1, Skinny B
March 23, 2015
Synthesis Essay
Throughout history, events and certain public figures can be recognized for their certain
characteristics and qualities. To remember these events and people, society has continued to
develop ways in order to never forget their likeness by building statues and monuments.
However, before doing so, certain limitations and considerations need to be recognized. In order
to memorialize an event or person justly, it is absolutely necessary that size, location, and
materials used are understood.
Size of the monument is absolutely crucial to note when considerations are made. The
size can make or break the overall public opinion on how the audience likes it in the end. For
example, Musser illustrates in his writing that a certain Holocaust museum that was planning to
be built has been under protest, due to people not agreeing with the proposed size the finished
museum would be. Society has been debating this issue, either stating that the projected size is
too massive and will cause further anti-Semitism and will down play the atrocities of the
Holocaust or that the museum depicts the correct and appropriate size due to the gravity of the
events of the Holocaust. In any matter, it can be agreed by all that the event of the Holocaust was
gruesome; however, debate still lingers over the size of this museum as well as others in the
future.
Additionally, location plays a huge role in the recognition of an event or persons
memorial. To illustrate, Kosareff depicts how Savannahs Memorial Park will be moved for new
developments set to be built on the land. An addendum to the article describes how it money is

not collected in great amounts shortly; the park will be forced to move elsewhere. Even though
this is a travesty and will emotionally affect the ancestors of San Gabriel Valley pioneers (whose
bones are buried in the park), it only shows how location is necessary upon the development of a
memorial. If the park was built in a less expensive, more sacred area, then this issue would not
occur. This goes to show all the development agencies that location needs to be precisely and
practically laid out before developments of monuments, memorials, and statues.
Lastly, the materials used in the building of memorials needs to be carefully considered
as well, as many things can happen after time if these considerations are not undertook. For
example, Roadside America illustrates for everyone that materials can have lasting effects on a
monument. They depict the growing deterioration of a local Lobsterman, because the
developer carelessly used one coat of bronze paint on the statue of the idol. Due to the
carelessness the painter had, the statue grew, in a sense, ugly, to society and has been moved
from location to location, led to vandalization, constant repairs, and finally ended up in a
warehouse to be eaten by rats. Nevertheless, even though this example Roadside America
depicted is awful, it goes to show developers that the materials used in a memorial are one of the
most important considerations needed to recognize.
In the end, size, location, and materials are only some of the important considerations
needed to be made when building memorials. Memorials are highly considered as a view into the
past and a type of time machine for people that have personal experiences involved with the
event or person the memorial is presenting. Overall, memorials and monuments are
representative of the past, so size, location, and materials need to be considered in order to
properly display them.