Elizabeth Druschel
10 October 2017
Rcl 1 Section 009
Rhetorical Analysis Essay
The Washington Monument, towering above the D.C. skyline, is perhaps the most recognizable American monument. Though both the Washington Monument and the statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia, were created to celebrate American freedom, the two monuments serve very different civic roles in the lives of Americans today. Unlike the statue of Lee, the Washington Monument represents the freedom of America to all groups. Built in the mid-18th century to honor George Washington, it embodies the American commonplaces of independence and freedom, and evokes these feelings in Americans through its grand architecture. Today, it acts as the civic by establishing a place where all Americans can practice their right to free speech to work toward freedom and peace.
Construction of the Washington Monument began in the late 1840s; a divided and tumultuous time in America’s history. It was only because of Washington’s national popularity that both the North and the South could rally behind the construction of this project. The kairotic events occurring in America created the need for such a monument to remind people of the values America was built on. When created, the monument honored George Washington because of his leadership during the Revolutionary War and commitment to civic duty. As time has passed, how Americans view the monument has not changed because of Washington’s status as a founding father and national hero.
When the monument was unveiled in 1888, it was the tallest structure in the world. By today’s standings it doesn’t hold that title, but it is still impressive. Its grand architecture and placement in the National Mall evoke an emotional response to those who visit it. The pathos of the monument create a sense of pride and remembrance, something all good national monuments should do.
The monument was built in a time where our nation was divided, and thousands of people would die in order to preserve it. In that time, the only half-finished monument was a reminder of the qualities that the nation was founded on. Today, America still has many problems, at home and overseas. The monument represents the same thing, but its fiction as a civic artifact has evolved over time.
As a civic artifact- over time, the monument has become a place where Americans gather to speak out about their rights and call for action
“I Have A Dream”
Vietnam war protests
When I was in Washington D.C. on a rainy April morning, I could see the Washington Monument poking through the fog from the Arlington house at the top of Arlington National Cemetery. That afternoon, as my friends and I walked in the March for Science, it was a powerful scene to see thousands of people gathering around the National Mall with the Washington Monument towering above, speaking out about what matters to them. I thought about all of the people who have gathered around the monument for their causes over the history of America. I saw Dr. Martin Luther King giving his “I Have a Dream Speech”, the Vietnam protests, and the crowds that show up every four years to support or protest their newly elected president. This monument is a gathering place, a place where Americans can rally together to make America a place they want to call home.
That’s what makes it civic; is it the embodiment of the American spirit of freedom, and represents our civic duty to speak about what we care about. In an America that has issues from race relations to politics, the Washington Monument still stands as a pillar of what America was founded on—freedom. It stands as a symbol of pride and civic duty.