Image by Carol M. Highsmith

The World War Two monument was under construction between 2001 and 2004. It was unveiled to the public on April 29, 2004 and had its dedication one month later, on May 29. It was designed by Friedrich St.Florian and was meant to pay tribute to all those that died during the course of the war (Murray).

The memorial is meant to show us the price of victory and freedom, and that the unity of the country during this time was paramount in the U.S. wining the war. I think that I am drawn to this civic artifact due to the fact that I was always interested in American history and the concept of national unity, something that is rather uncommon to find today. This artifact is an apt comparison for the Minuet Man statue in Concord because they both reflect unity and patriotism. They both show that brave Americans went and fought and died for our freedom as a nation. I think that soldiers, especially the ones that made the ultimate sacrifice, deserve to be honored and remembered. There are many aspects of this memorial that can analyzed into how they relate to the civic providing more than enough material to cover in a comparison to the Minuet Man statue.

Some of the more intriguing aspects of this memorial are the gold stars on the “Freedom Wall” at the west end of the memorial. there are 4000 golden stars on this wall, each signifying 100 American lives lost in the war. There were a total of 400,000 Americans killed during the course of WWII. Another interesting aspect of the memorial is the bronze braided rope that runs between all 56 granite pillars surrounding the memorial. Each pillar represents a U.S. state or territory and D.C. involved in the war effort. The bronze rope signifies the unity binding all of America together during this time (Murray).

Involved within in this monument are several rhetorical devices. One obvious such use is the use of enthymemes. While it is know the the monument is meant to memorialize WWII, one must have prior knowledge to understand some of the smaller parts of the monument. The rope for example, I know what it means because I have done research on the monument but the average passerby may not without prior knowledge. Another such example is that of the golden stars, or that of the 24 bas-reliefs along the edges half on the north and half on the south represent the war in Europe and the war in the Pacific. It also relies on pathos to convey it message. With no feeling of loss at the death of so many, and pride in the fact that so many volunteered to defend our nation, the whole notion of the stars and the rope would be lost. There would be no point in remembering something as tragic as WWII if there was no emotion shown on the home front. It also hints at ethos. While there is no fact check at the plaques recalling the victories of American forces, a simple google search can confirm what they say, and with knowledge so readily available and it being in such a public and high profile place, it would be impossible to lie about something, as someone would have caught such a fault right away and it would have been national news.

In using the WWII monument as my comparison to the Minuet Man statue, I have provided my self with an extraordinary amount of material to offer as similarities and explain how they both memorialize brave Americans who answered the call to duty and paid the ultimate price for their country and those that reside within her borders.

Murray, Lorraine. “National World War II Memorial.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2011, www.britannica.com/topic/National-World-War-II-Memorial.