The Importance of Memorials

 

Memorials are an important piece to every country and culture.  They allow people to remember and honor those who were important to us.  For example, such memorials as the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, and the Korean War Veterans’ Memorial were created for the purpose of commemorating and honoring the heroes and great leaders that lost their lives.  It is because of memorials that we can respect and remember the deceased.  War memorials, specifically, are extremely important to remember because of their abilities to look toward the future while still reflecting on the past and can be crucial to the younger generations in recognizing and realizing the sacrifices and tribulations made by those who are no longer here. 

 One thing we must remember is that death is a natural part of life, even though nobody wants to witness it.  It is only human to grieve and mourn for the loss of your loved one, but you must honor their life properly.  The word “memorial” derives stems from the Latin word “memos” which means mindful, thus meaning the memories that you shared with that person will never be forgotten or lost.  Some memorials may be designed for shock, reassessment, or contemplation that visitors must come to terms with reality with.  Memorials are sometimes put in the public for everyone to see so they can reflect. "Sometimes a war memorial was put in the middle of a principal thoroughfare, or at an important junction of streets, or in a space in a space" (Whittick 44).
Not all memorials are created following the events they are related to.  For example, the Vietnam War Memorial was created decades after the war, which comes to show that time must pass before society is finally ready to confront what occurred during those events, when pain and grief are still so prevalent.