Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe was born on August 28, 1749 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany and died on March 22, 1832 in Weimar. Goethe is considered to be the greatest literary figure of Germany because he is not only a poet, but is also a playwright and a novelist. Goethe's father, Johann Caspar Goethe was born to a wealthy family and his wife, Catharina Textor who was born to Frankfurt’s most senior official in Germany.(1) During his early years, Goethe’s passion was drawing but he quickly got interested in Literature, which was a field that his father wasn’t happy about because he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps of becoming a lawyer. Being born to wealthy parents favored Goethe and his sister because taught at home by paid tutors to
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(1) While in school, Goethe preferred to still attend poetry and literature classes because he couldn’t give up in his innate passion for writing. In law school, Goethe met Johann Gottfried Herder who introduced him to reading different works of literary geniuses that include Homer, Ossian and Shakespeare.(1) This influenced his writing and allowed him to write a composition in 1774 named, “The Sorrows of Young Werther” that brought him worldwide success. This piece built a strong reputation for Goethe and gave the German people a literary figure to look upon to in life. In this paper, I will look at how the monument in Chicago was put up in Lincoln Park to honor Goethe and his accomplishments as a renowned German poet and writer. It will also show the monuments history, how it got to Chicago and how it represents the pride of the German nation to German-Americans who live here as …show more content…
Adjacent to the park neighborhood is the Lincoln park zoo, Lincoln park conservatory, and the Chicago history museum, etc. Lincoln park was a small public cemetery that held the shallow lakeside graves of victims to cholera and smallpox, but during the 1950s citizens demanded for the space to be converted into a park. (2) Shortly after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the park was renamed in his honor where the city allocated $10,000 and contracted Swain Nelson who created and implemented the first plan regarding the park. (2) The monument was put in the park in 1913, as a statue, Goethe is shown nude wearing only a cape while holding a eagle. He is standing with one leg up on a rock in a dominant and conquering pose with his other hand on a resting position on his waist. The eagle perched on his knees could represent the power, pride, and strength of Germany as a nation that is carried by Goethe. His face is sculpted in a very relaxed way while looking away from the eagle, but acknowledging its presence. Goethe looks like the typical Greek God statues where the body is naked and sculptured very young and muscular. The statue is made from bronze standing high to about 25ft, across from the statue is a wall with Goethe’s face and date of birth and
(1) While in school, Goethe preferred to still attend poetry and literature classes because he couldn’t give up in his innate passion for writing. In law school, Goethe met Johann Gottfried Herder who introduced him to reading different works of literary geniuses that include Homer, Ossian and Shakespeare.(1) This influenced his writing and allowed him to write a composition in 1774 named, “The Sorrows of Young Werther” that brought him worldwide success. This piece built a strong reputation for Goethe and gave the German people a literary figure to look upon to in life. In this paper, I will look at how the monument in Chicago was put up in Lincoln Park to honor Goethe and his accomplishments as a renowned German poet and writer. It will also show the monuments history, how it got to Chicago and how it represents the pride of the German nation to German-Americans who live here as …show more content…
Adjacent to the park neighborhood is the Lincoln park zoo, Lincoln park conservatory, and the Chicago history museum, etc. Lincoln park was a small public cemetery that held the shallow lakeside graves of victims to cholera and smallpox, but during the 1950s citizens demanded for the space to be converted into a park. (2) Shortly after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the park was renamed in his honor where the city allocated $10,000 and contracted Swain Nelson who created and implemented the first plan regarding the park. (2) The monument was put in the park in 1913, as a statue, Goethe is shown nude wearing only a cape while holding a eagle. He is standing with one leg up on a rock in a dominant and conquering pose with his other hand on a resting position on his waist. The eagle perched on his knees could represent the power, pride, and strength of Germany as a nation that is carried by Goethe. His face is sculpted in a very relaxed way while looking away from the eagle, but acknowledging its presence. Goethe looks like the typical Greek God statues where the body is naked and sculptured very young and muscular. The statue is made from bronze standing high to about 25ft, across from the statue is a wall with Goethe’s face and date of birth and