On September 18, 2016, I visited the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. As an African American woman I grew up idolizing Martin Luther King. As a kid I learned about how he was a child, just like me, who grew up to become the man that fought to end racial segregation. I learned about how he lead marches through heavily segregated areas, made speeches at famous monuments, and ultimately died as a martyr. His speech ‘I have a dream’ is one that I memorized for a theater project in 9th grade. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered as a man who fought against hate and racism, but struggled for freedom and love. Regrettably, his dream has not yet been fully realized. The Martin Luther King Memorial reflects society’s views on his contributions for
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The idea of doctor King being a symbol of hope and freedom is one that is ingrained into every child, especially those of African American descent. The unfinished appearance of doctor King alludes to the fact that although Martin Luther King made significant progress in race relations there is still more work to be done. The monument depicts doctor King as a stern and ambitious man. The feeling I got when standing next the huge monument was one of awe, but also one of inferiority. This feeling fits into the collective memory, history books have painted a picture of a man so revolutionary and godlike that people cannot see him as the normal individual. The stories told about the Birmingham marches, when he lead a protest against the ill treatment of African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama, his church sermons which united people of color all over America, and his famous March on Washington paint a larger than life image of Martin. However, the monument fails to show the human side of him, the large and austere depiction of MLK does not seem to show a man who believed in nonviolence, advocated the strength of love in the face of cruelty, and wanted equality for …show more content…
The atmosphere around the monument is one of acceptance and tranquility. The monument features quotes about love, equality, freedom and perseverance. It is a constant reminder of the sacrifices that many people made for the opportunities, and equality, enjoyed by this generation and those that follow. The collective memory is that Martin was a man who fought and died for racial equality. He will be remembered forever with a monument that celebrates his great
The idea of doctor King being a symbol of hope and freedom is one that is ingrained into every child, especially those of African American descent. The unfinished appearance of doctor King alludes to the fact that although Martin Luther King made significant progress in race relations there is still more work to be done. The monument depicts doctor King as a stern and ambitious man. The feeling I got when standing next the huge monument was one of awe, but also one of inferiority. This feeling fits into the collective memory, history books have painted a picture of a man so revolutionary and godlike that people cannot see him as the normal individual. The stories told about the Birmingham marches, when he lead a protest against the ill treatment of African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama, his church sermons which united people of color all over America, and his famous March on Washington paint a larger than life image of Martin. However, the monument fails to show the human side of him, the large and austere depiction of MLK does not seem to show a man who believed in nonviolence, advocated the strength of love in the face of cruelty, and wanted equality for …show more content…
The atmosphere around the monument is one of acceptance and tranquility. The monument features quotes about love, equality, freedom and perseverance. It is a constant reminder of the sacrifices that many people made for the opportunities, and equality, enjoyed by this generation and those that follow. The collective memory is that Martin was a man who fought and died for racial equality. He will be remembered forever with a monument that celebrates his great