Mount Rushmore: Breaking The Barrier

One important factor to consider when memorializing an event or person and in creating a monument is the location. This could be considered the most important factor. If a monument is located in a small town in Wyoming where minimal people will see it, it is not going to be as effective as a monument in Washington D.C. However, location is more than just what city the monument is located in. Location also has to do with where in the city the monument is built. Maya Lin understood the importance of this factor. When creating her monument she had the location play a significant part of the memorials symbolism. Not only did she feature the memorial in the capital of the country but she placed the monument in a special way in the location she chose, …show more content…
It seems that the size of the memorial and the amount of respect and honor for the memorialized are linked. The size of a monument showcases its importance because more resource have to be used when creating it. A prime example of this is Mount Rushmore. Lawrence Downes expresses, “It's easy to feel affection for Mount Rushmore's strange grandeur” Source C (Downes) Downes understands that Mount Rushmore is an effective memorial because,as a result of its size, it stands out and is therefore memorable. The size of that memorial directly impacted its effectiveness and was obviously one of the factors the creators of the monument considered. That monument memorializes those men and everything they did in an extraordinary way because of its size. However, material is also an important factor to consider when memorializing an event or person and in creating a monument. As Maya Lin explains, “ I chose black granite in order to make the surface reflective and peaceful.” The material she used help capture what she wanted to portray through the monument and the atmosphere she wanted it to have. The material she used for that memorial was an important factor along with the location for her to