A monument is a form of artwork in reference to either a person or an event, that symbolizes a great significant change on a time period in history. For quite some time, monuments have been a controversial topic. Currently Mayor De Blasio is trying to decide whether or not the people these statues are dedicated to are deserving of a monument and if they should remain due to the controversy some monuments have caused. To be represented by a monument, the person should have a significant impact on the way of life for human beings. Their ideas should have changed history for a greater purpose during that time period, so it could remain as a positive remembrance in the long run. The location of the monument should have a connection to their life and the way they were portrayed. These criterias should be used because they evaluate the meaning behind the monument, the location, and whether the image is portrayed correctly.

A monument should not have had an impact such as the death of many because that seems to cancel out the good that was done. For example, Christopher Columbus, he is known for“ discovering lands” but then in the process of doing so he killed many people and that was often overlooked and is one of the many reasons why the story behind him is so controversial. This is so, because the people would argue the bad he did over the good and why he doesn’t deserve a monument. The idea of the monument being created could cause a problem and upset many, because of the many tragedies that occurred during his adventure.

A monument should have impacted history in a positive way and affected the lives of many positively as well. By doing positive things for the people and  changing lives for the better good would cause less of a problem and hold more of an idea of hope, but that is all based on how people sculpted the monument. The Henry Ward Beecher monument for example was a well deserving monument, because he didn’t have a detrimental impact on the lives of many. Henry Ward Beecher helped to set slaves free and stood up for women during his years. However, the way the monument was sculpted would sometimes cause for concern, he is placed on this pedestal and to the left of him is two kids placing a wreath at his foot and to the right of him is a slave placing a branch at his feet. This does not convey the idea of positivity on the way of how people showed their appreciation for him. By portraying him this way, it doesn’t look as though he was a people person, he looks as though he was above everyone. This would cloud someone’s judgement when looking at the monument before reading about him. While the person who sculpted it, displayed it like this for the sole purpose to see that he was a person who was looked to as a savior. Although monuments have a good meaning and are placed due to their accomplishments that has had a positive effect on the world, the way they are portrayed holds a higher standard. It could have been something people look forward to and something they want to have a remembrance of. If it is portrayed incorrectly then it could cause a conflict and cause the monument to be looked down on. This is because there will be people who do not know the history behind each monument and because they do not know their first idea will probably cause a feeling of disgust instead of happiness.

The feeling and setting of a monument is also a part that determines if the monument should remain or be removed. If the area where the monument is placed has nothing to do with the monument or the idea it holds then that could also cause a controversial outcome or confusion. This is because some monuments would hold a better standard if placed in the museums as opposed to being placed in the out and open so that others can see or in an area where they have no ties to that area. Monuments that cause a lot of controversial behavior should not be placed out in the open because this will raise the price of maintaining the monument. Someone might feel as though the monument does not belong based on their own preference and decide to take actions to prove the idea that they do not belong there and vandalize the monument. By doing so the government would try to fix the monument and the people would continue to cause damage, which would be an ongoing process that doesn’t really get resolved. A monument that doesn’t have a meaning for being where it is, would raise questions as in “why are they here of all places”. If a monument has a relationship with the area though, depending on the monument people would get the feeling of happiness, and awe. They would feel like the history of it all has come together and understand that area more based on the monument and the reading about them. There would be people to argue that monuments are not supposed to be taken down due to history regardless of the people’s feeling and that causes a lot of problems as well, while someone may think a monument should be taken down due to their history some people would look and say that its because of that history that they are where they are today. This was taken from the LexisNexis article which gave an insight on why monuments should stay and how much problems it would cause if removed.

To decide whether a monument is to remain or be removed is based on a few couple of things. The person or thing the monument is dedicated to should not have caused a massive amount of lives, because then the person did not care about the lives that passed during their time. They should have turned history itself for the greater good and allowed people to remember them positively. They should be portrayed properly, if they are portrayed incorrectly then it could change the feeling people get when seeing the monument.The setting of the monument is important as well, because if the setting has nothing to do with the monument the feeling people get would bring bad vibes towards the neighborhood. All of these requirements should determine the decision for a monument, because a monument holds a significant standard and to make a decision of staying or going you have to look more than just what the monument holds. But the area surrounding the monument and how the monument would be portrayed. 

Work Cited

Biography editors. “Henry Ward Beecher.” Biography.com ,              www.biography.com/.amp/people/henry-ward-beecher-9204662

Adrienne Jones. “Why The Confederate Monuments Need To Come Down.” LexisNexis.com,  www-lexisnexis-com.citytech.ezproxy.cuny.edu/hottopics/inacademic/?verb=sf&sfi=AC00NBGenSrch