Yad Vashem

What intrigues me  about my monument Yad Vashem, is it's interesting shape and architecture. The shape is so abstract, that I am sure there is meaning and organization behind the way the monument appears. Another interesting question I had was why was this monument built so soon after Israel became a state? Did the citizens believe this was a good way to spend money on their first major purchase? I am not even sure if it was a major purchase, I would like to find out the cost that went into the monument and how much labor was needed. Did the amount of money spent have a positive or negative affect on the people? Also, how was the money raised to build this monument and who were the major donors? Also, I would like to research why Yad Vashem was built in Jerusalem. 

Research Questions

Question: Why wait so long to commemorate the Holocaust?
Possible Answer: The memorial was to be opened to coincide with the WWII's 60th anniversary. Why such a random number, I do not know. Researching as to why it is this anniversary and not a traditional 1, 10, 25 or 50 year anniversary will be interesting.

Rhodes Memorial

The Rhodes memorial is located on one of the largest mountains in Cape Town South Africa, and it is dedicated to Cecil Rhodes who came to South Africa as a british entrepreneur.  Eventually he became a wealthy man because he had bought land that contained diamond mines. He used this fortune to start his political career in South Africa.  He ended up being kicked out of office before his term ended, so my biggest question is why they made a memorial dedicated to a political figure who used money to work himself up the ranks, and in the was kicked out of office?  In order to further explore this question, I would like to find out who built and dedicated the monument to him?  Also, how was Cecil Rhodes truly viewed among the public of South Africa?  What are people's views on the memorial itself? Do most like it? Do people not care? Do people hate it?  Based on the research I have done so far, it seems like Rhodes was a pretty power hungry leader who was just looking to conquer territory in africa for Brittan, but I am curious if this is how the people of South Africa think too.  This is the direction I hope to take my project.

The David

I will be researching one of Michelangelo's most famous peaces of art, which is the statue of David also known as The David. After some research I realized that The David has is symbolic in many different ways, and depending on the resource The David has a different meaning. In addition because The David is an important peace of art, when someone thinks of Florence, Italy they automatically think of The David. I want to further investigate the meaning of The David for Italy as well as the reason that Florence is well known for having The David. 

  Recently Italy faced a tremendous earthquake, in Rome, and many people were killed. Along with the amount of people who died, some of Italian culture was crushed as well. I would like to do research, and see the affects of the earth quake on the culture of Italy. As well as the importance of The David, if it is more important now than before. 

  Over the course of the year we have learned different histories of the different countries, as well as some history of art. Since Michelangelo lived during the Renaissance and created The David during that time period, I wonder if any of the techniques he used on The David relate back to something we have learned this year. I want find resources that would describe the reasoning behind each technique that Michelangelo used, and see if anything relates to my knowledge of  modern world history.

Memorial to the Victims of Communism Qs

My list covers a pretty wide range of areas regarding the memorial, regarding the reaction to its construction, the affects it had culturally if any, and the reasons it was built

What made the government/the artist want to build a memorial like this?

Why are there no women in any of the statues in the memorial?

How did this memorial contribute to the mindset of the Czechs?

Has this memorial had impacted views/knowledge towards communism? 

Armenian Genocide Memorials

My original idea for Part One of our final project was to simply research Mother Armenia, a monument located in Yerevan, Armenia but then I stumbled upon The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. Soon after I found this site, which collects lots and lots of Armenian Genocide Memorials by separating them by country. So my new and improved project plan is to research lots of different monuments from this one site. The question I created is, "How is the Armenian Genocide of 1915 mainly portrayed? And how do different countries represent this horrific genocide?" I plan on choosing countries who actually take a role in this situation such as Germany and will try not to pick countries such as Venezuela that has no true connection. Later in my research I discovered that many of these monuments have either been destroyed or stolen which suggests that the Armenians may still be a hated race. Who is stealing/destroying these monuments and why are they doing it? Finally is there a common thread between the builders of these monuments? And is there a certain sculptor who revolutionized Armenian Genocide Monuments/did one sculptor create multiple monuments? One small factual question I look to answer is, "What is the definition Khachkar and why are there so many monuments commemorating the 1915 genocide called this?"Another question that I have recently decided to answer is whether relations between Turks and Armenians have been recently resolved or if this conflict continues? I also want to learn the reason this rivalry began and truly identify who is at fault. I look forward to researching this project mostly because my background is both Armenian and Assyrian, two races oppressed against during the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

Berlin Holocaust Memorial Research Questions

My research questions focus on the memorial's background history and the experience the memorial engenders.

-Why was this memorial chosen?

-Why was it built recently, and dedicated in 2005 to the 60th anniversary of V-E Day?

-What was the intended effect that the architects were aiming for in this monument?

-What are peoples responses to their experience of the monument?

-What, if anything, about the monument is different from the original plan?

Petra, Jordan

Research questions for the ancient city of Petra:

-Why was it built in the first place?

-What does it represent for Jordan and the rest of the world?

-Does it reflect any current politics in the Middle East?

-What is the attitude towards the city from Jordan, the Middle East, in particular Israel?

My questions are mostly focused on what this old, amazing piece of history means in recent times. Also how the politics in the Middle East affect the preservation and the city itself.

Armenian Genocide Research Questions

My research questions address the political tension surrounding the acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide as it pertains to foreign relations, as well as the genocides significance.

What does Turkey have to gain by denying the Genocide? Is it a cultural or political reason?

Why did the Ottomans want to exterminate the Armenians?

Do Armenians feel safe in Turkey today, especially since Turkey does not acknowledge the genocide?

Why was the Armenian monument in France stolen? Did someone want the memories to disappear? Was it a simple theft, or was it connected to the particular monument?

Is Turkey's acceptance into the EU hindered by Turkey failing to acknowledge the genocide?

Will Obama risk the America's relationship with Turkey in order to bring up Turkey's denial of the genocide?

Did any countries come to the aid of the Armenians back in 1915?

AIDS Quilt Research Questions

My research questions mainly focus on the effectiveness of the "architecture" of the AIDS quilt. I plan to investigate what detracts from and what adds to the sense of meaning and remembrance of the quilt.  My research questions are as follows:

Is a quilt a better method to commemorate AIDS victims than a statue, building, museum of some sort?

Is it more effective to break the quilt into pieces all over the country as opposed to displaying it in its entirety in one location?

Does the fact that almost anyone can add to the quilt and that it is never truly complete detract from the sense of meaning and memory derived from the quilt?

Does it give the victims enough of a memorial and enough commemoration? Are the victims simply clumped together as a group or given individuality?

Arc de Triomphe?

My Questions About the Arc De Triomphe:

Does this monument provide an impact for people today? In what ways? 

Did it provide more of an impact on people in the past?

In modern times, how has the monument been described? 

What opinions do people have about the arc?

How has its meaning and significance changed over time?

Is there a particular reason why its situated in that specific spot?

What's is the significance of its shape?

What's the history behind the monument? 

Whose names are inscribed on the inside of the monument? Why are they inscribed there? In other words, why are those individuals so significant in French history?

Explanation:

I have a wide variety of questions that, I believe, will help me answer the fundamental question, "What's the significance of this monument for France?" I can then use the answers to create an argumentative essay about perhaps how this monument symbolizes French Pride.

Children's Peace Monument Research Questions

This monument is dedicated to Sadako, a young child who died of leukemia from the radiation of the A-Bomb. The monument was based on her story; she believed that if she folded 1000 cranes that she would be healed. I was wondering if there were any other reasons for her being chosen for the monument other than her 1000 crane story. Also, the number 1000 itself seems very specific as well and I wanted to research what the number's significance to Japan's culture was. The way the monument is set up is architecturally innovative and I wanted to analyze how the structure reflected Sadako or the message she was giving. This moneument is very different than the other monuments in Hiroshima's peace park, and I wanted to discover why they made is so interactive and if that affects its fame.

Research Questions

I have several research questions, but they are all related because they all address the same issue.  The questions are:

How does the design of the Vietnam Memorial relate to the actual war?

What ideas about the war – good or bad – do the memorial give to people?

How does the Vietnam memorial compare to other war memorials??  Would it have looked any different had the U.S. won the Vietnam War?? (US was victorious in the other wars that have memorials)

I think these are good questions because they try to find out the psychological effects that the wall produces, and I think that this will result in an interesting and informative research paper.