This time I will try to apply the definition of arrangement in rhetoric and the new terminology to a different subject. A couple of weeks ago in class, we discussed that we could apply and understand the concepts of rhetoric in a broader set of topics and media besides advertisement. We were talking about pathos and the emotional proof. It was very interesting for me that Dr. Kearney asked us to look for the use of pathos in architecture, for example. Furthermore, we discussed the use of rhetoric in a whole city such as Washington DC. Thus, I would like to try to apply this week’s concepts to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in DC. This memorial is very special for me. It is the first memorial that I visited when I came to spend Christmas with my dad when he had moved to live in the US. A close friend of his took us to see it. He was so passionate about the building and knew so much about its symbolism and FDR’s life that the visit was a remarkable experience.
Even though my dad’s friend’s guided tour was so good, this happened about 8 years ago, so there are many things that I don’t remember very well. For the purpose of the analysis of this week’s topic, I will use an article called FDR Memorial: The newest Presidential Memorial Around the Tidal Basin by Jennifer Rosenberg that I found online. It has comments about the building and pictures which were very helpful.
The memorial is located along the Cherry Tree Walk on the Western edge of the Tidal Basin near the National Mall. This memorial, unlike the ones dedicated to Jefferson and Lincoln, cannot be seen at once. In this case, the viewer needs to walk through it. In fact the memorial is 7.5 acre, and it is a long path waiting to be explored. Since FDR served four terms, the architect designed four rooms to represent each one of these terms. According to the official site online, “this is a memorial not only to FDR, but also to the era he represents”. During his term, the US experienced WWII and the Great Depression, so the memorial in some way refers to those moments of the US history as well.
When you first come into the memorial the location of the big walls, “made out of red South Dakota granite” as described by Rosenberg, guides you through the pathway and gives you hints as to the best way of walking through it. The memorial can be accessed from different points, but I will discuss the chronological order in which it was designed. This arrangement allows us to walk through the rooms in the order in which the events happened in history.
The first wall you encounter serves as an introduction. It has FDR’s full name over his title as president of the US and the years he served. In addition, it has a statue of FDR in a wheel-chair. FDR suffered from polio and had to use a wheel-chair, but he never used it in public. This first presentation of his introduces him as a very human and determined person, and also gives us a hint of the realism intended in the whole memorial. According to the official site, “at the very beginning of the memorial in a prologue room there is a statue with FDR seated in a wheelchair much like the one he actually used”. I would say that this "prologue room" serves as the narrative as well because it states the issue that will be discussed: his four terms as president, as well as his human side when being a president of a powerful nation. The division of the building into four rooms serves as the partition. It states that FDR’s presidency terms are what we will encounter when visiting the memorial.
Since most people that visit the memorial have an interest on it, we could say that this would be a case of honorable quality. For this same reason, we don’t find arguments of refutation. The rhetor has immediate support from the audience (296). Thus, the arguments of confirmation are the different sculptures and quotes that we find in each of the rooms. In the first room, for example, it is predominant the representation of the people that lived in the country at the time. The depiction of those people is very compelling. They are shown in their daily activities and we feel as if entering into their lives. In my opinion, this statues depict FDR as a president that governed for the people. In fact there is a quote, next to one of the statues, that says “I never forget that I live in a house owned by all the American people and that I have been given their trust”. The statue is a man listening to the radio, apparently, to one of FDR’s speeches.
On another note, I see that the realism and expressive power of the sculptures is a strategy that intends to make the audience attentive and receptive. Additionally, the fact that the viewer needs to walk through it, and read the quotes gives him or she an active role that also aids to achieve their attention and receptiveness. In fact, I find very interesting the sculpture called “Breadline”. This shows a line of people apparently waiting to receive some bread during the Great Depression. Many visitors, including me, stand in line behind them and have a photo taken (Rosenberg). Likewise, the quotes carved on the walls are very poetic. They are inspiring and moving using the appeal to emotions.
The waterfalls used throughout the memorial also have a special meaning. They work as a symbol of the situations that the country experienced during the time (Rosenberg). For example, in the third room/third term WWII was the major event. In this room the waterfalls are bigger and the sound of the water is stronger. The use of this symbol is another device to capture the attention of the viewer. The sound and beauty of watching the water fall engages the visitors into the experience of the memorial.
At the end of the memorial we find the biggest waterfall of all. This waterfall serves the purpose of the conclusion. According to Rosenberg, this waterfall possibly represents the strength and endurance of the US. I think that it also represents FDR’s strength and, at the same time, his inspiring spirit which is represented by his words found throughout the pathway.
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