Death of a Star
"The sky is so tragically beautiful. A graveyard of stars." -Unknown
Unlike the eternity of death, stars do not truly die. Stars, once shining full of light and hope, are deprived of life just as every other entity in the universe. However, leading to their deaths, they leave behind fragments that still shine, allowing them to continue to light up the night sky, reminding us of their presence.
Memorials act in the same way. Just as the night sky holds the deaths of millions of stars, the earth holds the lives and memories of many individuals throughout history. When we think of death, we think of losing everything about the person we once knew. However, when building memorials for those we lose, we are able to continue their legacy and remember what they have done to impact us along with many others. As discussed in class, memorials are created to honor those who have had a significant impact on our lives. These can range from something as big as a war memorial dedicated to thousands who fought in the war to one as simple for someone who had a personal impact on another. I believe that many people underestimate how much of an impact memorials have. Before learning how meaningful memorials can be, I, myself, held a very distant and indifferent view toward them. I saw it as lives that were tragically lost, but never as holding one's memories or a mirror into someone's life. I think that seeing these memorials around us not only signifies the devastating lives that have been lost, but it also gives us the ability to honor and remember them in a way that holds one of the most important emotional connections.
I think this is such a beautiful way to think of monuments. The comparisons between stars and memorials which you made are accurate and amazing; I really enjoyed them. I never would have actually thought of memorials in this way had you not talked about it.
ReplyDeleteAngelina, this was so beautifully written! I loved the way you connected stars to memorials so seamlessly, and how they both signified similar ideas! You showed how memorials are a way to commemorate not just the dead, but also the living and missing, and continue their legacy on! I loved reading this so so much, the star as a symbol was such a lovely touch :)
ReplyDeletePrisha Pachpande