The Monuments

The sun shone brightly above in the blue sky as I walked forward towards the monuments of the great Washington DC. I stopped in front of a flat plain of green and in the near distance, I see two silver hands reaching out of the ground and a face just barely emerging. A leg and just barely a foot protruded out a bit farther away from the hands and head. My eyes grew wide as my mind came to realization of the giant man buried beneath the earth. This statue was named "The Awakening" and was built in 1980. It is at the National Harbor in Maryland. Five separate aluminum pieces were buried in the ground so it would give that feeling of distress. It was created by J. Seward Johnson Jr. and was originally at Hains Point, but was then removed and moved to its current location. It was created to be part of the annual Sculpture Conference.

As I continued my journey in Washington DC, another amazing statue catches my eyes. My footsteps quickly hastened as the monument became more in view. I approached the metal figures, six figures to be exact. They were all working valiantly to plant the American flag town on land. It was the Marine Corps War Memorial. The Marine Corps War Memorial is dedicated to all of the people who have died in defending the United States from 1775. The six people represent the second United States flag on Mount Suribachi during World War II in the Battle of Iwo Jima. The huge suclpture was designed by Felix de Weldon. The statue was completed in 1954 and is in Arlington Ridge Park in Virginia. The quote on it was "Uncommon valor was a common virtue." This quote is really inspirational to me because it tells me how each person really tried their best to protect our nation.

After walking around for a while, I came across the last, and one of my favorite monuments, and the most famous, the Washington Monument. This huge tower towered over me as my head stretched to its limit to see the peak. It is built on the National Mall, built to commemorate George Washington in 1884. It is the world's largest stone structure, made out of gleaming marble, shining granite, and beautiful bluestone gneiss. It is a bit over five hundred fifty-five tall. Through history, the monument was damaged by time and earthquakes and it was also remodeled greatly after damages.

I stretched after a long day of adventure and looked up towards the sky. Washington DC is full of knowledge and history and there's only so much more to learn.