DC Descriptive Paper

         Everyday, I go to history class, listen to the lesson and even understand it fairly well, but I don’t think that I completely grasped the reality and importance of our past before I went on this trip.
         Truth be told, I wasn’t expecting much when I left San Antonio at a God-awful-early flight at five thirty in the morning. Maybe to learn a few things, take some cool photos, but what I got was so much more.
          I’ll start with Arlington National Cemetery, such a serious place, so solemn. It’s heart breaking to see how many people have died for our country, our freedom. White marble gravestones stand in orderly, organized lines, all facing the same direction, almost like soldiers saluting. The headstones cast delicate shadows onto the soft, green blankets of grass.
          Near Arlington, a tall statue stands, called the Marine Memorial. Bronze soldiers keep a lasting hold on a flag pole, suspended in the process of driving the pole into the rubble at their rugged boots.
          Another powerful sight was the Korean War Memorial, which has statues of about eleven soldiers walking into battle, in a triangle formation. Concern and anxiety are etched into their faces as some look ahead and others look at each other. The words ‘freedom is not free’ are carved into a wall at the tip of the triangle. Along one of the sides is a long, black wall with faces of lost soldiers carved into it. The faces form somewhat of a collage, and small floor lights shine on them at night, illuminating the smiles of the soldiers that have died for this country.
          Next, we saw the Vietnam War memorial, where there are thousands upon thousands of names carved into black marble that dips into the earth in a ‘v’ shape. These are the names of the soldiers lost in the Vietnam conflict. Photographs, notes, ribbons, and flowers are tucked into the small crevices between the panels of the memorial. Lush, green grass surrounds the ‘v’, as well as massive trees and cobblestone pathways.
         Probably the most powerful monument is the Lincoln memorial. You can almost hear Martin Luther Kings ‘I have a dream’ speech echoing off of the marble steps as you walk up the stairs. Once you make it to the top and walk between the Roman-inspired columns, you can see a massive statue of Abraham Lincoln, staring straight ahead, right at the Washington monument. Two of his biggest speeches are carved into the right and left wall, but nothing can distract you from the awesome, might statue. Everything is perfectly detailed, from the creases in his clothing to the knuckles on his hands, which is probably what makes the sculpture so astounding.
          Another monument dedicated to a former president is the Roosevelt monument, which is completely different from the Lincoln memorial. There are four different sections, each one representing a different presidential term. At each there are statues, water falls and formations to represent the time period and events. There are bronze statues of men waiting in a line outside a soup kitchen during the time period of the Great Depression and there is a tranquil pool of water for the time during his death.
          Unfortunately, we didn’t get to go inside the Washington monument, but we did see it, like everyone else in Washington DC. It’s impossible to miss, because it is the tallest structure in the whole city. But, the most spectacular time we saw the monument was when we visited the Lincoln memorial. It was late, about ten o’clock at night, and the sky was a dark purple, the clouds almost magenta. The monument was lit up at the base, and the reflection of it, and the sky, kissed the surface of the reflecting pool. It was completely brilliant. Waving American flags encircle the base, which invokes a sense of patriotism.
          Everything else we saw was, and is still, amazing as well, and it’s a shame that I can’t write about it all, but if I did, I would never finish. This trip was amazing, partly because of all of the spectacular sights. But, it was also incredible because it was almost like seeing history come alive, right before your eyes.