Across from the Washington Monument, towards the western end of National Mall rests a massive construction that holds the fearless and humble statue of Abraham Lincoln. In my feeble millennial mind, the monument had been there since Washington’s tower was built in 1888. It always seemed to be in the background of photos of historical events for example, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War Protests, and the Women’s Rights Movement.

Lincoln, as the assassinated 16th President of the United States, is an iconic being in himself however the historical context shaping the construction and symbolism of the memorial makes the actual site of the Lincoln Memorial iconic as well. Built in a time when women had just earned the right to vote, and soon to follow the outbreak of the Vietnam, then the red scare, the Lincoln Memorial has witnessed and partaken in a lot. Considering that many Americans have taken pilgrimages to the statue, and many movements have found themselves at Lincoln’s feet, the powerful symbol of Lincoln’s Memorial is apparent. What exactly is this symbol however? Beyond seeing Lincoln as the Great Emancipator, it is interesting to consider what ideals his statue represents to lead leaders like MLK to choose this site for their own iconic speeches or marches.

It is safe to say that just about every aspect of the memorial is symbolically placed. The first thing you notice is the temple-like pantheon that houses Lincoln’s statue. The thirty six columns holding the structure symbolizes the thirty six reunited states at the time of Lincoln’s death. Beyond this literal symbol, the appearance of the temple-like structure is also symbolic of Lincoln. He appears as a Greek god would, in the center of his marble home and this was done in an attempt to highlight the reverence and idea of holiness of Lincoln’s legacy. Adding to the holiness, The character of Lincoln is also symbolized by the three-chamber design of the interior. The center of the chamber contains the statue of Lincoln with one hand clenched the other free to symbolize his strength and simultaneous compassion. The other two chambers contains inscriptions of two Lincoln speeches- the Gettysburg Address, and the Second Inaugural Address. These were chosen because they were seen to also be powerful examples of his character. The two speeches further exemplify the notion that Lincoln is both a strong and compassionate friend invoked of liberty.

There are plenty of false symbols including the rumor that Lincoln’s hands were designed to symbol American Sign Language letters. Despite false interpretations the fact remains that the Lincoln Memorial is a revered symbol of Lincoln as an iconic human. The whole structure of the memorial was strategically placed to represent certain qualities of this President. The temple design subconsciously alludes to the god like status we have placed on Lincoln’s status overall and the whole design alludes to the fact that Lincoln will forever be an enshrined icon of freedom and liberty.

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First off, I would just to like to begin that I am a HUGE fan of the Kennedy family and think they have made some great contributions to our nation.  If I am being completely honest with myself, I have even thought about how cool it would be to marry INTO the Kennedy family so I can become apart of America’s most historic and powerful family.

However, something always did strike me as “odd” when I look at the Kennedy family.  I could never really put my finger on it, but the recent discussions we had in class really opened my eyes to some new things that I have never thought of before, such as the influence that Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, the mother of JFK, RFK, and Ted Kennedy, among others, seemed to posses in the family and that she could have been the real person that was really driving and preparing their sons for success.  Two important things just came out of the sentence: the fact that it surprised me how much influence Rose had and how the family seemed to only prep their SONS for success.  This really made me think; WHAT ABOUT THE WOMEN OF THE KENNEDY FAMILY?  It seems like all we ever hear about is John F. Kennedy this, Robert F. Kennedy this, Ted Kennedy this, and Joseph Patrick Kennedy III that, but I want to hear more about some of the Kennedy family women, who I may add have gone on to do some quite impressive things.  Just to prove my point about the men being the face of the family, I visited the popular website “Ranker,” a site that features polls on almost anything that is reported to have at least 49 million monthly visitors.  Lucky for me, I found a poll where the people ranked their favorite Kennedy Family members in order, and the ranking went as follows: John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, John F. Kennedy Jr., Maria Shriver, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and then Caroline Kennedy.[i]  Not only are the four most popular Kennedy’s males, but less than half of the top eight are females!  And out of the top eight, the list does not even include Jackie Kennedy, who I thought for sure was going to be ranked in the top five!

I think that this poll, no matter how informal it may have been, shines a lot on one of the most important issues I think we face in America today; the sad reality that women are still viewed as inferior to men in regard to political, social, and economic status.[ii]  Look at some recent examples in the United States that just go on to back up this point; Hillary Clinton, a former Senator and Secretary of State, lost the Presidency to Donald Trump, not only someone who has never held office, but someone who did some very VERY question things during the campaign and his lifetime; the fact that men still get more promotions in the workforce over women, even with laws and regulations in place to prevent this sort of thing from happening[iii]; and even in sports a study conducted by the University of South Carolina showed that 72% of all airtime on the television is related to three men’s sports (football, basketball, and baseball), leaving the other 28% up for grabs between almost every other men’s collegiate sport and every single women’s collegiate sport.[iv]  Things are like this are truly despicable, and if we want to get to a place where women are finally given the proper respect they deserve, we need to start putting them at the forefront of society and honor them for their achievements, so why don’t we begin by honoring some of the great iconic women of the Kennedy family that the American public never gets to hear about!

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                One of the most forgotten in my opinion is Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who seems to get lost in the mess behind the accomplishments of her brothers.  However, what Eunice did is nothing short of remarkable.  A former Ambassador to France, not only did Eunice do a great job at raising her kids with her political husband Sergeant Shriver, she was able to create what is now known as Special Olympics.  This is a very important topic to me as I have worked with Special Olympics several times in the past few years and I think what the organization stands for is great.  The sad thing about this is that I did not even know she was associated with the Special Olympics before I read a few biographies of her!  This sort of stuff is not something that should be hidden, but instead embraced today.  It is shocking to me that JFK and Ted Kennedy are often revered in the public eye for the character when both have had a scandalous past to say the least, but their sister Eunice who I have not found to be involved with any controversial topic, is hidden in the shadows.

Another woman who was not even ranked in the top eight Kennedys, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, made a very substantial impact on our country.  The daughter of RFK, she would go on to become the Lt. Governor of Maryland in the late 90s and serve for eight years.  One of the most interesting things I came across when researching her was an article that discussed her political career on CNN that stated, “And certainly it was not assumed, even by the election-oriented Kennedys, that the girls in the family were meant for the job.”[v]  This quote only goes on to reinforce the fact that the ladies of the Kennedy family were expected to take a backseat to the men and simply cheer them on, which is a very demoralizing thing that has to hurt the self confidence of any child, let alone a child whose father was a Senator, whose Uncle was President, whose other Uncle was a Senator, and whose Grandfather was an Ambassador and has to deal with all that added pressure.

My final point about the ladies of the Kennedy family has to do with their titles.  Now, as we know, the women of the family were not encouraged to seek these lavish offices like the men, but many of them went on to be Harvard Graduates, Lawyers, Ambassadors, Prize winning Authors and so much more.  However, almost every woman that I encountered was identified by their husbands or fathers standing, which is reinforced by this picture below.

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Individuals like Rose Kennedy is identified as a the daughter of a Mayor when we all know what kind of impact she had on building this families legacy and icon-ness.  Kerry Kennedy is identified as the Divorced Wife of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, not as a noted Human Rights Activist.  And finally Maria Shriver is identified as the first Lady of California through her husband at the time Arnold Schwarzenegger, not by her accomplishments as a journalist where she won a Peabody Award or an Emmy Award winning Executive Producer.

[i] “Members of the Kennedy Family.” Ranker. Accessed April 06, 2018. https://www.ranker.com/list/members-of-the-kennedy-family/reference?var=7&utm_expid=16418821-392.lsOpfJzUQlqASOnl6bIBPA.2&utm_referrer=https://search.yahoo.com/.

[ii] Lee, Marcia. “Why Few Women Hold Public Office: Democracy and Sexual Roles.” The Academy of Political Science 91, no. 2 (Summer 1976). Accessed April 6, 2018. http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/2148414.pdf?refreqid=excelsior:a64b5b93ed0c2f748db2e787e82801e8.

[iii] Silva, Herminia IbarraNancy M. CarterChristine. “Why Men Still Get More Promotions Than Women.” Harvard Business Review. September 07, 2017. Accessed April 06, 2018. https://hbr.org/2010/09/why-men-still-get-more-promotions-than-women.

[iv] Swann, Jennifer. “March Madness Exposes How Little Viewers Care About Women’s Sports.” TakePart. March 29, 2015. Accessed April 06, 2018. http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/03/29/college-basketball.

[v] Donnelly, Sally. “Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Just like Her Father?” CNN. July 26, 1999. Accessed April 06, 2018. http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/time/1999/07/26/kennedy.townsend.html.

Why has L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz remained one of the most cited movies 75 years later[1]? There are so few book-made-movies that have lasted as long as this tale has from 1939. It is still shown annually on different television networks, despite further technological advances than just technicolor. For generations, this movie has adapted to fitting different applications and can be used to explain different themes and ideas while adapting to society over time.

One of the more prominent themes of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the American dream. It has been and still can be applied to various different political and social perspectives. One of the more striking themes of the children’s book is its analogous story to the American dream.

A very obvious connection between the story and the American dream is that idea that working hard can pay off. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy along with the scarecrow, tin man, and the cowardly lion all must trek along the land of Oz to get to the Emerald City, following the yellow brick road, in order to get Dorothy back home. Like the American dream, hard work is rewarded with the achievement of one’s goals. For Dorothy, it’s going home, which she eventually gets. In America, hard work can lead to that ideal family in a suburban home with a white picket fence.

The things that the scarecrow, the tin man, and the lion are seeking are also important elements to the American dream. Brains, heart, and courage are essential to succeed as Americans. Intelligence is important to getting a job in America to be able to work and being able to make money. This characteristic might be identified first for the classic order of the American dream: go to school, get a job, get married, have children, and live happily ever after.

Heart, and more specifically, love is important to accomplish the classic American dream. The story of how the tin man came to lost his heart is also a fascinating component that could relate to the image of a happy marriage. In the traditional view of the American dream, children will result from a happy marriage.

Finally, courage is the last identified trait. To me, this means standing up for what you believe in and doing right by your family and country. Although not as direct or clear as some of the other ideal characteristics for Americans, this was still important to living the American dream in the early twentieth century.

I also see the story as a promotion of a sense of patriotism for America. Even though Dorothy is a young girl from Kansas who describes the land as grey and bleak, she still comes to realize that there is no place like home: the United States. During her adventure through Oz, there are a number of different lands she must cross within their country. Some are exciting and are described to be beautiful, but Dorothy knows that despite the boring place that her Kansas life might bewith her aunt and uncle, she knows how important that is in her heart and values her family. All of which resembles the classic image of the American dream.

[1] Andrew Pulver, “Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Wizard of Oz is Still the Most Influential Hollywood Film,” The Guardian, January 20, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/20/wizard-of-oz-most-influential-hollywood-film-star-wars-psycho