Eternal Stories Memorials not only remind people of specific events and leaders, but also set history in stone for future generations. When creating and building a memorial for a specific person or event, many factors must be considered. Sometimes, these memorials honor great accomplishments while others pay homage to profound sacrifice. However, there are many ways to commemorate people or events, locally or nationally, from images to monuments. When considering commemorating a person or event, agencies and groups should consider the purpose, location and size of the monument to effectively pay homage to the profound sacrifice and great achievements. One contributing factor that agencies and groups should consider when building a monument is purpose. When Maya Lin, an architect, was planning to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC, she believed that "using names was a way to bring back everything someone could remember about a person" (Source G) . Lin decided to choose names rather than photos or images because the visual arts will not be able to describe what each veteran did during the war. He wanted to commemorate every single soldier who fought during the war rather than leave mere glimpses of the war. However, other times the purpose is clouded as in the case of the Lincoln memorial: "Why make a pilgrimage to a site with no historical significance to read a text that was already everywhere? The answer is simple: the monument constructs its own aura" (Source A). Portions of the Gettysburg Address have been reproduced on the monument, however, the purpose is to remind others of Lincoln's accomplishments. Relating the most important aspects of the Gettysburg Address, people who visit... middle of paper... believe that people often forget the story behind creation. The fact that the monument was built on Mount Rushmore also illustrates the importance of these presidents, but it undermines the mountain and increases the environmental consequences. When creating a monument, agencies and groups should consider the size of the memorial. Agencies and groups should consider the purpose, location and size of the monument in order to respect the achievements, sacrifices of the people and events. Monuments remind people of great leaders and events that happened in the past. However, not everyone receives their own monument because to be honored and respected you need to achieve a huge achievement or sacrifice yourself for the greater good. As American designer, artist and architect Maya Lin once said: “Every memorial has a different purpose in its time."