7-1 Project: Analysis of a Cultural Work

Shanon Beck
Southern New Hampshire University
Perspectives in the Humanities
Professor Akil
June 18th, 2024
7-1 Project: Analysis of a Cultural Work

1. Describe the work in detail. Consider the following:

a. Where did you see the work?
The Johnstown Flood National Memorial is located just outside the city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, approved by the United States Congress on August 31’st 1964, and signed into law by President B. Johnson on September 2nd, 1964. The memorial consists of a number of restored and fully original buildings, as well as natural landmarks left in their preserved state.

b. What elements or characteristics stand out to you?
There are several elements that stand out to me, especially as someone highly interested in cultural history and background. The Lake View House is one of particular interest to me… which is an original house from the 1880’s built by Colonel Elias J. Unger to serve as his personal house. I find this remnant of the past to be an interesting glimpse into the life of Johnstown citizens from before the flood destroyed it all. Additionally the preserved remains of the South Fork Dam are of particular interest to me, both because they were designed with the intent of usability originally, and only became a piece of this cultural landmark after the memorial was signed into law.

2. Describe the purpose of the work. Consider the following:

a. What do you think the creator intended to express?
I believe the creators of this memorial intended to express the memories of those that we’ve lost, in order to ensure that they were never forgotten, as well as to commemorate the highly successful rebuilding process that the city of Johnstown saw as people came together in unity and solidarity.

b. Were they successful?
They were most definitely successful; the memorial sees hundreds of thousands of visitors every year and continues to be a culturally significant monument to those of us who live in the area and the state of Pennsylvania as a whole.

3. Use the work to explore how acts of creative expression impact and are impacted by the people and situations that surround them. Consider the following:

a. What contributions does the work selected make to continuing a dialogue about that culture and the importance of its works?
The memorial offers a lot of cultural importance and significance, especially for the local communities. The work offers historical preservation of times long past; allowing for visitors to revisit the town before it saw disaster.

4. State questions you have after thinking deeply about this work. What more do you want to know regarding the following?
How has the memorial inspired other cultural works?
What kind of human experiences can be seen in this cultural work?

b. The relationship between culture and expression: What is the relationship between the possible intent of the creator and your own interpretation of its meaning?
I believe the original intent of the Johnstown National Memorial and my own interpretation is extremely similar; in that the Memorial was created in order to remember the lives lost. Compared to my interpretation that the memorial exists to remember lost lives, as well as the city of Johnstown before it was destroyed.

c. Explain how your values have shaped and are shaped by your expression and that of others.
My values are shaped dramatically by expression, that of mine and of others. For example, cultural expression by authors and artists can and have molded my beliefs and viewpoints on a number of topics. Additionally, I feel that the interpretation of others also influences my own interpretation of the Johnstown National Memorial; given social-learning is a key-aspect of how we view things.

5. Explain how you would approach answering these questions:

a. What would you study about this work that might address the questions you stated?
I would read the document relevant to the creation of the Memorial; as well as the historical site created by the managers of the memorial. Additionally, I feel that the best way to answer questions about this memorial would be to go and visit the site and see it for yourself; physical interaction with a cultural work can add a lot of insight you otherwise wouldn’t know.

b. Where would you find information to address the questions?
Next, draw conclusions about how the work you selected relates to the humanities:
The biggest source of information to answer the questions I have would be the national website that represents the Johnstown National Flood Memorial, which goes in-depth about the history and meaning behind each segment of the cultural work. Additionally, I feel going back in-time and reading the founding documents of the memorial would give strong historically knowledge about the original creation of the monument.

6. Explain why you believe humans have a need to express themselves through created works of cultural and historical significance.

a. Describe a culture shift or event related to the work you selected. This could be a cultural shift that influenced the creation of the work, or it could be a cultural shift that came about because of it.

7. The work itself was inspired by a major cultural shift which was the whole point of creating the monument to begin with, and that was the Johnstown flood, which saw the entire city and surrounding areas get destroyed, which left the citizens of Johnstown feeling helpless and alone, not knowing how to rebuild their lives. This event was not just a cultural shift for the region, it was a shift in society as a whole as thousands of people funneled in to provide aid and help the rebuilding effort.

a. Explain how a concept or resource you encountered in this course has informed your explanation. Be sure to cite any sources used.
Creative expression has been a critical concept introduced to me in this course; I feel that being able to express oneself in creative and unique ways is one of the cornerstones of what makes us human. Being able to express myself through my hobbies like writing or artistic expression allows me to unwind and get some of the day’s stress off my back. Creative expression is one of the things that makes life worth living to me.

8. Explain how you think the act of human creative expression impacts and is impacted by the culture in which it was created.

a. Explain the relationship between human creative expression and the culture in which the work you selected was created using the insights you gained from studying it.
I feel the relationship between human creative expression and the cultural work of my choice is wonderful in that human creative expression went into the creation of each and every-part of the monument, even the remnants of the destroyed dam that caused the disaster to begin with.

b. Explain how a concept or resource you encountered in this course has informed your explanation. Be sure to cite any sources used.

9. Explain how you believe human creative expression can impact issues we deal with in the present day (contemporary to your coursework, not the future scenario posed above). Be sure to be specific about the issues you are addressing.
I believe that human creative expression impacts every issue an decision that we face; for example; creative expression is used when making the most mundane decisions like “What should I do today?”. Additionally, it also impacts big decisions and events, human creative expression can and does impact the arguments we face today, like the argument surrounding whether or not to fund an education in the arts in the public schooling system. I believe that the unified human-response to the Johnstown flood that saw the city rebuild and thrive again within years is a testament to how human expression and free-will can impact an event in amazing ways, even recently we seen this same thing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

Johnstown Flood National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service). (2017). Nps.gov. https://www.nps.gov/jofl/index.htm

Johnstown flood | flood, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States [1889] | Britannica. (2020). In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Johnstown-flood

Rijksmuseum. (2016). The Night Watch, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1642 - Rijksmuseum. Rijksmuseum. https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-C-5

bsd-admin. (2024, February 1). Johnstown Flood Museum. Visit Johnstown. https://www.visitjohnstownpa.com/partner/johnstown-flood-museum