Assignment #6

I interviewed two people in Athens about the importance of monuments. I asked if they have a favorite secret monument in Athens. When was the last time they visited a monument in Athens? What monument would they add/change/remove? Do the monuments play a role in the relationship of Greece to Europe? If they feel personally connected to that monument. And if they think that monument is a representation of Greece to the world. Write 500 words describing the results of your interview. Organize this material according to a clear thesis. Post to your blog.

I interviewed two people walking through Monastiraki square about their takes on monuments in Greece and how they thought they contributed to the outside world. One woman told me that her favorite monument was the Acropolis and the other women said it was a monument outside of Athens that we probably wouldn’t recognize. Despite having favorite monuments both women said they don’t go very often and haven’t gone in a long time. They described to me that they believed the monuments to be important to the tourism in Greece, but not to the Greek people. Despite this neither women said that they would change anything about the monuments. They both believed that the monuments represented Greece to the world. Although I interviewed both of these women separately, they both had the same concept and feeling toward the monuments. Neither one of them resented the monuments, but they were aware that the monuments weren’t for them they were actually for the tourist. I believe both women were able to understand that these monuments meant something to the world and were important to Greece. One women described to us that she enjoyed the history of ancient Greece, and since the monuments teach us so much about ancient Greece she enjoyed them.

When thinking more about this concept it makes sense that the people of Greece would feel this way. Seeing that tourism is the industy this is kind of saving the economy and the monuments are heavily related to this industry, the Greek people see that the monuments are for other people not for themselves.

Going to the monuments I have definitely had the feeling that this is something I only really need to see once in my life and I might never come visit again. I assume the people who live here have that same kind of feeling, where they go to the monuments once as a kid and feel that they never have to come again because they already went once. That might also be another reason that people feel that they don’t personally connect with the monuments, you always see them and they are always there, but if you aren’t going often and you don’t relate to the reason that they are there then you might not feel as personally connected.

I found it a little strange that the women didn’t have a very different answer for if the monuments represented Greece globally or in the European Union. I thought they would have more feelings about the European Union and how they have been kind of forced to make tourism a huge market, while they might now have the same animosity toward the rest of the globe. I also assumed that the women would have a take on the western influence of the monuments, but maybe people don’t think as politically as I do about monuments, especially here taking this specific class.

In conclusion I think what the women described to me is a very nationalist identity. They understand that the monuments are important to the world, and when an American came up to them and asked about the monuments they felt proud about them and didn’t want to take it away, but realistically they don’t feel personally connected or like the monuments represent them they represent the nation.