Interpreting the Unimaginable: Memorialization in the Sooner State

Abstract

This thesis examines and analyzes interpretations of tragedy in a memorial setting in Oklahoma. By comparing memorials of varying events, I reveal a common theme in Oklahoma interpretations of hope, the variations in background and funding like the time lapse from event to creation of memorial, and the various ways the untold stories are given a voice at these memorials. The three locations included in this thesis are the Kaiser Holocaust exhibit at the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art, The Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, and the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park. Images have been compiled from each site to provide a basis for analysis in the thesis. The background information and history has been researched to compare the creation of each memorial. The data collected for the research is from the memorial sites, newspapers, published reports, and books. The thesis argues that the three sites are places of hope, understanding, and education. Each location presents a different way in which the United States, the State of Oklahoma in particular, interprets a tragic event.