From Of Triumphal Arches by Margaret Atwood:

When I heard A Certain Orange Person say that every country had a Triumphal Arch and so the United States had to have one too, I wondered if Canada had a triumphal arch. It does have an arch of sorts in Ottawa, but it’s not a triumphal arch: it’s a war memorial, put up after WW 1 and adding several other wars in which Canadians punched above their weight. It doesn’t say Hooray Victorious Us, but rather We Made It Through, Though Not All of Us Did; and it’s not about a single person, it’s about teamwork. You can’t drive through it in a chariot or other vehicle because a lot of soldiers are passing through.

Peter Rukavina

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Submitted by Chris Corrigan on

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Because I always saw 21st century political leaders at Vimy Ridge mixing their Remembrance Day solemnity with the warmongering courage du jour, I always thought the Vimy memorial must be triumphal.

It is not: https://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot/what-vimy-ridge-says-about-who-we-should-be/

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Photo of Peter RukavinaI am . I am a writer, letterpress printer, and a curious person.

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