Paris: A Trip To Expand my Global Perspective
Published 11/03/2025 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written
by Anthony Sarceno |
11/03/2025
As a prospective Global Affairs major, having a broad yet sharp understanding on economic, cultural, and historical instances is important. So, I chose Paris as a country, and even continent, I have never been to deepen my understanding of multiculturalism.
Preceding this trip, I have studied and understood different economic factors and cultural events of France through YouTube and was fascinated by it. Now, having experienced firsthand the byproducts of France’s history, I can say that my international perspectives have been diversified. I will be going through four of the places that I visited, explaining their significance as well as how it diversified my perspective.
Château de Versailles
I visited the palace on my second day of the trip. Once I arrived, I was mesmerized by the magnitude of the palace. The gates stood tall with hundreds of people in line waiting to check in. Having entered after a few minutes, I began to view the paintings, sculptures, and rooms left intact. What particularly struck me the most was the history behind the palace.
The Château de Versailles stood and continued to stand as a powerful reminder of how a building can have influence over social, economic, and political life. It began as a hunting shed in a forest, until King Louis XIV took it upon himself to design the palace himself. This hunting shed would then evolve into something grandeur with “a constant stream of building projects…” that would include the most notable aspects of the palace, such as the Royal Chapel (Château de of Versailles). Versailles evolved into an immense 2,000 acre palace with hundreds of workers, festivals, and even where Mozart performed during his childhood. Even through the French Revolution, it resisted detrimental damage despite it being the symbol of what the revolution fought against. Now, it serves as a relic of history, a stark reminder of what once existed, and a space of amazement for thousands around the world.
Versailles expanded my perspective as to how complex and diversified symbolism can take shape. While many cultures, civilizations, and countries convey symbolism through small expressions of painting and sculptures, the Château de Versailles is a physical embodiment–nearly ⅕ of the city which Yale is located in, New Haven, CT–of monarchism, revolution, and preservation.
Le Jardin de Rodin: The Thinker
One of the most underrated places was the Garden of Rodin. I had visited this place on a whim as I was near the area and needed something to fill the time until my next attraction. I rented an electrical bike and rode to the garden, an experience I recommend everyone trying. After arriving, I began to learn more about Rodin and the art he produced, with one being special in particular: The Thinker.
Foremost, the Rodin Garden began as Auguste Rodin’s private studio garden and over time it turned into a showcase for his greatest works. Rodin arranged pieces among carved hedges of groves and fountains, transforming the green space into an open atelier. Among the variety of his works, The Thinker particularly struck me: “initially both a being with a tortured body, almost a damned soul, and a free-thinking man, determined to transcend his suffering through poetry” (The Thinker). Today, the Rodin Garden welcomes thousands each year with The Thinker inviting visitors to pause, reflect, and consider the weight of human thought.
Rodin’s garden opened my eyes to how symbolism can highlight opposing elements with physical art. Particularly, while many artists hint at meaning through small details or fleeting poses, The Thinker itself is a canvas of reflection and resilience, being able to freely think yet damned to hell, with his only escape being poetry. Analyzing this sculpture diversified my perspective by giving me insight as to how people during this time thought.
Panthéon: Voltaire’s Tomb
On my last day, I had a planned visit to the Pantheon, a place recommended by everyone I told about my trip. Before entering, large protests occurred condemning Israeli actions against Palestine sovereignty–I spectated for a while. Afterwards, as I began to enter the Pantheon, the pillars to the entrance towered over me, making me feel like an ant to a giant. The Panthéon has an interesting history, and what lies in the crypt intrigued me even more.
To begin, In 1744, Louis XV vowed to rebuild the ancient church of Sainte-Geneviève after recovering from an illness. He would then lay the first stone in 1764 and entrusted a young architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot who “opted for a Greek cross plan… topped by a triple dome” (Panthéon). Completed in 1790, the building would shift between a church and mausoleum, having great philosophers such as Rousseau and Voltaire entombed in 1791. It would finally be dedicated permanently as the Panthéon after Victor Hugo’s burial in 1885. Seeing these burials in person was a strange feeling. Particularly, I saw Voltaire’s tomb beneath the dome, marked with an enlightened sculpture of him. In that isolated space, the weight of history felt tangible: centuries of debate, discovery, and dissent seemed to echo off the walls. I stood only feet apart in front of the person whose Enlightenment ideas influenced the Founding Fathers that helped craft the Declaration of Independence.
Visiting the Panthéon deepened my understanding of how memorials can continue complex ideas beyond death. Here, the very act of placing Voltaire among laureates of science, politics, and the arts signals a tribute not only to his writings but to the power of questioning authority. Seeing Voltaire’s tomb in that grand hall reminded me that symbols are not limited to paint or stone; rather, they take shapes that transcend tangible, physical.
Concluding Remarks
Paris is breathtaking. The history it holds is rich. The ideas that exist within the walls, whether physical or not, of each museum, garden, or palace are grandeur. Delving into Parisian life allowed me to engage and explore a multitude of modes of thinking–primarily by expanding my global perspective through analyzing symbolism. A 2,000 acre palace can serve as symbolism; a sculpture of a person sitting in thought can serve as symbolism; and a tomb can serve as symbolism. Symbolism comes in many forms, and having the experience of seeing what this looks like in a city, country, and continent I have never been to will forever impact the perspectives I bring to the classes I take. Now, I can say I have firsthand experience in analyzing these forms of expression, allowing me to engage in scholarly work more knowledgeable than ever before.
Works Cited
Château de Versailles. Versailles at the Heart of the French Revolution | Palace of Versailles, en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/history/key-dates/versailles-heart-french-revolution. Accessed 12 May 2025.
Panthéon. “History of the Panthéon - CMN.” Bienvenue Au Panthéon, www.paris-pantheon.fr/en/discover/history-of-the-pantheon. Accessed 12 May 2025.
The Thinker. “The Thinker.” The Thinker | Musée Rodin, www.musee-rodin.fr/en/musee/collections/oeuvres/thinker. Accessed 12 May 2025.
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