Modernism:
What does 'The Wasteland' mean?
1) how has it been interpreted? (cite examples)
2)what are some of the key features
3) In what way has it been influential
Post-Modernism
1) What common qualities do 'the beats' share? Why 'beats'?
2) How is beat poetry linked to rap?
3) How was Bob Dylan's 'Masters of War' involved in controversy during the Bush administration?
4) On what grounds was 'Howl' accused of being obscene - grounds for the defense?
5) What kind of protest song/rap other media have come out in the last decade? Is there a spirit of protest anymore?
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ReplyDeleteModernism:
ReplyDeleteWhat does ‘The wasteland’ mean?
1) how has it been interpreted? (cite examples)
According to dictionary.com (2014) wasteland is “land that is uncultivated or barren”.
The Waste Land is a long poem which is considered “one of the most important poems of the 20th century” written by T.S Eliot (Thomas Stearns Eliot), 1888–1965, an American-British poet who spent years in England (Wikipedia, 2014). One year after moving to England in 1914, he married Vivien Haighwood, in 1933 they separated and she was committed to a mental hospital in 1938.
The poem includes five sections, “The first section, titled The Burial of the Dead introduces the diverse themes of disillusionment and despair. The second, titled A Game of Chess employs vignettes of several characters—alternating narrations—that address those themes experientially. The Fire Sermon, the third section, offers a philosophical meditation in relation to the imagery of death and views of self-denial in juxtaposition influenced by Augustine of Hippo and eastern religions. After a fourth section that includes a brief lyrical petition, the culminating fifth section, What the Thunder Said concludes with an image of judgment” (Wikipedia, 2014)
Eliot and Haighwood’s troubled marriage is usually viewed as partly a product of the Wasteland, and as a portrayal of disillusionment in the wake of WWI. “Despite the alleged obscurity of the poem--its slippage between satire and prophecy; its abrupt changes of speaker, location, and time; its elegiac but intimidating summoning up of a vast and dissonant range of cultures and literatures-- it has become a touchstone of modern literature, a poetic counterpart to a novel published in the same year, James Joyce's "Ulysses.“’ (Wikipedia, 2006)
According to North (2001) one of Eliot’s intention in writing The Waste Land was so that no one could interpret or re-write it, some parts are so difficult to read and understand that many poets have tried to break it down but to this day still struggle to define it.
Reference list
Dictionary.com. (2014). Wasteland. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wasteland
North, M (Ed.). (2001). T.S. Eliot The Waste Land: authoritative text, contexts, criticism. Los Angeles, United States of America: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Wikipedia. (2014). The Watse Land. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Waste_Land
How was Bob Dylan's 'Masters of War' involved in controversies during the Bush Administration?
ReplyDeleteBob Dylan’s song “Masters of War”, released in 1963, is conducted towards the rapidly growing conflict of the 1960’s and is one if not the most significant and most powerful protest songs of al time. Dylan states that the lyrics to his song reflect the ‘military industrial complex’ Eisenhower spoke of his departure from the oval office (Wikipedia, 2014)
The early 1960’s were a dangerous and terrifying time for Americans. America was thoroughly involved in the Cold War and this made many American citizens very afraid and angry at their country because many believed there was no reason to be involved in such a rivalry or war that was currently at large. “Masters of War” shook the nation and for this reason Dylan received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1991 Grammy award, which he performed it on stage once again (Song facts, n.d)
Dylan’s performance took place during the middle of the first Iraqi-American War and disrupted the screening of round-the-clock footage of the bombing of Baghdad. A conflict authorized to the Bush Administration. In 2002, Dylan appeared in Madison Square Garden and again performed ‘Masters of War’ as the answer to real life circumstances when Bush tried to launch a second Iraq war known (Song facts, n.d)
References
Song Facts., (n.d.) Masters of War. Retrieved May 22, 2013 from http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=7112
Wikipedia. (2014). Masters of War. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_War
5) What kind of protest song/rap other media have come out in the last decade? Is there a spirit of protest anymore?
ReplyDeleteA lot of artist still take to music as a form of protest, whether it be against war or political views. Reggae as a genre has somewhat of a tendency to protest through song; “Reggae, at least in terms of roots, was never shy of a little bit of protest ‘ere and there, and UB40 are nothing if not traditionalists.” (Hands, 2005)
UB40 song "who you fighting for" released in 2005 is an example of protest against war through song. The chorus lyrics chant …
You do the shooting - they do the looting
You do the killing - they do the drilling
You do the dying - they do the lying
All the way to the bank
You can hear them crying
Similar to “Masters of War” released by Bob Dylan in 1963, “who are you fighting for” uses rhyming beats as a protest method through songs. Although the spirit of anti- war protest songs is not what it used to be, I consider it is still somewhat alive.
One of the most known protest song hits in the last decade is “American Idiot” by Green Day released in 2004. “Pop-punk giants Green Day sum up many people's view of Bush with their hit, "American Idiot," which isn't really about George, but about the paranoia and ignorance of the Bush years. “ (PIANA, 2013).
The song is discussing and protesting against the bulk of today’s youth being sucked in by the media and George Bush’s leadership of the nation. Lyrics quite clearly state –
“Don’t wanna be an American idiot,
Don’t want a nation under the new media”
Different to UB40 and Bob Dylans rhythmic songs, this is a more angry angled protest. Lines through the song like…
“Well maybe, im the faggot, America ,
I’m not the part of a redneck agenda”
Show Green Day is protesting in anger.
I still think that the spirit of protest through song/rap is still alive. I believe music is and always will be political. It is the way listeners interpret a song which enables the spirit of protest hidden within the lyrics of songs to come alive.
References -
Hands, S. (2005, June). UB40 – Who You Fighting For. Retrieved from http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/ub40-who-you-fighting-for
PIANA, L. D. (2013, January 13). The best protest songs of the decade. Retrieved from Peoples World: http://www.peoplesworld.org/the-best-protest-songs-of-the-decade/
Reggae is a classic example of the use of music for protest, I think every genres from every form of media (from, but not limited to, music, television, radio, news, etc) has had at least one song come out as a protest.
DeleteAs Grace mentioned, Reggae is a common genre chosen for protest, a great example is Bob Marley's 'Get up Stand up' released in 1973, is a song about getting out and taking a stand against oppression, it's about going out and fighting for your rights and for what is right (Song Facts, N.D.).
"Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight
Get up, stand up. Life is your right
So we can't give up the fight
Stand up for your right, Lord, Lord
Get up, stand up. Keep on struggling on
Don't give up the fight"
A more recent example of a song in protest is A Great Big World's song 'Everyone is Gay' that protests for gay rights (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VG1bj4Lj1Q).
I think these two examples are a great example of how times have changed in what we prioritise as important to fight for. Where in the 1970s most protest songs were aimed at political views and war, now a days, war and political songs are not so common, they are being replaced by songs that protest for human rights and equality. So yes, I think there is a spirit of protest because in our day and age, everyone feels entitled and because topics such as gay rights are quite popular in this decade, singers try to stay relevant by singing about them.
A great example of this is almost all of Macklemore's work.
references:
Song Facts. (N.D.). Get up, stand up by Bob Marley and the Wailers. Retrieved from:
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=7609
What does the Wasteland mean? In what way has it been influential?
ReplyDelete‘The principle of order in The Waste Land depends on a plurality of consciousness’s, an ever-increasing series of points of view, which struggle towards an emergent unity and then continue to struggle past that unity’ (Levenson, M. 2984).
It is said writer Eliot referred to the Waste Land as early nineties America, after WW1. He sees how society has changed and adjusted to the crisis but in a rather unsettling way. The Waste Land reflects Eliot’s views for its culture and future ‘He lives in a culture that has decayed and withered but will not expire, and he is forced to live with reminders of its former glory’ (Sparknotes, 2012). However it is important to note I have only mentioned a snippet of The Waste Land PART 1. The poetry itself is quite lengthy. This gives an idea of how deep Eliot was thinking and conveying his thoughts on paper through literature.
Major themes from The Waste Land include, death shown in “The Burial of the Dead” and “Death by Water”, by one dying a path is made for another to live. Eliot plays with the idea of life and death. Rebirth, The Seasons, Lust, Love, Water and History (GradeSaver, 2012).
This ties in with the whole concept of Modernism, the idea that the “traditional” forms of art, literature, religious, faith, social organization and daily life had become outdate; therefore it was essential to sweep them aside (Wikipedia, 2007).
To this day The Waste Land has been one of the most influential modernism literatures in history. It has been the basis for many other modernism work ‘Eliot’s take on the modern world profoundly shaped future schools of thought and literature, and his 1922 poem remains a touchstone of the English-language canon’ (GradeSaver, 2012).
References:
Levenson, M. (1984). A Genealogy of Modernism: A study of English literary doctrine. Cambridge: Cam bridge University Press
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/eliot/section2.rhtml
http://www.gradesaver.com/the-waste-land/study-guide/major-themes/
http://www.gradesaver.com/the-waste-land/study-guide/about/
http://www.wikipedia.com
In my answer to question two, I explore how it is believed that The Wasteland is based on one of Buddha's sermons. Shmoop University (2014) believes that The Wasteland is hard to read because Eliot believed the modern world was getting dumber and dumber, so it was his own way in getting people to go out to the library and learn what his poem meant. Shoomp University concluded that The Wasteland focused on the subject of western culture declining and the beauty it once possessed, back in the classic times.
DeleteI completely agree with your final reference on how Eliot's 'The Wasteland' and its take on the modern world profoundly shaping literature.
References:
Shmoop University. (2014). The Wasteland. Retrieved from:
http://www.shmoop.com/the-waste-land/
Howl is a poem written in 1955 by Allen Ginsberg, and it’s considered a key work for the Beat Generation. It contains many references to illegal drugs and sexual acts, both heterosexual and homosexual, such as this: “who let themselves be fucked in the ass by saintly motorcyclists, and screamed with joy”. (Ginsberg, 1956) These topics were controversial at the time, so on June 3, 1957 the police arrested bookseller Shig Murao at the City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco for selling the book Howl and Other Poems to an undercover officer. City Lights Publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti was subsequently arrested for publishing the book. The police also confiscated 520 copies of the book containing the poem while they were being imported from London. They were taken to trial and the poem was accused of being obscene. Obscene might signify offensive to refinement, propriety and good taste, which it can be argued that Howl is because of its foul language and many references to sex and drugs. The poem was ruled not to be obscene and the judge, Clayton W. Horn declared the poem to have “redeeming social importance.” The exoneration of Howl was important to protect the freedom of speech, but many literary experts also argued that it had literary merit and was of great social importance, and it was therefore not obscene. The first part of the poem describes a nightmare world of terror and death, while the second part criticizes the parts of society that destroys people’s best qualities. Ginsberg identifies materialism, conformity and mechanization leading to war as destructive elements of society. The third part is describing one individual’s concerns about the world, reflecting the problems of society. These are important social issues which should be allowed to discuss without being censored, although the language in the poem is considered coarse and vulgar, the themes of the poem cannot be characterized as obscene. It is also a fact that even though some parts of the community takes offence to the language in the poem, in other circles such words are used every day. People from different circles have different ways of expressing their thoughts and ideas, and they should be allowed to do so in their own words without their work being labeled as obscene.
ReplyDeleteReference list:
Ginsberg, A. (1956). Howl and Other Poems. San Francisco: City Lights Books
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/113218/howl-and-the-obscenity-trial
http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/363-s02/horn-howl.htm
http://www.dhs.fjanosco.net/Documents/HowlOnTrial.pdf
On what grounds was 'Howl' accused of being obscene - grounds for the defence?
ReplyDelete‘Howl’ was written in a San Francisco in the summer of 1955. This poem sparked a lot of controversy which then lead to a court ruling the poem as obscene. In support of the trial, there were testimonies given from “nine literary experts who spoke out in favor of the poem’s merits” (Chandler, 2012) City Lights Books were the publishers of this text and were later prosecuted. Brown (2011).
There were a number of reasons the poem was rules as obscene. One is these reasons are that “Howl is a rage against conformity, inhibition, censorship, puritanism, and everything else that restricts and limits the realization of one's true self.” (Sederberg, n.d.). Judge Clayton W. Horn then ruled ‘Howl’ as not being obscene as he said that the poem had “redeeming social importance” regardless of the fact that it mentions sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll which were all argumentative at that particular time period. (Chandler, 2012 - quoted Horn)
In my own point of view, I see the first few lines of the poem attention grabbing, this is what drew me to read the poem. After reading it through I found myself thinking that it literally is a howl, it’s as if Ginsberg is screaming out because he is apparently in the Land of the Free, however he does not seem to have the freedom to write how he feels. He writes a poem and its named obscene, I would ‘howl’ too. He was trying to voice his opinion about political and cultural conservatism that had “destroyed the best mind of ‘his’ generation” (Ginsberg, 1956).
Brown, M. (2011). Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl’: ‘I scribbled magic lines from my real mind’ – Telegraph. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/8333075/Allen-Ginsbergs-Howl-I-scribbled-magiclines-from-my-real-mind.html
Chandler, A. (2012). Looking Back at ‘Howl’ and the obscenity Trial – Tablet Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/113218/howl-and-the-obscenity-trial
Ginsberg, A. (1956). Howl and other Poems. San Francisco.
Sederberg, James. (n.d.). The Howl Obscenity Trial – FoundSF. Retrieved from http://foundsf.org/index.php?title=The_Howl_Obscenity_Trial
‘Master of War’ is a song on the album The Freewheelin’ Bob by Bob Dylan from 1963. The song was a protest against the arms build-up during the Cold War. In 2004 the song was involved in some controversy when the secret service showed up at Boulder High School in Colorado because of claims that someone had threatened George Bush’s life by singing "George Bush, I hope you die, and I hope you die soon," and "I'll stand over your grave." It turned out that what the band was singing was Bob Dylan’s song ‘Master of War’ and the actual lyrics was "And I hope that you die, and your death will come soon/I'll follow your casket in the pale afternoon/ I'll watch while you're lowered down to your death bed/And I'll stand over your grave 'til I'm sure that you're dead." There had been earlier protests against Bush at the high school, but as a member of the band told the reporters: "We were just singing Bob Dylan's song...If you think it has to do with Bush, that's because you're drawing your own conclusions."
ReplyDeleteReference list:
Dylan, B. (1963). Masters of War. In The freewheeling Bob Dylan. US: Special Rider Music.
http://socialistworker.org/2004-2/521/521_02_DylanSong.shtml
2)what are some of the key features [of Wasteland]
ReplyDeleteThe title 'The Wasteland' is based on a sermon given by Buddha in which he encourages his followers to give up earthly passion to obtain freedom from earthly things (Spark Notes, 2014).
A key feature of The Wastelands is how it describes an empty and sterile modern life, examples of the sterility are present at various level; the natural, social and spiritual. The Natural shows the land as dry, rocky, bare and polluted. The social shows how people find it hard to interact with one another and are incapable of love. The spiritual shows that people no longer believe in religions and their values (Fabrizo Reckicki,N.D.)
References:
Reckicki, F. (N.D.) Eliot: The Wasteland. Retrieved from:
http://users.libero.it/rrech/eliot_3.html
Spark Notes. (2014). Eliot's poetry. Retrieved from:
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/eliot/section4.rhtml
How was Bob Dylan's 'Masters of War' involved in controversy during the Bush administration?
ReplyDeleteIn relation to this question, there was not a whole lot I could find. Though from what I could gather, apparently Bob Dylan's song 'Masters of war' cause a great scandal as some believed it was a threat against George Bush, secret services were even involved, but apparently Bob Dylan had changed the lyrics to safer words.
I believe the offending lyrics were:
And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand over your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead.