Ladies and Gentlemen, your final blog prompt

Taduesz Borowski's short story, "Ladies and Gentlemen, to the Gas Chamber" depicts daily life in Auschwitz as described by the story's unnamed protagonist, a non-Jewish Polish prisoner who works in the concentration camp gas chambers. The main character does anything within his power to appeal to the prison guards and work his way up in the camp's hierarchy to improve his material situation and thus guarantee his own survival.

As we saw in class, in Claude Lanzmann's 1985 Holocaust documentary "Shoah," Lanzmann interviews gentile Polish villagers living in close proximity to the Chelmno death camp. It is striking to see how much hatred and stereotyping by the villagers seems to stem from economic disparity. This very famous scene is touched upon in a 2009 article by "The Nation:"

"Shoah's largely unsympathetic portrait of the Poles is the more disturbing for their having escaped historical condemnation thus far, and speaks volumes about the deep roots of anti-Semitism in Poland, both before and after 1945. Yet, the scandalous attacks on Lanzmann in the official Polish press, and the ensuing furor, have almost obscured the significance of Polish anti-Semitism within Shoah itself.

The anti-Semitism of the Poles is primordial, raw and unprocessed, while the Germans filter their reactions through the bureaucratic screen of modern language and precensored speech. The Poles are traditional anti-Semites, unable to conceal their resentments and prejudices, while the Germans are calculating and unrepentant killers hiding behind rational and bureaucratic masks. Apart from demonstrating the persistence of anti-Semitism in contemporary Poland, and apart from documenting the cordon sanitaire it provided for the killing, Shoah draws a sharp contrast between Poles and Germans and accentuates the primeval character of Christian anti-Semitism by contrast with the technological modernity of the Nazi murder machine."

If you are interested you can read more here:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/19860315/rabinbach

My question for you is:
Please share your reactions to "Ladies and Gentelmen, to the Gas Chamber," and Shoah. How do you understand Borowski's narrator? Can you excuse his emotional distancing for the sake of self preservation? And similarly, do you find the nonchalance of the Polish villagers toward the fate of their Jewish contrymen excusable, or maybe understandable? Is Borowski's character and are the Polish villagers complicit in what took place by not standing up?

Please freely share your opinions and reactions.

An adventure in hyper-textuality

As we didn't get a chance to discuss the Borges short story in class on Monday, I would be interested to hear what you thought of "The Garden of Forking Paths." Did you enjoy the text? What elements of his philosophy made sense to you, or what did you find to be confusing? Borges' story is described as a "hyper-text;" what is the significance of this term in relation to the story? And as usual, feel free to share any other connections you might see.

Freud and Proust

For this blog post, I would like you to simply compare the writing of Freud and Proust. What similar themes do you see in both Sigmund Freud's "Dora" and Marcel Proust's "Remembrance of Things Past?" Do you see elements of psychoanalysis in Proust's writing? Are there any similarities in form or narrative structure? Feel free to make any additional comments about these two writers.

American Modernism

In Monday's class we discussed Europe's arguably first "modern" poet, Charles Baudelaire. In our discussion of Baudelaire's writing, we focused on his preoccupation with city life and appreciation of a newly emerging mass society. In consideration of Baudelaire's respect for modernity, I would like you to watch this brief 10 minute introduction to a BBC documentary on the rise and fall of Detroit (it actually has a hopeful message). This is an absolutely fascinating film and if you are interested in the topic, the full version is available on youtube. (Sorry I can't embed in Blogger for some reason!) The video link is below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReqG6qbx_c0

Detroit is presented in the documentary as the "birthplace of the American modern." In the height of its prosperity it was eerily called the "Paris of the mid-west" as it was the location of unprecedented urban growth. In its post-industrial life, however, it has left a landscape of abandoned buildings and the highest employment numbers in the country. Detroit is of course just a single example, but it shows the fragility of such a rapid, urban growth.

In your opinion, what are the potential positives and negatives of living in a mass society? As we invest more in technological and scientific progress, is the dream of modernism going to bring society to a better place? Is there a positive side to living as an anonymous "man of the crowd"? Is community still possible in city life? You can respond to the video and prompt in any way that you feel is most productive.

A Brief Note on Notes from Underground

Fyodor Dostoevsky's short novel Notes from Underground features the inner monologue of an unnamed man whose general disgust with 19th century civilization leads to his spiteful behavior and alienation from the community. The Underground Man is also an archetype that one sees reproduced in modern (by modern, 20th or even 21st century) literature, films and cultural productions dealing with man's discontent in mass society.

In your own words, how would you characterize the Underground Man's personality and philosophy? Does his inter-personal behavior seem bewildering, or are you able to make sense of his social alienation? And, if you would like to tackle this question, are there any personalities in contemporary literature or media that have a disposition similar to that of the Underground Man?

Frederick Douglass

The reason I believe Douglass uses such rhetoric as “barbarous” and “savage” is to give readers who have never seen first hand the work of slavery a lasting, terrifying image. He wishes to describe his captors as negatively as possible to inspire readers to join his movement against slavery. If he used less negative descriptions of the slaveholders it wouldn’t create this lasting impression. By giving his readers descriptions which they can relate to it allows his autobiography to have more effect. The readers begin to feel injustice for another human, brought into a world where he has little choice of freedom, and everywhere he turns he must seek the permission of others or be beat savagely like an animal. He describes several instances of punishment brought onto him, fellow slaves, and even family members. These serve the purpose of again showing the brutality of slavery and how slaveholders treat their property worse than that of animals. All of which is to inspire readers to fight against such a terrible practice.

Frederick Douglass

“The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave” was published in 1845, well before emancipation; however, Frederick Douglass had already escaped from slavery prior to its publication and upon its release moved to Great Britain. In 1847, two British abolitionist women helped Douglass to purchase his freedom and he returned to the US to pursue a career in writing and politics.

Douglass was not only an abolitionist, but was also very closely involved in the women’s suffrage movement in the United States. In 1848 he attended the Seneca Falls Convention, one of the first major women’s rights conventions and met the spearhead of the women’s suffrage movement, Elizabeth Cady Stanton. At the convention he was quoted saying in his support of women’s rights:

“In this denial of the right to participate in government, not merely the degradation of woman and the perpetuation of a great injustice happens, but the maiming and repudiation of one-half of the moral and intellectual power of the government of the world.”

I think it is important to note the close relationship between the abolitionist movement and women’s suffrage movement in the 19th century. Also, it is interesting to think about what a progressive thinker Douglass must have been to understand that the advancement of the society as a whole is dependent on the elimination of both racist and sexist policies in government.

And now for your prompt: Please choose ONE of the following questions to write on:

1. Both Frederick Douglass’ narrative and Rousseau’s Confessions are written in a similar auto-biographical/ memoir form. How are these two texts similar and in what important ways do they differ?

2. In Chapter IV Douglass uses language such as “barbarous” or “savage” to describe many of the slave masters. What might be the intended effect of this rhetoric on the reader?

3. What is Douglass’ opinion on the role of religion in maintaining the institution of slavery? Is this a valid position?

"To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield"

For the second half of the class, we will be discussing many questions surrounding imperialism, capitalism, nationalism, racism, and sexism (a lot of isms) that are important in understanding where we are today as a society. I would like this blog post to help us think about the writers that we will encounter in the following weeks (and of course this reading is relevant for the next quiz and final).

Alfred Lord Tennyson is a seminal writer in the Victorian era in English Literature, which is considered to be a period of rapid European "exploration" (although, how can you explore lands that have been previously inhabited by civilizations for thousands of years?), ethnographic study (cultural anthropology), and imperial and colonial expansion. It is also a time in which a lot of anxiety arises from the expansion of the empire and questions begin to arise surrounding what it means to be British.

Tennyson's poem "Ulysses" is inspired by the ancient Greek epic "The Odyssey" and its eponymous king Odysseus. It is a poem that draws upon the idealization of "empire" that dates back to Greek civilization (and before). Although Tennyson does not reference the British empire explicitly in this poem, some literature scholars consider it to be inspired by the contemporary colonial project in Tennyson's time.

My first question: in general, what was your reaction to Tennyson's "Ulysses?" Did you find it to be personally affective? Did you find it to be a well written? (Be critical if you would like, just tell us why).

My second question: Do you find that the poem is in any way promoting imperialism, or rather does it seem critical? (Cite lines if useful)

I am interested to read your opinions... **Note: You will have until March 15th to complete this post. Have a great spring break! 8-)

Not Your Grandmother's Typical Romance Novels

This is in belated celebration of Valentine's Day...

After class today I thought quite a bit about our discussion on the Romantic movement in English Literature and tried to link it to our modern notion of "Romance" (yes, with a capital R). It seems as though we associate the descriptor more with popular media such as the Romantic Comedies or Romance Novels (with or without a shirtless hunk on cover), rather than the philosophical ideals of Blake and Wordsworth.

I wonder, do we still value a notion of Romance similar to that of Romantic Poets of the late 18th and early 19th century? Let us think of this kind of Romanticism as at least one (or more) of the following: emotional and less rational, idealistic of innocence and nature over corrupt society, a romantic idealization of one's country, and a direct connection with the transcendental/spiritual through nature. In your opinion, do we see any resemblance of this Romanticism in today's politics, culture, media, beliefs? Do we rather seem to exhibit the Enlightenment values Voltaire and Rousseau? Is one way of thinking about the world better than the other? If helpful, give some relevant examples and explain how they demonstrate your point.

Satire

Many of the authors that we have read thus far in the semester such as Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope and Voltaire have used fiction to make commentaries on contemporary issues. Voltaire's Candide is one of the best examples of comedic satire in the tradition of Western literature. It is well known that Voltaire's work is a direct commentary on Gottfried Wihelm Leibniz's philosophy of optimism in which he insists that "all is for the best, in the best of all possible worlds." Voltaire uses an illustration in Candide of the 1755 earthquake in Lisbon to criticize Leibniz's position, which incidentally launched a discourse on optimist philosophy and the role of religion in governance.

In consideration of the satires that we have been reading by Pope, Swift and Voltaire, what I would like you to do is select a modern satire that you feel is interesting and compare it to a satire that we have read in class. The satire that you wish to discuss does not necessarily have to be in the written form: you can choose a movie, TV show (think political satires on SNL), or any other visual media that might be circulated online (please share a link with us if you do). The point is to think about the ways in which we use satire today to comment on society and determine whether it has changed significantly or remains essentially the same.

When comparing the two pieces of satire you might like to think about a couple of the following questions (you don't have to answer all of these, it's just to help you brainstorm):

Are these two satires poking fun at the same thing? That is, are they both commenting on politics, current events, societal standards, gender roles, etc, or do the topics seem quite different?

Why do you think that the satire that you are looking at is so effective for you personally? How does it compare to the satire(s) that we read in class?

In general, does satire have an effect on politics and society today as much as it did in the time period that you are looking at? (For example, Voltaire became the hero of the French Revolution)

I'm curious to see what examples you bring to the discussion, and please, share a link to YouTube or other sites if you find something that we might all be interested in seeing :)

What the... devil?

A couple weeks ago, television evangelist and host of "The 700 Club" Pat Robertson made some incendiary remarks regarding the recent disastrous earthquake in Haiti. He claimed in his broadcast that the reason behind Haiti's suffering since its independence is not due to the country's history of slavery and exploitation by the West, but in fact, is due to the fact that they made a "pact" with the devil 200 years ago to get out from under the heel of the French. Please watch the brief video below from Media Matters.com, and then continue reading:

http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201001130024

In consideration of Pat Robertson's remarks, please read the following passages from Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Man:"

(lines 61-69)

When the proud steed shall know why man restrains
His fiery course, or drives him o'er the plains;
When the dull ox, why now he breaks the clod,
Is now a victim, and now Egypt's god:
Then shall man's pride and dullness comprehend
His actions', passions', being's, use and end;
Why doing, suff'ring, check'd, impell'd; and why
This hour a slave, the next a deity.

(Lines 141-164)
But errs not nature from this gracious end,
From burning suns when livid deaths descend,
When earthquakes swallow, or when tempests sweep
Towns to one grave, whole nations to the deep?...
If plagues or earthquakes break not Heav'n's design,
Why then a Borgia, or a Catiline?
Who knows but he, whose hand the light'ning forms,
Who heaves old ocean, and who wings the storms;
Pours fierce ambition in a Caesar's mind,
Or turns young Ammon loose to scourge mankind?
From pride, from pride, our very reas'ning springs;
Account for moral as for nat'ral things:
Why charge we heav'n in those, in these acquit?
In both, to reason right is to submit.

In your opinion, does it seem as though Pat Robertson is arguing the same point
as Alexander Pope; that is, are they both in a sense claiming that all disaster and
suffering in the world is not in the hands of man but rather a part of God's plan?
When Robertson claims that the suffering in Haiti can be explained by a "pact with
the devil," what is he implying about the role of man in disasters and preventing
future suffering? What is Alexander Pope saying when he tells us to just "submit?"

You can answer these specific questions or give your general impression. I think
that this is an important topic and I would really like to hear what you think!

Read me before you blog!

Please respond to the prompt for each week by leaving a comment below with your full name indicated. I will update my blog posts every Sunday, and you will have that week to write your response. You also have the option of posting your own blog prompt to which others may respond. Responses to my posts, your own blog posts, or responding to other contributors are all acceptable ways to earn your required 7 posts. You must post your response to my prompts or the prompts of others within a week of its publication, and late responses will not be considered toward your final grade. Most importantly, the content of your blog posts must relate in some way to the course material or ideas that Professor Rosenstock has presented in lecture; you are free to relate it to contemporary issues, politics, or popular culture as long as you feel that it is relevant and worth discussing.

As for the administrative details, you will need to sign into an account to leave a comment. I have sent out invitations to everybody enrolled in the course to sign up as contributors to the blog. Please use your full name in your blog profile so that I can identify your posts and give you credit. Fortunately, you have the option of using your Google, Live Journal, AIM, WordPress, Type Pad, or Open ID account to sign in. Otherwise, if you do not have any of these, you will need to sign up for a Blogspot account.

Overall I want to use this blog as a way of extending the conversation in class and learning from each other in the process. I really look forward to learning from all of you throughout the semester!