Weeks 10-12
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?
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?
Modernisim, What does “The Wasteland Mean?
ReplyDelete1)how has it been interpreted? (cite examples)
2)what are some of the key features
‘The Wasteland’ is an original poem by T.S Elliot, in an Enote summary it is said to be one of his best masterpieces. Elliot gave the poem an indicative title based on how he felt towards his contemporary society, he used the idea of a dry and sterile ‘wasteland’ as a metaphor for Europe after it was devastated by the war and desperately in need for replenishment but lacked in the cultural tools that were deemed necessary for the renewal. Critics consider this poem the most controversial poem.
How has it been interpreted?
After the release of the poem it was rapidly recognised as a major statement of modernist poetics, for its broad symbolic significance and for Elliot’s talented use of formal techniques that earlier modernists had only begun to attempt.
“The Waste Land made use of allusion, quotation (in several languages), a variety of verse forms, and a collage of poetic fragments to create the sense of speaking for an entire culture in crisis; it was quickly accepted as the essential statement of that crisis and the epitome of a modernist poem.” (Lewis, 2007.)
Key features:
It is a long and complex poem based around the psychological and cultural crisis that is said to have come with the loss of moral and cultural identity after WW1.
Literary styles:
The poem is said to be deliberately misleading and made up of incomplete parts as it incorporates various voices from different points of view – these voices coming from two characters in the poem, Madam Sosostris, and Phlebis the Phoenician.
The poem has a disjointed timeline with a plot that is difficult to follow as it does not take you from the beginning of the poem to the end, the only obvious structure the poem has is its five sections:
1. The burial of the dead
2. A Game of chess
3. The Fire Sermon
4. Death by water
5. What the thunder said
Elliot’s fragmented style happens to appear in all of his poems, it is written that he uses this approach because of several reasons, from a feeling of being isolated, to a problem articulating his thoughts.
A schoolwork blog writes that the American writer Henry James had a big influence of Elliot’s poetry and it is evident in the Jamesian qualities (Henry’s characteristics) he uses, for example the opening verse of The Wasteland ends with the Jamesian note, “I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter.”
When Elliot began to write this poem he used various different themes, techniques and styles to develop his points in the poem. Elliot’s use of estrangement in is poems his way of expressing his feelings between himself and the outside world. The isolation in his life began to take over and he started to entwine the isolation into his characters.
References:
Lewis, P. (2007). The Wasteland. The Modernism Lab. Retrieved 19 May 2016, from https://modernism.research.yale.edu/wiki/index.php/The_Waste_Land
St. Rosemary Educational Institution. "T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land: Summary & Analysis." http://schoolworkhelper.net/. St. Rosemary Educational Institution, Last Update: 2016. Web. Retrieved on: Friday 13th May 2016. http://schoolworkhelper.net/t-s-eliot%e2%80%99s-the-waste-land-summary-analysis/.
The Waste Land Summary - eNotes.com. eNotes. Retrieved 19 May 2016, from http://www.enotes.com/topics/waste-land
The Waste Land: Structure and Style Explained - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com. Study.com. Retrieved 19 May 2016, from http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-waste-land.html
What common qualities do ‘the beats’ share? Why ‘beats’?
ReplyDeleteThe ‘beat movement’ was derived from an American social and literary movement which began around the 1950’s in American bohemian communities. It’s important to consider the historical context of the beat movement as it became rather prominent after world war 2, in which there was this thought that technical and ideological progress eventually result in some form of man-made utopia before the devastation of world war 2 took place. After followed feelings of emptiness as some people sought a meaning beyond the traditional values and the mainstream world views at the time. Beat poets sought to liberate poetry from the general kind of academic style that it was in an attempt to bring it back to the streets. The battle against conformity and social tradition was extremely important to the work of the beats. Due to the circumstances surrounding the creation of the beat movement it became an anti-authoritarian form of protest. It’s apparent that they are all pieces of protest as they all seem to fall under some type of counter culture music as evident by their use of lyrics. For example, ‘Howl’ and ‘on rap’ protest censorship, ‘Freewheeling’ protests war, and ‘subterranean homesick blues’ protests drug culture. Also the use of profanities in their lyrics is rather prevalent which shows the general dislike that the writers had for their topics of protest.
The term ‘beat’ was reportedly coined by Jack Kerouac in the late 1940’s when he referred to his generation as a beat generation. The term eventually became more common at the time that writers like himself were beginning to become more noticed. The origins of the word are a little vague however it implies the feeling of have been used, or undramatically pushed up against the wall of oneself.
What kind of protest song/rap other media have come out in the last decade? Is there a spirit of protest anymore?
In modern America, beat poetry is still underground and not as mainstream as rap so over the past few years there has been a number of protest songs that have been released. Over the past few years America has become a country of focus in the mainstream media for its police brutality against African Americans which has sparked some major protest groups including the prominent Black lives matter group. Rap is closely linked to African American culture as it became popular in African American communities during the 70s so a large number of songs have been released as a response to the political issues facing African Americans. One notable piece of music is J. Cole’s Be free in which he directs it towards Mike Brown who was killed by police. “Every time I step outside, I see my Nigga’s die” and “are we all alone, fighting on our own” are examples of the lyrics protesting police brutality. This is just one of many recently released forms of media that has been released that contains the same kind of meaning behind its protest as beat poetry did. So I believe that the spirit of protest is still very much alive.
References
Bates, J. (2014, February 28). The beat generation worldview in Kerouac’s on the road. Retrieved from http://www.creativitypost.com/arts/the_beat_generation_worldview_in_kerouacs_on_the_road
A brief guide to the beat poets. (2004, May 3). Retrieved from https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/brief-guide-beat-poets
Cole, J. (n.d.). J. Cole be free lyrics. Retrieved from http://genius.com/J-cole-be-free-lyrics
Dalzell, T. (2015, March 11). The origins of beat and beatnik. Retrieved from http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2015/03/beat-beatnik-jack-kerouac/
Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). Beat movement. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/art/Beat-movement
Hit songs are being released on a regular basis with an intention to protest an issue. The constant protested issue that I pick up, simply through hearing songs on the mainstream radio is gay rights and body image shaming. Now these are different issues than what was once protested about. However, through the up-rise of social media, it seems these issues are ones the hit artists are finding important (never mind the 28,000 children that starve to death each day).
ReplyDeleteTake Macklemore’s same love released July 18, 2012. The song has a catchy rap, with a melodic chorus with a female singing about the love she has for her female partner. Macklemore (Ben Haggerty) raps a verse;
‘If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me
Have you read the YouTube comments lately?
"Man, that's gay" gets dropped on the daily
We become so numb to what we're saying
A culture founded from oppression
Yet we don't have acceptance for 'em’
Basically, he is trying to create the awareness that the word ‘gay’ is used in a negative way throughout social media and other areas. He is trying to portray the message that in a world with so many cultures, with a strange, natural and adopted way of doing things many humans have still not gathered their thoughts around accepting that it is not their choice if an individual is gay. He is also trying to express that the use of the word gay, to imply that something is boring, or of lesser value is not acceptable in this day and age as it seen as disregarding the value of an individual who is gay.
The song, Take Me to Church written by Hozier and released in 2013, however, grew attention in 2014. This song is a much harsher protest for gay rights. This protest, however, is more sided against the views of the catholic and Christian Churches.
It is aimed at the fact that the churches (the congregation) believe that homosexuals can be cured in the and that they are terrible sinners. Hozier uses lyrics such as
‘"We were born sick," you heard them say it
My church offers no absolutes
She tells me, "Worship in the bedroom."
The only heaven I'll be sent to
Is when I'm alone with you’
Another protest song which was released June 30, 2014, was the hit song ‘All about that bass’ written by Meghan Trainor. This song is protesting the rights of females with bigger sized bodies. Saying those females with bigger bodies are just as beautiful as those with smaller ones. This song was not aimed at females, however, more so at men.
I found a Time Magazine article addressing the rise of black right protesting. Within the article, a number of song example are also added. http://time.com/3672318/protest-song-returns/ Therefore, with the release of such songs the black rights spirit for protest, is very much alive.
Although I have chosen songs that have been released in the past 5 years and are not of political, racial or environmental nature. I believe they are still extremely relevant as the way of mainstream musical protest whether it be rap or lyrics is changing into more protesting for the rights of acceptance. This is most likely due to social media (as I keep saying).
I would like to end this post by stating the Oxford Dictionary’s definition of the word protest as both a noun and a verb.
Noun
prəʊtɛst/
1.
A statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something.
verb
prəˈtɛst/
1.
Express an objection to what someone has said or done.
Finally, I would like to mention that every human at one point in their lives will disapprove of something/someone’s actions. I believe that these days (especially with the rise of Social Media) it is strong in human nature to disapprove. It is even easier to state your disapproval through these forums. My point being, a spirit of protest is very much still strong and alive. It may not be as strong in terms of street marches and on issues that are necessarily political, racial or environmental. Nevertheless, as long as human opinion exists I judge that so will the spirit of protesting.
Question 5) What kind of protest song/rap other media have come out in the last decade? Is there a spirit of protest anymore?
ReplyDeleteReference:
http://www.azlyrics.com
http://time.com/3672318/protest-song-returns/
I have to post this information in a separate comment as I had too many characters.
What kind of protest song/rap other media have come out in the last decade? Is there a spirit of protest anymore?
ReplyDeleteI believe that as humans evolve along with the technology and social media advances, a myriad of issues that need to be addressed by society are coming to the forefront. This brings with it a chance to protest the injustices in our communities, in order to ultimately affect some form of tangible change in the world. There have been a lot of protest songs regarding LGBTQ rights in the last decade including Church by Hozier and Same love by Macklemore. However, more recently there has been an influx in rap and songs about the 'black lives matter' movement. This comes after a series of police brutality in America against African- Americans, as well as the undercurrent of racism that is at large in the world. One major instance of this was the controversial 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. He was shot several times by Police, even though he was unarmed. As a result there were many protests, some were peaceful but many resulted in violent riots. During this time J Cole a prominent rapper and singer released a song/rap called 'Be Free'.
The song is a mournful lament about still not being free from the chains, referring to the history of slavery in America. Here, Cole refers to the chains on a deeper level whether that be psychological, disparity in opportunities or the police/ justice system letting down black people; "All we wanna do is take the chains off, All we wanna do is break the chains off, All we wanna do is be free". The song is especially powerful and moving because it includes voice recorded eye-witness testimony from Dorian Johnson, Michael Brown's friend. Part of the testimony includes this harrowing account of the way in which Brown passed away, "his weapon was already drawn when he got out the car. He shot again, and once my friend felt that shot, he turned around and put his hands in the air, and started to get down, but the officer still approached with his weapon drawn and he fired 7 more shots and my friend died."
Cole makes references to Black Panther leader, Huey Newton's last words with the lyrics "I'm lettin' you know. That there ain't no gun they make that can kill my soul". This can also been seen as the positive message of the protest. Ultimately, our power to stand up for ourselves as human beings cannot be taken from us, regardless of the injustices inflicted upon us. Other such rap and songs include King Kunta by Kendrick Lamar, Formation and Freedom by Beyonce and Diamonds from Sierra Leone by Kanye West.
In my opinion, the spirit of protest is very much intact. Being part of some of the protests here in Auckland, I can say that young people do want to stand up for the underrepresented, underpriviledged or social/ environmental injustices. It could be argued that maybe there aren't as many people who would take the time to go out of their way to protest. Perhaps, we have lost the art of protesting or maybe there is a lack of real leadership. Beacons like Martin Luther King Junior and Mahatma Gandhi may not exist, we may not have had epic protests like the Salt March or the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Those people were brave and precious, their voice was important. Maybe we do need still need that but it is also extremely powerful that even the smallest voices can now be heard through the use of the internet. Social media tools mean we are far better equipped to spread information and knowledge about issues at a faster rate. More importantly, we can collect petitions on a large scale and we can reach those that need our help in ways that we could not have before. I think it can be comforting to be nostalgic for the past. The goal however, should be to focus on the future. If the spirit of protest is not what it should be, then it is up to us to change that.
References (Question 5, answered above)
ReplyDeleteBeyonce (2016) Formation. Retrieved from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrCHz1gwzTo&index=1&list=PL-E79MQ72MqVQWkmv0BEYOwXMc-hCTqHg
Beyonce (2016) Freedom. Retrieved from: http://genius.com/Beyonce-freedom-lyrics
Cole, J. (2014) Be Free. Retrieved from: http://genius.com/J-cole-be-free-lyrics
Lamar, K. (2015) King Kunta. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRK7PVJFbS8
Wikipedia: Shooting of Michael Brown. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Michael_Brown
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for the info agan convey and hopefully useful to my friend who read it.
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