Marxism in Art

From paintings, to music, to protests, to health care--Marxist theory abounds. Let's try applying the Marxist lens to the following paintings.
"Hollywood" by Thomas Hart Benton"Power Games" by Roland Rafael Repczuk
"Pigstown Council Annual Meeting" by Jalaini Abu Hassan
"Liberation of Baghdad" by Sandow Birk
"America"
"In Smog and Thunder" by Sandow Birk
"Pyramid of Capitalist System"
"The Garden of Eden"
"A Painting for a Government Poster" by John Falter

Is This Russia?

On September 12, 2009, ten of thousands of protesters marched to the U.S. Capitol to express their disdain for the President's health care plan and government spending. Carrying slogans that read "Obamacare makes me sick" and "I'm not your ATM," protestors chanted "Enough, Enough!" Some protesters even carried pictures of Obama with the signature mustache of Adolf Hitler and referred to him as a socialist and communist. The idea of a government-run health care system has many concerned and worried about the future--their future and their children's future. And that concern has awakened the nation--encouraging citizens to seek the truth. What is the truth behind Obama's health care plan? Check out the below links.

Fact Check: Decoding Obama's Health Care Plan (Make sure you read the text pf the article--don't just watch the video. The text gives the opposing viewpoints to the video.)


The Truth--Lott's Numbers, Part II

The Obama Plan


Now--be sure to connect what you've read in these sources and what you've read of Marxist criticism in order to determine whether we are indeed, trending towards socialism in regards to the proposed health care plan. Remember to be very specific and to cite facts and examples--don't just spout off.

ANDROGYNY: MIXING GENDER ROLES

ANDROGYNY: MIXING GENDER ROLES

By Between the Bars and Goonie

We see androgyny everywhere these days from David Bowie to Hillary Clinton. Androgyny is the mixing of feminine and masculine characteristics. That can be in how we dress, how we look, and how we act.

Lets take a look at the 50's as an example.In this time all women wore dresses for the most part and wore high heels and curled their hair.

Now women in the workforce have become androgynous by wearing suits similar menswear. Have they lost their femininity? This would be psychological androgyny because women do this to show that they have just as much strenght as their male counterparts.

Another example of psychological androgyny is in the video posted above of the band Of Montreal. The lead singer Kevin Barnes displays feminine qualities in his appearence, voice, and his persona on stage. This was probably strongly influenced by David Bowie who made androgyny popular in the 1980's.

Androgyny can be confused with bisexuality, transgender, and believing you were born the wrong gender. For these people they do not always feel that they fit into specific gender role norms. Is "not fitting in" an issue that is recent (after 60's) in American society? Are defined gender roles important in a society? Do you think that androgynous characteristics have become part of the norm, or are they still looked at as outcasts and why?

Here is a link to a magazine called Androgyny to see more of the styles for men and women

http://www.androgynymag.co.uk/

The Book of James 1 Daemonology

"The fearful abounding, at this time and in this country of these detestable slaves of the devil, the witches (...) hath moved me to dispatch in post, this following treatise of mine (...) to resolve the doubting (...) both that such assaults of Satan are most certainly practised, and that the instrument thereof merits most severely to be punished."

"King James the VI of Scotland
and King James the I of England"

From the tale of "Macbeth," the history of Daemonologie is shown in the book that he approves and supports the truth of witchcraft and the practice of witch hunting. Demonologie goes as far back as the 1500's till the 1700's. It was then that King James the VI of Scotland (later known as the I of England) was first introduced to the North Berwick Witch Trials, Scotland's first major incident. It all began when King James the VI was traveling to Denmark to marry the Princess Anne, sister to Christan the IV. On their return, a horrible storm had forced them to take shelter for several weeks in Norway before they could continue and this is when it started to get bad.

After they had made it home, the admiral of the escorting Danish fleet, accused a women, a wife of a Scottish noble, of being responsible for their misfortune on the sea believing that it had happened because he had insulted her before the voyage. This then caused gossip and with that speculation spread that the several nobles of Scottish court were involved in witchcraft.

Soon hundreds of people were accused and tortured by the speculations of witchcraft. Overseeing each of theses accusations was King James. Watching each trial he saw hundreds more confessing that they had done dealings with the devil and tried to plot his demise on the ship after endless torture. . These trials are what drove King James to write the books of daemonologie, truly believing that the Witchcraft had spawned into the world and the Devil, Satan was at their doorstep.

In his writings King James wrote two books known as, "The first and Second Booke of Daemonologies." In the books describes about GOD's willing and the fall of the ones who dwell in witchcraft. Both books rely on the support of witch hunting, but the two separate how there are different types of witches and which deserves what punishment. Some would be chained to drown, hanged upside down, pulled apart, and burned alive! Within these readings some people would hope to find evil and destroy it but is it really just causing us to become that evil?

To Learn more:

The life of King James VI of Scotland:

http://www.nwlink.com/~scotlass/jamesvi.htm

description of Sorcerie and Witchcraft(Books I and II of Daemonologie) can be found at:
http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/

The Divided Chapters of each book can be found at:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/

Images can be located via: Google Images ( James the 1st of England, Devil, and Daemonologie, and filkr.com)

Violence, the Death Drive and Everything

From Dante's presentation of Francesca and Paolo, he brings to mind the question of moral responsibility in depictions of love, sex, and violence in our own day. Check out the below links.

FCC looks to block sex, violence

Media violence spurs fears

Violence in media entertainment

*The Killing Screens: Media & the Culture of Violence (not for the light-hearted!)

So what's up with our centuries long obsession with sax and violins? Why do we want to read The Inferno and not the Paradiso? Why are we always involved in "death work"? Reference Tyson's section on the death drive and give us a few answers. (I love how I have students to answer life's important questions for me!)

Medieval Signs of the Times

Changing Values “As a relatively privileged European man of the late Middle Ages, Dante certainly shares - despite his intellect and imagination - many views that we moderns might rightly consider unenlightened. These could include religious and ethnic intolerance, a reductive attitude toward women, and a heterosexist understanding of love and sexuality. In some respects - for instance, his advocacy of the empire (and opposition to more democratic, republican ideas) - he could be considered reactionary even for his own time and place.”

While we might think of ourselves as enlightened, open-minded people today, what might our descendants say about us a century or two from now? What specific issues or attitudes do you think will change so much in the future that our current views may come to be seen as "medieval"?

Shades of Dante

(Get it? Shades?--nobody groan.)

Here is a link to a blog about the mural that the Los Angeles Police Department commissioned Birk to paint inside their headquarters:

http://superpunch.blogspot.com/2008/03/lapd-hired-sandow-birk-to-create-mural.html


Let's just say Birk deviated from the original sketch and treated topics the LAPD would never have OKed, ala Dante-style.

Are you attracted to art with an edge? In other words, does your aesthetic desire works of art, literature, and music that touch upon the controversial, the angst-ridden, the unsolved and disenfranchised? Or do you prefer art that soothes and calms--rather than instigates. Please comment.

Sandow Birk

Here is a link to a site that shows the why and how of Sandow Birk's off beat version of Dante's Inferno.: http://www.dantefilm.com/filmnotes.html

Check it out. Make some comments.

"This is Hell, Dante, Not Your Personal Fantasy"

Here are some links to check out that will expand your knowledge about Dante and The Divine Comedy.

(This is one of the posts that you can choose to comment on.)

• Dante's Flash Inferno
• Dante Today
• Dante's Biography
• Sandow Birk's film that dramatizes the Inferno using puppets
• Dante's Inferno Test
• The Video Game

Do Not Worry About Posting

Hi students! You do not need to worry about posting due to the fact that Fort Zumwalt email is down, so I can't get at your email addresses to resend them. Just read Cantos III, and we will discuss the first three Cantos on Monday. Have a good weekend!

Please send me your email addresses!

It doesn't look like I have everyone's email to invite to the blog? If you haven't been invited, please send the address with your name and 3rd hour in the subject heading! Thanks!

Oh yeah--the email address might help!!!!

dcoleman@fz.k12.mo.us

The Great Chessmaster 2009

Omar Khayyam's quatrain 69 from the Rubaiyat reads:

But helpless Pieces of the Game He plays

Upon this Checker-board of Nights and Days;

Hither and thither moves, and checks, and slays,

And one by one back in the Closet lays.

Let's first discuss Khayyam's quatrain. What is he suggesting? You may want to become acquainted with Khayyam--his poetry, his contributions to society, and his famous poetry.

Second, do you agree with Khayyam's view? Why or why not?

Ms. Coleman

Hey!

I've been trying to figure out a way of getting a hold of you, but I've lost all the contact info you had given us lost year (it may have ended up in an end-of-the-year bonfire, being overlooked as just scrap paper, I'm not sure). I've been waiting for months for this publication to open back up--it's a good one too, "Greatest Uncommon Denominator"--that I want to send Existing Parallels to. I was hoping you wouldn't mind taking one last look at it, any last input or advice or thoughts? It's a young, award-winning magazine, and quite prestiguous already. I want to make sure the story is solid and has a chance. If you're too busy I completely understand, I'm not far removed from your classroom.

Incase you don't have it anymore, my e-mail is minnesota9106@charter.net.

Either way, I hope classes have started well for you!
Kyle

Welcome Back to the Blog

This is a painting entitle "Work" by Ford Madox Brown. It was painted circa 1852-65. Here is a link to the painting as well. Please choose your lens through which to view the artwork. (Another visual avenue.) Bring your notes to share tomorrow.

Wuthering Heights
The story we have all been reading. Initial thoughts? surprisingly interesting. I don't know about you guys but this book is a really hard read for me and that's probably why it's considered such a great story. But it's not so much the story line but how it's written. I feel the author wrote this book in old 19th century style writing along with a lot of vague pronoun reference. Does anyone else feel confused and lost because often Emily B won't specify who is doing what? There is SO much he and she it's really hard to keep up! Don't get me wrong the story line it's self is fascinating. Heathcliff is one crazy character that I often wonder what I would do if I were in the other characters shoes living anywhere near the man! He is scary and enticing all at the same time. Catherine in my opinion is strong willed and weak at the same time. Her stupidity and immaturity is what makes this woman weak. It's funny how we talked in class today about love and how class rank takes a tole in the roles of marriage. My immediate thought was the difference between all of the couples. For example....take Heathcliff and Catherine, if they were to marry my best assumption would be they would take equal roles in accomplishing things that need to get done. I don't know why but it has to do with them both madly in love with each other thus both equally wanting to take care of each other. Then there is Catherine and Edgar. Edgar is WAY more in love with Catherine than she is with him thus he treats her like a princess where she hardly pays attention to him! Finally there is Heathcliff and Isabella. Before she knows the true Heathcliff she is madly in love with him while he could care less. The only reason they get married is because Heathcliff uses her as a slave and to make Catherine jealous of them. So I pose a question. According to the rules applied in the marriages in the centuries past, how woman are considered so called slaves as they do everything for their man in return for protection and providment, and how men are the dominant being as a woman are considered more like a thing, does that mean men possibly don't love their wives at least according to this story we are reading? Think about it. When ever a character loves another they take care of them, nourish them, and aid to them for anything while the ones that do not love the other pay little attention and treat the other one like crap and make them do things for them. Sound familiar? By the way I'm not saying men back then did not love their wives I'm asking is it possible that were the case for many of them back then using their woman and having marriage as an excuse to control them because apparently love was more important to some than others? But then does that mean now that more of us are treated equal that love has grown more strong and couples love each other more equally? I dunno what could cause something like this to help influence to make people think these ways but I'm just wondering.....

posted by jagzluv709

Psycopath?

Please read the following poem, brought in by 3rd hour's Matt Tharp,

We're the unmended, the untended,

Cold soldiers of the shoe. We're the neglected,

The never resurrected, agonies of the few.

We're the once kissed, unmissed and always refused.

Because we're the unfinished

And feared and we're never pursued.

And just that easily, on my behalf,

I come around. Because I'm buring.

the beasts of war feeds only on the meats of war.

And now I'm for the carnage.

Here's how my anguish frees.

Destroy everyone of course. Because I'm unwanted

And unsafe. And I'll take tears away with torments and rape,

Killings and fears not even the dead will escape.

Encircling the guilty, ashamed, blameless and enslaved.

Absolved. Butchering their prejudice.

Patience. Their value. Because I'm without value.

I'm the coming of every holocaust. Turning no lost.

Rending tissue, sinew and bone. Excepting no suffering.

By me all levees will break. all silos heave.

I will walk heavy.

And I will walk strange.

Because I am too soon.

Because without her, I am only revolutions of ruin.

Because I am too soon.

Because without you, I am only revolutions of ruin.

I'm the prophecy of prophecies past.

Why need dies at last.

How oceans dry. Islands drown.

And skies of salt crash to the ground.

I turn the powerful. Defy the weak.

Only grass grows down abandoned streets.

For a greater economy shall follow us.

And it will be undone.

And a greater autonomy shall follow us.

And it too will be undone.

And a greater feeling shall follow love.

And it too will blow to dust.

For I am longings without trust. The cyclodial haste,

Freedom from Hailey forever wastes.

Dust cares only for dust.

And time only for us.

Consider this poem while answering Kyle Burton's (3rd hour) question,

"With the loss of Catherine, Heathcliff becomes a cruel and vioent man, showing no remorse for his atrocities. Does Heathcliff truly have a conscience or is he, at heart, a psycopath?"

Dante and Bronte

Jason Dorn (2nd hour) wonders, as do I, in what level of Dante's Inferno would you place the various characters of Wuthering Heights?

Metaphysics and the Moors

Devinne Walters (2nd Hour) brought up the point that Emily Bronte's novel is metaphysical. The characters of Heathcliff and Cathy seem otherworldly, as if their love is archetypal. Have they been together in past lives? Are they, indeed, forces of nature, only comforable when they are outside on the moors? Please comment.