18 April 2014
Creative Project Proposal
For my creative project I propose drawing on a combination of both my majors to adapt a series of scenes from different texts into screenplay format, as if to adapt them for a movie. I propose adapting a scene or two each from Frederick Douglass’ slave narrative, Goethe’s Faust, and Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. The project would address themes from those pieces while allowing me to use skills from my majors, in particular exploring the influence of those works in a modern, film watching, society.
I chose Douglass’ slave narrative because I enjoyed reading it and thought it provided some good visual opportunities that could translate well into film. I also think that his narrative has been widely influential and can still have a powerful impact on society today.
I chose Faust because I thought it would be interesting to try and adapt the play format into screenplay form. It’s already written for performance for an audience, but the play has only minimal scene description and stage direction. It fits the visual format while still providing a challenge for a more three dimensional adaptation.
I’ve already spent time examining the way Francis Ford Coppola adapted Heart of Darkness into the jungles of Vietnam for Apocalypse Now. When Coppola did so, he changed not only the setting, but also a lot of the characters and even the core of the story to some extent. I’m curious to see what a possibly more faithful period adaptation could look like, and what kinds of thing would have to change for film.
James, this is a great idea. I'm actually surprised no one has made a movie about Frederick Douglass. As you mention, each text has its own challenges. It should be interesting to see what you come up with. - MH
11 April 2014
Dafna Kaffeman
This morning we visited the David Owsley Museum of Art to hear Dafna Kaffeman talk about her art. Some of the pieces were past work, and some were original to this exhibit. Kaffeman uses a combination of glasswork and embroidery to talk about political and social issues in her home country of Israel. She combines the glass with silicon to make it more flexible, focusing much of her work on nature, with emphasis on insects and plants. She uses the contrast of invasive and indigenous plants to talk about the conflict over who is rightfully native to Israel.
She embroiders text in Arabic and Hebrew, choosing specific quotes that reveal the complex political and social tensions of the area. For one of her original works for this exhibit, she embroidered a lengthy bit of text quoting an Israeli man who felt he had been betrayed by the government. He participated in protests against the Israeli welfare system, and eventually lit himself on fire and died. She mixed the text with embroidered flowers and glass seeds and insects.
Another work she did for an exhibition in Germany focused on German Jews and their memories of insects and plants during World War Two. The most common memory involved a potato beetle, and how the Germans who were children at the time remembered picking the beetles off the leaves to try and save the plants.
As a different kind of artist, it’s always interesting to hear how other people work and what their process is. I’ve visited a lot of art museums, but it was a unique experience to get to hear a modern artist talk about her work in such a personal way.
28 March 2014
Freud and Dreams
I’ve talked about Freud in a lot of different ways in a lot of different classes. I always find it interesting that, though he is one of the least “scientific” figures of psychology, his ideas have somehow permeated every layer of our society. Generally, when we discuss Freud, it’s more about how his ideas can be seen in literature or film (as I’m a creative writing and telecommunications major), rather than the validity of the ideas themselves. Whether or not Freud’s ideas were right, and whether or not he provided scientific data to back them up, his work captured the imagination of enough people to make his ideas last.
This time, however, we discussed more of Freud himself and some specific examples of the way he interpreted dreams, rather than his overarching theories and how they have been interpreted. Dreams can be a intriguing window into the unconscious, as Freud says. On the other hand, I rarely remember my dreams. The ones I do remember are fairly straightforward, but the majority of the time, I can’t recall anything. It could be overall lack of sleep, or my very irregular schedule, I have no idea. Memory itself is a very complex and highly unreliable thing, and one of the more fascinating areas of psychology. I wonder how much of what Freud recalls of his dreams was actually part of the dream, and what kinds of things he misremembered, and what that could possibly say about his unconscious struggles? There are so many layers and filters to human perception that things can be easily distorted, but I suppose in order to do research, you have to pick something specific.
21 March 2014
Heart of Darkness
This week we presented on Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Overall I think it went pretty well, but I felt like there were definitely things I would have changed if we were to present again.
I thought the organization or at least the structure of giving background, then doing the simulation, then talking about the book worked really well. It made the most sense and I’d definitely structure the presentation that way again.
The base idea for the simulation I really liked, and I think it overall went pretty well. it could have used some testing though. I think it was more interesting and involving, and the applications were good. The tribe system and switch went pretty well, though we should have had some more specific instructions for people. Then the resource gathering went quite well from the standpoint that the people representing Africans got a good perspective on what colonization might have been like. We were hoping not to kill everyone off as quickly as it did, but there really was no way to know that ahead of time.
The conclusion and debriefing part of the simulation could have gone a lot better. Part of that was probably due to the fact that it’s a morning class and no one was awake enough to have much to say. I felt like we could have had more specific questions or points to address relating to the simulation and the overall experience that could have helped them get more out of it and transferred more smoothly into the last part of our presentation. The background section and PowerPoint overall I felt went fairly smoothly, though I might have asked for the class to think about how Conrad portrayed Africans before giving them examples rather than the other way around.
7 March 2014
Off the Hook
Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis’ use of a frame structure in his revisualization of the story of Adam and Eve removed the responsibility for the story from his shoulders. The frame puts the responsibility more on the storyteller within the narrative rather than on Assis himself. By setting the frame nearly two hundred years before his time, he removed himself even further from the controversial content of the story. The frame allowed him to write a controversial story while protecting himself from reprisals; however, it also reduces the impact of the story somewhat. The ending of the story, though, undermined his point even more. At the end of the story, the storyteller says that he actually doesn’t think that the story happened the way he described at all. Whether or not his character is sincere in that statement is open to debate, but he seems sincere enough to convince readers who want to believe him. And that ending, by stepping away and renouncing responsibility for the story, lets readers off the hook. By doing so, Assis, lets readers get away without truly feeling any of the impact the story can have, without really letting it set in. A lot of stories still do this, happy endings or uplifting endings that let readers walk away feeling happy and thinking about the good things or more likely moving on with their lives rather than making a lasting impact and leaving readers with relevant questions. I think Assis’ revision of the biblical tale has a lot of depth to it, but I think that the frame was perhaps overly cautious and undermined his points.
28 February 2014 A Doll’s House
A Doll’s House was a highly controversial play when Henrik Ibsen first published it in 1879. It is often taken in a feminist context, as the primary female character and protagonist breaks the social norms of the time. Although it undoubtedly raises questions of those norms and is critical of the inequality between men and women in the late nineteenth century, Ibsen claimed that he had not consciously written a feminist play. According to him, he was just describing humanity as realistically as possible.
As a writer, I have to appreciate Ibsen’s point here. I think it makes an even more powerful argument against inequality that he was trying to portray life realistically as well. At the time, many would have said that no real woman would act as Nora does in the play, but that is clearly not true. Women have shown themselves perfectly capable of being independent of men, though they still struggle for equality even in the twenty-first century.
When I write, I try to portray characters as realistically as possible, even if that means sometimes letting them make decisions that are different from what people expect from traditional stories. Everyone wants a happy ending, or if it is not happy, at least an ending that gives satisfaction and closure. If the hero dies, it has to be for some purpose. But life doesn’t always work that way, and I think it can often be more important to stay true to the humanity of a character and let them make the decision they would make, rather than forcing them into an unrealistic situation just to find closure.
A recent example of this is the video game The Last of Us, in which the protagonist makes a controversial decision at the end. It is a decision many people might disagree with, and not one you’d expect from a mainstream Hollywood story, or really any story. Yet it makes the most sense for that character, and is true to his humanity. Nora’s decision at the end of A Doll’s House was so controversial at the time that some people refused to perform it as written. Yet I think Ibsen did the right thing in staying true to Nora’s character, in that it was the decision she would have made.
21 February 2014
Tolstoy and Citizen Kane
As a telecommunications major, I found it interesting to draw similarities between Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. Though they were many years apart, and told through different mediums, in terms of story the two have a lot in common. Structurally, both begin with the death of the primary character. They then jump back in time and tell the story leading up to the beginning. There are some differences here as well. Tolstoy shows Ivan’s death from one of his friends’ perspectives, and then shows the rest of his life more from Ivan’s perspective. Citizen Kane does precisely the opposite, showing Kane’s death more from his perspective and then exploring the rest of his life through the anecdotes of his friends and enemies. Both serve a similar purpose, however, and both stories have close themes.
Both Ivan and Kane are wealthy, influential men who enjoy social life and have many “friends.” Both however also have an obsession with their work that far outdoes any caring for friends or family. Both men end life estranged from their wives. After their deaths, their “friends” mostly disappear, and it is clear that no one was really close to them. While Ivan comes to some realization of his failings in life, Kane’s last words recall the only thing he ever truly cared for: his old sled.
The similarities in these stories show that the questions Tolstoy raised about life, family, and work in the nineteenth century were still relevant almost one hundred years later, and I think they’re still relevant even today.
7 February 2014
Juxtaposition in Art
The discussion we had comparing the music to the pictures was quite intriguing. I felt the piece reflected the picture of the girl in the boat, because of the melancholy tones and softness. From my angle, which wasn’t the best, the girl seemed melancholy as well, and that matched with the water surrounding her and the drab blue/green colors. It almost looked like it was raining. However, the class was fairly evenly split between the paintings. I could see some justification for the others as well.
As a filmmaker, I have to match visuals to music all the time, and it was interesting to see a comparison of how other people imagined things. I saw it as what music I would put with that scene in a movie, and I matched same style, melancholy with melancholy. But it also can work to have variations, as seen by the other people’s interpretations. Sometimes it can be more effective to take advantage of the irony of matching contrasting music and visuals, either for comedic or emotional effect. I’ve experimented with this a fair amount, and it’s something I enjoy quite a bit. Playing Queen in Shaun of the Dead while they’re fighting a zombified bar tender made for a hilarious scene, while playing “It’s a Wonderful World” to scenes of violence during the Vietnam war in Good Morning Vietnam had a sobering effect. Either way, contrast can be as good as matching. It was just interesting to see it occurring naturally during our class.
31 January 2014
Faust
Though the story of Faust had been around for some time before Goethe adapted it to his own interests, he made some significant contributions to the tale. His characterization of Mephistopheles stands out, as he humanizes the devil's servant, making him frequently humorous and a bit sarcastic. Mephistopheles overshadows Faust as a more entertaining and even to a point a more likeable character. Then in his moments of frustration, particularly when Goethe switches to prose for a scene, Mephistopheles seems almost human. These subtle details complicate Mephistopheles as a character, deepening the reach of his part beyond that of a simple devil figure. The second significant contribution Goethe makes to Faustian canon is the story of Gretchen. While Faust is typically considered a tragic hero, in Goethe’s version he is saved at the end. Gretchen, however, is not so lucky. In a way, Goethe’s version is more Gretchen’s tragedy than Faust’s. Gretchen’s story brings Faust’s faults to the forefront in a clear manner, displaying them in an entertaining story with action and scene rather than in a summary of legends. Gretchen is tricked by Faust and Mephistopheles, and falls for the former despite her hesitation regarding the latter.
24 January 2014
Books
While it can be better to experience things in person, books can be a more feasible opportunity for many. The line between imagination and perceived reality is blurry at best, but books can allow people to experience things in another manner, and gain experience and knowledge in an entertaining manner. There is too much in the universe for one person to experience in person in one lifetime, and books can offer a condensed experience that allows people to explore other worlds and alternate realities without leaving their couch. Movies do the same thing, in fact any story can serve this purpose. Video games are a more recent example of an immersive type of experience, and as graphics and sound design continue to improve they become more and more immersive.
Steam recently announced some major advances in virtual reality headsets, the sort of thing that was popular in movies and books in the 90s and early 2000s. According to them, consumers could be experiencing even more immersive virtual realities in abut a year. It may seem odd that humans are so obsessed with experiencing things virtually rather than in person, but it appears to be a pretty natural phenomenon. Survival is a primary requirement for humans, and self preservation dictates that it is safer to view a war from your living room than to actually participate in one. The experience is completely different, and understanding is fractional at best, but hopefully some appreciation for what war is like can be passed on through movies, books, and games. What becomes an issue is when these mediums do not represent experiences accurately. This can create false impressions and actually negatively impact audiences. Thus books can be a good way to experience the world, but be careful what you read.
17 January 2014
Freedom part 2
In her autobiographical slave narrative, Harriet Jacobs expresses some similar ideas about freedom as Douglass, but also outlines a different, gender specific freedom. She too wants to be free from slavery, free to do what she wants and live with her children. But she also wants to be free from the fear of sexual assault, something Douglass did not have to deal with. Fear can be a great limiter of freedom. It is the method by which terrorists seek to influence populations, and frequently restrict their freedoms.
Walt Whitman, who would seem to be a free white man, expresses another type of dream to be free in his poem, “Song of Myself”. While he does not have to deal with the rigors of slavery, he does grapple with the limits of a prudish Victorian society. He wishes to be free from those concerns and limitations, and the simplest manner of this expression is in the structure of his poems. Whitman breaks the traditionally rigid forms of poetry and writes in free verse, a rambling, loosely constructed style that fits his themes and ideals. He talks about sexuality and how he is happy in the wild, with the animals. Animals, he says, are carefree and happy in a simpler world than humans. While I agree with many of his statements on freedom from societal constrictions, I have to disagree with what seems to be an overly optimistic and almost naïve vision of nature. I also think that his separation of nature and humanity is a bit unrealistic, though a common assumption of the time period. Humans are just another species, and a part of nature as much as everything else. To separate us from the world we are part of often seems arrogant, and allows for the removal of responsibility in a frequently detrimental way.
10 January 2014
Freedom
In his autobiography, Frederick Douglass recounts his inner debates as he discovers the possibility of freedom. The idea to him is infectious and something he must achieve, or die. To many slaves, the idea of freedom was simply not being in slavery. To not have a master was to be free. Similarly to a prisoner the idea of being free simply means not being in prison. But as Douglass grapples with the idea of freedom, he shows that it is not always as simple as we would like to think.
To most Americans, The United States is a free country. But even here our freedoms are limited in many ways. A complex network of laws, some rather ambiguous and subjective, regulate our lives and control our actions. Beyond those is a layer of social control, where we are limited by fear of what others will think. The American economic system severely limits freedom in many ways. When America was young, it was possible for almost anyone to go into the wild and live a subsistence lifestyle, requiring no money or outside assistance. This was the freedom to be an individual and independent. It doesn’t exist much any more. Survival in this world almost always requires money. Money requires some kind of job, and that usually requires living up to someone else’s standards, limiting freedom and independence.
Freedom could be argued as the ability of a person to do as he or she desires, but in what is widely accepted as reality, there are always consequences. Thus this freedom that we all have is not realized for many people. Yes, a slave could probably hit his master back, but he would likely be killed for it. The consequences differ between different societies and different parts of societies, and thus freedom varies.
Creative Project Proposal
For my creative project I propose drawing on a combination of both my majors to adapt a series of scenes from different texts into screenplay format, as if to adapt them for a movie. I propose adapting a scene or two each from Frederick Douglass’ slave narrative, Goethe’s Faust, and Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. The project would address themes from those pieces while allowing me to use skills from my majors, in particular exploring the influence of those works in a modern, film watching, society.
I chose Douglass’ slave narrative because I enjoyed reading it and thought it provided some good visual opportunities that could translate well into film. I also think that his narrative has been widely influential and can still have a powerful impact on society today.
I chose Faust because I thought it would be interesting to try and adapt the play format into screenplay form. It’s already written for performance for an audience, but the play has only minimal scene description and stage direction. It fits the visual format while still providing a challenge for a more three dimensional adaptation.
I’ve already spent time examining the way Francis Ford Coppola adapted Heart of Darkness into the jungles of Vietnam for Apocalypse Now. When Coppola did so, he changed not only the setting, but also a lot of the characters and even the core of the story to some extent. I’m curious to see what a possibly more faithful period adaptation could look like, and what kinds of thing would have to change for film.
James, this is a great idea. I'm actually surprised no one has made a movie about Frederick Douglass. As you mention, each text has its own challenges. It should be interesting to see what you come up with. - MH
11 April 2014
Dafna Kaffeman
This morning we visited the David Owsley Museum of Art to hear Dafna Kaffeman talk about her art. Some of the pieces were past work, and some were original to this exhibit. Kaffeman uses a combination of glasswork and embroidery to talk about political and social issues in her home country of Israel. She combines the glass with silicon to make it more flexible, focusing much of her work on nature, with emphasis on insects and plants. She uses the contrast of invasive and indigenous plants to talk about the conflict over who is rightfully native to Israel.
She embroiders text in Arabic and Hebrew, choosing specific quotes that reveal the complex political and social tensions of the area. For one of her original works for this exhibit, she embroidered a lengthy bit of text quoting an Israeli man who felt he had been betrayed by the government. He participated in protests against the Israeli welfare system, and eventually lit himself on fire and died. She mixed the text with embroidered flowers and glass seeds and insects.
Another work she did for an exhibition in Germany focused on German Jews and their memories of insects and plants during World War Two. The most common memory involved a potato beetle, and how the Germans who were children at the time remembered picking the beetles off the leaves to try and save the plants.
As a different kind of artist, it’s always interesting to hear how other people work and what their process is. I’ve visited a lot of art museums, but it was a unique experience to get to hear a modern artist talk about her work in such a personal way.
28 March 2014
Freud and Dreams
I’ve talked about Freud in a lot of different ways in a lot of different classes. I always find it interesting that, though he is one of the least “scientific” figures of psychology, his ideas have somehow permeated every layer of our society. Generally, when we discuss Freud, it’s more about how his ideas can be seen in literature or film (as I’m a creative writing and telecommunications major), rather than the validity of the ideas themselves. Whether or not Freud’s ideas were right, and whether or not he provided scientific data to back them up, his work captured the imagination of enough people to make his ideas last.
This time, however, we discussed more of Freud himself and some specific examples of the way he interpreted dreams, rather than his overarching theories and how they have been interpreted. Dreams can be a intriguing window into the unconscious, as Freud says. On the other hand, I rarely remember my dreams. The ones I do remember are fairly straightforward, but the majority of the time, I can’t recall anything. It could be overall lack of sleep, or my very irregular schedule, I have no idea. Memory itself is a very complex and highly unreliable thing, and one of the more fascinating areas of psychology. I wonder how much of what Freud recalls of his dreams was actually part of the dream, and what kinds of things he misremembered, and what that could possibly say about his unconscious struggles? There are so many layers and filters to human perception that things can be easily distorted, but I suppose in order to do research, you have to pick something specific.
21 March 2014
Heart of Darkness
This week we presented on Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Overall I think it went pretty well, but I felt like there were definitely things I would have changed if we were to present again.
I thought the organization or at least the structure of giving background, then doing the simulation, then talking about the book worked really well. It made the most sense and I’d definitely structure the presentation that way again.
The base idea for the simulation I really liked, and I think it overall went pretty well. it could have used some testing though. I think it was more interesting and involving, and the applications were good. The tribe system and switch went pretty well, though we should have had some more specific instructions for people. Then the resource gathering went quite well from the standpoint that the people representing Africans got a good perspective on what colonization might have been like. We were hoping not to kill everyone off as quickly as it did, but there really was no way to know that ahead of time.
The conclusion and debriefing part of the simulation could have gone a lot better. Part of that was probably due to the fact that it’s a morning class and no one was awake enough to have much to say. I felt like we could have had more specific questions or points to address relating to the simulation and the overall experience that could have helped them get more out of it and transferred more smoothly into the last part of our presentation. The background section and PowerPoint overall I felt went fairly smoothly, though I might have asked for the class to think about how Conrad portrayed Africans before giving them examples rather than the other way around.
7 March 2014
Off the Hook
Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis’ use of a frame structure in his revisualization of the story of Adam and Eve removed the responsibility for the story from his shoulders. The frame puts the responsibility more on the storyteller within the narrative rather than on Assis himself. By setting the frame nearly two hundred years before his time, he removed himself even further from the controversial content of the story. The frame allowed him to write a controversial story while protecting himself from reprisals; however, it also reduces the impact of the story somewhat. The ending of the story, though, undermined his point even more. At the end of the story, the storyteller says that he actually doesn’t think that the story happened the way he described at all. Whether or not his character is sincere in that statement is open to debate, but he seems sincere enough to convince readers who want to believe him. And that ending, by stepping away and renouncing responsibility for the story, lets readers off the hook. By doing so, Assis, lets readers get away without truly feeling any of the impact the story can have, without really letting it set in. A lot of stories still do this, happy endings or uplifting endings that let readers walk away feeling happy and thinking about the good things or more likely moving on with their lives rather than making a lasting impact and leaving readers with relevant questions. I think Assis’ revision of the biblical tale has a lot of depth to it, but I think that the frame was perhaps overly cautious and undermined his points.
28 February 2014
A Doll’s House
A Doll’s House was a highly controversial play when Henrik Ibsen first published it in 1879. It is often taken in a feminist context, as the primary female character and protagonist breaks the social norms of the time. Although it undoubtedly raises questions of those norms and is critical of the inequality between men and women in the late nineteenth century, Ibsen claimed that he had not consciously written a feminist play. According to him, he was just describing humanity as realistically as possible.
As a writer, I have to appreciate Ibsen’s point here. I think it makes an even more powerful argument against inequality that he was trying to portray life realistically as well. At the time, many would have said that no real woman would act as Nora does in the play, but that is clearly not true. Women have shown themselves perfectly capable of being independent of men, though they still struggle for equality even in the twenty-first century.
When I write, I try to portray characters as realistically as possible, even if that means sometimes letting them make decisions that are different from what people expect from traditional stories. Everyone wants a happy ending, or if it is not happy, at least an ending that gives satisfaction and closure. If the hero dies, it has to be for some purpose. But life doesn’t always work that way, and I think it can often be more important to stay true to the humanity of a character and let them make the decision they would make, rather than forcing them into an unrealistic situation just to find closure.
A recent example of this is the video game The Last of Us, in which the protagonist makes a controversial decision at the end. It is a decision many people might disagree with, and not one you’d expect from a mainstream Hollywood story, or really any story. Yet it makes the most sense for that character, and is true to his humanity. Nora’s decision at the end of A Doll’s House was so controversial at the time that some people refused to perform it as written. Yet I think Ibsen did the right thing in staying true to Nora’s character, in that it was the decision she would have made.
21 February 2014
Tolstoy and Citizen Kane
As a telecommunications major, I found it interesting to draw similarities between Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. Though they were many years apart, and told through different mediums, in terms of story the two have a lot in common. Structurally, both begin with the death of the primary character. They then jump back in time and tell the story leading up to the beginning. There are some differences here as well. Tolstoy shows Ivan’s death from one of his friends’ perspectives, and then shows the rest of his life more from Ivan’s perspective. Citizen Kane does precisely the opposite, showing Kane’s death more from his perspective and then exploring the rest of his life through the anecdotes of his friends and enemies. Both serve a similar purpose, however, and both stories have close themes.
Both Ivan and Kane are wealthy, influential men who enjoy social life and have many “friends.” Both however also have an obsession with their work that far outdoes any caring for friends or family. Both men end life estranged from their wives. After their deaths, their “friends” mostly disappear, and it is clear that no one was really close to them. While Ivan comes to some realization of his failings in life, Kane’s last words recall the only thing he ever truly cared for: his old sled.
The similarities in these stories show that the questions Tolstoy raised about life, family, and work in the nineteenth century were still relevant almost one hundred years later, and I think they’re still relevant even today.
7 February 2014
Juxtaposition in Art
The discussion we had comparing the music to the pictures was quite intriguing. I felt the piece reflected the picture of the girl in the boat, because of the melancholy tones and softness. From my angle, which wasn’t the best, the girl seemed melancholy as well, and that matched with the water surrounding her and the drab blue/green colors. It almost looked like it was raining. However, the class was fairly evenly split between the paintings. I could see some justification for the others as well.
As a filmmaker, I have to match visuals to music all the time, and it was interesting to see a comparison of how other people imagined things. I saw it as what music I would put with that scene in a movie, and I matched same style, melancholy with melancholy. But it also can work to have variations, as seen by the other people’s interpretations. Sometimes it can be more effective to take advantage of the irony of matching contrasting music and visuals, either for comedic or emotional effect. I’ve experimented with this a fair amount, and it’s something I enjoy quite a bit. Playing Queen in Shaun of the Dead while they’re fighting a zombified bar tender made for a hilarious scene, while playing “It’s a Wonderful World” to scenes of violence during the Vietnam war in Good Morning Vietnam had a sobering effect. Either way, contrast can be as good as matching. It was just interesting to see it occurring naturally during our class.
31 January 2014
Faust
Though the story of Faust had been around for some time before Goethe adapted it to his own interests, he made some significant contributions to the tale. His characterization of Mephistopheles stands out, as he humanizes the devil's servant, making him frequently humorous and a bit sarcastic. Mephistopheles overshadows Faust as a more entertaining and even to a point a more likeable character. Then in his moments of frustration, particularly when Goethe switches to prose for a scene, Mephistopheles seems almost human. These subtle details complicate Mephistopheles as a character, deepening the reach of his part beyond that of a simple devil figure.
The second significant contribution Goethe makes to Faustian canon is the story of Gretchen. While Faust is typically considered a tragic hero, in Goethe’s version he is saved at the end. Gretchen, however, is not so lucky. In a way, Goethe’s version is more Gretchen’s tragedy than Faust’s. Gretchen’s story brings Faust’s faults to the forefront in a clear manner, displaying them in an entertaining story with action and scene rather than in a summary of legends. Gretchen is tricked by Faust and Mephistopheles, and falls for the former despite her hesitation regarding the latter.
24 January 2014
Books
While it can be better to experience things in person, books can be a more feasible opportunity for many. The line between imagination and perceived reality is blurry at best, but books can allow people to experience things in another manner, and gain experience and knowledge in an entertaining manner. There is too much in the universe for one person to experience in person in one lifetime, and books can offer a condensed experience that allows people to explore other worlds and alternate realities without leaving their couch. Movies do the same thing, in fact any story can serve this purpose. Video games are a more recent example of an immersive type of experience, and as graphics and sound design continue to improve they become more and more immersive.
Steam recently announced some major advances in virtual reality headsets, the sort of thing that was popular in movies and books in the 90s and early 2000s. According to them, consumers could be experiencing even more immersive virtual realities in abut a year. It may seem odd that humans are so obsessed with experiencing things virtually rather than in person, but it appears to be a pretty natural phenomenon. Survival is a primary requirement for humans, and self preservation dictates that it is safer to view a war from your living room than to actually participate in one. The experience is completely different, and understanding is fractional at best, but hopefully some appreciation for what war is like can be passed on through movies, books, and games. What becomes an issue is when these mediums do not represent experiences accurately. This can create false impressions and actually negatively impact audiences. Thus books can be a good way to experience the world, but be careful what you read.
17 January 2014
Freedom part 2
In her autobiographical slave narrative, Harriet Jacobs expresses some similar ideas about freedom as Douglass, but also outlines a different, gender specific freedom. She too wants to be free from slavery, free to do what she wants and live with her children. But she also wants to be free from the fear of sexual assault, something Douglass did not have to deal with. Fear can be a great limiter of freedom. It is the method by which terrorists seek to influence populations, and frequently restrict their freedoms.
Walt Whitman, who would seem to be a free white man, expresses another type of dream to be free in his poem, “Song of Myself”. While he does not have to deal with the rigors of slavery, he does grapple with the limits of a prudish Victorian society. He wishes to be free from those concerns and limitations, and the simplest manner of this expression is in the structure of his poems. Whitman breaks the traditionally rigid forms of poetry and writes in free verse, a rambling, loosely constructed style that fits his themes and ideals. He talks about sexuality and how he is happy in the wild, with the animals. Animals, he says, are carefree and happy in a simpler world than humans. While I agree with many of his statements on freedom from societal constrictions, I have to disagree with what seems to be an overly optimistic and almost naïve vision of nature. I also think that his separation of nature and humanity is a bit unrealistic, though a common assumption of the time period. Humans are just another species, and a part of nature as much as everything else. To separate us from the world we are part of often seems arrogant, and allows for the removal of responsibility in a frequently detrimental way.
10 January 2014
Freedom
In his autobiography, Frederick Douglass recounts his inner debates as he discovers the possibility of freedom. The idea to him is infectious and something he must achieve, or die. To many slaves, the idea of freedom was simply not being in slavery. To not have a master was to be free. Similarly to a prisoner the idea of being free simply means not being in prison. But as Douglass grapples with the idea of freedom, he shows that it is not always as simple as we would like to think.
To most Americans, The United States is a free country. But even here our freedoms are limited in many ways. A complex network of laws, some rather ambiguous and subjective, regulate our lives and control our actions. Beyond those is a layer of social control, where we are limited by fear of what others will think. The American economic system severely limits freedom in many ways. When America was young, it was possible for almost anyone to go into the wild and live a subsistence lifestyle, requiring no money or outside assistance. This was the freedom to be an individual and independent. It doesn’t exist much any more. Survival in this world almost always requires money. Money requires some kind of job, and that usually requires living up to someone else’s standards, limiting freedom and independence.
Freedom could be argued as the ability of a person to do as he or she desires, but in what is widely accepted as reality, there are always consequences. Thus this freedom that we all have is not realized for many people. Yes, a slave could probably hit his master back, but he would likely be killed for it. The consequences differ between different societies and different parts of societies, and thus freedom varies.