LEH-300 - FINAL EXAM

MICHELLE SEMPLE-KING  -  FINAL EXAM  LEH-300

 1)B

2) D

3) B

4) C

5) C

 6) B

 7) C

 8) B

 9) A

10) B

11) A

12) A

13) B

14) A

15) D

16) C

17) D

18) C

19) D

20) B

21) B

22) C

23) A

24) D

25) C

26) D

Walter Benjamin "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

                          Walter Benjamin "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

                 Ernst Junger and Walter Benjamin’s expressed their views on photography in somewhat divergent ways. Junger’s views tended to focus on the visual and perceptual examination of photography while Benjamin’s views had a more psychoanalytic focus. Vision the most frequently studied of our five senses is an important factor necessary for perception the process by which the brain organizes and interprets sensory information to take place.

                Junger describes photographs as standing outside the zone of sensitivity, visualized by an insensitive and invulnerable eye and having a telescopic quality. He further states that photographs grant us a peculiar way of seeing and is consequently an instrument of our peculiar nature. According to Junger we are able to detach our feelings because we do not look at photographs as closely associated to ourselves but only a medium which allows us to see details of things the naked eye would not enable us to see e.g. capturing a bullet in midflight and a man at the moment a bullet tears him apart. Technology’s fast pace he further states have made us so tolerant that it is as if we look at photographs with a fixed gaze that registers but does not really see and our eyes have been transformed into a neutral instrument that registers movement but with  an empty gaze.

                Junger states that because of this build up of tolerance for cruelty and subsequent  detachment from what we visualize, photography can be described as an expression of our peculiarly cruel way of seeing, which is ultimately a kind of “evil eye “or magical possession.

                Walter Benjamin on the other hand states that photographs allow us access to the optical unconscious because the camera introduces us to unconscious optics in the same way as psychoanalysis to unconscious impulses. “Psychoanalysis is a method of psychotherapy originally formulated by Sigmund Freud that emphasizes unconscious motives and conflicts.”  According to Benjamin when we look at photographs the eye is likely to encounter images that exceed its capabilities of reading. These images are not just mere representations but allow us to experience new image worlds that need interpreting in the same way that psychoanalysts interpret our unconscious selves.

QUIZ # 2- NIHILISM IN GERMANY

NIHILISM IN GERMANY

QUIZ # 2.   

1.1.  D- All of the above

1.2.  A - Article 48

1.3.  C - Social Democratic Party  (SPD)

1.4.  C - People.

1.5.  The three forms of domination (authority) that Weber speaks about are :
(1)Rational legal authority; 
(2)Traditional Authority
(3) Charismatic authority

Rational- Legal Authority:-" is the rule by legal statutes and administrative procedures. This type of authority depends for its legitimacy on formal rules and established laws of the state.Government officials are the best example of this form of authority."

Traditional Authority:- "is the rule by those considered traditional elites such as kings and is derived from established customs, habits and social structures. This type of power passes from one generation to another."
Charismatic Authority:-  "is rule by ‘gift of grace’ or when the leader claims that his authority is derived from a "higher power" (e.g. God or natural law or rights) or "inspiration",

1.6.   D - An organization that monopolizes the use of force in a territory.

1.7.   C - 1933

Nazism

The most captivating scene that caught my attention in the film “triumph of the will” was the scene at the rally, where stretching over a wide area are what appears to be  hundreds of thousands of followers of Hitler (soldiers/ Nazi party members) arranged in perfect symmetrical  rows and columns almost looking like a geometrical drawing arranged against a central backdrop of the German/Nazi flags and a wide central paved walkway. Down this walkway Hitler and two of his top officials strut as they survey the unending sea of humans swept up in the fanatical wave of adulation and praise of their beloved leader.
This scene of itself speaks of the unbelievable hold and control Hitler had over the German people. To stand in such perfect formation, took tremendous patience,discipline and concentration. One’s personal feelings or needs took a back seat to the praise and almost idol worship reserved for Hitler by his followers.Love and service to Germany and Hitler seemed to mean more to his followers than their own comfort and needs. Although when looked at against the backdrop of the hardships of the Germans in the not too distant past, this was hopefully an escape for the people; a chance to aspire to and actually believe that all of this was for the betterment of self and country.
I choose this scene because it speaks to me about how if people feel like they have lost all (have hit rock bottom) and there’is someone who appears saying all they want to hear, it is very easy to be caught up in the wave movement and loose the ability to think things through for oneself.

Weber- Politics as a vocation

“Whosoever contracts with violent means for whatever ends--and every politician does--is exposed to its specific consequences. This holds especially for the crusader, religious and revolutionary alike. Let us confidently take the present as an example. He who wants to establish absolute justice on earth by force requires a following, a human 'machine.' He must hold out the necessary internal and external premiums, heavenly or worldly reward, to this 'machine' or else the machine will not function. Under the conditions of the modern class struggle, the internal premiums consist of the satisfying of hatred and the craving for revenge; above all, resentment and the need for pseudo-ethical self-righteousness: the opponents must be slandered and accused of heresy. The external rewards are adventure, victory, booty, power, and spoils. The leader and his success are completely dependent upon the functioning of his machine and hence not on his own motives.”   “…Whoever wants to engage in politics at all, and especially in politics as a vocation, has to realize these ethical paradoxes. He must know that he is responsible for what may become of himself under the impact of these paradoxes...”

I choose these two excerpts from the speech because they highlight how political leaders in defense of their territories are legally allowed to use violence and force perpetuated by their followers against those resistant to their beliefs and causes. The price paid is not cheap, the “human machine “tasked with carrying out this mandate have to be adequately compensated since politics is their vocation and they will not give their support without reward.  Any person interested in pursuing politics as a vocation will be faced with this ethical dilemma; as such politics is not a vocation for the faint hearted individual.

How does Weber’s early writing on technical leadership, rationalization, and bureaucracy anticipate Junger’s later writings on technology? Weber in his speech and the excerpt noted above spoke of the “following, a human machine” driven by internal cravings for revenge and satisfying hatred and resentment against their perceived enemies. These followers, or human machines also thrive on the “adventure, victory booty, power and spoils” reaped from their perpetuation of violence. These followers operate like a well oiled, specialized machine.

In his writings Junger also speaks of the growing integration of technology in life and the growth of the lumpenproletariat, a mass of alienated, homeless persons who became the well oiled killing machines utilized by the Nazis. According to Junger “The masses kill with machines, they tear apart and trample underfoot; by contrast, the lumpenproletariat is directly familiar with the joys of torture. The masses are moved morally; they unite in situations of excitement and indignation. They must be convinced that the opponent is evil and that they are prosecuting justice against this evil. The lumpenproletariat is beyond moral valuations and thus always and everywhere ready to seize the opportunity, i.e., with every disturbance of the social order regardless of origin. The lumpenproletariat therefore functions beyond the more limited space of politics; instead, one must regard the lumpenproletariat as a kind of underground army reserve that the social order keeps on alert. “

Weimar Constitution

Article 37
“No member of Reichstag or of a Landtag may, without approval by the house the person in question is member of, for the term of session, be arrested or interviewed in the investigation of an punishable activity, unless the member was caught in the act or at least the day after.
The same approval is required for any other limitation of personal liberty which might harm the member's ability to fulfil his mandate.
Any criminal procedure against a Reichstag or Landtag member, any detention or otherwise limitation of his personal liberty will be, at the house's request, suspended for the duration of the legislative period.”

           Article 37 states that members of the general parliament (Reichstag) and the members of the provincial parliament (Landtag) who were elected for a term of four years could not be investigated or arrested for any suspected criminal offences during their term of office. The only way they could be arrested or investigated was if they were caught in the act or if the house (parliament) gave approval for this to occur. This approval was also necessary in the event of any action that could restrict their personal freedom and hence prevent the member from carrying out their duties as an elected member of the parliament. For all intents and purposes they were immune from punishment for any perceived or actual wrong doing committed during their tenure of office.

I choose this article because it shows how this provision could have and most probably worked against the then government as its members of the “Reichstag” could have used this immunity to carry on covert and subversive activities which eventually resulted in its demise.

Article 155
“ The distribution and usage of real estate is supervised by the state in order to prevent abuse and in order to strive to secure healthy housing to all German families, especially those with many children. War veterans have to be given special consideration in the homestead law to be written.
Real estate, the acquisition of which is necessary to answer the demand for housing, to promote settlement and cultivation of the soil and to elevate agricultural cultivation, may be expropriated. Fideicommissa are to be abolished.
The owner of the soil is obliged to the community to cultivate and exploit the soil. Any increase in the value of the real estate which does not result from the investment of labour or capital has to be made utilizable to the community.
All mineral wealth and all economically utilizable natural energy sources are under state supervision. Private rights are to be transferred into state property by the means of legislation.”

            Article 155 states that the state supervised the distribution and use of real estate as a means of ensuring that every German family had appropriate housing, especially large families with many children and war veterans. In order to achieve this, the government when necessary expropriated real estate for the public’s welfare and the good of the community. Private owners of land had to utilize their property in ways that ensured it also benefited the community and was not solely for their personal enrichment. In certain circumstances private property with mineral wealth and natural energy sources were taken over by the state.

I choose this article because it highlights the good intentions of the German government during that period. It shows that they genuinely wanted to alleviate the hardships and suffering of the people and to ensure that no one would be homeless.

German Revolution (1918-1919)

"The cessation of the class struggle was, therefore, a deplorably one-sided affair. While capitalist oppression and exploitation, the worst enemies of the working class, remain; socialist and labour union leaders have generously delivered the working class, without a struggle, into the hands of the enemy for the duration of the war. While the ruling classes are fully armed with the property and supremacy rights, the working class, at the advice of the social democracy, has laid down its arms."

This above excerpt taken from chapter (6) of Rosa Luxemburg’s Junuis Pamphlet seeks to expose how the members of the German working class were duped into giving up their struggle and losing in one fell swoop all that they had fought hard to achieve. The working class lead by their labor unions and socialist leaders, in the name of national unity and defense of the fatherland against the advancing enemy, voted in favor of the war credits necessary for the government to wage the war. The following quote  sealed the fate of the German people; “We are now facing the irrevocable fact of war. We are threatened by the horrors of invasion. The decision, today, is not for or against war; for us there can be but one question: by what means is this war to be conducted? Much, aye everything, is at stake for our people and its future, if Russian despotism, stained with the blood of its own people, should be the victor. This danger must be averted, the civilisation and the independence of our people must be safeguarded. Therefore we will carry out what we have always promised: in the hour of danger we will not desert our fatherland. In this we feel that we stand in harmony with the International, which has always recognised the right of every people to its national independence, as we stand in agreement with

the International in emphatically denouncing every war of conquest. Actuated by these motives, we vote in favour of the war credits demanded by the Government.”  
With the above words the people’s “leaders” gave away the people’s power, giving them up without further struggle into the hands of those controlling the system they had fought so long and hard against. The people were lead to believe that this war was a fight for their freedom and their existence as a nation.With this at stake, they were held captive in the clutches of the ruling classes who continued with their oppressive and exploitative ways,in reality sacrificing nothing compared to the what the people gave up. It was truly a one sided affair because the people gave up their struggle under the false pretext of defending their freedom and homeland and instead they were re-enslaved by their own ruling class.

I choose this passage because it really struck a chord with me and shows so much similarity with today’s world political systems. Today as back then the working class people are still the ones giving up the most and being betrayed by the people whom they choose as their leaders and representatives.

MIDTERM:

QUESTION:   (5)  How are technology and the technological organization of life a response to nihilism according to Junger? How is the integration of technology and humanity negatively depicted in Dada art?

   Technology and the technological organization of life is a response to nihilism according to Junger in that people constantly rely on modern day technology. The influence of technology  has made many changes throughout the world and some of this is seen in Dada art. The merging of technology with humanity is negatively depicted in Dada art. Technology changes the world that we live in and most importantly the role of humans in society, and how we interact in relationship to it.
     It is a response to nihilism according to Junger in that people have begun to rely on technology  more, rather than hiring people for each one’s individual values, for instance.  This is seen in the quote Junger in which he states, “…as can be observed wherever the training of a man as a type rather than as an individual…” (p.21). People are hired because they belong to a certain group, they become valued more for the potential of their skill rather than their individuality. This quote relates to technology in that the computer scientist would know more about technology as compared to a baker. What would a baker know about BIOS systems, programming and the like.  Technology has expanded almost exponentially and has sort of encapsulated everything that we as humans cannot do. It has the ability of doing things more efficiently and even faster than humans can. They are capable of doing calculations in a couple of seconds, even the ones that are more complex, while it may take the average mathematician a few hours to solve it. Another example of this is the invention of war machinery such as machine guns, airplanes, and missiles.  As stated by junger, “… manned planes… constructed as airborne missiles, which from great heights can dive down to strike with lethal accuracy the nerve centers of enemy resistance”(p.18). In essence technology makes us more adpet at waging war on each other. Additionally, the integration of technology and humanity are negatively depicted in Dada art in that technology changed around many things.
           The integration of technology and humanity is negatively depicted in Dada art. Technology has improved so much it has been taking over the role of humans in their careers. Junger states, “...the growing objectification of our life appears most distinctly in technology,…Technology is our uniform” (p.31).  Junger is trying to point out that technology has become a part of our daily lives. It has been replacing the “human factor” in many places because it is more efficient and leaves room for the ever present human error. This is also present on modern warfare. Junger also claims that the, “the increasing mobility of battle operations, which our technological age strives to achieve in the construction of new war machinery, promises not only a renewal of strategic operations but also heralds the rise of a more hardened and invulnerable type of soldier…”(p.35). Technological organizations have been improving their equipment for combat trying to minimize the risk of getting hurt to the soldier. Indeed they strive to create these new “technological” soldiers. During Dadaism art has portrayed the technical improvements and inventions that were occurring during that period of time. In that period of time; equipment for war was being invented and photography and painting became popular in those days. Photos displayed damages of the war, and paintings displayed the enhancement of technology. Most of the artists of that time, around the 1920’s, most of the paintings consist of some type of technology in it. Technology is negatively depicted in that technology is slowly taking the place of human values. Since technology  has been improving as seen in Dada art, it has even taken over the human mind, as seen in the painting “Dada Siegt”, by Raoul Hausmann.
           In the modern world, technology has improved so much that one cannot live without technology. It is easy to take for granted how much we owe to technology. Every day when we step out our doors we step into a technological world. Even when it comes to career jobs, hirees are judged based on “type”, rather than as an individual. Technology has become so accurate that machinery can do the job of what a human used to do. In addition, technology and humanity have both been negatively depicted in Dada art because most of the paintings during that era display that technology will soon win over the human mind.   

MIDTERM:

QUESTION:  (3) Explain the various stages of development that Siddhartha goes through. How effective is Siddhartha's philosophy of detachment as a response to nihilism?

ANSWER: Siddhartha's main goal was finding his true self through the process of experiencing life for himself.

      He believed that in order for him to do this he had to experience, life for himself. As he stated this was not  something that others could teach him. Siddhartha embarked on a journey of self discovery,he leaves his Brahman beliefs, his family and everything he has ever known in life in his quest for enlightenment. During this  journey he passed through three stages; these  three stages were the stage of the mind; the stage of the flesh and the stage of transcendence.
    Siddhartha begins the stage of the mind by leaving home and his family,he sets out to let his "self " die or escape from the world and person he knew himself as. He goes to live with the ascetic Samanas and gives up all material possessions, as he tries to flee his own body and control his needs.  according to Hermann Hesse,  “…a goal stood before Siddhartha …to become… dead to himself, not to be a self anymore…”(p. 5).  After some time                      Siddhartha even leaves  the Samanas as he realizes that they too do not have the answers he seeks. Siddhartha realised that the Samanas didn’t believe in anything but losing one’s senses and that Atman was a belief that exits within every person and even creatures.
    Siddhartha journeys to a town where he is moved by the beauty of the courtesan Kamala as she enters her grove in a sedan, here began the stage of the flesh.  He is intrigued by the woman and asks her to teach him the arts of love. According to Hesse, "...Kamala laughs and says that she receives only those young men who approach her in fine clothes and shoes, with scent in their hair and money in their purses..." Kamala finds out that Siddhartha can read and write, she takes him to the businessman Kamaswami, who will help him "..to acquire the tokens necessary for entrance into her garden of pleasure..."  Kamala serves as a temporary distraction to Siddhartha as he becomes caught up in the pleasures of the world and the flesh. He worked with Kamaswami and lived with kamala who eventually unknown to him bore him a son. After a decade he leaves the stage of the flesh behind and goes back to the river where he lives out the remainder of his life with the ferryman.
     The stage of transcendence occurs wile he is living by the river; In the river, Siddhartha sees images come together, just as he hears voices come together.  Here,  according to Hesse "...He saw that the water continually flowed and flowed and yet it was always there, it was always the same and yet every moment it was new."  The river can be everywhere at the same time.  Only the present means anything to the river, not the past or the future. Transcendence occured when the inner voice that has guided Siddhartha thus far surges out and becomes boldly manifest in this river, which, far more than simply water, is the voice of life itself.  
     Siddhartha’s philosophy of detachment as a response to nihilism is effective in that he decided to detach himself of everything that was the accepted norms in his life. He challenged everything that was accepted as being right .Siddhartha’s philosophy of detachment as a response to nihilism is that he decides to leave everything behind him, and go on a quest to seek his own truth. Much the same as Nihilism challenged the accepted beliefs and norms of life.

Pain

Passage: In war, when shells fly past our bodies at high speeds, we sense clearly that no level of intelligence, virtue, or fortitude is strong enough to deflect them, not even by a hair. To the extent this threat increases, doubt concerning the validity of our values forces itself upon us. The mind tends toward a catastrophic interpretation of things wherever it sees everything called into question. (pp. 5-6)

Otto Dix




Pain makes us more aware of how human we are. No matter how successful we may be, no matter how generous, or how bad, pain reminds us that at any instant we may lose the one thing that we value the most, our lives. Being in danger, such as war makes us even aware of this situation. Adrenaline courses through your body as you concentrate on just making it out alive. Your heart beats faster, sweat breaks out on your brow, and you become even more aware of you surroundings. The most common reason that people seek out plastic surgery is so that they can appear younger and more rejuventaed, staving off, well at least in their minds the effects of aging. Old Age and death are ideas which scare most people, because they cannot be put off, they are inevitable. As we go through our daily lives we cringe at stories of car accidents, murders etc. because it reminds us of our own mortality. In this passage it encapsulate just this idea. War is something that we are confronted with, and cannot cringe away from. When "the shells fly past our bodies" we are confronted there and then of how little it takes for us to die. The bullet will not miss us on account of our virtue, or how rich we are, nothing will stop it from coming. How are we supposed to exist if at any minute, any day, any hour we can die. Such things as these makes us call into question our own existence, because if at any moment we can lose our lives then what is the point in living?

This drawing by Otto Dix encapsulates these thoughts precisely, because in it there is an air of desperation that he capture in this. Everything has a dark and somber mood as we see how human life has been so thus reduced to rotting corpses and skeletons stuck in the mud. Here is this place that is so devoid of any stirring of life, there is no hopeful light in the horizon, but neutral and dark tones and colors. Dix shows how life can be there one moment and then gone the next, just like a landscape that constantly changes, and changes.

Neither the reality of a single night nor even of a person's entire life can be equated with the full truth about his innermost being (pg. 98). This quote seeks to shed light on how Fridolin and Albertine's seemingly happy marriage to the outside world had become so mundane and lacking in passion that to add some sense of excitement and variety they choose to reveal their secret sexual fantasies.
As they listen to each other's fantasies, feelings of insecurities and betrayals surface. They both admit that for one night of passion in their fantasies they are willing and ready to give up everything in their lives. Fridolin feels so betrayed and angry that he leaves the house ostensibly to visit with the family of a patient who has just died. However, instead of doing this he wanders the street looking for actual sexual encounters, which he actually never consummates.
In the end he confesses what he has been up to when upon returning home, he finds his wife sleeping with the mask he wore to an orgy the night before, on the pillow beside her. Albertine listens quietly, comforts him, assuaging his guilt, and agreeing to let bygones be bygones. They move on with their lives pledging to be faitful and glad that they had survived this bump in their marriage's path. Fridolin verbalizes the aforementioned quote, which in essence really states that what we see as the outward trappings or appearances of a person's life does not really represent the entirety of an individual's life. There is a lot that lies below the surface of what is actually visible to the observer. I chose this quote because it represents what is the reality of human life. What we see outside is sometimes a far cry from what is actually the innermost reality.

Themes emerging from The Blue Angel and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari

Themes emerging from The Blue Angel and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari

The three themes dealt with hereafter are control, love, and madness. Prof Rath is portrayed at the beginning of the film as a snobby middleclass man who demands order and rigidly control all around him. He has a short-tempered and always believes that he is right yet is often far-removed from the truth; this is evident in his perpetual blaming of Angst for the other students’ pranks. We see a similar controlling individual in Dr Caligari. He wields control over Cesare who seems to be unable or unwilling to do otherwise. Both films expressed the desire of man to control his life and surroundings and, people. We see this evident in Prof Rath’s exercise of control over his students and his attempts to control Lola who refuses to yield to the conventional norms. Dr. Caligari’ control of Cesare is more sinister because he is used for profitable gain and perhaps, even murderous intent. Lola’s rejection of Prof Rath’s control, the Magician’s accommodating of Prof Rath’s students and Dr Caligari’s murderous control of Cesare among others relate to nihilism because they reflect an indifferent view to the moral code of the day. And we know that there was a moral code especially among the middleclass because Prof Rath refers to himself as a “man of honor” and also in the scene where Francis reaches out to Alan encouraging him to hold on to the friendship even though they were rivals for the love of Jane.

In fact, it is for love of women that plunges these seemingly respectful men into darkness. Prof Rath falls hard for a seductress; she made no attempts at modesty. Yet though Prof Rath claims that he should leave because he’s a man of honor, he was unable to do so for quite a while. Actually, it was quite interesting that he went to the Blue Angel to find and bring his students from such depravity. However, this first visit was instrumental in his downward spiral as he clashed with his rational and irrational self. On the other hand, Jane in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was chaste and pure as evident in her depiction in the flowing white gown at the beginning. Nonetheless, she was pursued by two friends, one of whom was murdered- perhaps by Francis (even though he tells the story pointing the finger at Cesare). These men believed in the traditional concept of love; however, even though Lola marries Prof Rath, she refuses to conform to the conventional behavior befitting a wife of a middleclass professor.

Could it be the love for the women that drives these men to madness? Prof Rath is reduced to a much less the man who he was in the beginning and is the butt of the joke or used for the audience’s amusement- he is regaled to the role of clown. Meanwhile, Francis turns out to be a patient in the asylum. Did he murder his friend and was driven to madness? Could this be why he fantasized about love for Jane- it’s not clear since Jane turned out to be a patient in the asylum as well…along with Cesare- who died in Francis’s retelling of the story. This descent into darkness reflects man’s challenge in dealing with his irrational self. Remarkably, Prof Rath survives this cocooned aspect of his life by emerging as a changed man. However, Francis remains uncured in the film. This tells us that not all of us survive challenging times.  

Quiz 1

1. What is nihilism? Is it correct to say that it is the belief in nothing?
It is correct to say that nihilism is essentially the belief in nothing. According to nihilistic opinions life is without meaning and purpose. Nietzsche characterizes it as emptying the world and especially human existence of meaning and purpose, derived from his perception that knowledge is always bounded by human perception and never unbiased. 


2. What are the differences between Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian values according to Nietzsche? Which values does he believe are better for living a full and healthy life and why?
The modern man expresses "hostility"  for those willing to impose rank and dare to strive for greatness. This is inherited from Judeo-Christian moral systems. Nietzsche viewed the Greco-Roman value system as a hope against a meaningless system. He thus believed that the Greco-Roman system was better for living  a full and healthy life having brought forth productive human beings, due to a supportive culture, who proved individual merit, but did not try to outstrip each other.


3. Why is Dada art so pessimistic and bizzare? What groups in Germany society where Dada artists trying to discredit and undermine?
Dada art is so "pessimistic and bizarre" because it is meant to be that way. The artists behind the Dada movement wanted their works to defy social notions of beauty and order; going against the norm. They sought to discredit the German military class, middle class, and working class because none of these classes had done anything much to resist the war and the further descent of society into brutality and savagery. 


4. How many jobs does Dr. Caligari have in the film?
  Caligari is the villain of the story, and also the head of an insane asylum.


5. Why does Siddhartha leave his father?
Siddhartha left his father because he wanted to experience life for himself, and in the process find his true self. He felt that all the knowledge and teaching he had acquired up to that point in his life meant nothing without putting that knowledge to practical use. He felt there was more to life than acquiring knowledge. 


6.  How does Cesare "die" in the film?
After deciding to kidnap Jane instead of killing her he is pursued by the townsfolk, dying of exhaustion at the end of the chase. 


7. Why is the river so important to Siddhartha at the end of the novel?
Siddhartha identifies the river with Brahman, "it contains everything and does not exist in time." The river helps  him to appreciate the way everything is unified; being that the "river" is not just an idea but something that is real. It symbolizes completeness; good bad everything that is part of life. 

SIDDHARTHA

SIDDHARTHA

“The oneness of the world cannot be expressed in language because language cannot properly describe experience as you actually experience it, which is why it cannot be taught, which echoes what Siddhartha said in his encounter with the Buddha earlier:”

“I’m not kidding. I’m telling you what I’ve found. Knowledge can be conveyed, but not wisdom. It can be found, it can be lived, it is possible to be carried by it, miracles can be performed with it, but it cannot be expressed in words and taught. This is what I as a young man, sometimes suspected, what has driven me away from the teachers.”

What this passage seeks to explain is the difference between “wisdom” and “knowledge.” It tells us that while knowledge is communicable, something that can be taught and we can learn from another person, wisdom is not so. Wisdom is a characteristic which can only be acquired through personal experiences we encounter daily as we live. No one can teach us wisdom or how to achieve wisdom. With wisdom comes a better understanding of life and the ability to choose wisely and take advantage of the things in life that are good for us.

            I choose this passage because it speaks to me on a personal level. I grew up with a familiar quote ringing in my ears every time I did something that resulted in a negative consequence, my grandmother would say “experience teaches wisdom, you’ll learn!” I learned from an early age that this was indeed so and that in order for this to really occur everyone has to experience life for themselves. Of special note is the fact that even though several persons may be exposed to the same situation the way each person experiences it can be different and hence wisdom and what is the end result is different for each individual.

Otto Dix was born in 1891during a time of upheaval in German society, and is best known for depicting the harsh realities of this time in his work, a prominent figure in the German Expressionist Movement. Some of his more famous work which depict the brutality and horors of war stem from his experience as a soldier in World War 1. Although he is known for these kind of depictions, he also had started working with portraiture. His portraits are also known for de-emphasizing the strenghts and good nature of his subjects, but rather bringing out their faults and turning the portrait into something more of a cariacature.
He switches his style after the second World War. Unlike his previous paintings these try to reduce the horror of the aftermath of that time through religion. Confronted with this paradox, and which side he should be on Dix does not really commit to any of the styles.At the end of his life he continued painting religious allegories, landscapes and portraits.

1. Collapsed Trenches, 1924

My intial reaction to this picture, was that this seemed a very nightmarish world. The absense of color in it accentuates that fact and draws the onlooker even closer. The rotted skeleton of dead trees looms over the landscape like sentinels  watching over the chaos down below. However, I soon become aware of the skeletons, limbs and bodies that are strewn around in the collapsed trenches. This image has a haunting quality because not only does it show the devastation, it emphasizes it too. Here man melds with the torn apart landscape, their lives reduced to becoming rotting corpses and limbs on an anonymous battlefield.










2. Flanders, 1934

From research I have learned that this pictured depicts the battlefield where three devastating battles were fought. Here, he presents the aftermath of the battles where the bodies of the soldiers lie scattered about in the rest of the carnage. Tents lay trampled and destroyed as both bodies and articles of war melt into the muddy landscape.However, instead of this being such a nightmarish scene as the previous picture the presence of the sunset indicates that he may want to onlooker to think of it differently. The colors are muted and soft, not dark and intense and casts a hazylike quality over the scene. He is putting to rest the victims who lie in the field, their bodies which will soon rot and meld with the mud. He wills the onlooker to hope that the same way the sunsets on this battlefield, so it will set on the war.

3. Three Prostitutes on the Street, 1925

There is a rift between the women, albeit they are all prostitutes. The one on the left walks by, her nose in the air and holding a little dog in her arm with obvious disdain for the two women. The one in the middle stands somewhat to the side unscrupulously  showing off what she has to offer.The other stands a bit to the side wrapped up in her coat, her haggard looking face the only thing that we see peeking out from under her hat. All three women work the "system" and its obvious that while it may work for one the others do not fare as well.