Modernism:
What does 'The Wasteland' mean?
1) how has it been interpreted? (cite examples)
2)what are some of the key features
3) In what way has it been influential
Post-Modernism
1) What common qualities do 'the beats' share? Why 'beats'?
2) How is beat poetry linked to rap?
3) How was Bob Dylan's 'Masters of War' involved in controversy during the Bush administration?
4) On what grounds was 'Howl' accused of being obscene - grounds for the defense?
5) What kind of protest song/rap other media have come out in the last decade? Is there a spirit of protest anymore?
What does 'The Wasteland' mean?
1) how has it been interpreted? (cite examples)
2)what are some of the key features
3) In what way has it been influential
Post-Modernism
1) What common qualities do 'the beats' share? Why 'beats'?
2) How is beat poetry linked to rap?
3) How was Bob Dylan's 'Masters of War' involved in controversy during the Bush administration?
4) On what grounds was 'Howl' accused of being obscene - grounds for the defense?
5) What kind of protest song/rap other media have come out in the last decade? Is there a spirit of protest anymore?
My answer to:
ReplyDeleteWhat does 'The Wasteland' mean?
1) How has it been interpreted? (cite examples)
2) What are some of the key features
Merriam Webster dictionary (2017) defines ‘wasteland’ as; 1) (a) barren or uncultivated land example; a dessert wasteland. 2) An ugly or devastated or uninhabitable place or area. 3) Something (such as a way of life) that is spiritually or emotionally arid and unsatisfying.
“T.S Eliot’s The Wasteland has been regarded as one of the most important modern poems. The work addresses modernity and the lost connection to high culture and fine art. Eliot’s concept of utopia was rapidly drifting even as he created this piece.” (Monay, 2016)
The poem has been known to perplex even the most competent of readers. This is because throughout the poem Eliot uses rhyming schemes from Old English literature and this makes people who read the poem feel alienated. The literature that Eliot refers to is from various cultures some that even foreign languages.
“The use of a variety of works created what Pericles Lewis calls a “collage of poetic fragments to create the sense of speaking for an entire culture in crisis.” Eliot challenged the audience to critically analyse the poem in hopes of sparking a connection to a dying tradition.” (Monay, 2016)
Shortly after the poem was published it became recognised as a major statement to modernist poetics, the reasons for this were because Eliot’s use of broad symbolic significance and formal techniques, that other modernist poets had not yet attempted, were highly respected.
“The critic I. A. Richards influentially praised Eliot for describing the shared post-war “sense of desolation, of uncertainty, of futility, of the groundlessness of aspirations, of the vanity of endeavour, and a thirst for a life-giving water which seems suddenly to have failed.” Eliot later complained that “approving critics” like Richards “said that I had expressed ‘the disillusionment of a generation,’ which is nonsense. I may have expressed for them their own illusion of being disillusioned, but that did not form part of my intention.” – (Lewis. n.d).
References:
Monay, D. (2016, September 17). Modernism and “The Waste Land” – The Humanities Index [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://humx.org/modernism-and-the-waste-land-36fae9390498
Lewis, P. (n.d). The Waste Land - Modernism Lab Essays. Retrieved from http://modernism.research.yale.edu/wiki/index.php/The_Waste_Land
(Continuing from previous post)
ReplyDeleteJust realised that I haven't referenced parts of the poem. So here are some examples of how it has been interpreted.
Joshi (2013) interpreted that the poem has parts that are “savage” and they bare the brutish and primitive nature that humans shared with our ancestors.
For example:
“Endeavours to engage her in caresses
Which still are unreproved, if undesired.
Flushed and decided, he assaults at once;
Exploring hands encounter no defence;
His vanity requires no response,
And makes a welcome of indifference. “
Joshi (2013) also says; “the poem is startlingly personal and romantic in parts though the romance is perhaps an unfulfilled tragedy”
e.g;
“You gave me hyacinths first a year ago;
They called me the hyacinth girl.”
—Yet when we came back, late, from the Hyacinth garden,
Your arms full, and your hair wet, I could not
Speak, and my eyes failed, I was neither
Living nor dead, and I knew nothing,
Looking into the heart of light, the silence.”
The poem also has parts that may bring to the reader’s mind, images from their childhood nightmares;
“And bats with baby faces in the violet light
Whistled, and beat their wings
And crawled head downward down a blackened wall.”
The assortments of different allusions that Eliot uses in the poem evoke an idea that there’s a continuum of human thought being expressed, throughout the poem.
Reference:
Joshi, A. (2013, 7th December 2013). What is so great and influential about TS Eliot's poem The Waste Land?. [Weblog]. Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/What-is-so-great-and-influential-about-T-S-Eliots-poem-The-Waste-Land
What kind of protest song/rap other media have come out in the last decade? Is there a spirit of protest anymore?
ReplyDeleteOver the last decade, an instrumental amount of rap songs with the underlying theme of protest have been produced, evidently, these protest type rap songs have emerged more frequently in the last 5 or so years, due to the circumstances of events happening and occurring in the United States, including the presidency of Donald Trump, as well as the police brutality against the black community (Johnson II, 2011). I’m specifically going to be focusing on the rap music created within the last couple years, across 2015/16/17, however before doing so, it is important to note that protest type songs have been released since even before the 70s and 80s, not just specifically within the black community and rap music, but ultimately, across all genres, discussing a broad number of issues (LeVine, 2015).
For example, we can look at a song like “Hurricane,” by Bob Dylan, where he discusses boxing champion Rubin Carter’s illegitimate jail time for crimes he didn’t commit. In fact across his career, Bob Dylan wrote many “protest” type songs including, “Blowing in the Wind,” and “The Times They Are A-changing” and even “Masters of War.” We can flash forward to the 70s, and discuss John Lennon and his works such as “Imagine” or even The Pixies, “Monkeys go to Heaven.” We can even flash-forward some more to the early 2000s, and cite bands like Green Day, with songs like “Wake me up when September ends,” or “Holiday,” or even “21 Guns" (The Rolling Stone, 2014). This is a clear demonstration that the theme of protest in music is prevalent across all genres, but across all decades as well.
Focusing now on rap music that came out of 2015/2016, one of the most influential artists we can look at is Kendrick Lamar, who’s work I’ll be analyzing. Ultimately, Kendrick’s most common theme in his protest songs is in relation to the black lives matter movement, however he does discuss other common world issue topics as well. In 2015 he released the song “King Kunta,” which is an angry rant of sorts that discusses many topics within the world and his community. He first discusses drug culture across the world and how there are drug trades happening openly and freely, because people with high power aren’t stopping it; “…the yam is the power that be, you can smell it when I’m walking down the street.” The term “yam,” is slang for both cocaine and power. He also talks about Richard Pryor and Bill Clinton who were both victims of drug abuse and political leaders, here Kendrick almost correlates social power and drug culture together, by relating it to world leaders, and almost indicates that drug use is almost praised. During the song, Kendrick also discusses the complications that occur within the rap music industry, including “ghost writing,” where raps are written by an unidentified author, with credits going to the artist, as well as the subject of lacking in originality of content produced; “But most of you share bars like you got the bottom bunk in a two man cell.” He also discusses how a number of rappers are in the industry for the purpose of money making, and not interested in influencing the world; “If I got a brown nose for some gold, then I’d rather be a bum than a motherfuckin’ baller.” At the end of the song he even states; “I remember when you was conflicted, misusing your influence,” stating that rap artists have the ability to change the world, and influence the younger generations, however that is not their intentions. Other protest songs by Kendrick include; “Freedom," "Alright,” “Loyalty,” and “Humble."
Other rap artists including Jay-Z, Childish Gambino, Vic Mensa, Schoolboy Q, Dr Dre, J Cole, and more (The Village Voice, 2016). If you search it up, really the list of rap artists indicating some form of protest in their songs is incredibly long and detailed. Clearly there are substantial amounts of evidence that there is still a clear spirit of protest in not just rap, but in music generally across all genres.
DeleteReferences
Dylan, B. (1963). Masters of War. In The freewheeling Bob Dylan. US: Special Rider Music
Johnson II, M. L. (2011). A historical analysis: The evolution of commercial rap music. Florida State University Libraries. Retrieved from http://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:181781/datastream/PDF/view
Lamar, K. (2015). Humble. To Pimp a Butterfly. US: Top Dawg Entertainment
LeVine, M. (2015). When art is the weapon: Culture and resistance confronting violence in the post-uprisings Arab world. Religions, 6(4), 1277-1313. doi:10.3390/rel6041277
The Rolling Stone. (2014, December 3). Readers' poll: The 10 best protest songs of all time | Rolling stone. Retrieved from http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/readers-poll-the-10-best-protest-songs-of-all-time-20141203
Schwartz, D. (2016, July 8). The 10 best hip hop protest songs since the Trayvon Martin shooting. Retrieved from http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/the-10-best-hip-hop-protest-songs-since-the-trayvon-martin-shooting-news.22741.html?gallery=10
The Village Voice. (2016, December 21). The 50 best protest songs of 2016 | Village voice. Retrieved from https://www.villagevoice.com/2016/12/21/the-50-best-protest-songs-of-2016/
Question 5:
ReplyDeleteThere have been many songs and raps that have come out in the last decade. The ones I will focus on have come out in the past few years and have been contributing towards the Black Lives Matter movement. There have been lots that have been protesting about different things in general but on of the ones that has made a big impact would be Beyoncé’s album Lemonade. This album was made up of songs that represented what it was like to be and African American women in todays society.
There have been specific moments where she has protested that are particularly well known. As shown in this photo above. This performance at the super bowl was a very controversial one as all the back up dancers were dressed as black panthers. This sent a very big message out to the Americans and the world watching, that what was going on wasn’t right and it needed to be acknowledged by everyone. I think the song that was most recognized as a very striking political statement was her song ‘Freedom.’ Before the song started there was an interlude called ‘forward’ this pictured mothers of Black men Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner and Michael Brown whose deaths were highly controversial and started the Black Lives Matter movement. The mothers were seen holding pictures of their sons during the video. This was probably one of the most noticeable acts of protests she’s done, it showed that she stood with the parents and the movement. (Spanos, B and Grant, S. 2016)
The song’s lyrics read “Freedom! Freedom! I can’t move, Freedom, cut me loose! Freedom! Freedom! Where are you? Cause I need freedom to!” The fact that one of the most influential women of the last decade is now addressing this problem means that the problem is being recognized by someone who has the platform available to her to get information out to the world.
Another example is Miguel’s song “How Many” this song was written in response to the police shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Philando Castile outside the Twin Cities. This song is a protest against how police have been treating the Black communities and how they will shoot without hesitation into the situation. The key lyric in ‘How Many’ goes “Im tired of human lives turned into hashtags and prayer hands, im tried of watching murderers get off.” (Spanos, B and Grant, S. 2016)
Spanos, B. & Grant, S, (2016) Songs of Black Lives Matter: 22 new protest anthems. Rolling Stones. Retrieved from: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/songs-of-black-lives-matter-22-new-protest-anthems-20160713/beyonce-feat-kendrick-lamar-freedom-20160713
I love that you talked about Beyonce's lemonade, although not particularly a fan of hers, I find the song, and music video incredibly thought provoking. Her sister Solange Knowles, also did the same thing when she released the song "Hair" which is about African American's woman hair, and how throughout history white people used to make fun of black people hair, calling it nappy hair, and mocking corn rows and braids, whereas now, its almost a trend to have cornrows, and wear wigs and have afros, thanks to Hollywood celebrities like Kylie Jenner. Although, its deemed incredibly racist to not be black and have cornrows, or dreads, and I love that she addresses that, but also educates people in history in the process.
DeletePost Moderninsm Q.4
ReplyDeleteOn what grounds is Howl accused of being obscene? - grounds for the defence
Howl, a poem published by Allen Ginsberg in his 1956 collection titled 'Howl and Other Poems' is notable for being considered an obscene work of literature, particularly in the time period for which is was published. (Chandler, 2017)
The work was 'riddled' with references to sexuality, both heterosexual and homosexual, drug use, rock and roll and spoke frankly about counterculture and commented negatively upon the the 1950's American lifestyle.
It was considered obscene and of incredible bad taste by many at the time. Norman Podhoretz, a notable literary critic condemned the work for “its glorification of madness, drugs and homosexuality, and . . . its contempt and hatred for anything and everything generally deemed healthy, normal or decent.” (Miles, 2010 pg. 533) Podhoretz notably had very little time for the Beat generation, having written scathing reviews on Jack Kerouac, author of On the Road (at the same time as Howl was written) and one of the founders (along with Ginsberg) of the Beat Generation.
The book was banned in the United States due to it’s “indecency”. In 1957, the publisher, fellow beat poet Lawrence Ferglinghetti was arrested on ‘obscenity charges’ in San Francisco for selling a copy of ‘Howl and Other Poems’ to an undercover police officer.
During the time period, the censorship of the beat literates was rife, counterculture was considered vile and dirty by much of the population, particularly in the USA. Due to the exclusive nature of common culture in that many people can very easily become disenfranchised with, counterculture gives people that exist outside of the regular philosophy a voice and a platform.
During the 1957 trial of Ferlinghetti, nine literary expert witnesses were brought on to determine whether or not the poems’ writing was considered ‘obscene’. (Chandler, 2017) The defence rested on proving that while the poem was contentious in terms of topic, the subtext and underlying messages place the poem in a position of literary importance. The trial itself was a significant way to prove this, the poem only gained popularity due to all the controversy surrounding it. (Bergstedt, 2011)
"The battle of censorship will not be settled by your honor's decision, but you will either add to liberal-educated thinking, or by your decision you will add fuel to the fire of ignorance. Let there be light. Let there be honesty. Let there be no running from non-existent destroyers of morals. Let there be honest understanding." (Elrich in Bergstedt, 2011)
Ultimately, the court ruled that the book was not obscene and publication ensued once more. An ultimate act of the first amendment, the right to freedom of speech is exercised here and the court ruled both in favour of the constitution and of the liberal beat counterculture.
References:
Bergstedt, N. (2017). With Banned Books Week, consider ‘Howl’. Grand Rapids Herald-Review. Retrieved 11 June 2017, from http://www.grandrapidsmn.com/with-banned-books-week-consider-howl/article_da99abd8-e634-11e0-b287-001cc4c03286.html
Chandler, A. (2017). Looking Back at “HOWL” and the Obscenity Trial. Tablet Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2017, from http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/113218/howl-and-the-obscenity-trial
Miles, B. (2010). Ginsberg (1st ed.). London: Virgin.
Oppenheimer, D. (2017). When Norman Podhoretz Spent the Night With Allen Ginsberg. Tablet Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2017, from http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/196892/norman-podhoretz-allen-ginsberg
Q5. Where is the Love by, By Black Eye Peas
ReplyDeleteThis song was mainly a political statement in response to the 9/11 attack and how it was calling the US to withdraw from Iraq. In the making of the song, one of the singers from the group, Taboo suggested that not only they were making this song about the awareness of terrorism but adding other political issues as well that are visible in this society like racism, police brutality, inequality between rich and poor etc. The song was made to uplift people who have fears of the evil world around them and making them have hope that it’s going to get better someday when we all stop with the hate.
Will.I. AM who is the lead singer of the group stated that the inspiration behind their music was the tragic event happening around the world. "I remember when the attack in Paris happened, people would say 'We need 'Where Is The Love?' again.' And then Belgium happened, and then Turkey, and then Orlando, and then Philando, and then Alton before him, and then Dallas," he said. "Everyone was calling on us, like, we need that song again."
Up to this day the song was sung in the Manchester One Love concert in the awakens of the terror attack outside of Ariana’s concert in Manchester, which raised about $3 million dollars for the victims of the suicide bombing. Proven that this song unites people of different races, religion, and genders together. It is also timeless as well.
References
DeleteGoogle Play Music, (n.d.). Where is the love by Black Eye Peas. Retrieved by https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tjqh2l256arxfqu6yh5czytcl6y?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics&u=0#
Song Facts, (n.d.). Where is the love by Black Eye Peas. Retrieved by http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3301