Assignment 5/9

Assignment Due 5/9: Choose a passage from "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," write out the passage, explain what it means and why you chose it.

Mass media then gives us a more realistic view of the world and increases our ability to communicate with others even though we lose out in the sense of the supernatural and the mysterious that used to make art so powerful, what he later refers to as the "cult value" of art. But he is aware that the potential exists for fascism to capitalize on this technology for its own purposes as well.

I think that this passage means that media has taken a big place in people’s life that in some ways it has come to replace the big meaning of art. Back in the day art had a bigger role in people’s life because it was the only medium of expression that they had but now with the media the mode of expression has change. I chose this passage because I see that the media and technology in general has devalued the big importance that art has. A lot of things are being replaced by technology and a lot of people don’t know the value of art.

Assignment 5/2

Assignment Due 5/2: Choose a passage from Jünger, write it out, explain the meaning of it, and why you chose this passage.

 Precisely because we have the technology to study the body more and its appearances we become more conscious of appearances (especially our own) and more aware thus changing humankind’s standards of beauty, but also social interaction and human behavior as well, as well as turning beauty into a commodity (i.e posters and pictures of Lola the cabaret singer):

I think that what this passage means is that technology plays a big role in the way people sees their body image. This is because everywhere we see images of what an ideal beauty is which makes people to get the technology to change their body or face image to what they think is beautiful. I chose this passage because this is exactly what’s going on in the world right now people are so desperate to fit in with certain body type and people don’t realize that beauty is not the most important thing in the world there’s many things that are more valuable than beauty image like education for example.

Assignment Due 4/18

Assignment Due 4/18 Choose a passage from Weber, write out the passage. Then explain the meaning of it, and then explain why you chose this passage.

The most important attribute for a professional politician is time, the time necessary to devote oneself to learning the intricacies of the political art. Also if the politician is not to derive a living entirely ‘off’ of politics and live ‘for’ politics, he must also be “economically dispensable” meaning he does not depend upon politics at all for an income.

I think that what this passage means is that the most important quality that a professional politician must possess is that it should be available to devote the time necessary to learn the complicated art of politics, in other words a professional politician must be ready to sacrifice their time for the politics and live for that. This passage also refers that politicians cannot simply rely economically form the politics. I chose this passage because I agree with it what it says, I believe that in order for a politician to do an excellent job it must be able to dedicate the time that it’s needed and that politicians should no rely on the politics for their income.

assignment 3/28

Assignment (Due 3/28): Please choose TWO sections from the Weimar Constitution one from the first part on the structure of government, (Art. 1-108) and a second from the section on rights (Art 109-181). Write out the passages, interpret the meaning of them, and then explain why you chose these passages.

Article 104

Judges serving ordinary jurisdiction are appointed for lifetime.

 Against their will they can only be suspended temporarily or forced into early retirement or transferred to another location if a judge decided so, based on reasons and according to procedures determined by law. Legislation may establish an age limit, at which judges retire.

 Preliminary suspension conform with the law will not be affected.

 In case of a change in the institution of courts or their districts the state administration of justice may order the involuntary transfer of judges to another court or out of office, but only under the condition that their salary will be paid continuously.

 These regulations do not affect commercial judges, lay assessors and jury members.

My understanding of this article is that judges who serve ordinary jurisdiction are confining their lives to serve to the court system for an unlimited period of time until that legislation decides when they can retire. I think that it shouldn’t be like that because any person including those judges should have the right of free will and for me it is clear that appointing a judge for lifetime is against free will.

Article 117

Privacy of correspondence, of mail, telegraphs and telephone are inviolable. Exceptions are admissible only if based on a Reich law.

Article 117 clearly states that is it against the law to interfere with any mail, telegraph and telephone communication that corresponds to someone else. I think that article 117 addresses a very important law because no one has the right to know your private stuffs especially when it comes to personal information.

Assignment 3/21

Assignment (Due 3/21 ): Please choose a passage from one of Luxemburg's essays. Write out the passage. Explain the meaning of the passage and how it relates to politics today.

One thing is certain. The world war is a turning point. It is foolish and mad to imagine that we need only survive the war, like a rabbit waiting out the storm under a bush, in order to fall happily back into the old routine once it is over. The world war has altered the conditions of our struggle and, most of all, it has changed us. Not that the basic law of capitalist development, the life-and-death war between capital and labor, will experience any amelioration. But now, in the midst of the war, the masks are falling and the old familiar visages smirk at us. The tempo of development has received a mighty jolt from the eruption of the volcano of imperialism. The violence of the conflicts in the bosom of society, the enormousness of the tasks that tower up before the socialist proletariat – these make everything that has transpired in the history of the workers’ movement seem a pleasant idyll.

I think that this passage reflects what's going on in the world with all the wars that are happening right now. Many countries are in war with each other especially because they are fighting for power and wealth. However, every country defends their interest and their beliefs of what political system is the right one and which one is wrong one. However, what triggers a war between countries is need to obtain power. Many parts of the world are living in a total chaos because a war is not only between the governments but also between all the people who gets affected by the consequences of the war. This passage also points out that it is not only during war that people suffers but as well after it ends because it alters their living conditions

Assignment 3/14

Assignment: Due 3/14 Choose a scene from M and interpret the scene and explain why you picked this scene.

I found very interest the part when the graphology is describing the murderer’s character. The graphology says that according to the murderer’s hand writing he suggests that this man is strong and pathological sexuality. The graphology also says that some of the broken letters shows that the killer has an actor’s personality. His handwriting also shows that he might be a lazy person and that it is very clear that the killer is insane. The reason why I pick this scene interest is that because at the same time that the graphologist was describing the killer’s character he appears looking himself in a mirror with a crazy look in his eyes. In addition to why I picked this scene from the M movie is because only an insane person could do to kids what he was doing. Therefore, the description fit perfectly with the serial killer.

Summary paragraph 175

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Assignment 3/7

Paloma Cruz

"The Lavender Song" (Das Lila Lied), music by Mischa Spoliansky, lyrics by Kurt Schwabach (1920)

Round uns alle auf, senden Sie uns weg

  das ist, was Sie wirklich gerne tun

  Aber wir sind zu stark, stolz, furchtlos

  in der Tat haben wir fast schade, dass Sie

  Sie handeln von der Angst, warum sollte das sein

  Was ist es, dass Sie der Angst werden

  Die Art, wie wir uns kleiden

  Die Art und Weise, die wir treffen

  Die Tatsache, dass man die Liebe nicht zu zerstören

  Wir werden unsere Rechte zu gewinnen

  Lavendel Tage und Nächte

Round us all up, send us away

 that's what you'd really like to do

 But we're too strong, proud, unafraid

 in fact we almost pity you

 You act from fear, why should that be

 What is it that you are frightened of

 The way that we dress

 The way that we meet

 The fact that you cannot destroy our love

 We're going to win our rights

 to lavender days and nights

I think that this song expresses an act of courage. I feel that in a way is letting others know that they need to stand up and defend their cause with courage and not letting fear win. I also think that this song shows encouragement and determination to do something because it gives others strength to keep going.

 

"No Time" (Keine Zeit), music by Rudolf Nelson, lyrics by Herbert Nelson (Culture - Cabaret Song)

Nowadays, a person doesn't have a second to spare.

 Yet many even think the pace is too slow.

 If you do business today, you go bankrupt before you have even started.

 People don't want to waste time with the beginning,

 they'd rather skip straight to the end.

 In this day and age, you fall in love in the evening, are engaged at night,

 and get married the next morning.

 At noon you have a fight; by night you're divorced.

 In negotiations between countries, before a treaty is evened signed,

 it's already broken.

 Because nowadays it is considered chic to be quick.

Heute braucht der Mensch keine zweite zu ersparen.

  Doch viele glauben sogar, das Tempo ist zu langsam.

  Wenn Sie der heutigen Geschäftswelt zu tun, gehen Sie bankrott, bevor Sie überhaupt angefangen haben.

  Die Menschen wollen nicht, um Zeit mit Beginn verschwenden,

  sie lieber geradeaus fahren Sie mit dem Ende.

  In der heutigen Zeit, in der Liebe am Abend fallen Sie werden in der Nacht beschäftigt,

  und heiratete am nächsten Morgen zu bekommen.

  Mittags haben Sie einen Kampf; Nacht Sie geschieden.

  In Verhandlungen zwischen den Ländern, bevor ein Vertrag unterzeichnet ausgeglichen,

  es ist schon gebrochen.

  Da heute gilt es als schick, schnell zu sein.

This song’s lyric for me express the chaos people live because they don’t have time to live an orderly life or they don’t make time for what really matters. It seems like people don’t take the adequate time to do things instead is just about doing everything fast. I think that that’s the problem that we have in society now days everyone is so focus into doing things fast that they don’t realize that good things take time

Silent Film (2/28)

Paloma Cruz

Assignment Due 2/28.

This is my first time watching a silent film, even though it was very difficult for me to understand what was really happening in the film because it had not sound and the only way to catch up a little bit was with the few written parts that were in the film. However, I found it very interesting because like I said it is my first silent film that I watch and it was not that awful like I thought it was going to be. One scene that caught my attention is when Dr. Caligari shows the drawing of Cesare because the drawing of Cesare had a crazy and bizarre look like if the person would be a maniac or someone with mental problems. I think that Dr. Caligari wanted to have someone just as weird as him that’s why he molded Cesare into that creepy person that he was. In my opinion it seems that Cesare was manipulated the whole time by Dr. Caligari. I chose this scene because it kind of relates to the class when we talked about that art is not always about expressing beautiful things it can also be about anything even if is bizarre. The way you can express yourself in art explains why Cesare’s drawing looked so weird because the character was just like that very bizarre.

Assignment 2/21

Paloma Cruz

Assignment Due 2/21

Siddhartha

"It is good," he thought, "to get a taste of everything for oneself, which one needs to know. That lust for the world and riches do not belong to the good things, I have already learned as a child. I have known it for a long time, but I have experienced only now. And now I know it, don't just know it in my memory, but in my eyes, in my heart, in my stomach. Good for me, to know this!" Herman Hesse

I think that the meaning of this quote is that in life you need to experience everything on your own. You cannot learn from other people’s experiences even if that means going to really bad things in order to learn. I also think that it means that it's bad to posses richness  in excess and greediness because it brings disharmony and fights for power in the world.
I feel that this passage it’s very important because of my own experience I have not learn through other people’s experiences and I also see this very often with people around me. I also found this quote very interesting because it’s what we’re seeing  in the world; countries fighting for greed, power and wealth. I see it every day on the news how so many people are killed due to the war that they have in those countries.

Dada Manifesto (2/14)

Paloma Cruz

LEH 355

“Dada Manifestó”

“I don’t want words other people have invented. All the words are other people’s inventions. I want my own stuff, my own rhythm, and vowels and consonants too, matching the rhythm and all my own.” Hugo Ball

            I think that the meaning of this quote is that it is in order to make a difference and leave your mark in the world you will have to make your presence notice by being authentic, original and different from everyone else. Hugo Ball wanted to be a true leader and he knew that for him to accomplish it he must not use others people’s inventions. Ball clearly points out that he must do something that does not yet exist in the world when he says that he wants his own stuff. I think that the author is saying this because he wanted to show everyone how he perceived the world and it is for sure by being you and not someone else. I choose this quote because I am the type of person who believes in originally and authenticity. By no means have Hugo Ball’s quotes expressed a true meaning of authenticity. This quote did challenge me because it make me realized that being different has more value that being all the same. It made me realized that is good thing to think outside of the box. This quote does relates to a lot of thing that are going on in the present because now days we see more people being challenge into being different and not into being all the same which is a good thing because that makes us as an individuals to work out our creativities and imagination.

"The Scream," Edvard Munch, 1893

Edvard Munch was born December 12, 1863 in Adalsbruck, Norway. He was an artist during the period of the expressionism and symbolism, he died on January 23, 1944 at the age of 80. The scream is one of his most famous paintings which he created four different versions. I think that this paint shows a desperate or scare person which looks kind of lost. What makes me think that its scare or desperate is the way it has its mouth open and holding its face. The painting has a contrast of colors between vivid colors and opaque colors. The theme address here is a theme of horror.

"Cut with the Kitchen Knife through the Beer-Belly of the Weimar Republic," Hannah Höch, 1919

Hannah Höch was born Anna Therese Johanne Höch November 1, 1889 in Gotha, Germany. She was an artist during the Dada period the "Cut with the Kitchen Knife through the Beer-Belly of the Weimar Republic," was her most famous painting, she passed away on May 31, 1978 at the age of 88. The technique she used was collage. This painting was created after the WWI and it reflects the afterward of the war. You can clearly see in the painting how disorganized and chaotic everything looks meaning how Germany was left after the WWI. 

"The Starry Night," Vincent van Gogh, 1889

Vincent Van Gogh was born March 30, 1853 in Zundert, Netherlands. “The Starry Night” was one of his many famous paintings. He was a painter during the post-impressionism period, he died on July 29, 1890 at the age of 37. This painting was created in June, 1889 and it was painted in an oil canvas. This painting shows a landscape of a town in a dark night filled with stars and the moon. However, the painting looks kind of distortional which it gives the crazy look that it has.