Universal Ethics

While it’s a loaded question, I definitely believe in universal ethics. There are things that exist in every culture that are unacceptable. They are things that violate others and reach beyond one’s self. They are universal because they are intrinsic in the human psyche. They are things that we know are wrong, that we know hurt others. They are most likely evident in all forms of life, whether here on Earth or not. In the animal world, the same universal ethics apply-- don’t kill my cubs, steal my food, or try to cheat me. They exist for the good of all life and if they did not exist the world would be a terrifying place.
There are similarities between universal ethics of different cultures because all beings are born with the same basic set of beliefs. They spring from things being done to us and those around us. We notice unconsciously that we do not like it when someone steals our crayon and in the future we should avoid making others feel that way. We know that it is bad enough when a family member or close friend dies, the situation does not need to be made worse by learning that they were murdered. We all hold these beliefs inside us, and those who do not are mentally unstable.
The moral/ethical principles that are currently universal are very basic:                                            
1. Don't kill.
2. Don't steal.
3. Don't cheat.
4. Don't lie.
5. Treat those who cannot properly take care of themselves with respect (children, the elderly, the disabled, etc.)

I think in the future with the advent of technology these principles will start to tweak slightly, as privacy becomes a precious commodity-- but the basic principles will stay the same.

Making Sense of Chaotic Compositions



Everything is beginning to click into place. I have formulated a thesis that I believe will give my paper a consistent drive, and have begun writing. The rough draft will, of course, be very rough, but I am confident that I have a good understanding of Magritte as an artist, his motives behind his work, and his influence on later artists as well as those who influenced him. I do need a bit more information to fulfill the required amount of sources, and I think I will collect some concerning the Surrealist movement to add context to my paper. I will provide analysis of a few of his major works, and focus the paper on what makes so much of his work memorable: his ability to mystify us by manipulating the familiar and creating a desire within us to understand a meaning beyond the present image.

Magritte: Critique and Criticism



The second book that I have read is also called Magritte, written by Bernard Noel. When first starting it, I thought that I may have made a bad choice and picked up a book not only similar in name to the last, but also similar in content. However, as I read further I found it to be quite the opposite. Noel wrote about Magritte’s paintings with criticism, deeply analyzing and critiquing, and always returning to one specific example, Hegel’s Vacation. This provides me with another viewpoint concerning the artist, not contradicting the last author but challenging her, and will help in forming a well-researched opinion, and in turn, a better paper.

Noel dealt with analysis and criticism of the paintings, questioning their subject and style. With Hegel’s Vacation, featuring an umbrella balancing a glass of water on its top, he writes about the simplicity of the subjects and the irony in the composition, and if the viewer should take the painting at face value or look for further representation of something else. Magritte compositions were designed to invoke a sense of mystery and desire for meaning beyond the mash-up of random objects in unrelated settings.

Magritte



I have just finished reading Magritte, written by Suzi Gablik. The book covered much analysis of Magritte’s work, explanation of his style and purpose, and included both images of his paintings as well as quotations from the artist himself.

 Not knowing much about him before reading, aside from seeing a few examples of his art, and his association with the surrealist movement, it was particularly interesting for me to read about the purpose behind creating these images. Magritte’s artwork challenged all societal preconceptions of common sense. He took simple, familiar subjects, and changed or combined them in ways that are completely unfamiliar to the viewer. For example: wooden figures resembling chess pieces or table legs would take the place of trees or people.  My favorites had an “inside-outside” theme: a background scene framed by a window would be continued or repeated onto a painted canvas containing the same image in the foreground.

Viewers would look for symbolism in Magritte’s paintings, but whatever was found wasn’t there by intent. Magritte desired to simply mystify by rearranging or transforming what had always been known. As Gublik writes “A person who only looks for what he wants in a painting will never find that which transcends his preferences. But, if one has been trapped by the mystery of an image which refuses all explanation, a moment of panic will sometimes occur. These moments of panic are what count for Magritte. For him they are privileged moments, because they transcend mediocrity.”

This is fascinating for me to read about, as someone who also creates art and attempts to mimic surrealism. We’ll see what else I find in the next book.

Starting Over



I am changing the topic of my research paper to focus on art. Like Kasey, I will be researching surrealism, but specifically focusing on the artist Renee Magritte, his life, and his approach to his work. In my AP Art class I have been working on a Concentration of 12 pieces under the theme of Dreams and Nightmares, working with surrealism to create images that might convey the sort of disconnected feeling with reality that one has after waking. I am hoping that my research of Magritte will help with both my understanding of surrealism as well as my Concentration.

Ottoman update

     Well, my paper is starting to slowly form itself together. Right now I'm a few paragraphs deep into it and it's coming along surprisingly well. For instance, I got a nice intro, a good overview of ottoman history, and I am currently working on forming paragraphs about the Green Mosque and the Great Mosque, two buildings that I found show the most Ottoman architectural influence. I know, too, that only talking about mosques wouldn't be very interesting, so I am deciding that I will include a caravan outposts, bridges, and perhaps maybe one of their many luxurious palaces. I also really want to include the Hagia Sophia too, but I feel as though it would veer me off course because, in my opinion, it has much stronger Byzantine ties than Ottoman. Yet, I know I should to explain how the Ottomans changed monuments into Muslim buildings.

     Apart from  working on my research paper, I realize I need to find more sources. This has been quite difficult because very few books are made about Turkish architecture. I was fortunate enough to find one book about it and derive other information from a story which is based on the siege of Constantinople. Nonetheless, I have found some good sites called sciencedirect.com and geoscienceworld.com where it lists a ton of articles on Turkish monuments today. Though it focuses more on the longitivity and functions of the building, I hope to still use some of that information in my paper. Apart from that, I am thinking that there must be a documentary on my topic and I am wondering if I should look into renting one. 

    All in all, my project is going along steadily. The only main problem I have with it is the fact that I am low on sources. I am enjoying working on it, however. I find it to be quite a compelling learning experience and I enjoy sharing my knowledge that I have gained. I hope that my paper turns put well all in all and look forward to sharing it.

Closer Look at Kahlo

As I've gathered more and more information about Frida Kahlo, I'm finding it hard to give my paper direction. There are many ways and facts/stories I could share about her but and it's hard to form a clear thesis with so many things I want to get across. What I did do was look at some critiques of her paintings and analyze more about what influences from her life made her create the art. One of her most famous pieces was "The Two Fridas" which shows on one side Kahlo in a white (possibly wedding) dress and on the right her in traditional mexican wear. Both of their hearts are shown with veins running until they finally meet one another. After further research I found out she painted this right after divorcing Rivera and I think it is a reflection of the separation between the part of her that was influenced by him and loves him and the parts that are totally separate. I think it was extremely brave of her to paint her feelings so clearly for the world to see.
My Wet Nurse and I is also another very interesting piece that gives further insight into Kahlo's personal life. Because her mother got pregnant again right after giving birth to her, Frida was breastfed by a native indian wet nurse. The picture depicts a baby Kahlo with her adult head being fed by her wet nurse who has a mask on because she couldn't remember what she looked like. The relationship seems to be very cold and it also hints at the fact that Kahlo had to grow up very quickly and may have thought she never really had a childhood. This paper is definitely going to be hard but when it's done I know I will have learned a lot! P.S. I tried to put the two pictures below but it wouldn't let me add a link :(

Black Music in America

        The title of my post is the title of my third book. This book focused upon individual artists that were influential to today's American music. According to this book, blues, jazz, and rock n' roll all originated from African Americans. White performers like Benny Goodman to Frank Sinatra to the Beatles to Rod Stewart--have said that they owe their biggest debt to "black music." Like my first book, this book stated that these popular forms of music started on the slave ships coming to America. Complicated beats and sorrowful melodies came from Africa, and they brought these songs with them to America. 

        Big bands become popular during the Civil War era. The Frank Johnson Band and James Bland were popular during this era. Even though they toured in the north and in Canada, they were unable to tour in the southern states because of the racism. It wasn't safe for any African American in the south at the time of the Civil War and even afterwards. The first recognized black female singer was Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield. She and her mother were slaves, but she was freed when she lived with the Quakers in Pennsylvania. In her 40's, she toured the north, Canada, and Europe as a soprano singer. She was known for being able to sing a wide range if notes. Audiences were shocked that blacks were capable of singing opera and classical music, which was music only white people usually sang. Elizabeth even performed for Queen Victoria of England. Again, she was unable to tour the southern states. Most black musicians during the Civil War era would perform in circus acts or vaudeville acts. They still weren't earning the respect they deserved.

       Slowly, as time moved on, people like Louis Armstrong were able to change this. His fame grew and by the 1930s, Louis Armstrong was on the verge of international stardom, and not far away from his first European tour. Armstrong's famous trumpet solos and his jazz style originated from the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. The Black Renaissance (it is also called) also inspired artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, and Billie Holiday. The jazz craze spread like a fever all throughout America and throughout the world. By the 1940s, it was the most popular type of music in America. 

At this point, after explaining the creation of jazz and where it came from, I will go into greater detail of how Ella Fitzgerald specifically was able to break the social boundaries and earn respect from both white and black Americans.

Of Infinite Importance

To condense all of the information I have will be difficult at best.  There are opinions of Christianity everywhere and not all of it is positive, which isn't a bad thing, but must be addressed.  I think that my thesis for this paper will be based on the quotation by C.S. Lewis, "Christianity, if false, is of no importance and, if true, of infinite importance.  The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."  I think that my paper will attempt to prove that Social Media has increased the apathy and atheistic attitudes of this generation and will look at the influence this will have on the future of the Church.

I wish I could say I have this paper outlined and planned out in that way at this point, but I don't yet. I'm not sure which of my resources I will use in the end and which will be left out of the final edit, but I am at the point now where I need to focus on the sources I'm taking in and determine whether or not they will actually contribute to my paper.  While it is coming together well and I'm learning a lot in research, it has come to the point where I need to determine how much I can present in the final paper without overwhelming or confusing the reader.

This paper won't be easy, I never thought it would be.  I welcome any and all input, information, opinions (positive, negative, neutral), etc. and definitely have some work to do before anything is solidified.

Surrealism: Tying it Together

     The more I have researched the unconsciousness of surrealism, the more connections I have been able to make. As I was reading about Dali, I kept seeing more and  more about the dream interpretation theories of Sigmund Freud. I decided to look into his theories (which was easy, as we are learning about them in psychology) and was able to find many connections between Dali and Freud.
      Freud has very detailed theories about the unconscious and the dreaming mind. He believes that dreams are ways to put our unfulfilled and mad thoughts into something we are able to bear. Dali did the same thing that Freud was describing, except in paint. Upon meeting each other for Freud to psychoanalyze Dali (who had many psychological problems), Freud stated that there was nothing for him to uncover because Dali's subconscious was already laid out on all of his paintings. There is no doubt that what Dali was trying to express was repressed and unexpressed emotions.
      The connections grow and grow so I decided that this would be an interesting direction to take my paper in. What I am thinking of would be to do my paper on the psychology behind surrealism and use the connections between Dali and Freud as a type of case study or example. Right now, I have books on each Dali and Freud, on surrealism as a whole, and on the psychology of dream interpretation. My goal is to try and explain why surrealists can think and express in the manner that they do.

A Closer Look at Surrealism

      For my second book, I decided to take a step back and get a better understanding of surrealism as a whole. To get a better understanding of what surrealism is, I read the book Essential Surrealists by Tim Martin. This book was very insightful on surrealism because along with an introduction and knowledge of what surrealism actually is, it gave many examples of surrealists, their work, and explanations behind these works.
      I found that although every surrealist had their own unique styles and techniques, like any other type of artist, they all had many things also in common. From reading the facts of their lives and gaining basic knowledge of these artists, it is clear that they used the art as a way to express emotions, dreams, or wishes. But what set them apart from other artists was the fact that these were all somewhat unconscious desires. They had used their canvas as a way to depict something that couldn't make any sense aloud.
      Everything that I had read about Dali was that he was putting his unconscious mind into his art but what I have found by reading this book is that that is what created surrealism. These artists were taking the raw, uncut depths of their minds and trying to express it in the only way possible.
     

Wilde: Forming the Paper

So, now that I have finished my two major work, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray, as well as some literary criticism, I have chosen to explore how Wilde highlights the destructive/amoral nature of Victorian society. As it stands my thesis is: Wilde uses The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray as a platform to display the destructive nature of Victorian society. (This will likely change as I go through more of the writing process and begin to more deeply explore my evidence.)

From PDG, one of the main points that I plan to emphasize is the societal obsession with youth and beauty, and the one place that people can real see that is through Dorian himself. Even, Basil Hallward, perhaps the book’s most moral and sane character, is completely intoxicated by Dorian’s beauty. However, simply because people feel inclined to assume Dorian is moral, because he is beautiful he devastates so many people in the book. A perfect example of this is Sybil Vane. She falls to the charm to Dorian’s graces, ends up obsessed with him, and ends up killing herself, showing how destructive the obsession turns out to be. This message is further amplified by the strife of her brother, James, and her mother.

A societal flaw that appeared in The Importance of Being Earnest is that of deceit. Nearly every character in the play lies. One of the key component of the play is the concept of “bunburying”. Bunburying is a concept invented in the book by Algernon Moncrieff. It involves create a person with some issues in his/her life for which he/she needs constant assistance. For example, a dear friend who is an invalid and needs help around the house. One would then use this character to escape the responsibilities of everyday life and those present in your life (friends and family). This may seem harmless, but ends up leading to a lot of mistrust and manipulation throughout the book over this deceit.

Nureyev: Where My Paper is Headed

Over the course of doing research and reading books about Nureyev, I began to see how much he had changed the course of the ballet world. As I said in my last post (if you're reading the whole saga of ballet blogs), in the beginning of ballet in France men were revered more highly than women. Women were meant to essentially just stand around and look pretty. This was mostly because their clothing was unsuited to quick movements and jumping. Men were the ones who got to do all the dancing and learn proper technique. Ballet was created for men by men, and would continue to be dictated as such. But over the next hundred or so years (in accordance with the invention of the tutu), women came to power in the world of ballet. They began to take over the big roles and the men faded into the background. Men were seen as the coat racks that held up the female dancers.

This got me thinking that a paper about gender in the ballet world could be really interesting to write. Another topic I want to explore is the implied homosexuality of male dancers in the past hundred years or so. Many people assume that male dancers are not strong, but that could not be further from the truth. They are extremely powerful (especially in their legs and core) and can perform feats that most male athletes could never dream of. I'm not totally sure yet where my paper will end up, but I know what I want to include. My tentative thesis is the following (any feedback on this is appreciated):
Rudolf Nureyev reversed the stigma, three-hundred fifty years later, for male ballet dancers and allowed them to be taken seriously again.

Book #2: 1453

     In terms of my research project on Ottoman Architecture, things are going well. I started on a new book called 1453 by Roger Crowley. This book is about the fall of Constantinople and the birth of Istanbul under Ottoman rule. I really enjoy this book because, instead of reading from an informational book that tends to usually be dry, this is written as a story which is beneficial because, not only do I hope to get his opinions, but it will keep me engaged and eager to learn. From this book, I hoped to find some of the Byzantine influences in Istanbul and how this changed the Ottomans view on architecture. Also, it will help me understand the defensive fortifications that the Byzantines used and that the Ottomans (I would hope) have improved on to make sure that no one else takes their great city. Plus, it will help me understand the points of view of both the Byzantines under the rule of Emperor Constantine XI and the Ottomans under the rule of Sultan Mehmet II.
     Though I am not exactly far into the book, I already have some information I can be able to use for my paper. One of the most reoccurring references in the book is the layout of the city and the army camps. In the book, he describes why certain fortifications were made, why certain buildings were at their present location, and to describe how the buildings had to gear up for the siege and the preparations each made. Another interesting subject of information (that I didn't even consider) is the Churches and Mosques. In the novel, the author describes a specific Church of Constantinople and how it changes to be a Ottoman Mosque. An example of this transformation is the Hagia Sophia, a once prized Byzantine landmark that eventually becomes the ultimate landmark for the Ottomans by just setting up 4 minarets and some interior work to make it a true Islamic building. Also, the book vividly mentions the value of seaways and the precautions needed to properly use and protect them. I found this topic quite interesting for it stressed the importance of sea trade on Constantinople's economy and the fact that they had a chain to prevent invaders from entering the seaways! Lastly, another main topic that I should put into my paper from what I have learned in my reading so far is the little Genoese town of Galata. I always knew that Galata was a famous tower in Istanbul, but I never would've expected it to be its own little city state. That seems remarkable to me and I am now curious to see if the Ottomans also picked up on Italian motifs in the architecture as well.
     Overall, this book is providing me with a multitude of subtopics that would greatly enrich my paper. Though it could be more descriptive on the key buildings, I still find this book a valuable source to my research. Hopefully, as I read more, I can be able to figure out more about the original layout of Constantinople and eventually learn of the Ottoman invasion on the city.

Never Alone

During my last blog post, I didn't really reference social media or my topic.  This post should be more relevant and the goal is to give a sort of skeleton of my paper.  This post will include excerpts from iDisorder by Larry Rosen, The Courage to be Catholic by George Weigel, Roman Catholicism in America by Chester Gillis, and You Are Not a Gadget by Jaron Lanier, as well as a few online sources, all of which may be found below.

The first source of Catholic media I ever came across was LifeTeen.  This is essentially a website for Catholic high-schoolers containing blogs written about young adults to help teenagers figure out their faith in terms and stories they will understand.  Since last year, I have been a youth minister at my parish and volunteer for hours a week to prepare students for Confirmation.  Over these two years, I have noticed that the teens' favorite speaker consistently is Mart Hart.  He is the Vice President of LifeTeen, self proclaimed "Bible Geek," and may use social media better than any other contemporary Evangelist.  His twitter ranges from anecdotes about his family (most recently, his 5 year old daughter discovering that he couldn't breastfeed his son) to reminders to pray often.

Still, many Catholics seem to fear social media.  The presence of Catholics on various networking sites is feeble and, in some instances, nonexistent, though this has improved in the past few years.  There is a strong Catholic community on both Tumblr and Facebook.  There are many Catholics on Twitter, including nine accounts for the Pope (all in different languages).  There are some relatively popular Christians on YouTube, but few Catholics, if any.  The reason Social Media is so addictive is that it invokes a sense of community, something Catholicism is known for.

I want to explore this more, but I think the connection between Catholicism and Social Media is the sense of community invoked by both.  The reason everyone freaks out when Facebook changes is because something comfortable to them - the place where they feel that they belong - is suddenly different.  The same is true of the church.  In Roman Catholicism in America, a therapist remarks that "the reason people stay has little to do with the organization of the church and more to do with ritual and spiritual aspects...The Catholic tradition is familiar [and] comfortable."

I'm excited about this paper, I think.  I know it will be possible to write, but I'm slightly concerned about organizing my thoughts down to a single thesis.

Works Consulted

Gillis, Chester. Roman Catholicism in America. New York: Columbia UP, 1999. Print.

Cornwell, John. Breaking Faith: The Pope, the People, and the Fate of Catholicism. New York: Viking Compass, 2001. Print

Hart, Mark. (LT_TheBibleGeek) "My 5 yr old had this epiphany while watching my wife breastfeed:

'So Daddy, your nipples don't do anything? At all? Ever ask God why not?'" 10 Nov 2013, 9:24 PM. Tweet.

Lanier, Jaron. You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto. New York: Alfred A. Knoph, 2010. Print.

Rosen, Larry D., Nancy A. Cheever, and L. Mark. Carrier, iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Print

Weigel, George. The Courage to be Catholic: Crisis, Reform, and the Future of the Church. New York: Basic, 2002. Print.

Fun fact:

The patron saint of the Internet is Isidore of Seville.

Free Expression, but Only For Men

       The first book I read really went in depth of individual artists. In my second book, it really showed the more negative aspects of the Abstract Expressionist movement. It discussed the heavy influence of the Depression, and how many of the artists  had their best work feeding off of the past expirences of being broke in New York and being an under appreciated artist. Another topic emphasised was the death of the image of the romanitc distraught artist. The Abstract Expressionists consisted of heavy drinkers from teenage ages, "defiantly intransigent behavior"(Still), violent deaths, suicide, and general bohemianism all together became a hardened image.
        Not uncommon in many professions, but something I didn't really expect to learn because I being heavily involved in the arts have always found it being largely female dominated, but prejudice was prevalent during the height of Abstract Expressionism. Lee Krasner in particular, her whole career was undermined by her husband. Before marriage though, she would be ignored by the art community, not being invited to invitationals, gallery viewings, ect. that Pollock would, because her fellow artists were no different than the large majority of Americans, and had the same assumptions abbout gender.

Frida Kahlo Book # 2

My second book for my research paper was Frida Kahlo: An Open Life by Raquel Tibol and translated by Elinor Randall. Tibol writes on Kahlo's life including the time she met the artist, but it also includes many passages from Kahlo's private diary. These were by far the most interesting part of the biography because they gave insight into her mind and her feelings. The events of her life that I learned about in the first book like her relationship with Diego Rivera and her bus accident that gave her pain for the rest of her life became much more real. I got to hear her accounts of her personal life and how they effected her thoughts and emotions. I definitely want to incorporate how her life experiences and extreme pain can be seen in her artwork into my research paper.
The most interesting diary entry was when Kahlo described the bus accident that left her in extreme pain, with a limp, and unable to have children. She talks about the terrible conditions of the hospital she was in for three months and how her own mother never once visited her. This accident changed her life and clearly affected her art and the way she saw/depicted herself. Tibol also writes about aspects of Kahlo's life that are usually overlooked but still show a great deal of who she was. One part of the book talks about her bedroom and how sad it was because of the great deal of time she was forced to spend there due to her injuries. The walls were stamped with the names of her friends and lovers, small Hispanic sculptures were everywhere, and her beloved dog Xolotl was often present, who Rivera had once tried to kill after it urinated on one of his paintings. These small details and stories made Frida Kahlo much more real to me and gave me a much better idea of her life and who she was, and I'm excited to learn even more about her.

Greek Art, Goddesses, Gender Expectations

I am doing my research paper on Greek Art. Specifically art about goddess and how they effected gender expectations in ancient Greece. The first book I read was interesting but not extraordinarily helpful with my topic. My second book was a bit better because I had a more specific idea of what I was researching. Women in Greece were the property of their fathers until they were married and became the property of their husband. This is interesting to me because this kind of treatment suggests women were not respected and seen as less superior, yet the Greeks had powerful, cunning, strong, goddesses. Diana, the Greek goddess of the hunt, was unique in being the hunter instead of the gatherer as women are usually depicted. They gave her this strong role, that in other cultures are seen as a man's. There are other myths of goddesses outsmarting or helping men, showing women on the same intellectual level as men. It's difficult to form a thesis around this because I don't know how men could portray these goddesses as equals and not treat their own women the same, and books and websites don't have an answer either. Further research must be done.

Ella Fitzgerald

My next book, Ella Fitzgerald: up close tells the story of one of the most famous female jazz singers of all time.  Fitzgerald was known for her smooth, silky voice that captivated thousands of people all over the world. Her unique voice was the key to her success as a jazz singer. She managed to create a career for herself at a time when female musicians weren't taken seriously and many music venues were segregated. Her obsession for jazz music and constantly performing led to distant relationships with friends and family. But she never wanted to end the career she made for herself, because she put pleasing her fans above everything else.

It is going to be hard to get concrete information about her, especially information about her childhood because Fitzgerald was an extremely private person. Parts of her life have been misreported because so little information about her is available. She is also known for altering the truth, often about her rough childhood. She grew up in the streets of Harlem and she ran away from home at the age of sixteen. She sang at local clubs and music venues to earn money. If it wasn't for a last-minute decision at an amateur night contest in 1934, the world might never have heard her inspiring voice.

I will focus on more of her influence on jazz music and what she added to the music industry at the time. She did many duets with Louis Armstrong, like "Dream a Little Dream of Me" and many others. I want to write about their relationship together as jazz musicians. I also want to dig a little deeper about her struggle to making a living as an African American, female jazz singer. Life was hard on the road and I want to share into greater detail in my research paper of how she overcame her struggles in the music industry, dealing with segregation. She earned respect and I want to share how she earned it. 

The History of Ballet

      For my more "generalized" book I read The History of Ballet by Judith Steeh. It goes from the very beginning of classical dance up to the mid 1900's. I knew quite a bit of what the book covered already, but not in such detail. It was interesting to read a source that compiles all of ballet's history into one place. It also had really amazing photographs that I wish I could share here. It would be impossible to condense all of the history of ballet into under five paragraphs so I'm just going to go in detail about a few key points.
    The book begins with the conception of ballet at Louis XIV's court in France. He used it as entertainment by linking the dances in small ways to create a story-- this provided a basis for many ballets popular today. They wore elaborate costumes and golden, mesh masks and were originally danced in a ballroom. Throughout his rein from 1643 to 1715 it moved to the stage and matured. It slowly became more refined and difficult, causing the first "professionals" to emerge. In the beginning, only men could dance. It took several decades until women were given small parts that were more akin to acting than dancing. This was because of the clothing they had to wear (it's hard to do a pas-de-chat in ankle-length petticoats). Louis XIV was an accomplished dance, but he struggled with some beats and small jumps. A step practiced today, the "royale", is an easier version of the tricky entrechat-quatre and was made especially for the king.
    The ballet dancer herself/himself has changed significantly from the early days. In the past, dancers were not paid well and often had to find rich lovers to support them. Now, dancers are paid fairly well and have all expenses (costumes, shoes, travel, etc.) paid for them. They are now respected artists and members of society. In the past, they were treated as outcasts who wanted to live in a fantasy world. For men, the public opinion has flipped. In Louis XIV's time, men who danced were seen as very masculine and desirable. Today, there is the unfortunate stereotype that all male ballet dancers are gay. This is, for the majority, not true. In fact, male ballet dancers are very smart-- they get to spend hours on end with pretty girls in leotards. With the help of powerful male dancers such as Nureyev, male dancers are beginning to be taken more seriously.
   The history of ballet is an intriguing topic, one I'm happy I get an excuse to learn more about. I was lucky enough to be able to visit the birthplace of ballet (Versailles Palace right outside of Paris) and I could just imagine it there. All the extravagantly decorated halls and ballrooms yearn to be filled with classical dance. Here are some photos to help clarify my post:

Inside Versailles, the bithplace of ballet:

http://mcwattb.com/Images/File0053.jpg

A typical female dancer in the 1800's:

http://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/5545296/il_570xN.150150801.jpg

A Walk on the Wilde Side

So, after reading more critical work about Gauguin, I began to feel like, despite my aesthetic appreciation for his art, my paper would be dry and half-hearted at best. While I was getting this sense, we were reading The Picture of Dorian Gray in class; I loved Wilde's sense of style and wit. Also, I have written about gay man for two other research papers, and I thought it would be a fun trend to continue.

For my first work (other than the one we read in class), I chose The Importance of Being Earnest. I found reading this work (a play) to be a somewhat lighter compliment to the heaviness of The Picture of Dorian Gray. The Picture of Dorian Gray centers around an archetypal fall from innocence and moral decay, but The Importance of Being Earnest takes a much more humorous approach to satire. (If you have not read/seen the play giving this a quick skim might be helpful: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/earnest/summary.html) The play follows a sequence in the life of Jack (Ernest) Worthing, through a series of hi-jinxes Wilde explores marriage in Victorian England, the shallow nature of high society, and deception. While PDG touches on the nature of marriage, the play explores it more fully. There are two proposals in the play and both are set forth under false pretenses (the men who proposed had false identities). It also shows the how marriage, when conducted as a property transaction, is ridiculous. In Victorian times, it lead to rampant infidelity which fueled the fiery gossip of the era, not to mention sexism.

On the note of sexism, one major difference between the two is their respective portrayal of women. The only prominent female in PDG was Sybil Vane who killed herself for Dorian. In TIOBE, the women are sometimes more powerful than men, like one of the characters, Lady Bracknell, who prevents Jack Worthing from marrying her daughter, Gwendolyn. Women not only hold more power in parts of the play, but also characterize more moral behavior. Wilde portrays two kinds of decpetion -- what we would call a harmless fantasy and then deception that crosses that line and is hurtful. He uses Cecily to show a harmless fantasy when she claims she was proposed to Algernon before they even met. This directly contrasts Mr. Worthing's deception in which he creates a fake brother who he then kills off, showing women on a moral high ground.

Analysis of Cole's Eden

http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/expulsion-from-the-garden-of-eden-33060

This is a painting by Thomas Cole featuring the banishment of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. I actually saw this painting in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston a few weeks ago. The most striking thing about it is the contrast between the bright, sunny paradise of Eden, to the cold darkness of the outside world. As with many nature paintings we have seen, the entirety of the composition is dominated by the, in this case two, very different landscapes. Adam and Eve are depicted as tiny figures, completely overwhelmed by the dark world ahead of mountains and cliffs ahead of them and the brightly detailed Garden they are forced to leave behind. If you look closely at the right side, over the rock wall of the Garden, you can see all types of plants, flowers, and even animals. Then follow the path from the gate over the bridge to the barren rock completely void of nature and life, and you can see it is the polar opposite of paradise, a sort of hell on earth.

Grizzly Man opinions



The documentary “Grizzly Man” as directed and narrated by Werner Herzog is misleading. The underlying bias the director holds is apparent through the choice of film clips and interviews and his constant attempt to undermine the character that Timothy Treadwell created. One Cannot truly grasp the sense of who Treadwell was as a person, nor the strength or intent of his message by the chosen footage that constantly shows him at his worst.

What can be gathered from the documentary is how a strong belief can create the drive to accomplish much. Though I do not exactly agree with Treadwell’s actions being the best solution, he still felt what he was doing was right and was important. However, I do think that his purpose became distorted over time, and that he lost sight of what he truly wanted to accomplish. I think his focus turned more towards his dislike of human society, to his desire to morph into a bear and leave the human world behind completely.

The Delicacy

Treadwell was a strange creature. After watching the movie Grizzly Man I was convinced that he truly loved bears more than himself and would do anything for them, like being devoured. Then I started to wonder why. Why did he really care about bears so much? What would cause a person to act like he did? The only answer I found that didn't solely revolve around him being crazy, was a very simple human trait. Treadwell wanted to contribute and fit in to society.

As a drug addict this would be impossible. People wouldn't care about things he did or said because even the brightest, most brilliant ideas would be tainted by drug use and an underlying dependence for drugs. People would scoff at him and his drugs. So he created a Bear-Savior persona. And sure, many people scoffed at him and his bears, but he fit in with some crowds (whether or not those crowds consisted of crazy, bear-loving, hippy ladies is not truly important). He needed to continue being a grizzly man to even be a man at all. 

He called the bears his saviors and whatnot in his videos because they saved him from his drug addiction and also because they allowed him to have a special place in the world, to have a role that he could fit into. It’s tragic, that the world of the bears was as difficult for Treadwell to fit into as society was for him. This is why he was eaten, as a rare bear treat: a delicacy. Treadwell would have been consumed by drugs, crime, and shame if he had not left to live with the bears, but this path has been taken by millions before him. His death would be unimportant, a common morsel of junk food to the bear that is society (perhaps a cheeto). Treadwell’s death was tragic, but made him more human than he ever was before living with the bears.

I don’t think Treadwell was addicted to danger or taking high risks, I think he was taking those risks so that way some people, somewhere, would pay attention to him and care about him. As a drug addict he wouldn’t have been able to affect the lives of all of the children he visited. As a drug addict he wouldn’t be popular in certain circles of crazy, bear-loving, hippy ladies. Treadwell found a way to fit into society by being this person who didn’t fit in, and for that, I value his work.

The Turks

       Here is an update on my research on Ottoman architecture. So far I am about halfway through the book entitled Turkey: from the Selcuks to the Ottomans by Henri Stierlin. I found the book not only rich with architectural evidence of what represents Ottomans, but I learned a lot about their origins and how that mixes with their architecture. It turns out, their ancestors were the Huns, Mongols, Uighurs, Oghuz, and even the Xiongnu and Shatuo which are both Chinese cultures. With this unique architectural styles of these exquisite cultures, there were others that the Turks came into contact with that helped shape their unique culture including the Omayyad, Sassanid Persians, Indians, Byzantines, Arabians, Syrians, Armenians, Eastern Europeans, Egypt, and Northern Africa. The book also gets into great detail on how being Sunni Islam, wars, and other events also affects their architecture.
     So far, I have learned a lot about the Seljuk architecture, the influence of caravans, and got a nice interpretation of early Ottoman architecture. In around 1243, Anatolia was under much chaos due to the Mongol invasion, death of their sultan, revolts, uprisings, and conflicts between the tribal chiefs; and yet they still haven't lost their local architectural tradition. According to the text, they maintained the traditional Turkish architecture until they conquered Constantinople in which everything in the means of architecture changed. One example of this is how their mosque's evolved. According to the text, they used the mosque style of the Ulu Camii which compromised a partly porticoed courtyard leading to an oblong prayer hall with a central some. Also, it has 4 bays of ribbed vaults, forming 19 squares around the central dome (which covers 9 itself). Yet most iconacally, the prayer hall is wider than it is deep, a style that dates back to the Seljuks. These mosque forms are relatively traditional due to the fact that the are inspired by the classical Arab oblong plan to which they add a vast central dome.
     Other popular mosque styles included a single dome, square shape, and a single minaret remained a very popular for a long period of time. Other mosque ideas of the ottomans were brick minarets with turquoise tiles (a tradition of Persia and the Mongols), compact prayer halls, double domed, porches, T shaped buildings, star and octagon motifs, and even raised flooring. Surprisingly, they were interested in the west and asked both da Vinci and Michelangelo to come and help with the building projects they were performing.
       REPORT: mixed. Although this book is rich with architectural history, it worries me that it doesn't go into Ottoman culture until halfway through the book. What also worries me is the complexity in the wording of the book, which may be due to the lack of enough architectural knowledge. I will have to include many new sections in my essay that i wasn't planning on before, including origins of the Turks, seljuck style, and the influence of caravans on architecture. So for now, i will continue with this book, focusing not only on their styles of architecture, but also more on what caused them to adapt to those forms of architecture.

Artificial Intelligence

       The first book I read for my topic was Artificial Intelligence by Peggy Thomas. This book covered a lot of the basics and history of artificial intelligences and was a good starter book in learning more about my topic. The book discussed the idea of modern AI's and how books and movies (such as Star Wars) shaped our current perceptive on what would be an AI.
       An AI is essentially a computer that can learn, think, and evolve to be smarter than it started out as. An AI adapts to problems and learns from that problem to use in future situations, much like a human would. In fact, a perfect AI would be completely indistinguishable from a human being in the sense that if you had a conversation with an AI, it would seem as if you were talking to a human and not a machine.
        Artificial Intelligence starts off with describing early computing devices such as the Colossus, which was a British computer made during WW2 to decode encrypted German messages, and about Charles Babbage creating a purely mechanical computing device that could calculate up to 31 digits, using only gears and hand cranks. Then it goes on to explain binary, the most basic of computer language and how computers used this language to perform simple and extremely complex tasks.
       A man named Alan Turning devised a test in which someone would type the same question into two computers, one linked up to an AI, the other linked up to a human. After 5 minutes of question asking, if the person couldn't tell the two apart, or guessed wrongly as to which was human, then the AI would be considered intelligent. To date no such AI has passed the "Turning" test as it's called. Turning also suggested that a good place to create intelligence in a machine to chess. So in response to his suggestion, many AI groups started making chess playing computers and in 1980, these computers started being able to defeat experienced players. It wasn't until 1997 that chess computers finally became unbeatable with enough processing power.
       Now more recently, AI's and robotics have started to come together to create a more human like AI. Think C-3P0. Most of the advances though have been made with robotic AI's being programmed more animal or even insect like, just maneuvering landscaped and solving simple tasks. But these are important stepping stones to one day having your own personal robot butler one day.
Or a Skynet catastrophe.

The Story Behind Surrealism

For my first research book I read Phaidon by Robert Radford. I started reading this book thinking that I knew quite a bit about Salvador Dali, but I realized that his life was far more complex than I ever thought. There are many unsolved mysteries about his early life and decisions and events shaping his art style. There was much more to Dali than anyone ever knew.

Salvador was born May 11, 1904 in Figueres in Catalunya. Dali’s life was quite a mystery containing three different stories of how his childhood was lived. The true story about pre-celebrity Dali has never been confirmed. There is the version of his childhood coming from various records, the impassioned version described by Dali, and the perfect harmonious family portrayed by Dali’s sister. Dali created a mysterious façade of himself as a painter and didn’t want anyone to know anymore than what he showed.

His art was shaped through many things throughout his life. His art style changed multiple times from things like surrealism to earlier renaissance paintings. He had many mentors he met along the way including poet Federico Garcia Lorca, film-maker Luis Bunuel, Joan Miro, and Pablo Picasso. Dali wasn’t always the surrealism painter that we think of. His moving to America and travel gave him different opinions and insight therefore affected his outlook on things. The different people that Dali met gave him different opinions on his artwork and what each piece meant to him.

In doing my research, I learned thing about Dali I never knew. I think that I want to try to narrow down my research paper to what made him a surrealist painter and the events in his leading up to this decision and the classic reasoning behind surrealism. I think the next book I read will focus more on the type of art.

What Are Rosary Beads?

I went to Catholic school for 11 years and had Religion class every day of school - the basics of Catholic beliefs are nearly instinctual at this point.  My biggest shock attending public school has always been the lack of knowledge of Catholic doctrine my peers have.  When someone asked today what Rosary Beads are, I realized that this post needed to be made.  This likely won't be the most interesting post written tonight, but just bear with me.  You may even learn something.

The book I read was Catholic Faith in America by Chester Gillis.  On page 16, my friend's question is answered.  A rosary is a string of 59 beads usually connected to a small crucifix, although mine has a replica of the Pietà statue found in the Notre Dame Cathedral.  The origin of the prayer beads are questionable, but there is significant evidence that the rosary took shape by the hands of St. Dominic. [Fun fact: there is a rosarymart.com]

The Catholic Church is the world's largest charitable organization.  Catholic hospitals, food banks, adoption agencies, and other entities serve more people than any other organization in the world on a daily basis.  Public education and hospitals, two things upon which millions of people rely on daily, have their roots in the Catholic Church. 

This book also referenced Pope John Paul II, who stated in a document titled The Church and Computer Culture, published in 1989, that "with the advent of computer telecommunications and computer participation systems, the Church is offered further means for fulfilling her mission."  23 years later, Pope Benedict XVI joined Twitter.  Pope Francis, who was recently elected by the College of Cardinals as Pope, now tweets in nearly ten different languages.

I think my topic will still work.  My next book is Are Social Networking Sites Harmful?, part of Greenhaven Press's At Issue series unless I find something in the area which combines Catholic doctrine and Social Media.  I think that people like Mark Hart, Chris Padgett, and Leah Darrow will be helpful in my endeavors and hopefully others will be unearthed through research.  

Works Consulted

Gillis, Chester. Catholic Faith in America. New York: Facts On File, 2003. Print.

References I didn't use, but that I trust:

The rosary: http://lifeteen.com/why-do-catholics-pray-the-rosary/

Video on the Rosary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czDfk0RbN6M

I'm currently watching this, but I think it may be helpful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMLoEGCeAHs

An article on Facebook from a Catholic perspective: http://lifeteen.com/facebook-frenemy/

This is mostly for me for future reference, sorry: http://lifeteen.com/type-nice-digital-evangelization/

I'm sorry if this was mostly rambling, but thank you for reading the whole post if you chose to do so.  Internet hug for you <-(^.^)->

I promise to try to make my next post more interesting!

R

Frida Kahlo: First Readings

To begin research for my paper, I read the biography Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera. I knew next to nothing about Kahlo before I read this biography, but I learned a lot throughout the book and have a much better understanding of her life and art. She was born in 1907 on the outskirts of Mexico city and in 1925, when she was eighteen, was in a terrible bus accident that left her in almost constant pain and unable to have children. She married the painter Diego Rivera in 1929, becoming his third wife, and the two began a tumultuous high profile relationship. Kahlo had affairs throughout the marriage, with both women and men, and although Rivera's displeasure with her male lovers was no secret, many close friends described her as always radiant and fierce. Her distinct looks, with the slight mustache, pronounced unibrow, and classic Mexican dresses, were showcased in the majority of her artwork. Kahlo was also known for swearing frequently and using slang while speaking in English.

Along with her personal life, I learned a lot about her artwork and career as well. Her painting may have been somewhat small, but they were able to speak a lot. The majority of her works are self portraits using bright colors, and most put her in the category of surrealism. I still am unsure of how to narrow my topic on Kahlo down. I could connect her work and life to feminism, or see how it affected modern Mexican or American art. Whatever I chose to do, I am excited to learn more about Kahlo and broaden my knowledge on Mexican art from the mid twentieth century.

W.B. Yeats Irish Folktales

For my first book I decided to read Irish Folktales. Which is a collection of many of the fairy tales and folk tales of Celtic myth. It goes back to the very ancient myths of Ireland like with the banshee and the bog people. It shows how much of Irish history are very contrasted to one another. Many of the fairy tales are very happy and spritely like the tales of the fairies in the forest and then it can go to a very dark grim story of the banshee that wails when someone is about to die and the ghost stories of the bog people that live in the swamps and would take people in the night and drown them in the swamps. The myths of the Irish aren't all to different then many of the surrounding countries and are very ancient Myths. A lot of the myths in this book are derived from many Gothic themes with their dark tones and their strange atmosphere. This book is a very interesting collection of many of the tales of Ireland's people.

Inspired But Never Mimicked.

    I started this project with a limited understanding of the history of Abstract Expressionism, and the making of it. Reading Barbara Hess' Abstract Expressionism, showed me how I had only scratched the surface of information from the discussions in my past Art History class. I knew the time fram of the movement and a bit about how the government was really cool and knew that art shouldn't be lost because of the recession, so they were paid to make art for public installations. There was a lot of information to process, but one of the first things that was discussed was the term Abstract Expressionism.
      Some things I learned were that the term Abstract Expressionism itself began as a title to the artist who were opposed to categorizing movements in art and separating them into categories. Like Abstract Expressionism, many movements in art have a blurred line from when they begin and end because there are artists who dabble between the lines and do not fit in a specific category. The difference with Abstract Expressionism though, is that the methods of simply getting the paint on the canvaas and the subject matter is so unique to each individual, it literally cannot be mimicked because the essence of Abstract Expressionism is about the individual and about conveying a feeling within, that no one else can besides the individual, and that's super cool.

     

Creation of Jazz

Most people when they think of jazz music, they think of Louis Armstrong, the famous trumpet soloist, Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald who sang effortlessly, but they don't know where jazz music originated from. Jazz music first originated by the inspiration of African tribe music. Slaves from West Africa brought their musical traditions with them to America. Many slave owners encouraged slaves to sing because they thought it would make them work harder and make them less likely to rebel. Tribal music included many rhythms at once and syncopation, which are still key aspects to jazz music today. African Americans started picking up instruments and creating their own little bands, performing in their cabins. What really started the jazz craze was the big bands and the signature dixieland sound in the city of New Orleans.

People flooded New Orleans in the early 1900s to hear this new music, which included syncopation, ragtime, swing, and big brass bands. This is where Louis Armstrong started out, playing in small bands in clubs and hotels. Pianists started to play multiple rhythms at once, called ragtime. One of the most famous of these ragtime songs is "Maple Leaf Rag." Many immigrants from Haiti, called Creoles, came over to New Orleans and had a huge influence on the music there. One of the best of these early Creole jazz musicians was Edward "Kid" Ory. He was a major influence to Armstrong. Eventually, people ventured out to Chicago and New York, making new records. The public always was looking for that new sound, especially after the Victorian Age, which encouraged people to be proper and appropriate. The public felt oppressed and wanted change.

Eventually, some musicians stepped out of the big band sound and became known for their solos. Soloists became popular in jazz music, especially in Louis Armstrong's band in the 1920s. People admired that instrumental solo, especially when it was improvised. Solos added something different and exciting to this 'new' music, which shaped into jazz. Singing also was introduced and became more popular in jazz music, when before it was just the instruments that were highlighted. Louis Armstrong sang in almost all of his records, along with his signature instrumental solos. Some singers that peaked was Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, and many others. Many of them were African Americans who came from rough backgrounds with little money. What brought them to the top was their unique sound and individualism. Every new musician coming onto the scene strived for individualism, in order to be noticed in the jazz world.

Jazz spread across Europe and other countries as well. Everyone loved hearing that fresh sound, that ignored the old traditions of the Victorian Era. Jazz music spread like a plague, and jazz still influences music today. Many agree that Jazz music was the inspiration for Hip-Hop, Rap, and R&B. Many African Americans were able to use jazz music as an outlet and an escape from the oppression of racism and segregation. Jazz musicians were able to make an impact and make something of themselves. They could have a voice and be important, but only for a moment. Many famous jazz singers and musicians still had to obey the rules for the "black people." Yes, they were famous, but they still didn't have the same rights as white Americans, but that's a different book....

My next book will be specifically on Ella Fitzgerald. I admire her very much and would like to know her story. I want to know her influence on jazz music. I hope to focus my paper on her.

Early Gauguin

     Thus far, I have studied Gauguin's early to mid body of works extending from the 1875 to 1893, through Ingo Walther's Gauguin. Gauguin began as a stock manager and member of the French bourgeois where he comfortably supported his dutch wife Mette and five children. In Paris, he began to take classes in Impressionism and produced his first works after seriously studying the Impressionist method. One of his first works, The Seine in Paris between Port d' léna and the Port d' Granelle (1875), showed his tremendous talent and ability to integrate a personal flare into a widely established style. He used the impressionist technique of having visible paint marks on the canvas, but he contrasted their platform in that he portrayed a static emotion in his work. Traditional impression often highlighted "an unemotional scrutiny" of society, but Gauguin shows a sentimental perspective by showing what appears to be a small mother and son in the foreground of the image. He also shows ports, industrialized ones at that, in a peaceful light, making his painting further discordant with the pure Impressionist perspective. 

     Gauguin quickly broke away from the landscape platform he used in his first major work and brought his perspective to the human form and often incorporate elements of myth into his art. His Caricature Self-Portrait (1889) characterizes these stylistic elements; this work in particular highlight biblical myth by having a snake weaving its way through Gauguin's fingers, apples hanging next to his face, and a halo perched above his head. Not only does this show Gauguin's use of people and myth in his art, but also his personality. As an individual, Gauguin was fairly self-important; he would believe his early work would not sell because of public ignorance and often viewed himself in higher regard than other artist. The viewer of the painting not only gets this sense from the halo above Gauguin's head, but also Gauguin's eyes are disapprovingly squinted and his mouth is cocked arrogantly to one side. Additionally, Gauguin shows the most depth and contrast in his face, in comparison to the relatively flat elements of the portrait. 

     Another facet of Gauguin's work I could explore is his relationship to the native people of Tahiti. After spending decades in Paris and then the French countryside, he moved to Tahiti were spent many years immersing himself in the indigenous culture. During his years in Tahiti, Gauguin took on a lover named Tehura who helped him break down the walls between his Western culture and her indigenous one. One day when Gauguin home to the tent he shared with Tehura, he struck a match which scared Tehura, as she thought it was the return of a dead spirit. This "primitive" reaction inspired his 1892 painting, The Spirit of the Dead Keeps Watch. In the foreground, Gauguin shows Tehura lying on her stomach on their bed.  Her heals are crossed and her arms are crunched with her palms down, showing her submission and fear, while her facial expression emotes innocence. What Gauguin is trying to capture in this work is a sense of primitive nobility -- that this culture and these people are more human than their European counterparts. This idea relates back to the idea of the noble savage and Montaigne's "Of Cannibals", in the belief that indigenous people have a higher standard of ethics and more noble innate behavior than European society. 

     For my essay, I will likely either further examine the role of myth or native people in Gauguin's art or perhaps some combination of the two as they are the most striking and unique elements of his collection.

Fun side note: Gauguin lived with Van Gogh for a period during his time in France. During which, he experience the full spectrum of Van Gogh's mania. One night Gauguin needed some space from Van Gogh had grown paranoid of Gauguin. Van Gogh followed him carrying a razor and then stole off into the night; the next morning Van Gogh had severed his ear during a manic swing and Gauguin had to care for him.
 

Gender Roles in Art and Plays in Ancient Greece and Crete

I have actually decided to broaden my subject to gender roles portrayed in Ancient Greek and Cretan art and plays and to just dedicate a paragraph or two to the  blurred gender because I was struggling with finding information. One of the books I am reading is The Blade and the Chalice by Riane Eisler which is about cultural origins and gender roles in those cultures. It says that in readings you'll find famous Greeks such as Pythagoras and Socrates were taught by priestesses and that leaders from all over the Greek world sought out the advice of a priestess named Pythoness but other than that women are hardly mentioned in writing. We already know women had no civil or political rights. Yet in Homer's Odyssey women play some of the most powerful roles. It also mentions people referring back to old creation stories of a great mother creating the world instead of their modern gods and goddesses. Women liked to revert back to old stories past down from generations talking about an earlier, less oppressive time. Its interesting to discover how the women dealt with it. We all learned about the female role in Ancient Greece and their lack of rights but never how they responded or that not all the men agreed. I need to do more research though and possibly narrow down my topic again.

Rudolf Nureyev-- Initial Research

For my first book, I chose to read the novel Nureyev by Valeria Crippa and Ralph Fassey. It is a well-written narrative of is life accompanied by absolutely stunning photographs. I learned a lot that I didn't know about him, and now have a totally different view of him. He was born in the Soviet Union in 1938, which wasn't a great time to arrive in. His family (consisting of 4 sisters) fled to live with an uncle in a 129 square foot house. That is so ridiculously small. His father was part of the communist army. His passion for dance started when he was 7 years old, upon seeing the ballet The Song of the Craines. His father was thoroughly displeased with his desire to dance, as he'd hoped his son would become a doctor or engineer. His first teacher in the Soviet Union was Anna Udeltsova, who was at one point part of the infamous Ballet Russes. But he wanted to go further-- he raised his own money to get himself to Leningrad, where he would attend the prestigious Vaganova school at age 17. He improved constantly under the watchful eye of ballet master Pushkin. He toured frequently with the company and was gaining popularity in Europe. In June of 1961, he made a life-changing decision. He defected from the Soviet Union while in Paris. This was a very bold move to make, but one that was good for him. He was performing within days of defecting, as he was a hot ticket item. Combine his history with hidden homosexuality and you get a fierce, intensely dedicated dancer and human being. Later in life, he was infected with AIDS. But nonetheless, Nureyev was an amazing dancer and a rather ridiculous man. Here are several very sassy quotes said by or about Nureyev:

1. "Dealing with him was like managing nitroglycerine"(17)- said by an interviewer turned servant.

2. "[He was] embarrassingly beautiful... he had an entire corps de ballet at his feet" (23)- said by a fellow dancer.

3. "When Nureyev died he left behind a trail of inconsolable widows" (17)- said by a close friend.

4. "Russians are natural dancers; the English have to learn" (36)- said by Nureyev himself.

In Defense of the Grizzly Man

       Timothy Treadwell was eaten twice. Think about it. Once by the bear that killed him, then by the bears that cleaned up the corpse of said bear after it was shot and killed. Yeah yeah, I know they carried away like two garbage bags full of people parts, but there's no way they got every bit and piece! Just putting that out there. Eaten. Twice.

       Anyway, the documentary Grizzly Man was definitely a unique experience. I cant say that I'm completely proud about laughing at the life's work of a dead man, but a lot of the documentary was quite whimsical. Treadwell was a man full of conflict. Battling mental illness, addiction, and mockery by his peers, Treadwell was still able to live alongside some of the most ferocious creatures on the planet for over a dozen summers. That's pretty commendable no matter who you are.

       What was the reason he went to live with those bears? To protect them? Did he ever actually prevent anyone from doing harm to one of the bears? Or was there an emotional/psychological reason he felt so at home, and in love with the bears that drove him to stay with them every year up until the point of his very death? That truth can only be speculated about now. The only link we have into the mind of Timothy Treadwell is the over 100 hours of footage he recorded while with the bears. Some of the footage is beautiful and well spoken, and shows us a nature loving, person who has a clear goal and sense of direction.  While other pieces of footage show a confused, angry, and conflicted person who hates the world. But in all the footage there's evidence of someone who cares for the animals and has a strong will to do what he believes is right even till the end.

       Timothy Treadwell died the way he would have wanted to die. He said so himself that he'd die for the bears and that he wouldn't be surprised if one day he was killed by one. That's dedication. So while we laugh at this documentary ('We' as in me too, because it was definitely hysterical), we should just keep in the back of our heads the thought that, hey, here's a guy whose life could not be more perfect. He's exactly where he wants to be in the world, doing exactly what he wants to do, and someday I sure wish I could live like that too.

       And if he was so extremely excited about just touching bear poop, think of how happy he would be knowing he himself would BE bear poop one day.
Just putting that out there.

Man V. Giant Bear

       I don't really know what I think about Herzog's film of Treadwell. It portrays him in many different ways. At some points in the film you respect what Treadwell is trying to accomplish out in the wilderness but then the film just takes a drastic turn when it cuts to a pilot, that pretty much just calls Treadwell retarded. I don't think that Herzog respects Treadwell very much and it really shows in some points in the film. Herzog says that Treadwell has potential but he never recognized it and used it. It seems that Herzog looks down on Timothy in this film. He emphasizes all of Tim's weaknesses and keeps exploiting his clear unsoundness mentally to drive home a point that doesn't really need to be made since Timothy died from his experiences with the bears showing that he indeed wasn't correct in all of his personal prejudices towards the bears.
      Herzog Does not really try to see things through what Timothy might have seen. Instead he gathers many people together that thought what Timothy was doing was a completely bad idea and he clearly should have never done what he did. Herzog Has no respect for Treadwell. If someone dies doing something that he thought was right, who are we to judge him. Mentally unstable or not, Timothy had the courage to give his life for his belief that he was making a difference. Leave the dead be let the people that he knew believe that he died doing something great. Don't parade around the fact that he probably had mental issues and don't only show him when he is at his lowest points. And don't try to prove your superiority at every single point in the film.

Timothy Treadwell

While watching Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man, I found there to be a certain element of beauty within Treadwell's conviction and devotion to the creatures he observed in the wilds of Alaska. The idea that the simplicity of nature could save someone such as Timothy from the chaos and disappointment he had experienced in the "human world" seems almost poetic in a sense. I find it deeply tragic that any human being could feel unimportant or even unwanted by others, especially an individual as charismatic as Timothy Treadwell. No part of me doubts that Treadwell was indeed an intelligent man, and I find it hard to believe that he was as careless, reclusive, and simple-minded as Herzog portrays him to be. People may not agree that Treadwell deserved his self-given title of Grizzly Expert, but after surviving for thirteen summers with the wild animals, I personally could not be convinced that he did not come to understand the ways and the habits of the Alaskan grizzly bear through close observation. 

It is obvious that Timothy Treadwell's mistake was putting himself into direct and unnecessary danger, however Herzog makes his opinion of the man and his ideals clear. Throughout the film, and with much disrespect, Herzog portrays Treadwell as little more than an unaccomplished fool. It is clear through his narrative that Herzog is an egomaniac of a man with much to prove. At every turning point of the documentary, there is given an example of Herzog's superiority to Treadwell.

Torn

I thought I was sure of how I felt about Grizzly Man, the film by Werner Herzog, until I thought about how I spent my summers as a child.  Every year since I can remember up until freshman year, my family and I went to Clark's Trained Bears in the summer and everything I know about bears comes from these shows.  It was clear to me at these shows that the bears were no threat to the trainers, which never occurred to me until watching Timothy Treadwell that these interactions don't translate to the wild.

I think the difference between Clark's and Grizzly Man is in the nurture of the bears.  I know from going to Clark's so often that bear cubs are born mid-winter and don't come out of hibernation unless dehydrated, in which case they leave, "drink" some snow, and return to their den.  The bears at Clark's are generally orphans rescued before they get a chance to be raised as "wild animals," found in the winter or spring, raised in a home as to get used to humans, then trained over the next year or two to perform in the show.  The young bears Treadwell is with have a few months before he arrives in the summer to be trained in self-defense and are taught how to fight, creating an environment which would be dangerous towards Timothy.

As far as the movie discusses, Timothy has no experience with bears before he decides to live with the bears.  He was never trained how to act around the bears and never learned to respect the bears the way others had for centuries before, as explained in the film by the Alaskan native.  The trainers at Clark's grew up at the post their great-grandparents began and were raised knowing how to behave around them in order to keep themselves and the animals safe.

I don't blame Timothy for his death.  I think that places like Clark's give altered visions of reality and nature and, while interesting, may be harmful.  The bears are never mistreated, but I fear that others may, like Timothy, think that what is done there is easy and can be done with an adult bear found in the wild.

Timothy's addictive personality couldn't have helped his condition, either.  The bears saved him from a dark place of alcoholism and drug addiction.  He once stated that he "promised the bears if [he] looked over them would they please help [him] be a better person" and they did just that.  Even on the day of his death, he stressed that he wanted nothing but to live and die with the bears.  This became his lifelong wish and was fulfilled, possibly sooner than he thought, but that it was granted is more than many of us will be able to say.

Who is Timothy Treadwell?

     Even after watching Grizzly Man, I could not stop thinking about the all that I have witnessed. Grizzly Man is about a mentally ill man named Timothy Treadwell who went through a lot of disappointment. Just as he though their was no alibi for his depression, he found comfort in the bears of Alaska. He then spent the rest of his life trying to protect the bears in any way he can, which mainly consists of video taping the beasts. Though he did all that he can, society considered him insane for risking his life trying to help a species that is fine on its own. Although we have heard many people call him crazy and idiotic, I actually have to give the man a little credit. I have sympathy for him because he is doing what he loves and there should be absolutely nothing wrong with that. Also, by the way he was explaining, he finds the bears as his savior, serving the same purpose as a god might. I viewed his work as a dedication to the bears, for helping him through his struggle. Lastly, I choose to side with Treadwell against society because of his reaction with nature. Everyone assumes that if you mess with nature, you will feel its wrath, but I didn't find that in Treadwell's case. He ventured into the woods and instead of feeling natures wrath, he befriended it and also, he was able to speak his mind clearly, unleashing his inner thoughts. Sure he got eaten by a bear, but I think it was worth it to have that kind of time within nature so that your thoughts may run free without the threat of other's opinions.
     Though Grizzly Man really made me optimistic with Timothy's positive attitude and his astonishing ability to speak what's on his mind, there was one thing I didn't like: Werner Herzog. From the start of the film I disliked him because of the way he was making the film. Treadwell's story was a story of rejuvenation; one man's story of showing his love for something that saved him from the hell he was living in, yet Herzog mocked him. He did this by interviewing people that he knew would hate Treadwell for what he's doing including a park ranger, a native American of the park, and a doctor that thought the guy was crazy. He may not have meant for this to happen, but with his monotone and emotionless voice, it was difficult to exactly tell how he truly feels about Treadwell and his death. Most importantly, I despise Herzog because of his remark about the bears not even noticing Treadwell. He basically said that Treadwell was wasting his time and that the bears will never consider him anything of importance. He basically crushed all that Treadwell had to offer the world.
     Though Herzog agitated me, the film in a whole was not half bad. It clearly showed how close a person can get to nature and the positive effects of that person's life. His videos was simply awe-inspiring to watch as a man who has been through so much and suffers so much may actually find his sacred space somewhere, and that he would do anything to preserve that space.  Though Timothy and his girlfriend died tragically, he did what he loved and that is something not a lot of people can say, especially those like Timothy Treadwell.

Grizzly Man Thoughts

I am still unsure of how I really feel about the movie Grizzly Man. The slightly immature part of me dislike the director Herzog from the short article we read where he criticized Disney. After watching the movie I found many other reasons to dislike him as well. The entire film was a mockery of Timothy Treadwell and the interpretation of his work that Treadwell could obviously have no input on. It is clear that Treadwell had psychological issues but to be made fun of for everyone to see after he is dead is cruel and unfair. The most annoying part of it was that Herzog pretended to have respect for him, but I did not buy it at all.
After a hard life including battles with alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, and evidence of being bipolar, Treadwell needed to find something positive to focus on. When Grizzly bears came into his life, I think he put all his energy into them in order to no focus on his other issues. I am guessing he found kinship with the bears because they could not judge him he finally felt important by being their protector. What he actually did to protect them I still do not understand, but he got to do what he truly loved up until the very end. I think Treadwell knew the possibility of getting killed. Although he viewed the creatures as his friend he discussed the high risk factor. But to him it was worth it.
As for Herzog, I'm not sure if he set out to make a comedy but that is what he accomplished. Of the hundreds of hours of film he had of Treadwell, he used the most erratic and strange footage. I know I laughed, but I felt a little uneasy while doing so laughing at the life and passion of a dead man. I also fully believe that if Treadwell had simply had a lower voice, people would take him much more seriously. I found the description of the audio tape of Treadwell's death disturbing, but the scene where Herzog listens and then tells the friend to destroy it was extremely fake. I thought it seemed obviously staged and cheesy. Even when the coroner was describing the death, Herzog found a way to make it oddly funny. With the close up on the strange facial expressions and then the long pause at the end, it was so awkward it made everyone laugh. I can't imagine a reason the director would do this other than to make it funny, which I don't think he should have done when the death of a man was being discussed.
I enjoyed the film a lot and found it interesting and funny, but I think it was wrong for Herzog to take Treadwell's own film and then make a movie mocking it and listing the reasons why his film making was not good enough. Timothy Treadwell's life came to a sad end, but he was doing what he wanted to do for the rest of his life and new the possibilities of danger. I do not think the bears thought of him as a friend, but the fact that he lived with them for thirteen summers says something. They may not have cared for him in the way he did for them, but I do not think he could have survived that long if they truly wanted to eat him. I think they acknowledged his and let him be, and it was only when the unfamiliar bears arrived that he was eaten. I think the film Grizzly Man showed a man who had lifelong issues and desperately needed to feel important. He did not harm the bears, so I guess we really cannot fault him for finding the place he believed he belonged, no matter how strange or dangerous it was. I think Herzog looked like the bigger idiot by criticizing Treadwell and showing many of his embarrassing moments after he was gone. At least Treadwell died doing what he loved and his ashes can remain with the bears forever.

An Unconventional Kind of Love

       While watching Grizzly Man, I expirenced so many different emotions. Timothy's enthusiasm for nature and it's creatures is infectious and makes me happy seeing him so in love with his surroundings, but when thinking about how and why he got there, the feeling of sorrow and sympathy is overwhelming. It makes me so sad to think about how Timothy tried so hard in the "human" world to be sucessful and to fit in, but was faced with many handicaps. Those including what can be percieved by the clips in the film, Grizzly Man, to be some kind of manic depressive state, and then adding just the crulety of today's society it is honestly understandable to me to want to flee from all of that. I understand feeling as though you didn't choose to be alive and be a person, and you don't get a choice but he found a way to enjoy life, and although it was extremly unconventional, it made him happy.
           There can be arguments made for both sides of the controversy over Timothy Treadwell's lifestyle. Like discussed inclass the parrallels between the mean hunter and the good bear, Timothy's life style was similiar to that in that he wasn't harming the bears or leaving any kind of permanent mark on the land, but he was making the bears accustomed to humans, which was not good. There are good and bad to both. Many people thought we was crazy, and he probably did have some kind of mental dissability of some sort, but it didn't seem in the movie that any one was really trying to help him with his addictions, to drugs, alcohol, or bears. This opens up a new topic of how people have no problem lableing others, but won't act upon those words to do good. All in all, I am glad that Timothy Treadwell found something that made him enjoy life, for many people in his situation never do.

Animalistic Passion

            I had very mixed feelings coming away from Grizzly Man. On the one hand, I felt like I just watched 100 minutes of a movie devoted to one man’s passion. But on the other hand, I felt like I just watched 100 minutes of a movie displaying one man’s undeniable mental illness. I don’t think it’s right to look at Timothy Treadwell’s story without acknowledging that there were psychological problems. After we viewed the film, I looked Treadwell up online and read a few more articles. Treadwell himself noted that his recovery from his drug and alcohol addictions manifested itself in the grizzly bears. To Treadwell, the bears truly were his saviors. His passion is admirable if not over-bearing at times. While I believe it’s noble to devote your life to what you love, Treadwell’s sickness takes over and pushes him to go too far. There was no reason for him to be living among the bears for summers, just as there was no reason for him to actually tamper with nature to benefit the bears. Furthermore, when nature does not display what the bears need, Treadwell goes into a terrifying state.

            As Werner Herzog points out, Treadwell crosses a boundary between humans and nature. His passion—rooted in illness—puts not only his own life in danger, but his girlfriend Amie’s, and it also jeopardizes the innate relation humans and bears have (especially the bears’ perception of humans and humankind). At times, I felt Herzog was poking fun at Treadwell. He felt like an out-of-place narrator in the sense that he neither respected nor tried to find deeper meaning in what Treadwell was doing. Herzog’s failure to highlight the positive aspects and results of Treadwell’s career made it seem like he was almost making a mockery of him, especially at times where his mental illness was bolder. Matched with his view of nature, Herzog’s commentary, especially about the ultimate fate of the two grizzly people, was not surprising. It was almost nice to have the stark contrast of Herzog and Treadwell, a living man who views nature cynically and a deceased man who found bliss. Herzog’s unwillingness or inability to see from Treadwell’s point of view is either unsettling or just a factor pointing toward Treadwell’s instability—not to say that Herzog himself is necessarily sane.

            Ultimately, I enjoyed many aspects of the movie. I thought it was a good representation of several views of nature according to humans, and it shows how the relationship between nature and humans has developed to a point where the latter almost do not belong anymore.