Walter Benjamin: “Thesis of the Philosophy of History”.

A Klee painting named “Angelus Novus” shows an angel looking at though he is about to move away from something he is fixedly contemplating. His eyes are staring, his mouth is open, his wings are spread. This is how one pictures the angel of history. His face is turned toward the past. Where we perveive a chain of events, he sees one single catastrophe which keeps piling wreckage upon wreckage and hurls it in front of his feet. The angel would like to stay, awaken and dead, and make whole what has been smashed. But a storm is blowing from Paradise, it has got caught in its wings with such violence that the angel can no longer close them. This storm irrestibly propels him to the future to which his back is turned, while the pile of debris before him grows skywards. This storm is what we call progress.

In the ninth thesis, Walter Benjamin rejects the past as the continuum of progress in the future. The painting of the angel which metophorically represents history is looking to the past and hopes of lingering there. However, the chain of past catastrophic events which he hopes to fix is now propelling him to move into the future. The angel is hopeless and cannot make whole the fragments of history. The task of the Angel is to establish a redemptive relation to the fragments. Progress beckons the angel, who must move ahead into the future to keep abreast of the changing times.

This passage is relevant in our lives as well. Instead of living in the past, we must pick the pieces of our lives and move on. Perfection is not a state but a dream, and our human frailties have made us captives of the past and detest change. In this passage Benjamin is speaking about moving ahead in life, despite all the mistakes committed and problems that we face. To quote Buddha, “Change is the only constant thing in life”.

Walter Benjamin: 

 

1. What is the difference between cult value and exhibition value in art? How does Benjamin see these values in relation to politics?

Cult value in the work of art is when a commodity is rare such as a fleeting moment in photography to grab the human experience. However, the cult value now is being replaced by exhibition value with films and photography being prime examples. The stress on the cult value of works of art has shifted to their exhibition value. Photography and film are ideally suited for realizing that shift.

2. What is the difference between Erfahrung and Erlebnisse? How does it relate to art?
Erfahrung is use to indicate the experience as on going and cumulative. It also means to say something you undergo. Erlernisse is used to discuss the idea of experience as isolated and categorical. It also means to say something you have.

3. Explain some of the positive and negative effects of the destruction of the "aura" in art.
The withering of the aura of art is a good thing. Instead of being based on ritual, it begins to take on new forms, and that leads to the meager of art and media.
The negative aspect of the destruction of aura is that it takes away the uniqueness of the moment and time of the art.

4. How would you judge or evaluate the impact of forms of mass culture like film in contemporary life? Have they changed human perception? Are they important part of creating political consciousness in the public?
Mass culture like films has become an integral part of the art and communication medium for modern times. Mass culture refers to how culture gets produced. Mass culture is mass produced, distributed, and marketed. This culture tends to reproduce the liberal value of individualism and to foster a view of the citizen as a consumer.

On Pain:

Junger’s critique of liberalism is that it basically denies or conceals the relationship to pain. The existence of pain contradicts the dominant values of liberal society which holds out the myth that good will always triumph over evil:

Pain’s disregard for our system of great values greatly increases its hold on life… Our children’s tales close with passages about heroes who, after having overcome many dangers, live out their lives in peace and happiness. We hear such assurances with pleasure, for it is comforting for us to learn about a place removed from pain. Yet, in truth, life is without any such satisfying end.

Junger was against liberalism and he looked forward to the dissolution of the Weimer Republic and its liberal capitalism. He believed that revolution would bring a progress in Germany and liberalism stood in its way. Junger, a World War I veteran, was a vocal critic of the Weimer Republic. In the passage from “On Pain”, there is a total rejection of liberalism and its values of liberty, security, comfort and ease. His explanation was that at the root of everything, pain was the motivating force that propelled mankind to make progress and move ahead. The passage explains to people to come out of the fantasy world of the bourgeoisie and see that world shatter before them.

1. How would you judge Junger’s thesis that pain is the central experience of life.

For Junger, who was far removed from the basic tenets of liberalism, his idea that pain was the central experience of life was a bold statement to make at his time. Yet I agree with Junger’s thesis, because his argument still holds true in today’s world. The world has seen wars, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and other disasters both man made and natural. If we look at the basic component of all that has happened, pain is the central experience and also the driving force that drives people to move ahead and over come the hindrances thrown at them.

2. What does “post-liberal” refer to and how does it relate to the idea of progress?

This refers to how the liberals have evolved their notion of progress. In the early days, liberals viewed progress as having peace and universal brotherhood, but now that has changed to measuring progress in terms of education level, income level etc.

3. Why is the photography the “evil eye” according to Junger?

Photography according to Junger is evil, because it captures what ever it sees, without a hint of emotion or humanity.

4. What is the relationship between specialized education and the “worker type.”

Specialized education and higher learning was reserved for the elite in society and not available to the working class. The inclusion of many clauses and baseless rules made it difficult for the people from the working class to have access to higher education and thereby stopping them from moving up the social ladder.

5. How does submission to totalitarian authorities protect an individual from pain.

Pain is a very subjective feeling and varies between people.  Submission to a totalitarian authority would protect the individual from harm and thereby protect him from pain.

NAZISM:

Despite the obvious militaristic nature of the fascist governments many celebrate Hitler’s success. The economy grows by about 9 percent between 1933-1939 that is similar to the level that the Chinese economy is growing today. Unemployment was lower in Germany than in the United States during the 1930s, although workers were paid less on average than U.S. workers. Many U.S. business executives at Ford and General Motors praise the Germans success like William S. Knudsen, who called Nazi Germany "the miracle of the twentieth century" and later as head of GM was the first civilian to be made into a general and played a key role in directing the economic side of the U.S. war effort in the 1940s. Hitler in turn praises industrialists like Henry Ford both for their success in business and anti-semitism. The Nazi Volkswagen project was meant to imitate the success of the Ford Model T, while Ford published articles like The International Jew. In 1936 Germany hosts the Olympics and in 1938 Hitler is named Time man of the year. Groups like the America First Committee (largely funded by business executives) were committed to non-intervention in the war and peace with Germany right up until the attack on Pearl Harbor in late 1941.

This was a period of a huge economic growth for Germany. Just like how the Nazi party rose to power riding on a wave of propaganda, so did the policies implemented by it. The money that came from creating jobs was used to finance the production of war fare machinery. Hitler was a power hungry person who wanted to rule more than just Germany, and he knew that could be achieved only by the use of force.

I choose this passage because it underlies the progress Germany made under the Nazi regime. What must be noted here is that the motive of such was to ultimately conquer major parts of the world.

Another thing is that America took it’s time to enter the Second World War. It waited for Russia to drain all it’s resources and until Pearl Harbor happened it did not enter the war. Another argument could be put forth that America saw the fall of Germany and its allies were coming. And it waited for Russia to finish the work. Had Pearl Harbor not happened, who knows what the outcome of the war would have been, or its aftermath.

1. What were some of the major reasons that led to the rise of Nazi Germany?

The rise of the Nazi party in Germany was a gradual process and many factors led to this development. Following the loss of the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles (which put the blame of the First World War squarely on Germany) many people were anger and this created a bitterness to which Hitler’s expansionism appealed. The Nazi party gave the German people hope and a chance to regain their lost pride. Secondly, the government was crippled by the weak constitution and there were loopholes in it, to which Hitler capitalized on. The Great Depression of 1929 sent shockwaves across the World and Germany was adversely affected due to its strong ties with the American economy. Widespread unemployment resulted from the crash in the stock market and the unemployed number of people rose to four million by 1930. The Nazi party capitalized on the severe economic disaster and by 1930 had become the second largest party in the Reichstag and it now became impossible to form a government without their support.

2. How did Nazis resolve conflicts between workers and owners and why was this an attractive model for business executives?

The Nazi party portrayed itself as the alternative to non-communist to the working class. They strategy was to substitute racial struggle for class struggle. They controlled class struggle by controlling the prices and wages of products and workers. Independent unions were destroyed in favor of a Nazi controlled union. It was attractive for the executives, as they were left in control of their business organizations, unlike the communist model. Moreover, the government became their biggest customer, as demands grew to supply the production of materials to support war.

3. What is the significance of the phrase “Arbeit macht Frei”?

This sign was infamously put up on many Nazi concentration camps during their regime. This phrase literally means “work makes one free”. However, on the contrary it had the opposite meaning. This was a place used to murder the Jews that were brought there to work. This sign became a defining symbol of the holocaust as it served as a reminder of the atrocities that the Jews underwent during the rule of the Nazi party in Germany.

4. What is State Capitalism and how does it relate to Nazi Germany?

State capitalism is a form of capitalism where the state performs the role of capitalist employer, exploiting the workers in the interest of the State. This can also be stated as the form of governance where there is the presence of a significant number of state owned business enterprises. During the regime of the Nazi party, most companies were directly or indirectly linked with the government. For example, Hitler believed the auto industry was vital in reviving the economy, and so his regime set up many companies that were run by his subordinates.

5. How would you evaluate the psychological causes of anti-semitism in the context of German society?

Anti-semitism was rampant during the reign of the Nazi party in Germany. People of the Jewish faith were denied basic civil rights, their property destroyed or confiscated. Jewish people holding positions in business and academics were removed from their jobs. The holocaust was set to mass murder Jews and by historical accounts about six million Jews perished during the holocaust. The German society was affected and more particularly the Jewish people were adversely affected by the actions of the Nazi party. Anti-semitism created a resentment among the German people against the Jewish people and that burden had to be carried on to the next generation.

Max Weber: Politics as a Vocation

The connections between Weber and nihilism deal with the central conflict of trying to find meaning and purpose in a nihilistic world. For Weber the solution is politics, which he regards as a vocation. Vocation itself refers to a “calling” in the German Lutheran tradition, a specific calling to serve God. Weber draws upon this meaning while redefining it in a secular way, to refer to devotion to one’s work and through that finding a sense of fulfillment and purpose in life. “Vocational training” also refers to the teaching of “procedural knowledge” and is used to refer to the teaching of trades like carpentry or plumbing that require specific technical knowledge. He develops this concept for professional politicians to what he refers to as status honor a sense of achievement deriving from the ability to perform the work processes that are necessary to carry out political decisions. At the same time he says everyone who lives ‘for’ politics (vocation), also lives ‘off’ politics (avocation) in that they are financially dependent upon politics for a livelihood. However, the typical way in which politics, status honor, and vocational meaning intersect and mediate each other is through nationalism. The nation then becomes the substitute for the loss of meaning in traditional authorities caused by the rise of nihilistic thought in the late 19th century. The nation becomes a substitute for God. The concept of civic religion is related to this idea and is closely related to the development of republican states in the ancient world.


Max Weber was a German sociologist whose influence on the discipline of sociology had far reaching effects. In the above passage Weber tries to find reason in a person choosing politics as a career option. He tries to tie the concept with dedication to God by means of devotion to one's work and service to society. There are two ways to make politics your vocation: you can live for it or off it. It you live for it, you make it your life in an internal sense, either because you enjoy power or because you serve some cause. If you live off it, you strive to make it your permanent source of income. All party struggles are struggles for the patronage of office, as well as struggles for objective goals. Setbacks in participating in offices are felt more severely by parties than is action against their objective goals.

This passage typically explains how some people begin to make politics their career option. However the general good of the people is lost as power and money become their motto. This is true in the United States and in many countries across the world. Power corrupts and Weber was critical of this concept and was quick to point out the vocation aspect to bring some understanding in the minds of people to choose politics as a career move. Religion was a dominant force in the lives of people and Weber tried connect politics as service to people which invariable meant service to God.

The Weimar Republic:              

Article 43:
The term of office of the Reich President lasts seven years. Reelection is permitted. The Reich President can be deposed by plebiscite, which has to be suggested by the Reichstag. This Reichstag decision requires a majority of two thirds of the voted. Such a decision bars the Reich President from continued exercise of his office. A rejection of the deposition is regarded as a reelection and results in the dissolution of the Reichstag. The Reich President can not be persecuted in a penal matter without the approval of Reichstag.

This articles lays out the term of the President and the process of his impeachment. In the United States the Senate and House must vote for two thirds majority to impeach the president. So in this aspect the German and American system is similar. However, I feel that the term of seven years is too long. Most governments across the world have a term of five years. The article also mentions that the president has the power to reject the deposition of the Reichstag regarding his removal. This move invariable dissolves the house and mid term elections have to be held. I think such powers make the president misuse his power. 

Article 109:
All Germans are equal in front of the law. In principle, men and women have the same rights and obligations. Legal privileges or disadvantages based on birth or social standing are to be abolished. Noble titles form part of the name only; noble titles may not be granted any more. Titles may only be granted if they indicate an office or occupation; academic degrees are not affected by this regulation. The state may no more bestow orders and medals. No German may accept titles or orders from a foreign government.
The article explains the basic equality right of every German. However, what baffles me is that in reality this ideal situation seemed far fetched. Inequality was rampant and many Germans did not enjoy the rights specified by the constitution. This situation can be compared to the United States today; we still have racism, although the Civil Rights Act outlawed racial segregation. We as a nation have been successful in curbing this curse, but it still leaves a lot to be desired.

1. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of proportional representation.
Some of the advantages of proportional representation are that it allows more parties to have seats in the parliament. The people can also be assured that their representative’s vote will have an equal value as all other representatives.
Some of the disadvantages are that it may not always provide a party with a clear majority. In this case coalitions are likely to be formed between different parties. Also this can make the functioning of the government difficult  because smaller parties with vested interests within the government can take the government hostage over certain issues. This can also be seen as one of the ways Hitler's party became a voice in the government despite garnering only a few seats.

2. What were the leading causes of the decline of the Weimar Republic.
There were number of events leading to the decline of the Weimar Republic. Notably among them was the inflation after the war, followed by the shocks of the Great Depression of the United States. Germany's economy was closely tied to the United States' economy and so it was natural for its economy to be affected by the fall in the American economy. This is similar to the crash of the American economy in 2004 following the housing and mortgage crisis. This fall had repercussions across Europe, because the European Union’s economic health is closely tied with America.

3. What is hyperinflation?
Hyperinflation is a condition when we have a surplus of paper money in the market. This can occur when a nation experiences very high and uncontrolled inflation where the Federal Government prints money to meet the needs of the country, rather than collecting raising money by raising taxes. Too much money circulating in the market leads to a devaluation of the currency resulting in rising prices and a battered economy.

4. How would you judge the Weimar constitution as compared to the American constitution?
The Weimar constitution and the American constitution had a lot of similarities. However, under the Weimar constitution the President enjoys extensive powers unlike the American president. Too much power lay in the hands of one person and therefore it defeated the purpose of a democracy where people's voice spoke and government was accountable to the people.

The Junius Pamplet:

Thus proletarian policy is locked in a dilemma when trying to decide on which side it ought to intervene, which side represents progress and democracy in this war. In these circumstances, and from the perspective of international politics as a whole, victory or defeat, in political as well as economic terms, comes down to a hopeless choice between two kinds of beatings for the European working classes. Therefore, it is nothing but fatal madness when the French socialists imagine that the military defeat of Germany will strike a blow at the head of militarism and imperialism and thereby pave the way for peaceful democracy in the world. Imperialism and its servant, militarism, will calculate their profits from every victory and every defeat in this war – except in one case: if the international proletariat intervenes in a revolutionary way and puts an end to such calculations.

The passage explains the dilemma of the working class in it decision to choose between democracy and progress in the war. The writer is saying that in all situations, the working class will end up on the losing side and the rich will end up making the money. However, the solution to the impasse lies in the belief that if all the working class in the world got together and rose against the ruling class, then the tide will turn in its favor. I choose this passage because I feel it is relevant in today's capitalist society, where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The middle class as some scholars predict will disappear some day. The need of the hour is the unification of the working class, which today is the middle class to rise up to the challenge of the politics of rich . However, I feel that it is not a realistic scenario, but if that were to happen then the world would be a better place to live in.

Why does Luxemburg believe the wars of 1871 affect the wars in 1914?
Luxemburg believes that the war of 1870 paved the way for Europe to be split into two major factions which led to a arms race resulting in the present war.

How does Luxemburg judge the claims made about "Russian despotism" supported by the SPD

When the Reichstag issued a statement making their position clear on Russian Deportism during the war, Luxemburg was against it. She goes on to describe the spoils of war and the ramifications of it.  Luxemburg also tries to explain the propaganda that the Reichstag is trying to propagate in the mind of people to make their case. Her next words serve to elucidate her stand, “But in normal human beings this systematic murder is possible only when a state of intoxication has been previously created."

What is the relationship between nationalism and capitalism?Nationalims is the love for you country and the desire to fight for its freedom.  Capitalism is a society ruled by the profit motive. The wealthy hold disproportionate power within capitalism and use it to preserve their interests, especially the ability to make more money.

Why does Luxemburg believe that the war supports the business interests of steel and the banks?

Luxemburg believed that the war would support a capitalist society where the banking and steel industry would manipulate the market.

The Film "W"

The scene that I choose from the film is the one in which the police department heads are discussing how to catch the killer and simultaneously the band of criminals are also discussing how to catch the same killer. Although the meetings are taking place at different places, the film maker's decision to picturize them together makes the scene beautiful, as the topic of discussion is the same however, the approaches are different. The police department, being a law agency, wants to adopt the legal way. However, the criminals are ready to try any method to fulfill their motive. The viewer can also sense the desperation in the voices of the criminals who want this impasses over as soon as possible, because the police have done so much to make their lives miserable, by intefering in their daily lives and activities.

1. Discuss the evolution of police power as it is depicted in Dr. Caligari and M?

The evolution of police power between the two films Dr. Caligari and M is phenomenal. The police force depicted in Dr. Caligari is shown as having old methods of conducting their operations, where as the police force in M has begun to resort to new means of technology. I also noticed that in the film M, certain sections of society had begun to distrust the police, and therefore decided to take the law into their own hands.

2. Does the killer deserve to die?

Firstly, the killer deserved a fair trail. During the climax of the film the killer claims that he killed people out of a desire to suppress his fears and voices that were haunting him. I believe, a fair trail would have adjudicated him as a mentally unstable person and sentenced him to a mental asylum. Even if he was found guilty, he should not be killed, but rather sentenced to life imprisonment.

3. How does the criminals ability to organize themselves affect their ability to capture Beckert?

The criminals ability to spread people all over the city and especially from the beggars union was a smart move. They also showed great determination in breaking the law to capture Beckert.

4. How would you judge the depiction of Nazis as criminals?

The Nazis came to power around that same time period on a broad agenda that they could turn the fortunes of the nation around. In the film, the criminals achieved their means by breaking the law, so did the Nazis achieve it means by doing a lot of injustices.

5. What is the significance of the media in this film?

The media certainly keep the public informed. It also helped to make the authority more accountable for its actions.

The Blue Angel

The scene that I choose from the film is the one where the professor goes to the cabaret for the first time, with the intention of catching his students there and subsequently disciplining them. I think the viewer begins to see the real person inside the professor, who exudes an impression of being a hard task master. This event begins a series of transformations that the professor is due to undergo. In the end we see, the professor in complete contrast to the person that he initially was. So, his first visit to the cabaret is pivotal in the character’s transformation.

1. How would you compare Rath/Lola to Siddhartha/Kamala?

To begin with, there are similarities between Rath/Lola and Siddhartha/Kamala characters. Though set in different time periods, this is a case where the west meets the east. Seduction is a common language employed like by woman like Lola or Kamala, although I reckon the motivation of the women are different. In Lola’s case she is shown as a seductress who can play with the emotions of men to use to her advantage. Kamala on the other hand is not shown to be conniving; in fact she encourages Siddhartha to get a job and gets him to learn new things. Lola’s manipulation and subsequent humiliation of Rath leads him to absolute shame and we see in the end that he dies. Siddhartha manages to come out of the situation, and it can be said that he learnt from his mistake and decides to go back to his former life. Two different stories, similar plot, but different endings.

2. Is Lola an emancipated woman or “totally impassive?”

Lola is portrayed to be an impassive woman, who has no emotions to begin with. Even if she had, she never showed them in a genuine way.

3. What is the significance of the clown.

A clown in real life is a stupid person. The clown in the movie signifies the change in the professor as he goes from being an intellectual person to a puppet.

4.  How is chaos thematically represented in the film?

Chaos has many representations in the film. It must be noted that chaos

is mainly shown to present the changes in the professor’s life, as he goes from being a respected professor to a lowly puppet and finally ending his life.

5. How would interpret the overall meaning of the film.

The film brings a message that lust can be a very powerful emotion. The professor fell in love with Lola on the basic premise that she was a beautiful woman. He did not see her true nature, all he saw was her facial beauty. So the interpretation of the film is that lust or blind love in most times brings misery.

6. Why did I compare Rath to the Haussmann painting/montage. Would you suggest a better comparison.

Rath was the personification of perfection in his life as a professor. The Haussmann paintings portrayed a  revolt against the status quo. Rath transformation was a revolt in a subtle manner against the way of his present life. So in essence Rath’ s life and the painting are similar as it signifies change.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

From the movie “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”, I decided to pick the opening scene between the two gentlemen and the woman in a white gown. Like many films, the opening scene sets the pace and mood for the rest of the film. Being a silent film, the characters rely on facial expression and background music to gives us the effect of the scenes. The interaction between the two men, one being Francis the narrator and the other an older gentleman is particularly noteworthy. I believe that the voice of Francis is the voice of common man, which at that time in Germany was not given its due. The lady walking away from Francis, also shows how the common voice was largely ignored by the people in power. Now to cut to the ending scene, where Frances is shown as the lunatic, and Caligari as the hero, is very surprising, because all along Caligari was portrayed as the villain. I think the ending opening scene and ending scene are depicted in a very contrasting manner. The opening scene has Francis as a smart man, and in end he is shown in a very bad light. I felt the ending should have been straightforward, without the twist.

1. What is the symbolism of Caligari’s power over Cesare?

The symbolism of Caligari’s power over Cesare is comparative of a master over a servant or a slave. So, when the master commands the slave to do something, the slave just follows the orders, without questioning the intentions of the master.

2. How does the profit motive affect cultural production in the modern age?

I believe that the profit motive of the modern age, has adversely affected originality. We have people churning out films, products, and things just with the profit motive. However, I would like to also commend the Academy Awards, for recognizing films like the “The Artist”, which was also a silent film and did well to come across as a film about love and had a deeper message.

3. How would you evaluate the Frankfurt School’s elitism regarding mass culture?

My evaluation of the Frankfurt School’s elitism as the name suggests is one that caters to the needs of the elite in society, with no regard to the mass public.

4. Explain three aspects of the film that relate to the attributes of the culture industry.

a) First aspect is the film is how like a regular industry, it tends toward monopolies.

b) Mr. Pommel, the producer of the film liked the script, but like many people made the

film with the profit motivation.

c) The ending of the film is twisted with Francis as the villain and Caligari as the hero. This shows traditional authority as being restored and the killing of artistic brilliance in favor of division of labor, with a profit motivation.

5. Why does Kracauer interpret the film as a choice between tyranny and chaos?

The film was a depiction of the dilemma faced by the German people of the 1920’s and 1930’s. A time after the first world war, when mass changes were taking place in the German economy.

6. Why was there increased pressure to develop the German film industry after the first world war?

The German film industry was seen a profit making enterprise for the German economy and so it was heavily promoted.

7. How would you evaluate that expressionism breeds excessive inwardness and withdrawal.

Expressionism helps to do self evaluation and one begins to look inside oneself to see the strengths and weakness of oneself. So much like the detachment philosophy of Siddhartha, where the person has given up attachment to the exterior world and looks inward to see the faults and tries to improve oneself. 

8. How does the film foreshadow the Nazi regime according to Kracauer?

It depicts Caligari as the tyranny that Hitler was about to bring.

9. What is praxis and how does it relate to cultural criticism?

Praxis is the fusion of theory and practice. It helps to keep a check on reality at the same

Time keeps theory from being obsolete. It relates to cultural criticism by helping to keep practical events alive and theory to back up those explain those events.

Siddhartha

He had started to suspect that his venerable father and his other teachers, that the wise Brahmans had already revealed to him the most and best of their wisdom, that they had already filled his expecting vessel with their richness, and the vessel was not full, the spirit was not content, the soul was not calm, the heart was not satisfied. The ablutions were good, but they were water, they did not wash off the sin, they did not heal the spirit's thirst, they did not relieve the fear in his heart. The sacrifices and the invocation of the gods were excellent—but was that all? Did the sacrifices give a happy fortune? And what about the gods? Was it really Prajapati who had created the world? Was it not the Atman, He, the only one, the singular one? Were the gods not creations, created like me and you, subject to time, mortal? Was it therefore good, was it right, was it meaningful and the highest occupation to make offerings to the gods? For whom else were offerings to be made, who else was to be worshipped but Him, the only one, the Atman? And where was Atman to be found, where did He reside, where did his eternal heart beat, where else but in one's own self, in its innermost part, in its indestructible part, which everyone had in himself? But where, where was this self, this innermost part, this ultimate part? It was not flesh and bone, it was neither thought nor consciousness, thus the wisest ones taught. So, where, where was it? To reach this place, the self, myself, the Atman, there was another way, which was worthwhile looking for? Alas, and nobody showed this way, nobody knew it, not the father, and not the teachers and wise men, not the holy sacrificial songs! They knew everything, the Brahmans and their holy books, they knew everything, they had taken care of everything and of more than everything, the creation of the world, the origin of speech, of food, of inhaling, of exhaling, the arrangement of the senses, the acts of the gods, they knew infinitely much—but was it valuable to know all of this, not knowing that one and only thing, the most important thing, the solely important thing? - Hess.

This passage is one of the beginning chapters of the story and it helps the reader to understand what is going on in the mind of Siddhartha, the protagonist. Siddhartha had his father and other Brahman priests to impart their wealth of knowledge onto him. However, this does not satisfy him, much less, he even begins to doubt the teachings ability to answer the all important question- what is the core of our existence, the being? In certain parts of the passage, Siddhartha accepts the teachings as being good and excellent like the ablutions, the sacrifices etc.. For Siddhartha, just to abide by the rules and follow the faith blindly was not his calling, he wanted to dig deeper and find the true meaning to our existence.  Later on in the passage, it explains, that Siddhartha, begins to feel that “Atman”, which he believes to lie within, may hold the key to his answer. However, he then decides that the teachings of the priests had everything but lacked the key to his answer. The self discovery path adopted by Siddhartha, is a journey which must turn inward into the self.

I choose this passage, because it lays the ground work, for Siddhartha to feel that he needed to go out of the status quo and do something different. This passage set the tone for the rest of the story, as it propels him to leave his father to go and search for the truth. In western civilization, all the answers to life's problems are sought outside the body. However, in eastern culture, specifically, Hindu and Buddhist cultures, all of life problems are sough to be resolved by looking inside you beginning the journey inward. 

 

1. Why does Siddhartha leave his father?

Siddhartha was born into a Brahman family, which is the highest caste in the complex Indian caste system. Being from such a family, Siddhartha enjoyed social respect, power, and high priests to rely on. Siddhartha was taught almost everything that his father and the other Brahmans knew; however, he was still not content with all this knowledge. The quest for find the “Atman”, which was believed to be the very core of our existence, Siddhartha leaves his father to find the answer to that question.

2. What is the significance of the river?

In the story “Siddhartha”, the river symbolizes life, and our existence. Siddhartha looks at the river and compares it to his own life. Just like how the river is at all places at once, so is his life, being just separated by time. So for Siddhartha nothing is ever past or present, everything is in the present. All the suffering, the torment, the ectasy is all time related. Nothing in our life is permanent. All things are impermanent. What comes must to go and this thing cannot be taught, but only experienced. The river also signifies the coming of full circle of his journey and he is now at peace.

3. Who is Vasu deva?

He is the ferryman, who Siddhartha’s confides in about the discovering the nature of the river and its significance. Vasudever, however, has experienced this feeling long before Siddhartha begins to understand.

4. If Siddhartha never lived with Kamala and the people in the city would he have reached Enlightenment faster?

When Siddhartha left his father, he did so with the motivation to find the real meaning of our existence. Siddhartha, having lived with Kamala and the people of the city, learned to enjoy the sensual pleasures that this world had to offer. This was in contrast to the life he had led to far, which was bound by living a simple life. Siddhartha may have reached enlightenment faster if he had not lived with Kamala and the people of the city, however, he would have failed to understand the true meaning of enlightenment if he had not experienced the sensual world with all its deceptions and faults. Thus, having experienced both side of the world, made Siddhartha appreciate the effects and benefits of the enlightened state of the mind. So, I believe that this was a necessary part of his journey to reach the enlightened state, and there by giving his story more meaning.

5. Why does Siddhartha feel the priests cannot see the true beauty of the world.

Siddhartha is not completely satisfied with the life led by the Brahman priests and their teachings. He feels that they life is led by following rigid conventions, and a religious life heavily bent on tradition, without looking at the logic of the matter and there by with not much meaning. His feels that this path may by good or righteous, but it did not answer the question to our existence. Toward the end of the story, the reader gets to see how Siddhartha comes to see the river, which symbolizes the end of his truth seeking journey and having a feeling of oneness with the river. Siddhartha, feels that the practices of the priests were superficial to a certain degree, and did show a clear path to enlightenment.

Dadaism

Capitalism was defined as the struggle between the owners of capital and those who owned nothing and had to sell their “labor power” to survive. Famously Marx predicted that capitalism would collapse under its own weight since it creates a large proletariat with interests opposed to the interests of the capitalists.

Karl Marx promoted socialism in his lifetime. This definition of capitalism tries to explain that the bourgeoise, who were the ruling class oppressed the proletariat, who were the poor with no capital. So, in essence it also states that the capitalistic form of government made the rich people richer, and the poor people poorer.

Somehow, I do not feel that the prediction of Karl Marx has come true so far. As in the modern world, we see capitalism as a thriving form of economics. Even in a country like China, where their they have a communist form of government, their policies toward business have largely been capitalistic, and China is one of the fastest growing economies of the world. 

OTTO DIX:

Otto Dix was a German painter, born in December 2, 1891. He is particularly noted for his harsh depiction of war in his paintings. He was exposed to art from an early age. Encouraged by his brother, he took up apprenticeship with the landscape painter Carl Senff. By 1910, he completed his apprenticeship and he was subsequently accepted into the Saxon School of Arts and Crafts. Over here encountered influences that would greatly shape his work. He volunteered to enlist in when world war I was declared, and kept a diary where he wrote his experiences. After the war, his experiences at the war led him to depict crippled soldiers as his first great subject. He later moved onto painting nudes, prostitutes, and often savagely, satirical portraits of celebrities from Germany’s intellectual circles. Due to his anti war stance, he became a target of the Nazis during his height of work and fame, and was subsequently removed as his position as art teacher at Dresdan Academy. This also forced him to move away from this particular realm of painting into more different themes like landscape and Christian Subjects. He continued to work until his death in 1969.

SELECTION OF HIS WORKS:

Title: Otto Dix, The Skat Players, 1920.

This painting portrays three German soldiers, all maimed from the water. Two of them miss legs and the third uses his remaining leg to hold cards, since he is missing a hand. Two of them have artificial jaws and one is missing a ear. They are all horribly deformed. Such figures were common sight in Germany and across Europe in the 1920’s. No one wanted to see this people particularly in Germany. They were a reminder of defeat. About 2.5 million people died in the war.

  Title: Otto Dix, Collapsed Trenches, 1924.

Otto Dix used landscape as an integral part of his portrayal of the war cycle. In collapsed trenches the viewer is drawn to the horror as a result of the war. Upon closer examination, we get to see images of skeletons, disarticulated limbs, and other debris of war. The landscape has been made utilized to the maxim, as much as the humans that crawl on it.

Title: Otto Dix, Corpse in a Barbed Wire, 1924

This picture neither glorifies world war I nor heroizes its soldiers, but shows the horrible realities by someone who was there. Dix, an artillery gunner in the trenches at the Somme and on the Eastern Front, focused on the aftermath of battle: dead, dying, and shell-shocked soldiers, bombed-out landscapes, and graves. Dix manipulated the images to render horror images of the war. He portrayed ghastly white bones and stripes of no mans land, leaving brilliant white patches, acid baths ate away at the images showing decaying flesh.