Thursday, January 31, 2008
killing there own
Irish Stubbornness
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The Wind That Shakes The Barley
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Extremists vs. moderates
The Price of Freedom
in response to The Wind That Shakes the Barley
Cost of War
Compromise and the Fight for Freedom
RE: The Myth of The Wind...
You also have to take into account current Irish sentiment about the IRA, particularly the IRA that continued past the 1930's. Most consider the Irish rebels portrayed in the movie to be the "Old IRA", whereas the "IRA" that continued violent attacks throughout the remainder of the 20th century and into the 21st century to be a type of "New IRA", and not a true continuation of the rebels we see in the movie. The goals of these two factions of the IRA are very different.
I would agree with you only to the extent that I believe the movie is less concerned about depicting a collective look at the Irish rebellion and all of the complexities involved, and it is instead focused more on the human cost of war. For example, there were numerous political factions at the time, more than just the rebels and the Free-State supporters. The political environment was extremely complex, and it was different in throughout the many counties of Ireland. In the movie, we only see the state of Ireland in County Cork through the eyes of the Irish rebels. While the movie does seem to sympathize with the Irish rebels, we get a sense of both the violence of the British toward the Irish, as well as a clear look at the Irish rebels' hostile action toward their own people.
Overall, I think the movie is a powerful look at the inner turmoil people face when their freedoms and way of life are threatened. Damien's decision to oppose the treaty was not a simple decision. He was beginning a new life with Sinead, and he had to choose between a somewhat normal life with a continued eminent threat of losing his freedom (with British forces still very much in control), and a chance to pursue absolute freedom from British rule.
Response to Capital Punishment
Execution; good movie
There were a lot executions in the movie which did not surprise me considering the time era of the movie. It just shows me how far we've come (although we've not come far enough), as regards to capital punishment. The little boy who got executed for giving up the location of his friends was wrong in every sense. In his mind, he had to do the best thing for him and his family, and it takes me back to the story of Civil Rights discussed by someone in the class who did their research over that project.
But in the end, the entire movie goes to show how unpredictable war is, and how much of an impact it can have on a family tie. With the execution of one's brother might go on today in 2nd and 3rd world countries as we speak, and it just could be that this movie was long overdue.
Fight For Freedom
The fight for Irish freedom was vividly reenacted in the movie. Seeing the boy being killed for protecting his and his familie's well-being was shocking, men being sentenced to death for carrying a firearm, women being taken out of their homes and having them set on fire, all of these things were just outrageous. The most shocking of all was Teddy ordering his soilders to kill his brother. It just shows what the fight for freedom can do to people within a country and even within a family.
Freedom
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Capital Punishment
Friday, January 25, 2008
Execution
I don't think the boy was a coward or a trader just an innocent boy who was scared and trapped in the liberation.
The man however was a bad guy from the beginning and I felt that his beliefs would not change.
The boy's execution is in direct correlation to the letter I wrote about on human right violations. "The Red Hand Campaign" is what I advocated and I feel those under the age of 18 should not be allowed to engage themselves in warfare.
Close-Mindedness Again
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Response to "The Wind That Shakes the Barley"
The Myth of The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Friday, January 18, 2008
Voltaire in Totality
Candide's Racism
Conclusion
After reading the final chapters of Candide I originally felt let down as a bad ending, Candide was poor, his wife ugly and he couldn't go home to Westphalia. While this to was a horrible way to end an adventure that contained so many highs and lows, I did enjoy the final sentence by Pangloss which almost made his theory of living in the best of time almost believable. "All events are linked together in the best of possible worlds, for after all, if you had not been driven from a fine castle..., (Pangloss mentions most of the adventures), if you hadn't lost all your sheep from the good land of Eldorado, you wouldn't be sitting here eating candied citron and pistachios."Page 75
This notion strikes me as extremely perplexing, in that all life is but the product of all of our other past experiences. And if we happen to be living in a particularly happy portion of life, built upon suffering, who cannot say that all the previous suffering was not for the best, if in the present we find enjoyment in life.
Voltaire's Candide
Women in Candide
Women in Candide seem to suffer more torture and blame. In the conversation between Candide and Martin in chapter 22, they talk about nobody knowing his place in the society and times spent in useless quarrels. They mention useless quarrels as of wives against husbands. While many men that die are killed in the battle, women actually are raped and tortured before they have a chance of dieing . The old woman mentions in her story in chapter 11; 'my captive companions, their captors, soldiers, sailors, blacks, browns, whites, mulattoes, and at last my captain, all were killed, and I remain half dead...'
Candide
-Dante Rau
Pangloss' Philosophy
All of the characters in Candide face adversity in a cyclical manner. They all suffer for a period of time and have a brief pause before engaging in the cycle once more. Each character replies with their individual conviction that helps justify or explain the situation. Candide’s philosophy, as taught to him by Pangloss, is flawed and unsatisfying for him as he suffers. The formula explains cause and effect with a result that it is for the best. However, the formula seems to observe an effect and then create the cause to the situation. The cause is that everything is perfect and it will be for the best result. The entire story does not have a best. Pangloss’ philosophy seems to answer the question why is this happening to me? There is no answer to why. However, the solution is to lead a productive life; to do what is within your individual control.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Everything is NOT always for the best
A point I didn't think of in class
It should not take much of a stretch of the imagination to see the parallel between Saul's story and the story of the admiral. The admiral also had his career violently shortened by allies because he was not ruthless enough to the enemy. Voltaire could well be using this story to point out how we react poorly to the English pulling much the same stunt as God, but not many in his day would dare question the will of God, even when the actions are so equivocal.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Money and Power Do Not Mean Happiness
Candide vs. Martin
-I hope, said Martin, that she will some day make you happy; but i very much doubt it.
-You're a hard man, said Candide
-I've lived, said Martin
Martin believes that he is the older wiser man, however Candide has been though much more than the average human and still has a love for life and an optimism. My question is since Candide has lived as much as Martin and been through many trials and tribulations and still continues on, doesn't Candide's optimism work just as well, if not better than Martins pessimism?
Everything is for the best
When Candide is kicked out of the kingdom, he is innocent and ignorant to the ways of the world. He doesn't even know of the things that are going on in the world. For example, Candide does not know whether or not the Pope is an antichrist. Another example of Candide's ignorance is when he allows the skipper from Surinam to continue raising the price of his transportation to Venice. It's obvious the man is swindling him, but Candide does not catch on because he has not been exposed to this kind of behavior until now.
Throughout the novel Candide keeps a companion with him because without a companion he would be dead because of his ignorance. His companions get him out of many bad situations. A few examples include: the situation with the Oriellons, the situation with Miss Cunegund 's Brother, the situation with the officer, and the situation with the inquisitor. Without his companions' timely advice and wits he would have been eaten, killed, or in a dungeon. Candide's companions are able to get him out of these situations because they are not innocent or ignorant to the secular ways of mankind.
Voltaire cleverly disguises this satire throughout this novel. Voltaire wants people to get out of their comfort zone and travel places to learn new things because in reality everything is not for the best.
Voltaire's Sense of Humor
Candide's change in attitude
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Candide
Monday, January 14, 2008
Martin
Within Intellectual Backgrounds
The existential question, " -how can He be absolved of the charge of deliberate malice toward His creatures?" This thought not only confronts Christianity, but Candide and the torment that follows him through his journey.
In my opinion, Candide's ethnocentrism/ignorance is due to the Occasionalistic belief that Robert Adam critics about in his summary. Adam refers to God as a remote clock-maker, and humans serve only a pre-determined role in His operation. It is sad to think that all actions humans do were premeditated by an omnipotent God.
Makes me wonder, if true, if I actually know anything of my own..
Racism is underlined while the old woman tells her story of when she was held captive on a pirate ship and was raped by an "abominable negro". She then contrasts those of Morocco to Europeans and chastises those not of her own. When she is saved by a "white man", he is by her tainted view "rather attractive". This is evidence that racism fuels to the ethnocentristic view that the character holds.
Black vs. White, Evil vs. Good, Hell vs. Heaven, Satan vs. God. The correlation between the two are covert statements of race and religion within the text.