A Green New Deal

This is worth reading. It's a call for the correct amount of change that our nation, and by extension our nation's impact upon the world at large, need take. We can be new leaders, according to Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. May we indeed heed her call, enact this change, and force the old guard into a state without their age-old, imperial power. It's high time for the young people of this country, and the world, to rise up and demand redress for the wrongs perpetrated upon peoples and the Earth for the last 300+ years.

I welcome your thoughts below...

JR#10 - Platoon: The Real Enemy of War

Because of television, Vietnam was one of the most widely reported wars in US history. Morning and night, news reporters reported on current events of the war, often with horrific accompanying film footage. It was the first war which was seen in everybody's living room... The spectacle of war, now redefined, had become a specter which haunted America's collective unconscious during the late 60s and early 70s, and it would continue to do so until the present.

In many ways the extensive media coverage of Vietnam accounted for the tremendous anti-war feeling that was generated in America at the time. Considering the formidable cost in life and money, many people simply could not see why US troops were fighting in Vietnam. It was this opinion that forced not only the public but also many government officials, even presidents, to seriously consider why America was involved in the war at all. 

Despite the coverage in the news, the Vietnam War was a subject that was initially avoided by Hollywood filmmakers. War films had always been popular with Hollywood, but here was one war that one did not to wish to look at. Why do you think this was? Why do you think that it took decades until American filmmakers were to make films about Vietnam, many of which attempt to portray actual events and not simply repeat the old style of war films?

Many Americans, and many soldiers who went to fight in Vietnam, initially expected a real war, one like those as seen in the movies where "ground was taken, advances made." It was a shock to find that US and VC battalions often took the same piece of land again and again, that there was no clear front line, that this was not a war between nations but a revolutionary civil war on the surface and an ideological war underneath... This shock caused confusion within soldiers simply because of the image of war that had been portrayed in the movies, did not align to the war which was being fought in Vietnam.

Who was the enemy? Was it the villager? Was it a shadow? Was it themselves? If there was no obvious enemy then how could soldiers see themselves as liberators? What were they defending? 

Viewers had been "brought up" with war films and other media, but again Vietnam was very different. If Platoon is part of the war-film genre, then, as critics, we need to be very clear as to what we mean by war-film genre. What do we expect in such films? Consider the qualities and archetypes of (1) characters, (2) settings, (3) plots, (4) conflicts, and (5) imagery, motifs, and themes which viewers expect of war films. 

Naturally, audiences have certain expectations of "the war film." Part of the pleasure in watching certain types of films is that viewers enjoy predicting what will happen next and having these expectations fulfilled. But what happens when a film that falls into the war-film genre and all its attendant expectations conversely does not seem to fit the genre? 

Recall our conversation about war movie archetypes. On the most basic level, war films portray and fulfill the expectation that there will be a victory of one side over another, the victor usually being the freedom-spreading US. How many of these archetypes apply to Platoon, how many do not? Which aspects operate on only an overt, visual level in Platoon? That is, although Platoon looks like a war film, it is the deeper conflicts and latent themes of the film that make it different. For example, we, as an audience, know straight away which side we are meant to identify with, who we are to support, who are to be the heroes and who the enemy.

In three ACE'd paragraphs, please respond to any of the following prompts in order to perform a brief analysis of Oliver Stone's Platoon. Begin with discussing who you would say are the heroes in the film and who you would say is the enemy? Using our discussion about war-film archetypes, analyse whether or not the heroes and enemies fit into the expected "norms" which govern these two types of characters. In what ways are the normal "heroic" qualities that you would expect to see in a war film shown in Platoon and in what ways are these qualities problematized or thwarted? If Platoon does not fit in with the normal archetypes of a war film, then we need to consider the ways in which it differs. Why do you think that Stone has made these directorial choices? What is Stone trying to do or say? What are the film's stances on morality, soldiering, trauma, etc. In what ways does Platoon have viewers look at war in the normative way and also the "new" way as projected after the media spectacle of the 60s and 70s? Finally, consider Chris's closing statement in your response's final paragraph: 

I think now, looking back, we did not fight the enemy, we fought ourselves, and the enemy was in us. The war is over for me now, but it will always be there, the rest of my days. As I'm sure Elias will be, fighting with Barnes for what Rhah calls "possession of my soul." There are times since, I've felt like a child, born of those two fathers. But be that as it may, those of us who did make it have an obligation to build again. To teach to others what we know, and to try with what's left of our lives to find a goodness and a meaning to this life.

Your journal response is essentially a draft to your next Response Paper! This journal is due, posted to the blog before class, by Wednesday, February 13th.

In-Class Reading and Discussion

Dear All,

I'm sorry that I cannot be with you again today... I've been struck with a terrible fever which has, thankfully, slowly been going down throughout the day. I'm hoping to return to school tomorrow!

For today's class, I would like for you to engage three articles about PTSD and the recent wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Each of you can take a turn reading one of the articles. Then, open up a discussion among yourselves. What are your general reactions upon reading these articles? Can you connect these readings from NPR to any of the texts which we have engaged previously?

• Ahmed, Beenish. "In Pakistan, It's Not Just Soldiers with PTSD." NPR.org. 8 November 2013. Web.
• Hensley, Scott. "PTSD And Depression Common In Returning Combat Soldiers." NPR.org. 7 June 2010. Web. 
• Talk of the Nation. "For Soldiers With PTSD, A Profound Daily Struggle." NPR.org 2 June 2011. Web.

Thank you all so much! I hope you find these articles interesting and meaningful to the course.

Sincerely,

s.

JR#9 - Truth and Testimony

Moving to the root argument and central premise of ts course—i.e., witness and testimony—let us comment upon, respond to, and analyze the reading assignment due today.

In an ACE'd paragraph, first briefly summarize Parts I-II of the article titled "Trauma and Testimony: The Process and the Struggle" (Laub 1991). Then in a second paragraph look deeper into the text, analyzing it for figurative lang., rhetorical devices, and any latent, socially-dominant messages—i.e., hegemony—which are suggested by Laub's writing, those which may be either upheld or vaporized..

JR#8 - Reactions to Holocaust Poetry of Extremity

After returning from Winter Break, we have turned away from the soldiering, boot-stomping, gun-tooting, bomb-dropping side of warfare and have begun to discuss the atrocious and long-lasting effect of WWII upon the innocent victims of the war. Namely, we have begun to investigate poetry of extremity, as it is termed by Caroline Forché in her landmark anthology entitled Against Forgetting. Importantly, the vast majority of the poetry, if not all, in her anthology is found poetry. This is a key component in the literary, cultural, and historical value of the selected poets' work. The simple fact that their work was not formally published, that their work was discovered, and by accident most often, positions their poetic endeavors as surviving relics of the Holocaust. They are artifacts in the truest sense of the word. As Forché notes, "Regardless of 'subject matter' these poems bear the trace of extremity within them, and they are, as such, evidence of what occurred" (30).

Found poetry is a key aspect of postmodern theory and philosophy. As we've discussed in class this past week and a half, these poems are wrought with poignant tales of survival, longing, and hope. These motifs become juxtaposed by death, forgetting, and the loss of hope. Indeed, these works, as Forché reminds us, have been found, compiled, and published as a direct means of not forgetting! 

In an ACE'd paragraph of at least 7-10 sentences, select two poets which we have read so far in this unit. Then, select two poems from these poets to analyze for their literal and figurative meaning. Consider the following questions as you compose your response:

• How do these works illustrate the motif of extremity? 
• What do they express and how do they express it? 
• How does the form of your chosen works serve to accentuate the content and the thematics of the poems? 
• And, finally, how do these poems bear witness to the atrocities of WWII and to the humanity which so many individuals sought to erase, and yet failed to do so?

Your responses are due, posted below as a comment, by classtime tomorrow. Thanks all!

JR#7 - World War Two & The Bomb

After viewing the first three episodes of Oliver Stone's The Untold History of the United States, I'm curious to know what your thoughts and feelings are about the following... Please respond in short-answer format of at least three sentences or more per prompt. This journal will be due by Thursday, 12/20/18.

1. Analyse Stone's ethos. How does he build his credibility within the documentary? Where does he fall short in establishing trustworthiness as an orator and as a historian? You may wish to recall the opening soliloquy which he provided his audience as a springboard to your reply to this first prompt.

2. Identify and describe the most shocking thing or series of things which you gleaned from watching this compelling, and even frightening, retelling of European, Asian, and certainly American history.

3. Why is it, in your informed opinion, that so much of the "truth" of World War Two has been lost to history here in the West? Recall that those nations in the East, namely Russia, arguably are the reason that Germany's and Japan's military machines were finally stopped. Why then, does the United States teach its citizens falsehoods about the Russian's saving involvement and terrible sacrifice during the war? What purpose does this omission of the historical facts serve within our society? How have these ideas made themselves manifest elsewhere in the world and in what way(s)?

4. Give an honest, open-minded, and heartfelt response to witnessing images of the Trinity atomic bomb test at Alamogordo, New Mexico. Taking this one step further... what were your emotive responses to see actual footage of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

5. Do you feel that America, or certain Americans, should be responsible for the "war crimes" committed during World War II. Who? How should these individuals be punished? What reparations need be made?

RP#2 - Writing Workshops and Due Date

Dear All,

Just as a reminder, this week we will be using class time to compose our second response papers. So, be sure to bring your computers to class! Furthermore, please refer to and utilize your developed theses and outlines to complete your paper in the coming days. I would like for the finished draft to be shared via Google Docs and ready for an in-class, electronic peer edit by this Friday, November 30th. The final printed version is due Monday, December 3rd.

As a reminder, please follow proper heading and MLA formatting standards when composing your work and when citing sources. As this paper calls for the use of secondary sources, a Works Cited page is required. See the Purdue OWL for assistance with proper citation in-text and within a Works Cited page. Lastly, please share your paper with me via Google Docs.

Again, the draft is due F 11/30 and the final is due M 12/3! Please be sure to email me with a print request before either is due so that I can have it prepared for class.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
s.

RP#2 - Paul's Precarious Predicament

Dear All,

As we are to begin our second response paper today and certainly by the time we return from Thanksgiving Break, I would like for you to compose a brief outline for this second paper before beginning to engage the writing fully.

Please follow these guidelines as you build out your thesis, outline, and the like...

1. Select and choose at least two textual examples, i.e. passage excerpts of length preferably, in which our narrator Paul had suffered a traumatic experience, in your informed opinion of course...
• Analyze these events, highlighting the key language employed by the narrator to describe his external and, most importantly, his internal setting of tumultuous emotions. Can you explain how his physical stressors contribute to and only further his emotional stress? Can you detail how the opposite is true as well?
• Once having selected your passages, note that they can be either lived experiences, reactionary events, or even incidents from his past. I would highly recommend that you choose two passages which span the length of the novel... in other words, avoid using solely one chapter to build your argument. Tracing the development of his trauma will only help bolster a deeper analysis of your argument whilst proving the atrocious nature of trauma caused by war.
• Lastly, in each of your first two body paragraphs, use secondary source material that will help prove that these events are indeed indicative, symptomatic, and evident of the trauma soldiers, especially those who fought in WWI, underwent... and in many cases still endure to this day.
2. Analyze Paul's various coping mechanisms, both physical and psychological... they are various and dynamic. Compare and contrast his methods to those of his comrades and/or to the Russian POWs.
• Here, include a mention of how Paul "looks toward to the future" after the war... That is, what are his promises to himself as a means of accepting, overcoming, or even regressing into his various states of trauma and emotional turmoil.
3. In the conclusion, be sure to tie-in, connect, and link, at least one character example from either Robinson's "Twelve Days" or Vonnegut's "Great Day" as a means of showing additional PTSD and the "healthy" or "unhealthy" methods of coping which your selected secondary character employs in their internal battle with themselves.

Here are some secondary sources which you may find beneficial to your paper...

- https://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2951

- https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/mentalhealth/suicide_prevention/data.asp

- https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/08/us/suicide-rate-among-veterans-has-risen-sharply-since-2001.html

- http://dk-media.s3.amazonaws.com/AA/AT/gambillingonjustice-com/downloads/285078/Article_1_-_By_MAJ_Tiffany_M._Chapman.pdf

- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11065-012-9188-z

JR#6 - Life and Death in the Trenches

Having read up to and including Ch.5 in All Along the Western Front, please answer the following discussion questions mini-paragraphs of 3-5 sentences each...

1. Knowing all too well Kat's complex, round character via the narrator's descriptions of him and his actions in the novel... Consider why Kat declares, "we are losing the war because we can salute too well" (Remarque 40).  Explain the meaning of his words. Are they satirical or just a poor joke? Use evidence from elsewhere in the text to help support your answer.

2. After the narrator and his comrades ambush Himmelstoss, what does Haie Westhus mean when he comments, "Revenge is black-pudding" (Remarque 49)? Identify the literary device employed here, and analyze its meaning in context within the novel by tying together the major themes and motifs which we've gleaned during our reading and discussions in class.


In an ACE'd paragraph please answer the following prompt:

3. A certain matter-of-fact quality pervades the descriptions of the wounds inflicted and received by soldiers; the face-to-face attacks with rifle butts, spades, and grenades; the sounds, smells, and colors of death and dying in this book. How do the soldiers regard mortality and death in such an indifferent manner? Why must the soldiers regard war and death in such an indifferent manner? Point out dialogue and events that lead you to believe that Paul, our narrator, and his fellow soldiers are not as nonchalant as they sometimes sound. (cf. Chapters Two and Four for some excellent examples from which you can draw upon on for your argument.) Be sure to have a clear topic sentence which states your claim, against using the novel's themes and motifs as your final connection and link after your provide at least two pieces of evidence. 

JR#5 - The World at War

No doubt that many of you have prior knowledge and historical understanding of the World Wars, yet I'm curious to know the extent to which this knowledge and understanding exist and to see if any personal connection exists... Answer the following questions in your composition notebook in order to allow for an engaging introduction to our next unit of the course! You can transfer your responses to the blog later tonight.

1. Given your historical background in and study of the World Wars, turn your focus to the Great War or World War I. What were some of the factors which led to the ultimate conflict of WWI? Try and be as detailed and as descriptive as possible. 
2. Do you or does any of your family have a personal history with the Great War? Offer a brief narrative here...
3. What are some of your expectations for this unit? What might be some of the questions that you feel will arise?

Text Purchase!

So that we can complete the reading schedule for the next unit, please purchase a massmarket copy of All Along the Western Front, written by Erich Maria Remarque and translated by A.W. Wheen (ISBN: 9780449213940). The chosen edition of this novel is quite affordable, only $6.99!

While I have provided the link for an e-copy of this text via the "Schedule..." page, I would nevertheless prefer for us to utilize a hardcopy of the novel for our in-class analysis and discussion. Your annotations within this fictionalized, yet autobiographical, account will be vital to this end!

This text should be purchased by this Friday, October 19th and in hand when you come to class at the end of the week. If there are issues which prevent the timely procurement of this text, please speak with me privately as soon as possible.

Thank you!
s.

JR#4 - Speak Infallibly on Dogma

To bring finality to our viewing of Kevin Smith's Dogma, I'm curious to know what you thought of the film, its portrayal of religion and faith, as well as its presentation of the major themes which have appeared thus far in the course. Namely free will, fairness, and aspiring to godhead.

Also, as one who enjoys film, because if I can assume correctly that's why we're here, after all, can you bringing a critical eye to this film's presentation on the tele?

To simplify, what are some of the pros and cons of the film? Did you find anything particularly jarring or dissatisfactory about the movie? Pour your soul into this response, and you'll be eternally rewarded!

RP#1 - Milton Response

As a means of seeding ideas for your first response paper, please reply with at least three potential theses which may become your central argument.

The class notes page has been added for your reference, so please feel free to source ideas from our class discussions.

Further guidelines for this first response paper are as follows:

1. two-to-three pages in length
2. double-spaced type
3. one-inch margins
4. Times New Roman, 11-12pt. font
5. stong central thesis statement, with at least two supporting main points 
6. clear reference and quotation from Milton's text to support each main point; however, external sources may be utilized to offer further support to your points
7. MLA formatted citations and accompanying works cited "page" for Milton and any other source which you employ 
8. a conclusion, which offers a larger connection to any of the central themes of the course thus far discussed... also, here you may include a short analysis of the film Dogma in conjunction to your thesis, should it present itself fruitful to your paper

Thank you all so much for such a lively discussion of Milton! I do hope that you enjoyed reading a selection of his text.

Sincerely,
s.

JR#3 - The Birth of Evil, Sin, Death, and Pain...

Plate 24 from Gustave Doré's illustrations of Paradise Lost, depicting Satan beaten back and fallen after sustaining a severe blow from the Archangel Michael's sword which "in half cut sheer [...] / All his right side" (VI.325, 327). This is the first instance in which a being of God's creation felt hurt, suffering, and "pain [that] writh'd him to and fro" (VI.327-328).

This moment is vastly significant for a number of reasons... For this journal entry, please detail your reaction to the utter chaos, din, and hullaballoo which erupts in Heaven during Satan's rebellion. As we have now read the first 800 or so lines of Book VI, you are well suited to comment upon the futile nature of the battle itself and the utter folly of Satan's attempts to usurp God's Throne. 

Lastly, consider and comment upon the following words of the epic poem's speaker, who is Milton indeed... Here you may certainly tie any of the course and textual themes which we have discussed throughout the class!

I Might relate of thousands, and thir names
Eternize here on Earth; but those elect 
Angels contented with thir fame in Heav'n
Seek not the praise of men: the other sort
In might though wonderous and in Acts of Warr,
Nor of Renown less eager, yet by doome
Canceld from Heav'n and sacred memorie,
Nameless in dark oblivion let them dwell.
(Milton VI.373-380)

JR#2: Satan, Arbiter of Hakim Bey's TAZ

Plate 8 from Gustave Doré's illustrations of Paradise Lost, depicting Satan "with thoughts inflam’d of highest design" (II.630) races with "swift wings [...] toward the Gates of Hell" (II.631). Whereupon reaching them, he encounters sitting "On either side a formidable shape" (II.649).

The final lines from Book II of Milton's Paradise Lost offer readers insight into a legendary, and perhaps unexpected, encounter between Satan and his two children... Sin and Death. Offer a brief response and analysis to this text using the selections from Hakim Bey's The Temporary Autonomous Zone. How does Satan's plan align with Bey's assertion that "the TAZ is in some sense a tactic of disappearance"? (17). What conditions existed in the universe which God created which allowed for the "psychological liberation" (cf. Bey 20) of the fallen angels?