What does The Wasteland mean (Lol)?
OK, well, let's unpack that:
1. How has it been interpreted? Use citations.
2. What are some of its key features?
3. In what ways has it been influential??
PoMo
1. What common qualities do the "Beats" share? Why were they so-named?
2. On what grounds was Ginsberg's HOWL accused of being obscene, and on what grounds was it defended?
3. In what ways are Beat poetry and rap linked?
4. How was Bob Dylan's song Master of War involved in controversy during the Bush administration?
Modernism - 1. How has it been interpreted? Use citations?
ReplyDeleteThe Waste land was a five part poem published in 1992 by T.S.Elliot. There are five parts titled:“The Burial of the Dead”, “A Game of Chess”, “The Fire Sermon”, “Death by Water” and “What the Thunder Said” (Wikipedia, 2013). The Wasteland is “an allusive and complex poem” (Simpson,2007). Simpson (2007) goes onto mention that ‘The Waste Land’ can be interpreted on three levels which are: “the person, the society, and the human race”.
Firstly, the interpretation about person means that something to seek from Eliot’s emotions in the poem. Secondly, from the social viewpoint, critics explore “the meaning of the poem” in connection with the society that the poem was written. Lastly, the human level is the expansion of the social level that include “all human societies : past, present, and future” (Simpson, 2007).
References
Simpson, A, G. (2007). Analysis of T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land. Retrieved June 04, 2018, from http://voices.yahoo.com/analysis-ts-eliots-waste-land-594548.html?cat=38
Wikipedia. (2013). The Waste Land. Retrieved June 04, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Waste_Land
2. What are some of its key features?
ReplyDeleteMajority of the analysis on ‘The Waste Land’ looks at the author, T.S Eliot and his mind-set at the time of writing the poem. He had just returned home from the first world war, perceiving the world in an essentialist manner, which meant he didn’t see any significance in life. The Waste Land and its title alone reflect this mind-set. Semy Rhee (2012) in their thesis “Post-War Europe: The Waste Land as a Metaphor” talks about ‘The Waste Land’ being representative of the post war eras mind-set.
Within this it talks about how The Waste Land is a metaphorical representation of the condition that Europe was in. The metaphor alluding to the ‘disillusionment of the generation’ and how people have lost much faith in what they used to believe in.
Another aspect which Rhee talks about in their thesis is that the complexity of the poem and the confusion it causes to the reader are representative of the fact that “truth and reality are uncertain and ultimately unknowable”. This is interesting to note since the poem is vastly obscure and complex perhaps the intention was to deter the reader from understanding the poem since his essentialism would dictate there would be no point in doing so, rather one could simply find pleasure in the composition itself.
References:
Oxford Dictionaries Online (2018, June 04). Definition of essentialism in Oxford Dictionaries (British & World English). Retrieved June 04, 2018, from http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/essentialism
Rhee, S. (2012). Post-War Europe: The Waste Land as a metaphor. Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1285&context=honors
Hi Jonah,
DeleteThis is a good insight you've written about the key features of the wasteland, I like how one of your sources talks about the confusion that the poem causes because thats how I felt reading this lol. I think that its just an obscure piece of writing that people interpret different ways, the next time ill read it ill probably see something that I missed and then get a whole new perspective. Anyways god post
good*
DeleteHi Jonah,
Deletewhen I was researching Eliot's poem, I came upon several different interpretations which were largely different from one another. It ranged from Eliot's poem to being an actual "waste" to it talking about the disassociation soldiers from the World War would have after returning. There was also an interpretation that talked about the world and how ecofriendly the poem was towards it. Overall, great response.
-Erika.
Hey Erika,
DeleteAwesome that you've searched further into what other readers interpretations. I feel as if I should've actually incorporated parts of your comment into an answer. I did pick the first response on what I found on the internet and used that as an answer, when I could've compared sources and written something like "one side says that eliotts poems are art and another says its just a waste of time", that way I can demonstrate the two conflicting sides of the poem. The in-depth analysis vs what we see on the surface.
5. What kinda protest song/rap/other media have come out in the last decade? Is there a spirit of protest anymore?
ReplyDeleteMIGUEL – NOW
Miguel is a Mexican-American RnB/Soul artist who has recently released his fourth studio album ‘War & Leisure’ in December last year. Throughout the album Miguel talks about politics and war, while mixing his own style into it. This final song on this album is called ‘Now’, and focuses on Trump’s Wall, as well as immigration detention centres, protesting that people in them are treated unfairly and like criminals through the visuals of the music video as well as the lyrics.
INTRO
1 CEO of the free world now
2 Build your walls up high and wide
3 Make it rain to keep them out
4 That won't change what we are inside’
The song opens with the four bars above and target America’s current president Donald Trump. ‘The ‘Leader of the Free World’ was another name that was used for the US President during a time 1940s. However, Miguel replaces ‘Leader’ with ‘CEO’, as a lot of people think he’s just going to run the country like a business; making decisions only to generate money (SB, 2018). Miguel also takes shots at Trumps obsession with building a wall to keep out some ‘bad hombres’ as Trump has stated (Jacabo, 2017), but Miguel replies with lines 3 and 4 saying that just because their president is putting them all down as a collective, his words won’t change them for who they are on the inside.
CHORUS
5 Is that the look of freedom, now?
6 Is that the sound of freedom, now?
7 'Cause it's plain to see a man's integrity
8 By the way he treats those he does not need
9 And it's time we talk about it
10 Let's not waste our common ground
11 We will fall for standing and watching, all in silence
12 Dear Lord, are we numb? Where we going right now?
In the first chorus, Miguel sets out some rhetorical questions for people to ask themselves and think about, if they are happy with what is happening in the world around them, and if they feel free with the controversial president. In lines 9 & 10, Miguel challenges the listener to stop looking the other way when these problems show up, and instead protest against them and stand up for what they think is right now rather than later, much like in the hook that follows it where Miguel repeats ‘Now’ over and over.
BRIDGE
13 For all the people
14 In Puerto Rico
15 Way down in Houston
16 For Flint, Michigan
17 For Standing Rock, oh!
18 Way down in New Orleans
19 For all of the dreamers
20 The black lives that we've lost right now
This part of the song Miguel focuses on real life places that have dealt with disasters recently (Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, Hurricane Harvey in Houston, even earlier catastrophes, 2005 Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans). Miguel focuses on how the government lacked in support for the people who were caught up in these events (SB, 2018).
OUTRO
21 We are the look of freedom, oh
22 We are the sound of freedom
23 We are the look of freedom
24 We are the sound of freedom
Miguel finishes off the song with the chorus reversed. Instead of asking questions freedom, he’s stating that we will find freedom, together and united, a motivating and uplifting twist to the end of the song.
Throughout the documentary-like music video for the ‘Now’, Miguel introduces and talks about detention centres; the people who live in them and he gets some of them to share moments, feelings and stories that they have while living in them. There are also a lot of visual elements that he plays with to get his points across. Some of the scenes in the video are shots of people holding signs saying: ‘Immigrant “Detention Centers”’, however, ‘detention centers’ are crossed out in red and ‘Prisons’ is written underneath as protest. There are also many other signs that say ‘#Compassion not prison’ and ‘Stay loud!’ to really push the political protest into the viewers eyes.
Miguel said in an interview that he was really inspired by Eminem’s controversial freestyle against Trump and that it was powerful, but his own ways of dealing with political pretesting was different; “Eminem’s verse was so visceral, and that’s why we all loved it … That’s how I feel too. But how I deal with things, after I get over my emotions, it’s always: Let’s talk.” (Gale, 2017).
DeleteI think there is a very strong spirit of protest that comes up every now and then depending on certain events that change the world. Rapper Kendrick Lamar is also known for protesting very vocally against racism, police brutality and such, his 2015 album ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ explores his ideas behind global racial problems that keep getting worse. People seem to share their beliefs and thoughts in times when there is a lack of.
References
M. (2017, November 30). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eFL1zzGK8o
G. (2017, December 01). 'Now' Miguel: Genius Lyrics. Retrieved from https://genius.com/13941936
Gale, A. (2017, December 01). Miguel Talks Prepping His Most Politically Charged Album and Planning His Wedding. Retrieved from https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8022240/miguel-trump-politically-charged-new-album-wedding-interview
Jacobo, J. (2016, October 19). Donald Trump Says He Will Get 'Bad Hombres' Out of US. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trump-bad-hombres-us/story?id=42926041
Hey Anthony,
DeleteI agree with your statement on how the spirit of protest is still there. Along with the reputation the rappers you mention have on speaking out against what they think is unjust, they also possess quite a powerful tone of voice and emotive speech in their texts. Great job here.
-Erika.
5. What kinda protest song/rap/other media have come out in the last decade? Is there a spirit of protest anymore?
ReplyDelete“What About Us” by P!nk was released in 2017 within the album Beautiful Trauma. When listening to the song, the lyrics are vague enough to be talking about any people in power that were unjust towards the people they were supposed to look after. The following is the chorus in the song, primarily asking ‘what happened’:
What about us?
What about all the times you said you had the answers?
What about us?
What about all the broken happy ever afters?
What about us?
What about all the plans that ended in disaster?
What about love? What about trust?
What about us?
There aren’t any specific references in the song on who exactly she’s singing about but New Jersey Governer Chris Christie’s speech at the Republican National Convention plays at the beginning of the music video, and the song’s rallying cry against “broken promises” seems to zero in on the current administration.
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“Quiet” by MILCK was released in 2017. The first time this was sang was during a protest march and was used to help express herself and other women’s feelings towards sexual assault. The following lyrics show her need to tell people who will listen:
George Bush don’t care about black people
2017 and Donald Trump is the sequel so
…
Oh I can’t keep quiet
Let it out Let it out Let it out now
There’ll be someone who understands
Let it out Let it out Let it out now
Must be someone who’ll understand
In the music video, abuse is the primary subject through a boyfriend that assault his partner and a transgender who is bullied at school. Both of these things feature the key theme of telling someone about this assault instead of keeping it to yourself and blaming it on who you are.
“America” by Logic, featuring Chuck D, No I.D, Big Lenbo, & Black Thought directly speaks up against the injustice in America and rallies for support. It preaches to its listens to rise up and go against the continued racism they’ve experienced under both George Bush and Donald Trump.
To make it happen though we gon’ need patience
And not violence, giving hospitals more patients now
I'm just as angry another person got shot
Don’t be angry at the color of they skin
Just be happy that as a people we could begin again, and
I’ma tell you what I need right now
I’ma tell you what we all need
I need my people of color...
Don’t run from Trump, run against him
Though they call for protest, it’s for peaceful protest, not for a violent one. As impassioned as they are when singing this, they aren’t going to lose themselves in their anger and this asks people to not do so as well.
I believe there still is a spirit of protest because I doubt these songs would have been made in the first place if not to protest for their beliefs. There’s emotion behind poetry and music and one can see in their expressions that they mean what they say. There’s also always something that sparks the reason for a song and through music and their lyrics they express their feelings on a particular matter. For example, the music that I’ve detailed above cry for union. MILCK wants her listeners to express themselves and be open about their experiences being abused, to acknowledge and grow from it, and it was sung first in the D.C. Women’s March. Logic is compromised of multiple artists and the lyrics themselves are direct and very emotive especially considering the passion they have when they’re rapping and the lyrics accompanying their protest. P!nk is directly talking to the one in power she’s protesting again, asking ‘what about us’ in a more empathetic approach; her music tackles directly the promises the Governor has given and takes the simple stance of being one affected by his actions.
ReplyDeleteInc., G. M. G. (2017). America. Retrieved from https://genius.com/Logic-america-lyrics
MILCK. (2017). MILCK - "Quiet" [Official Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl_Qfj8780M
Stubblebine, A., & Kelley, C. (2017). The 20 Best Protest Songs of 2017: Critics' Picks. Retrieved from https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8063598/best-protest-songs-of-2017-top-20
Hey Ericka,
DeleteI actually had no idea Pinks song "What about us?" was a protest type of song. I do like how you've incorporated many songs from different genres. I feel like Hip-Hop, punk, Reggae and Rock have the most protest type of songs because pop and whatever hot is for the masses, just as much as the genres ive mentioned, however these listed were created off rebellious origins and artists who are apart of these genres continue to make protest songs today.
Erika, these are some very interesting points that youve picked out from the song, did you think about or consider any of those before searching it up or do you just enjoy the song? When I was doing my research I actually didnt realise the song (miguel - now) was political but I always listened to it because I enjoyed it. anyway by relating these songs all the way back to beat poetry, I agree that they do in fact have a spirit of protest and every year new ones pop up. great post
ReplyDelete