Annotated Bibliography On Berlin Wall

Annotated Bibliography #1

Topic- The Berlin Wall and freedom

Citation: Reagan, Ronald. "Tear Down This Wall." Germany, Berlin Wall, West Berlin. Speech. June 12, 1987

Throughout his speech, Ronald Reagan (1987) presented a direct notion concerning the Berlin wall. Specifically, that it acts as a hindrance of freedom between East and West Berlin. His beliefs extended to worldwide implications, suggesting that liberty eventually leads to prosperity for all citizens. In other words, citizens acting upon their own autonomy prevent conflicts between countries. Reagan established a connection to the United States by using it as an example of a country that reinforces the ideals of freedom, and that by doing so, peace ensues within the general

population. In addition, he discussed the situation with the Soviet Union. Reagan explains the chaotic effects of both conventional and chemical warfare by emphasizing the chaotic results in his speech. He claims that the use of nuclear missiles would devastate the society of Berlin, just like the Cold War did in 1982, causing protests to ensue. Additionally, Reagan recommended to eliminate specific weapons in order to avoid potential warfare, and to instead focus on uniting Berlin in order for the citizens to experience true freedom. Reagan’s speech contradicts the statements made by Donald Trump, the president-elect of 2016. The conclusion of Reagan's speech intrigues me due to the fact that both are Republicans, yet claim to believe in opposing views. In particular, Reagan desires to remove a wall, while Trump wishes to build one. Though it is incredibly unlikely for both the United States and Mexico to agree to execute his proposal of a wall to separate the two countries, it is still a possibility. Assuming that both countries consented to build this wall, the citizens would still not succumb to physical division so easily. As mentioned in Reagan’s speech, communities often aid each other despite the barriers that separate them. Notably, this concept could be applied to Trump’s wall. Although the obstruction is physical, it does not reduce amity displayed from one neighboring country to another. In essence, Ronald Reagan’s speech made in 1987 still has political implications that are relevant today.

Annotated Bibliography #2

Topic- Conflicts concerning barriers

Citation- Frost, Robert. Mending Wall. Seattle, WA: Holburne, 2000. Print.

The speaker of the poem establishes a connection between barriers and a variety of affected stakeholders. Namely, the poem concerns the speaker and his neighbor, debating whether or not to eliminate the fence separating their land. Notably, the speaker desires to eradicate the barrier, and attempts to convince his neighbor that doing so would benefit multiple parties. He then provides examples of specific perspectives that would influence the neighbor directly. For example, the cows on the neighbor’s property could roam liberally if the physical restraint was removed. The apples on the speaker’s side could feed his neighbor, and even his neighbor’s cows if the property was combined. The speaker justifies his ideas by providing beneficial effects from removing the boundary. However, the neighbor disagrees with the speaker’s claims, despite the potential advantages. Furthermore, I believe that the speaker’s ideas may be extended to a simplistic solution to disputes over resources, both natural and manmade. Specifically, combining multiple types of resources and equally distributing them among contributing entities benefits everyone. This would be especially useful if one group had an abundance of one particular resource, but in need of another. A similar idea can be concluded from Garrett Hardin’s article, Lifeboat Ethics. Rather than resources, it concerns the spaces available on a lifeboat. After proposing a variety of seating combinations, the most optimal one is to include an assortment of people in order to preserve diversity and encourage equality. The speaker’s ideas of combining differences (in his case, differences of assets on property) ensures a medley that is easy to redistribute fairly.

Annotated Bibliography #3

Topic- Connecting barriers (Alex Honnold and Lenny Bruce)

Citation- The Ascent of Alex Honnold. Dir. Jeff Newton. 60 Minutes, 2011. Show Segment.

Mitchell, Jonathan. "Lenny Bruce." Radiolab. Studio 360, 23 Aug. 2003. Web.

The segment from 60 Minutes centered around Alex Honnold’s wall climbing techniques which lacked restraints and harnesses.

Additionally, it provided information on traditional rock climbing by incorporating it into Honnold’s journey. Conversely, Radiolab’s podcast focused on Lenny Bruce’s comedy, specifically that he focused on his trials for obscenities. Moreover, the speakers discuss Bruce’s influence on taboo subjects used in comedy and everyday interactions. A connection is made apparent by the barriers that face the two individuals, the most prominent one in both cases being normativity. As ingrained in the majority of people’s minds by society, an ideal lifestyle consists of conforming to live a risk-free lifestyle. However, both Honnold and Bruce dared to overcome society’s expectations of behavior. In Honnold’s case, he risked his safety by choosing to climb without gear; an outrageous idea that is oddly shunned upon and praised by the rock climbing community simultaneously. Society mostly concurs that some human fears are instinctual and cannot be controlled, such as height. However, Honnold completely defies this idea by scaling the walls without a sense of safety given by climbing equipment, leaving him vulnerable. This same vulnerability is present when Bruce revealed his opinion on certain topics as well. According to society, his remarks on somewhat personal themes should be considered offensive. However, saying something politically incorrect does not

instantly equate to an obscenity. Bruce intended to demonstrate this by voicing ideas about subjects outside the barrier of proper conversation material. In doing so, both of these individuals changed others perception of society’s standards by rejecting to conform. Notably, Honnold is now incredibly well known in the rock climbing community and is praised for his skill. Bruce is remembered as a promoter of free speech, who helped form the future of comedy’s contents. Most importantly, both have some form of valiance for overcoming society’s barrier of conformity.

Annotated Bibliography #4

Topic- Addiction as a barrier

Citation: Hamilton, Edith.

"Pyramus and Thisbe." Mythology. Boston: Back Bay, 1998. N. pag. Print.

Gould, Thomas J. "Addiction and Cognition." Addiction Science & Clinical Practice. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Dec. 2010.

Pyramus and Thisbe is a story surrounding two young lovers which overcome a physical wall to fulfill their desires of a future together. However, their love itself becomes a mental barrier by preventing them to fully rationalize their decisions. I found this to be similar to individuals with some form of addiction. Doctor Thomas J Gould’s conclusion on the effects of addiction strike me as incredibly similar to that of Pyramus and Thisbe. Indeed, Gould notes that addiction sufferers alter their cognitive abilities by prioritizing their addiction in an attempt to become more responsive to the stimulus. In the case of Pyramus and Thisbe, their attempts to be together gradually require more effort, but each successful step becomes more rewarding, thus encouraging them to continue this behavior. First, the couple has an initial desire to be together, which led to them finding a hole in the wall for them to talk to; a significant reward for the minimal amount of effort. Deciding to continue this behavior, they discuss how to meet and be together permanently, which would ultimately reward all of their efforts. This type of attitude damages cognitive abilities, such as memory, impulsive control, and attention. The misinterpretation of events led Pyramus

to act impulsively without further consideration, a sign of cognitive deficit. One may conclude that their love was an addiction that was fueled by the tangible wall’s presence, though it’s intention was to prevent interaction between the young lovers. Rather than inhibiting the interaction between the two, the wall became a guideline to direct them to what they wanted most, to be together. Notably, this idea is similar to walking alongside the ends of a frontier in order to find a path between two separate areas. In this case, the border unintentionally directed them to pursue a goal which required them to confront a mental limitation they were unfortunately unable to overcome due to basic human psychology.