Argumentative Essay: Now We Burn Art

1023 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How the prison system is broken

Now We Burn Art “everyone who could draw drew the sea (…) the sea means freedom no one can control or own, freedom for everyone.” - MANSOOR ADAYFI, a freed prisoner from Guantanamo, In Ode To The Sea’s catalog The John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York City has put up a controversial art exhibit called “Ode to the Sea” that features 36 paintings, drawings and sculptures - all stamped with the words “Approved by US Forces,” The art was made by prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and the exhibition gained worldwide news coverage due to its artists. In November, the government stopped releasing any art from Guantanamo Bay reportedly in response to the exhibit. Art from Guantanamo was already censored. No art that revealed anything about Guantanamo …show more content…

It blurred the lines between bad and good, beautiful and horrid. It scorned the absolutes that the Third Reich was built upon. The Soviet Union censored any art that criticized the government or didn't perfectly fit communist ideals. ISIS destroys art that promotes anything but following their extreme form of Islam. Governments also censor art because it connects and humanizes people, making it much harder to demonize an enemy. Nazis mocked and burned Jewish art, the Soviet Union banned the art of exiles and religious people, ISIS destroys the art of so-called …show more content…

First, the United States didn't release any art they didn't agree with. Now no art can leave our island dungeon. Our government would rather burn art made by prisoners than let it leave Guantanamo because it proves that the prisoners are humans - not monsters. Because the art depicts the views of the Guantanamo Bay prisoners and humanizes them, it makes the public ask questions about Guantanamo we couldn't when the prisoners were just “the worst of the worst”. Questions like; Who did we put in Guantanamo Bay? What exactly did we do to these people? Was torture really necessary? The government has no good answers. 779 people have been kept at Guantanamo, 41 remain. The Trump administration has freed none. 8 have been convicted in illegal military commissions, of these three were completely overturned and one was partially overturned. Only one prisoner was found guilty in a legal court case. Lawrence Wilkerson, a former senior state department official declared “There was no meaningful way to determine whether [the prisoners] were terrorists, Taliban, or simply innocent civilians picked up on a very confused battlefield or in the territory of another state such as Pakistan.” The government offered thousands of dollars to anyone who brought in a person they said was a member of ISIS and some prisoners weren't even vetted by any Americans before being sent to Guantanamo to be

Show More
Related

  • Black Feminist Archaeology Summary

    255 Words  | 1 Pages

    Whitney Battle-Baptiste, the author of Black Feminist Archaeology creates the framework of this book because as a Black woman who is interested in race, gender, and cultural views, believes that too often in mainstream archaeological theory, Black culture and the experiences of Black women and our families are overlooked and dismissed.  Dr. Baptiste states her explanation on how joining Black Feminist Theory and archaeology in her projects provides a way to open a discussion between archaeologists, which is her intent. It also shows that “when archaeologists critically engage with a dialogue about the intersectionality of race and gender, we begin to see the deeper forms of oppression and how they affect the lives of marginalized populations.”.

    Read More

  • Rape Of Europa Essay

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    The movie begins by giving us a brief history of a painting. The painting they refer to is the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. It was still in its creative process at the time being painted by the artist Gustav Klimt. At this same point in time Adolf Hitler applied to the Vienna Academy of Art. This eighteen year old Hitler’s admission to the academy was rejected. The people deciding his admission were primarily Jewish and most likely fueled the flame to his anti-Semitism.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Guantanamo Bay Detention Center

    597 Words  | 2 Pages

    (Tung 456) Not sure if this is even right to do, even though the person being suspected is doing wrong. Since there are many gray areas, we can and cannot be certain of the legality of this. As of 2009, there seems to be around 300 people who were detained in Guantanamo. The President has called for a review of all the detainees, but it seems like there are setbacks to this course of action.

    Read More

  • When Art Loses Its Sting: The Evolution Of Protest Art In Authoritarian Contexts: Analysis

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is art and how is it used as a tool for communication? These multifaceted questions are answered by analyzing ancient and modern art. In the article “When Art Loses Its Sting: The evolution of Protest Art in Authoritarian Contexts” Jacqueline Adams explains how art captures the interest of sociologists. Art executes a unique duality in society. In both recent and ancient history, art has been used as propaganda. Now, contemporary art works to challenge or protest ideologies. Analyzing art provides an interesting insight: the art of today holds as much influence as it did in history. Art has not “lost its sting,” but rather gained a phenomenal impact.

    Read More

  • Guantanamo Bay Case Study

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    Over 12 years of injustice have been given to the inmates at Guantanamo Bay prison. Guantanamo Bay prison is unfair and unjust for many reason and should be closed.The first reason is nasal feeding enforced even though it is painful and harmful. The second reason is inmates are subject to cruel punishments .The third reason is prisoners have no way of proving that they are innocent.This is just the tip of the iceberg on why Guantanamo Bay prison should be closed.

    Read More

  • Ethical Approach To Torture Essay

    1233 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...s invaluable. The efficacy of torture can be seen in the capture of Zubaydah and the prevention of the “Dirty bomber,” Jose Padilla. Effectiveness has also been proven; it has hypothetically saved many lives and has prevented many plots known to the general public. Ex-Vice President Dick Cheney said in a speech in 2009 that the “enhanced interrogation” of detainees “prevented the violent death of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of innocent people” (“The Report of The Constitution Project's Task Force on Detainee Treatment”, 1). Since it has been deemed illegal by the UN it has to be done in secrecy. In result, it cannot be deduced how much has been prevented by this procedure since that information is classified. However, it is irrefutable that torture, in its essence, is beneficial and should be accepted as a means of ensuring public safety.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Guantanamo Bay

    1031 Words  | 3 Pages

    After the September the 11th attacks on the world trade center, countries around the globe thought it was necessary to take extra precautions when dealing with terrorists. The United States hence forth brought terrorist that were being help to Guantanamo bay. Guantanamo bay hold terrorist that are responsible for the September 11th attacks. These terrorist are kept at Guantanamo in order to prevent any further attacks from happening with in the United States. The prisoners that are help there are subdued to a form of interrogation known as water boarding. The process consists of a cloth being placed over the detainees face and the interrogator proceeds to pour water over the detainees face. This gives the feeling that you are drowning, but really you re panicking because you think you are drowning. Many people

    Read More

  • Iconoclasm In Art

    1118 Words  | 3 Pages

    When art becomes offensive, sometimes people decide to take their disapproval out on the piece, instead of being respectful towards the artist and the work that has gone into the art. This concept is called iconoclasm, and today, iconoclasm is certainly happening. People believe that it is justified to destroy art for the sake of their religious or political beliefs. Our culture has become offensive and hurt, where people now decide that they can take the law into their own hands because of their emotional feelings towards an art piece. Iconoclasm is an emotionally powered act that isn’t justified because there are other ways of having your voice heard or preventing something from happening, besides destroying art. Furthermore, the term iconoclast

    Read More

  • Movements in Art Report

    1443 Words  | 3 Pages

    Degenerate art is not bad art; it was just labeled that by the German government. In 1937, an exhibition of over six hundred works labeled Degenerate Art opened in Munich, Germany, right next door to an exhibit of its opposite, Great German Art. The purpose of Degenerate Art was to showcase art with subjects and styles that disobeyed Adolf Hitler’s standards of art, which targeted modern, avant-garde art that seemingly attacked the purity of the German people. Hitler understood that art was going to play a large role in building his ideal nation, as culture is a major cornerstone in any lasting society. That being said, modern movements, such as Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, Constructivism, and Dadaism, made up most of the Degenerate Art exhibit because it was perceived as a threat to German morality.

    Read More

  • Torture: Why It Should Stop

    788 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tortured prisoners give false information. One writer writes “Many survivors of torture report that they would have said anything to make the torture stop.” (Mayer, 2005; McCoy, 2006) Another says that “We had people who were willing to confess to anything if we would just stop” (Andersen). The NY times reports that in 2002, A Syrian born Canadian named Maher Arar was stopped in an airport and was interrogated. He was later sent to a prison where he was beaten, tortured and questioned for the next 10 months of his life. To stop the punishment, he “admitted” to getting training in Afghanistan! A country he had never even been to. It was later discovered that everything that he confessed to was false, and was just a lie to stop the torture. Not only did you destroy someone’s life, but you also wasted taxpayer’s money! Imagine the amount of money wasted on getting planes to that area of Afghanistan where that guy was “trained” at. Or the amount of money that was used to fund this prison! Confessions made during torture are unreliable and are usually just statements to stop the torture.

    Read More

  • Enhanced Interrogationation Methods

    1524 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...en and women. The “victims” sitting in Guantanamo are being tortured for crimes not committed by them and are being rewarded with no families or loved ones and psychological trauma. Through many studies it has been proven that these victims will commit to false information just to stop the pain. Enhanced interrogation is one of the more popular techniques used to induce information from possible suspects; however, this technique is immoral in ways such as, but not limited to, impacting the victims life, family, and friends, the side effects of enhanced interrogation are disgusting, and in most cases victims admit to the false accusations which is in no way beneficial to the main problem. It has been proven that these methods are ineffective and are often misleading, in fact there are other much more humane methods which have been proven beneficial in many cases.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Graffiti

    1623 Words  | 4 Pages

    Within the last few years, graffiti has been deemed an acceptable and tasteful genre of art. Long gone are the days where the spray can belonged exclusively to the local delinquent. From the past to present, there has been a shift in how street art is recognized by the general public and the government. Laws and policies are being put into place that both defend and threaten the promulgation of this creative medium. By both protecting and prohibiting, the government displays an inconsistent and confusing relationship with street art. When art is so subjective, it can become challenging to delineate the fine line between vandalism and creativity. This essay will discuss the changing public perception of graffiti, the trademark and copyright battles between graffiti artists and property owners, the categorization of street art as an artform, and the beneficial aspects of commissioned street murals.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On The Stolen Art

    1297 Words  | 3 Pages

    "You can wipe out an entire generation, you burn their homes to the ground and somehow they will still find their way back. But if you destroy their history, you destroy their achievements and it as if they never existed"(Cambell,2014). During World War II the Nazis would go through the countries they occupied. The art they took was either put in their own museums or they burned them. The Nazis stole millions of pieces of art, mostly pieces that were made from the end of the of the 18th century up until the 1900 's. Hitler ordered his soldiers to steal the art to gain power over other cultures. At the end of the war, the Allies were on a hunt to find all the missing and stolen art the Nazis hid at the end of the war. The big debate today is if the stolen art should go back to their rightful owners. Over a span of six years, the Nazis stole millions of paintings the trails to get those back to their rightful owners has had a lasting impression on today 's world.

    Read More

  • Aryan Art: The Fascist Ideal In Germany

    1429 Words  | 3 Pages

    Visual symbolism was an important aspect to the Nazi’s campaign; therefore, they dedicated both men and resources in promoting their ideals through artwork. This was because Hitler saw that culture, including art, is an important quality long-lasting societies had in the past. Hitler’s understanding led him to realize that art has to play an important role in the building of his ideal German nation. He articulated the goals of what he considered true German art: it must develop from the collective soul of the people and express its identity; it must be national; it must be comprehensible; it strive to be eternal; it must be positive, not critical of society; it must be elevating, and represent the good, the beautiful, and the healthy. Hitler expected the approved art to be used as an ethical guide for his society, as well as to arouse feelings of both pride and patriotism within his

    Read More

  • Ethical Aspects Of Ethics And Ethics In Art And Science

    1303 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...e impact of certain art before we even censor it based on our own beliefs.

    Read More

More about Argumentative Essay: Now We Burn Art

Open Document