The Importance Of Media And Art

All three of these authors observe that people’s values and experiences often lead them to different conclusions. As Nelson indicates in her story, people’s education level, when it comes to art, varies. She explains that in these modern ages, people are exposed to violence so often that they just brush it off. She believes that because violence is used so often through many different forms of media and art, people are allowed to have their own interpretation. She explains in her quote, “...no one can own it; no one can own its meaning. Its function is to mediate, but not in the sense of imitating or representing a reality from which spectators are barred” to portray her belief that it is upto spectators to decipher the meaning behind the media’s

Nelson attempts to solve the issue she highlights by recommending that everyone becomes a spectator. Nelson provides many examples of the different forms of media and art that discuss violence to explain her point that they are all ineffective in trying to solve the violent issues of our world. She says this is because the overabundance causes people to belittle the harsh realities of life. Nelson acknowledges the attempt of the media to raise awareness of contemporary issues; however, she feels that this information being thrown at people results in “the average citizen can then ricochet between these two irreconcilable, collaborative poles until desensitization sets in, and with it a begrudging (or, for some, an enthusiastic) acceptance of the practice” (306). Nelson feels that people just stop caring and they are taking the easy path to solving the world’s problems. She theorizes that passive spectatorship is the key to freedom. Nafisi embraces being a spectator in her story as she finds her way of evading the tyranny through her little class at home. Nelson would simply view this as a temporary solution. Nafisi acknowledges that she allows herself to be overruled by succumbing to the dominant ruling over her as she questions, “Was it any consolation, and did we even wish to remember, that what he did to us was what we allowed him to do?” (296). In this quote, as she draws the comparison between Humbert and the oppression that rules over her life, Nafisi explains that by quitting her job at the university and by simply just allowing the regime to overrule her, she is simply just accepting defeat. She is allowing herself and her students to be demeaned and undermined; however, she feels the best she can do to cope with her issues is living vicariously through literature. O’Brien explains soldier’s coping process is fabricating details and