In Walter Benjamin’s Berlin Childhood Around 1900, he applies a variety of concepts with respect to time: past, present, and future. The concepts are highlighted in his vignettes: “Victory Column”, “The Telephone”, and “Butterfly Hunt”. Benjamin attempts to imbue his writing with a different structure of time from what was conventional. He perceives history as a section of moments, and each moment is an integral whole in its own right, making it equal to the present (Knights). Benjamin also notes that the ignoring of the past and the focus on the progression of the future causes harmful effects to nature (Knights). The concept of technological progress appears to give grounds for the domination and abuse of nature (Patke). Subsequently, Benjamin is arguing that modernization has produced an inauthentic experience of time. He further contends that the redeeming of history is not correlated with a new future. Benjamin's key ideals are regarded to be restorative. This ideology emphases that hope is set in the past and its memory. There is a very traditional aspect to this viewpoint. It considers that the wishes of the former generations must be preferred. Another of Benjamin's concerns is to remove the impression of continuity in history that is attainable if the past and the present are separated. Benjamin searches for the past with the ability to reform in a manner to halt the exchange of present satisfaction for past misery, capable of suspending the reproduction of past tribulation and injustice. Benjamin’s rhetoric in Berlin Childhood around 1900’s vignettes, “Victory Column”, “The Telephone”, and “Butterfly Hunt”, assert that the past contains an immense power of unrealized potentialities, that is unable to associate with the ...
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...mes the norm, it will be replacing something from the past that when lost will be irretrievable. Furthermore, being that the future is unknown, Benjamin suggests that this is when there should be a focus on the past to potentially uncover any poor choices to help the future refrain from repeating them. Thus, Benjamin contends that the limitlessness of the past is una ble to conform to the present or uncertainty of a progressive future.
Works Cited
Benjamin, Walter. Berlin Childhood Around 1900. Cambridge: President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2006. Print.
Freud, Sigmund. On Murder, Mourning, and Melancholia. London: Penguin Books, 2005. Print.
Knights, Wayne. Class Lecture. Humanity 360: Great Themes in Humanistic Tradition. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC. 22 Feb 2012.
Patke, Rajeev. “Benjamin’s Theses ‘On the Concept of History”
Several conflicting frames of mind have played defining roles in shaping humanity throughout the twentieth century. Philosophical optimism of a bright future held by humanity in general was taken advantage of by the promise of a better life through sacrifice of individuality to the state. In the books Brave New World, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451 clear opposition to these subtle entrapments was voiced in similarly convincing ways. They first all established, to varying degrees of balance, the atmosphere and seductiveness of the “utopia” and the fear of the consequences of acting in the non-prescribed way through character development. A single character is alienated because of their inability to conform – often in protest to the forced conditions of happiness and well being. Their struggle is to hide this fact from the state’s relentless supervision of (supposedly) everything. This leads them to eventually come into conflict with some hand of the state which serves as the authors voice presenting the reader with the ‘absurdity’ of the principles on which the society is based. The similar fear of the state’s abuse of power and technology at the expense of human individuality present within these novels speaks to the relevance of these novels within their historical context and their usefulness for awakening people to the horrendous consequences of their ignorance.
...re & values, volume II: A survey of the humanities. (7th ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
As a young boy, Franklin receives a few copper coins from friends and family as a holiday gift. Ecstatically, he goes to the store and buys a whistle. When he arrives back at home, he decides to melodically play and play to boast in front of his family about his new toy. Annoyed by his playing, his brother, sister and cousin inquire about the price of the whistle. When he responds, they mention that he paid much more than the whistle is worth. Wallowing, he dreams about all of the other things he could have bought with the extra coinage. In the parable, like many seven year olds, Benjamin Franklin didn’t stop to think about the consequences of his actions. He saw the whistle and new he had to have it. Before thinking he offered all of his money
[6] Holborn, Halo. A History of Modern Germany. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969. p. 277-280.
The first section of the book is seen through the eyes of Benjy, the retarded son of the aristocratic Compson family. In Benjy’s section, Benjy has no concept of time and portrays everything in the present, and in this case, April Seventh, 1928. The events that take place on this day are insignificant. However, these events bring about memories which are highly significant. Benjy doesn’t understand any abstract concepts such as integrity and time. Instead he just absorbs memories from what he sees and what he hears. He does, however, have the ability to sense any bad occurrences that are out of place. One example of this can be seen when Caddy loses her virginity. Benjy is able to sense this and moans continuously. Caddy is Benjy’s only source of affection and is entirely dependent on her.
People have been unsatisfied with their lives and they want change. Their lives are filled with imperfection. They realize that their lives could be improved if everything around them and themselves were cleanse of the disadvantageous aspect of life. In the case of Brave New World the Controllers came into power sometime after the Nine Years’ War began. They had a “campaign against the Past” after the war where any remnants of the former way of living were destroyed. They considered that the past contained too much imperfection so they had to destroy museums and impede publication of certain books to shield the people from the harm of imperfection. The revolutionaries of that time wanted a new life for the people on Earth where all the adverse elements of life were removed. They desired perfection. A perfection similar to the perfect drug they created, soma, which has “All the advantages of Christianity…; none of their defects.” This drug embodies perfection because it only benefits the user without any maladaptation. And they hated and were discomforted by anything related to the past or anything less than perfect. An example of the displeasure of the imperfect past would be when the students became extremely distressed at the Director’s mention of the concept of fatherhood and motherhood. Their disdain for the past is also delineated through the Controller’s reminder to the students of how they revere the quote of Henry Ford: “History is bunk.” As the Controller reflected upon the old family life of his ancestors he recognizes it as having “appalling dangers” that Freud made a revelation of. He thought by the presences of fathers and mothers in the world is parallel to a world “full of misery…” and “full of madness and suicide...
The writer introduces his topic very clearly using different tools. He makes his work simple and easy to understand because he is directing his work to the public. Franklin’s use of organization is intended to make it easy for the reader to progress through time. In addition, he uses an informative tone to inform, not only to persuade, the reader; he wants his audience to draw their own conclusions. Moreover, he uses images to show his audience the affect of photos before and after the Industrial Revolution, and he shows two different images to compare. Franklin shows the wars without makeup as he says, “why not project the war from the point of view of the weapons?” (412).
Why should you be one, too? (Bishop, 1979). This is a significant message. Understanding humankind is important for personal and professional growth. Ms. Bishop makes it clear through Elizabeth that we are all a part of humankind but where is our place? As a professional understanding the nuances of what makes people driven to succeed is imperative. Each human is different. It is recognizing those differences that help today’s professional to know where they will “fit” in their career goals. It also allows one to be aware of what it takes to succeed in their respected field. Through an understanding of both humankind and human nature, one is more apt to be
In “The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells, the author portrays, for the most part, that the choices humans make now cannot drastically change the outcomes in the far future. The obvious representation of social and political classes, even as the time traveler goes 800,000 years into the future, describes this more. The fact that, even 800,000 years later, there are still apparent classes that can determine an individual’s worth guides the reader towards the conclusion that even if an individual were to change the present, it would be impossible to avoid the very same mistake from being repeated in the future.
stories holds a large impact on how they later develop as individuals. While Baldwin’s piece demonstrates the ignorance from society which is projected onto him from Swiss villagers, it shares both similarities and differences to the attitudes demonstrated in Hurston’s piece influenced by her surroundings. Being that it is difficult to escape the past and the events that have brought strength through triumph, it is important to focus one’s attention on the present and into the future. Although the past determines who an individual is, the future determines who an individual will become.
humanity is our burden, our life; we need not battle for it; we need only to do what
Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition. 6th ed. Vol. 2. New York: McGraw Hill, 2011. Print.
Mann writes this story shortly after the first World War through the eyes of a German Professor. The story takes place in Munich, Germany in the year 1926 where the Professor and his family prepare themselves for a party in the late afternoon (Mann 2). The results of the Great War are present throughout the entir...
Townsend, Mary Evelyn. 1930. The Rise and Fall of Germany's Colonial Empire. New York: The Macmillan Company.
Throughout the book William Golding makes many excellent uses of symbols and a very large intertwining web of symbols. He created an alternate course to history with a very complex plot describing society and its flaws. He also identified many tenants that define the society that we live in today. My arguement is crucial in better understanding the underlying message and and understanding what the author is trying to convey throughout his book.