THE ONLY PEOPLE FIT TO RULE A JUST CITY ARE THOSE WHO ARE EXPERTS IN RULING. DISCUSS
This statement is the main claim of Plato in his book 'The Republic', as according to Plato, in the perfect or 'just' state, philosophers must be rulers, as they are 'experts' in ruling.
Plato argued that from birth, different people are disposed to perform different tasks. Guardians are those born with courage. Plato believes that the city's leaders, taken from the guardians, need to be intelligent and know what is good for the state as a whole. So they will be educated as philosophers, so they will have knowledge of the good. However, this is important, as it follows that, knowledge of the good must be known in order to organise a state, and that, as the forms never change, neither will the perfect state. But these conclusions are supported by the idea that knowledge of the forms can exist. If we can pick holes in the theory of the forms, then surely this statement will be massively undermined?
In reference to the forms and the particulars, Plato speaks of 'two worlds': the world of the forms and the world of the particulars. But if particulars and forms are so different, how can particulars 'share' or 'participate' in the forms at all? It seems impossible.
Plato's answer to this would be that the properties particulars have are 'copies' of the Forms. The beauty of a flower is a copy of the Form of Beauty. So it seems the statement still stands.
Can we argue that philosophers are perhaps not fit to rule a city? Plato's argument that knowledge of the good will help make philosophers virtuous is very vague. How is it that knowledge of the good can transform someone in the way Plato suggests? Suppose you knew of the good: would it follow that you became a moral being?
Plato would respond by saying that knowledge of the good would allow the philosopher to implement harmony in his soul, but this doesn't let us know how this is possible. If we turn from knowing what is good to wanting to be good, we can face more problems. Why should knowledge of the good create the motive to be good, or create a 'just city'?
Plato doesn't actually have an answer to that, in fact, he agrees. He was highly sensitive to the idea that philosophers could become corrupt: perhaps philosophers are not experts in ruling? He did however argue that it was the fault of society that philosopher rulers became corrupt. This doesn't mean that there can be no philosopher rulers: but, seeing the situation of society: 'they will live quietly and keep to themselves'. Plato held this statement, claiming: 'a necessary consequence of what we have said (about the divided line, the form of the good, the simile of the cave) is that society will never be properly governed..by the uneducated, who have no knowledge of the truth'. Only those who have knowledge of the good can be rulers as only they can know what is useful, valuable and good.
An argument in support of this idea is that, the nature of a true philosopher is that they love every kind of learning. Because of this, they will love the learning of ethical matters etc, so the love of learning produces virtue. Therefore, since only philosophers love every kind of learning, only philosophers can be virtuous and expert rulers. A modern objection is that, if a philosopher supposedly has knowledge of the good, (while many are sceptical over whether the Good exists), does this give them the practical knowledge to rule? Politics isn't just about doing what is right, and requires a great deal of practical knowledge, of maths and how the economy works, on public relations etc. Plato seemingly has no answer for this, but to say that 'knowledge never loses its power'.
A further objection, actually pointed out by Plato himself, is that, because philosophers love learning, they will not want to govern, they will want to spend their time engaged in philosophy. Doing philosophy and ruing are two separate tasks, and therefore should surely be completed by two separate people?
But, in ultimate defence of this statement, could we say someone who is not an expert in ruling could rule a just city? Whether or not it is practical for a ruler to have practical politician skills, can we truly agree with this new statement? This doesn't defend the first statement however, it only suggests, that quite depressingly, there can be no just city.
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Monday, 13 December 2010
faustus cw marx
To what extent is a Marxist reading of Dr. Faustus fruitful?
PLAN::::
1. Intro. What is Doctor Faustus, and how could it be viewed as a Marxist play? Faustus strives to gain power that he is told he should not have, and Marlowe questions: is this wrong? Because of the strong religious mainstream views at the end of the 16th century, Marlowe would have been much more criticised than he was if Faustus had not been dragged to hell. Could the play have had a different ending if Marlowe was allowed to freely express his views?
2. Faustus, just like Marlowe, pushes the established societal social boundaries. From the very beginning in the chorus we learn that Faustus has greatly moved up the social ladder. The reason the Marxism train of thought first came about was because the unsatisfied lower classes wanted more power and freedom. He wants to challenge every societal boundary possible, to the extent of wanting to ‘fill the schools with silk’ – sumptuary laws gave a strict dress code for students.
3. But is this just a greedy lust for power? His early ambition does end up in tatters. And maybe it is Faustus’s rebellious nature – he challenges everything, even Mephistopheles.
4. The idea of exploration is interesting. Faustus goes travelling, exploring new interesting parts of Europe. Marlowe, through this scene, could be suggesting that this scale of exploration is possible. There is a whole new world of freedom and opportunity unexplored, seemingly open to all. Zeitgeist – representative of the time.
5. Autobiographical reading could be more relevant: Marlowe saw the ships where he lived in the docklands. Could another reading better suit the play? Faustus is Marlowe’s vessel for expressing his own thoughts and feelings, and Doctor Faustus is simply an autobiographical account. The play is supposed to be viewed simply as an entertaining tragedy.
6. However, it is evident that Faustus’ challenging of theology is the key idea. Dr. Faustus lived in a society rooted in medieval theology, a system of ideas that are unchangeable by human hand. Faustus strives to challenge the arbitrary power of God, so becomes an ‘allegory of the historical class dialectic of slave against master. Links to: the representation of social class, choice and its illusory nature. Was F ever able to change this system, no matter how hard he tried? ‘Although we like to think we live in a world full of choices, this idea of choice is an illusion – the choices we have are much more limited than we think.
7. Faustus should not have tried to change the system. Perhaps the play goes against Marxism. Marlowe is using Faustus to show why there should be societal boundaries, as Faustus uses his power to greedy, excessive heights. The fact that he ends up dead is far from insignificant
Conclusion: But his death shows how he and others are locked into human boundaries, ruled by the arbitrary power that is God.
8. Extra paragraph: We could apply a Marxist reading to the play in an entirely different way: Marlowe is the capitolists, who greedily wants much more than others. (is this true and where could I include it?)
Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, is a 16th Century play about a man called Faustus who strives to gain power than he is told he should not have. Marlowe questions, in what could be seen as quite a Marxist way: is this wrong? The challenging of arbitrary tradition is a key theme for Marxists, and this is exactly what Faustus does. But to what extent can we cast Faustus as a revolutionary, and the church as the arbitrary power? There is also evidence that perhaps Marlowe doesn’t agree with Faustus’s challenging of conventions, and we can also argue that other readings are better suited to the play.
Right from the very beginning of the play in the chorus, we are given an example of Faustus pushing against societal boundaries in quite a Marxist way: ‘his parents base of stock…shortly he was graced with Doctor’s name’. Karl Marx believed that all people from all social backgrounds should have as much freedom to pursue whatever lifestyle they chose. In fact, this idea was the basis of Marxism: not being forced into a certain social role by tradition – and this is what Faustus himself has done. He challenges all the traditions of the time, for example when he speaks about what he wants to achieve with his magical powers: “ I’ll have them fill the public schools with silk’. The old tradition of sumptuary laws gave a strict dress code for public schools – laws that Faustus thinks of breaking. It is interesting, in this speech, that the words ‘king’ and ‘prince’ appear frequently – he wants the power and ‘secrets’ of a monarchy – a system of government rooted in tradition. Karl Marx was one of the biggest criticizers of ruling through heritage and bloodline, a system that perhaps Faustus here questions.
But does Faustus simply have an unhealthy, greedy lust for power, rather contrary to Marxism? In this same speech that he calls for the silk in the schools and the power of kings, he also thinks about having his ‘spirits fetching me what I please’ whether it be ‘to fly to India for gold, to ransack the ocean for pearl’ or having them search the world for ‘pleasant fruits’. Maybe he simply wants material wealth and power over others, and to underline this fact Marlowe shows his few good ambitions ending up in tatters. For example, when Faustus goes exploring to ‘prove cosmography’, he ends up playing childish tricks on the pope. His admiral ambition of wanting to become learned is twisted because of the nature of the power he has.
However, we could read the play as Marxist in an entirely different way. A key Marxist theme is the idea of zeitgeist, and how all literature reflect the mainstream of the time. The idea of exploration is interesting in relation to this theme. Faustus uses his power to go travelling, exploring interesting places: first he ‘passes the stately town of Trier, with airy mountain tops’, ‘from Paris next, coasting the realm of France, whose banks are set with fruitful vines, then up to Naples, rich Campania…’. The list of exotic locations goes on. Marlowe is telling us that exploration on this scale in now conceivable – and he would have believed this because he was living in an age of exploration, where not just new countries but new continents were being discovered. He lived in the Deptford area, and would have certainly seen ships built in the Deptford shipyards that would have done in reality what the magical powers of Faustus does in his imagination.
But does this instead suggest that an autobiographical reading would be more relevant to the play? Faustus could be a Marlowe’s vessel for expressing his own thoughts and feelings about exploration, and even religion. He was widely thought of as an atheist, accused of ‘persuading men to atheism, willing them not to be afraid of bugbears and hobgoblins’. Indeed, there is evidence to suggest that Marlowe is inciting atheism in Doctor Faustus. Faustus, when we first meet him, rejects all forms of mainstream belief in one sentence: ‘Philosophy is odious and obscure, both law and physics are for petty wits, divinity is the basest of the three’. Faustus is looking for something more substantial than mainstream academia, just as Marlowe did. And there is more and more subtle evidence for Marlowe’s personal rejection. In the scene where Faustus summons Mephistopheles: ‘Within this circle is Jehovah’s name, forward and backward annegrammatized; the abbreiviated names of holy saints’. The connections here to black magic are affront to all that is ‘holy’, so this appears to be a blunt attack on Christianity. Holy symbolism, holy saints and holy language become the necromantic circle, idols and the name of Christ – a twisted parody of Christianity. What is significant is that they are being used for evil, and God does nothing to prevent it.
Instead however we could see this as another way in which Faustus challenges the mainstream. It is evident that Faustus’ challenging of theology is a very key theme of the play. Faustus lived in a society rooted in medieval theology, a system of ideas that are unchangeable by human hand. Faustus, quite admirably, strives to challenge the arbitrary power of God, so ‘becomes an allegory of the historical class dialectic of slave against master’. He wants to ‘become a mighty god, a deity’ to change the norm. And this fighting of the mainstream could be seen as Marxist in more than one way. He seems to be locked into a social role. There is power that he is disallowed, and this does not seem fair. Furthermore, Marxism questions whether we have free will or choice in a capitalist society. Was Faustus ever able to change society? We learn that he never has any real power, when Mephistopheles tells him: ‘No Faustus, I came here on my own accord’. Furthermore, he doesn’t achieve anything of note that he would have been prevented from achieving without his power. We can see this in the scene where he goes exploring. He sees ‘Campania’, ‘France’, ‘Naples’ and ‘Rome’. The fact that they are real places only serves to remind us that he didn’t need magical powers to see them. The comic scenes emphasise his lack of power.
But is Marlowe showing a fight against unfair power or a greediness? Maybe Faustus should not have tried to change the system. Marlowe could be using Faustus to show why there should be societal boundaries: if we are given inhuman powers, would we use them correctly? Faustus’s ambition certainly deteriorates. He plays tricks on fools, selling a horse courser a fake horse that ‘vanished’ when entering water. He fetches out of season grapes for a Duchess. Is it really worth him having this power? This power, Marlowe also sets up as a sin – he gives up his eternal soul for a few cheap laughs. It is hardly insignificant that Faustus has a ‘Hellish fall’ and is dragged to Hell.
There is no clear cut answer. Faustus’s death and subsequent denial from heaven could be pro Marxism: he believed he had the choice to gain power and freedom from human restraints, but in reality he didn’t. Or it could be evidence against Marxism: Marlowe uses the visual representation of the devils leaving the stage with Faustus to emphasise that he should not have been allowed to have this very un-human power. What we can say though is that Marlowe’s play does include some ideas key to Marxism.
1248 I know it gets messy at the end but at least there are paragraphs.
PLAN::::
1. Intro. What is Doctor Faustus, and how could it be viewed as a Marxist play? Faustus strives to gain power that he is told he should not have, and Marlowe questions: is this wrong? Because of the strong religious mainstream views at the end of the 16th century, Marlowe would have been much more criticised than he was if Faustus had not been dragged to hell. Could the play have had a different ending if Marlowe was allowed to freely express his views?
2. Faustus, just like Marlowe, pushes the established societal social boundaries. From the very beginning in the chorus we learn that Faustus has greatly moved up the social ladder. The reason the Marxism train of thought first came about was because the unsatisfied lower classes wanted more power and freedom. He wants to challenge every societal boundary possible, to the extent of wanting to ‘fill the schools with silk’ – sumptuary laws gave a strict dress code for students.
3. But is this just a greedy lust for power? His early ambition does end up in tatters. And maybe it is Faustus’s rebellious nature – he challenges everything, even Mephistopheles.
4. The idea of exploration is interesting. Faustus goes travelling, exploring new interesting parts of Europe. Marlowe, through this scene, could be suggesting that this scale of exploration is possible. There is a whole new world of freedom and opportunity unexplored, seemingly open to all. Zeitgeist – representative of the time.
5. Autobiographical reading could be more relevant: Marlowe saw the ships where he lived in the docklands. Could another reading better suit the play? Faustus is Marlowe’s vessel for expressing his own thoughts and feelings, and Doctor Faustus is simply an autobiographical account. The play is supposed to be viewed simply as an entertaining tragedy.
6. However, it is evident that Faustus’ challenging of theology is the key idea. Dr. Faustus lived in a society rooted in medieval theology, a system of ideas that are unchangeable by human hand. Faustus strives to challenge the arbitrary power of God, so becomes an ‘allegory of the historical class dialectic of slave against master. Links to: the representation of social class, choice and its illusory nature. Was F ever able to change this system, no matter how hard he tried? ‘Although we like to think we live in a world full of choices, this idea of choice is an illusion – the choices we have are much more limited than we think.
7. Faustus should not have tried to change the system. Perhaps the play goes against Marxism. Marlowe is using Faustus to show why there should be societal boundaries, as Faustus uses his power to greedy, excessive heights. The fact that he ends up dead is far from insignificant
Conclusion: But his death shows how he and others are locked into human boundaries, ruled by the arbitrary power that is God.
8. Extra paragraph: We could apply a Marxist reading to the play in an entirely different way: Marlowe is the capitolists, who greedily wants much more than others. (is this true and where could I include it?)
Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, is a 16th Century play about a man called Faustus who strives to gain power than he is told he should not have. Marlowe questions, in what could be seen as quite a Marxist way: is this wrong? The challenging of arbitrary tradition is a key theme for Marxists, and this is exactly what Faustus does. But to what extent can we cast Faustus as a revolutionary, and the church as the arbitrary power? There is also evidence that perhaps Marlowe doesn’t agree with Faustus’s challenging of conventions, and we can also argue that other readings are better suited to the play.
Right from the very beginning of the play in the chorus, we are given an example of Faustus pushing against societal boundaries in quite a Marxist way: ‘his parents base of stock…shortly he was graced with Doctor’s name’. Karl Marx believed that all people from all social backgrounds should have as much freedom to pursue whatever lifestyle they chose. In fact, this idea was the basis of Marxism: not being forced into a certain social role by tradition – and this is what Faustus himself has done. He challenges all the traditions of the time, for example when he speaks about what he wants to achieve with his magical powers: “ I’ll have them fill the public schools with silk’. The old tradition of sumptuary laws gave a strict dress code for public schools – laws that Faustus thinks of breaking. It is interesting, in this speech, that the words ‘king’ and ‘prince’ appear frequently – he wants the power and ‘secrets’ of a monarchy – a system of government rooted in tradition. Karl Marx was one of the biggest criticizers of ruling through heritage and bloodline, a system that perhaps Faustus here questions.
But does Faustus simply have an unhealthy, greedy lust for power, rather contrary to Marxism? In this same speech that he calls for the silk in the schools and the power of kings, he also thinks about having his ‘spirits fetching me what I please’ whether it be ‘to fly to India for gold, to ransack the ocean for pearl’ or having them search the world for ‘pleasant fruits’. Maybe he simply wants material wealth and power over others, and to underline this fact Marlowe shows his few good ambitions ending up in tatters. For example, when Faustus goes exploring to ‘prove cosmography’, he ends up playing childish tricks on the pope. His admiral ambition of wanting to become learned is twisted because of the nature of the power he has.
However, we could read the play as Marxist in an entirely different way. A key Marxist theme is the idea of zeitgeist, and how all literature reflect the mainstream of the time. The idea of exploration is interesting in relation to this theme. Faustus uses his power to go travelling, exploring interesting places: first he ‘passes the stately town of Trier, with airy mountain tops’, ‘from Paris next, coasting the realm of France, whose banks are set with fruitful vines, then up to Naples, rich Campania…’. The list of exotic locations goes on. Marlowe is telling us that exploration on this scale in now conceivable – and he would have believed this because he was living in an age of exploration, where not just new countries but new continents were being discovered. He lived in the Deptford area, and would have certainly seen ships built in the Deptford shipyards that would have done in reality what the magical powers of Faustus does in his imagination.
But does this instead suggest that an autobiographical reading would be more relevant to the play? Faustus could be a Marlowe’s vessel for expressing his own thoughts and feelings about exploration, and even religion. He was widely thought of as an atheist, accused of ‘persuading men to atheism, willing them not to be afraid of bugbears and hobgoblins’. Indeed, there is evidence to suggest that Marlowe is inciting atheism in Doctor Faustus. Faustus, when we first meet him, rejects all forms of mainstream belief in one sentence: ‘Philosophy is odious and obscure, both law and physics are for petty wits, divinity is the basest of the three’. Faustus is looking for something more substantial than mainstream academia, just as Marlowe did. And there is more and more subtle evidence for Marlowe’s personal rejection. In the scene where Faustus summons Mephistopheles: ‘Within this circle is Jehovah’s name, forward and backward annegrammatized; the abbreiviated names of holy saints’. The connections here to black magic are affront to all that is ‘holy’, so this appears to be a blunt attack on Christianity. Holy symbolism, holy saints and holy language become the necromantic circle, idols and the name of Christ – a twisted parody of Christianity. What is significant is that they are being used for evil, and God does nothing to prevent it.
Instead however we could see this as another way in which Faustus challenges the mainstream. It is evident that Faustus’ challenging of theology is a very key theme of the play. Faustus lived in a society rooted in medieval theology, a system of ideas that are unchangeable by human hand. Faustus, quite admirably, strives to challenge the arbitrary power of God, so ‘becomes an allegory of the historical class dialectic of slave against master’. He wants to ‘become a mighty god, a deity’ to change the norm. And this fighting of the mainstream could be seen as Marxist in more than one way. He seems to be locked into a social role. There is power that he is disallowed, and this does not seem fair. Furthermore, Marxism questions whether we have free will or choice in a capitalist society. Was Faustus ever able to change society? We learn that he never has any real power, when Mephistopheles tells him: ‘No Faustus, I came here on my own accord’. Furthermore, he doesn’t achieve anything of note that he would have been prevented from achieving without his power. We can see this in the scene where he goes exploring. He sees ‘Campania’, ‘France’, ‘Naples’ and ‘Rome’. The fact that they are real places only serves to remind us that he didn’t need magical powers to see them. The comic scenes emphasise his lack of power.
But is Marlowe showing a fight against unfair power or a greediness? Maybe Faustus should not have tried to change the system. Marlowe could be using Faustus to show why there should be societal boundaries: if we are given inhuman powers, would we use them correctly? Faustus’s ambition certainly deteriorates. He plays tricks on fools, selling a horse courser a fake horse that ‘vanished’ when entering water. He fetches out of season grapes for a Duchess. Is it really worth him having this power? This power, Marlowe also sets up as a sin – he gives up his eternal soul for a few cheap laughs. It is hardly insignificant that Faustus has a ‘Hellish fall’ and is dragged to Hell.
There is no clear cut answer. Faustus’s death and subsequent denial from heaven could be pro Marxism: he believed he had the choice to gain power and freedom from human restraints, but in reality he didn’t. Or it could be evidence against Marxism: Marlowe uses the visual representation of the devils leaving the stage with Faustus to emphasise that he should not have been allowed to have this very un-human power. What we can say though is that Marlowe’s play does include some ideas key to Marxism.
1248 I know it gets messy at the end but at least there are paragraphs.
Saturday, 11 December 2010
gothic faustus
To what extent is a Marxist reading of Dr. Faustus fruitful?
PLAN:::::
FOR:
Faustus, just like Marlowe, pushes the established societal social boundaries. From the very beginning in the chorus we learn that Faustus has greatly moved up the social ladder. The reason the Marxism train of thought first came about was because the unsatisfied lower classes wanted more power and freedom. He wants to challenge every societal boundary possible, to the extent of wanting to ‘fill the schools with silk’ – sumptuary laws gave a strict dress code for students. But is this just a greedy lust for power? His early ambition does end up in tatters. And maybe it is Faustus’s rebellious nature – he challenges everything, even Mephistopheles.
The idea of exploration is interesting. Faustus goes travelling, exploring new interesting parts of Europe. Marlowe, through this scene, could be suggesting that this scale of exploration is possible. There is a whole new world of freedom and opportunity unexplored, seemingly open to all. Zeitgeist – representative of the time. Autobiographical reading could be more relevant: Marlowe saw the ships where he lived in the docklands.
Challenging of theology is the key idea. Dr. Faustus lived in a society rooted in medieval theology, a system of ideas that are unchangeable by human hand. Faustus strives to challenge the arbitrary power of God, so becomes an ‘allegory of the historical class dialectic of slave against master. Links to: the representation of social class, choice and its illusory nature. Was F ever able to change this system, no matter how hard he tried? ‘Although we like to think we live in a world full of choices, this idea of choice is an illusion – the choices we have are much more limited than we think. Faustus should not have tried to change the system.
We could apply a Marxist reading to the play in an entirely different way: Marlowe is the capitalists, who greedily wants much more than others.
AGAINST:
Perhaps the play goes against Marxism. Marlowe is using Faustus to show why there should be societal boundaries, as Faustus uses his power to greedy, excessive heights. The fact that he ends up dead is far from insignificant. But his death shows how he and others are locked into human boundaries, ruled by the arbitrary power that is God.
Could another reading better suit the play? Faustus is Marlowe’s vessel for expressing his own thoughts and feelings, and Doctor Faustus is simply an autobiographical account. The play is supposed to be viewed simply as an entertaining tragedy.
1. Intro. What is Doctor Faustus, and how could it be viewed as a Marxist play? Faustus strives to gain power that he is told he should not have, and Marlowe questions: is this wrong? Because of the strong religious mainstream views at the end of the 16th century, Marlowe would have been much more criticised than he was if Faustus had not been dragged to hell. Could the play have had a different ending if Marlowe was allowed to freely express his views?
2. Faustus, just like Marlowe, pushes the established societal social boundaries. From the very beginning in the chorus we learn that Faustus has greatly moved up the social ladder. The reason the Marxism train of thought first came about was because the unsatisfied lower classes wanted more power and freedom. He wants to challenge every societal boundary possible, to the extent of wanting to ‘fill the schools with silk’ – sumptuary laws gave a strict dress code for students.
3. But is this just a greedy lust for power? His early ambition does end up in tatters. And maybe it is Faustus’s rebellious nature – he challenges everything, even Mephistopheles.
4. The idea of exploration is interesting. Faustus goes travelling, exploring new interesting parts of Europe. Marlowe, through this scene, could be suggesting that this scale of exploration is possible. There is a whole new world of freedom and opportunity unexplored, seemingly open to all. Zeitgeist – representative of the time.
5. Autobiographical reading could be more relevant: Marlowe saw the ships where he lived in the docklands. Could another reading better suit the play? Faustus is Marlowe’s vessel for expressing his own thoughts and feelings, and Doctor Faustus is simply an autobiographical account. The play is supposed to be viewed simply as an entertaining tragedy.
6. However, it is evident that Faustus’ challenging of theology is the key idea. Dr. Faustus lived in a society rooted in medieval theology, a system of ideas that are unchangeable by human hand. Faustus strives to challenge the arbitrary power of God, so becomes an ‘allegory of the historical class dialectic of slave against master. Links to: the representation of social class, choice and its illusory nature. Was F ever able to change this system, no matter how hard he tried? ‘Although we like to think we live in a world full of choices, this idea of choice is an illusion – the choices we have are much more limited than we think.
7. Faustus should not have tried to change the system. Perhaps the play goes against Marxism. Marlowe is using Faustus to show why there should be societal boundaries, as Faustus uses his power to greedy, excessive heights. The fact that he ends up dead is far from insignificant.
8. Conclusion: But his death shows how he and others are locked into human boundaries, ruled by the arbitrary power that is God.
9. Extra paragraph: We could apply a Marxist reading to the play in an entirely different way: Marlowe is the capitolists, who greedily wants much more than others.
PLAN:::::
FOR:
Faustus, just like Marlowe, pushes the established societal social boundaries. From the very beginning in the chorus we learn that Faustus has greatly moved up the social ladder. The reason the Marxism train of thought first came about was because the unsatisfied lower classes wanted more power and freedom. He wants to challenge every societal boundary possible, to the extent of wanting to ‘fill the schools with silk’ – sumptuary laws gave a strict dress code for students. But is this just a greedy lust for power? His early ambition does end up in tatters. And maybe it is Faustus’s rebellious nature – he challenges everything, even Mephistopheles.
The idea of exploration is interesting. Faustus goes travelling, exploring new interesting parts of Europe. Marlowe, through this scene, could be suggesting that this scale of exploration is possible. There is a whole new world of freedom and opportunity unexplored, seemingly open to all. Zeitgeist – representative of the time. Autobiographical reading could be more relevant: Marlowe saw the ships where he lived in the docklands.
Challenging of theology is the key idea. Dr. Faustus lived in a society rooted in medieval theology, a system of ideas that are unchangeable by human hand. Faustus strives to challenge the arbitrary power of God, so becomes an ‘allegory of the historical class dialectic of slave against master. Links to: the representation of social class, choice and its illusory nature. Was F ever able to change this system, no matter how hard he tried? ‘Although we like to think we live in a world full of choices, this idea of choice is an illusion – the choices we have are much more limited than we think. Faustus should not have tried to change the system.
We could apply a Marxist reading to the play in an entirely different way: Marlowe is the capitalists, who greedily wants much more than others.
AGAINST:
Perhaps the play goes against Marxism. Marlowe is using Faustus to show why there should be societal boundaries, as Faustus uses his power to greedy, excessive heights. The fact that he ends up dead is far from insignificant. But his death shows how he and others are locked into human boundaries, ruled by the arbitrary power that is God.
Could another reading better suit the play? Faustus is Marlowe’s vessel for expressing his own thoughts and feelings, and Doctor Faustus is simply an autobiographical account. The play is supposed to be viewed simply as an entertaining tragedy.
1. Intro. What is Doctor Faustus, and how could it be viewed as a Marxist play? Faustus strives to gain power that he is told he should not have, and Marlowe questions: is this wrong? Because of the strong religious mainstream views at the end of the 16th century, Marlowe would have been much more criticised than he was if Faustus had not been dragged to hell. Could the play have had a different ending if Marlowe was allowed to freely express his views?
2. Faustus, just like Marlowe, pushes the established societal social boundaries. From the very beginning in the chorus we learn that Faustus has greatly moved up the social ladder. The reason the Marxism train of thought first came about was because the unsatisfied lower classes wanted more power and freedom. He wants to challenge every societal boundary possible, to the extent of wanting to ‘fill the schools with silk’ – sumptuary laws gave a strict dress code for students.
3. But is this just a greedy lust for power? His early ambition does end up in tatters. And maybe it is Faustus’s rebellious nature – he challenges everything, even Mephistopheles.
4. The idea of exploration is interesting. Faustus goes travelling, exploring new interesting parts of Europe. Marlowe, through this scene, could be suggesting that this scale of exploration is possible. There is a whole new world of freedom and opportunity unexplored, seemingly open to all. Zeitgeist – representative of the time.
5. Autobiographical reading could be more relevant: Marlowe saw the ships where he lived in the docklands. Could another reading better suit the play? Faustus is Marlowe’s vessel for expressing his own thoughts and feelings, and Doctor Faustus is simply an autobiographical account. The play is supposed to be viewed simply as an entertaining tragedy.
6. However, it is evident that Faustus’ challenging of theology is the key idea. Dr. Faustus lived in a society rooted in medieval theology, a system of ideas that are unchangeable by human hand. Faustus strives to challenge the arbitrary power of God, so becomes an ‘allegory of the historical class dialectic of slave against master. Links to: the representation of social class, choice and its illusory nature. Was F ever able to change this system, no matter how hard he tried? ‘Although we like to think we live in a world full of choices, this idea of choice is an illusion – the choices we have are much more limited than we think.
7. Faustus should not have tried to change the system. Perhaps the play goes against Marxism. Marlowe is using Faustus to show why there should be societal boundaries, as Faustus uses his power to greedy, excessive heights. The fact that he ends up dead is far from insignificant.
8. Conclusion: But his death shows how he and others are locked into human boundaries, ruled by the arbitrary power that is God.
9. Extra paragraph: We could apply a Marxist reading to the play in an entirely different way: Marlowe is the capitolists, who greedily wants much more than others.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
philo essa
Explain and assess the usefulness of the two images: line, cave. [30]
The allegory of the cave is this: Plato describes, through his character of Socrates, a group of people, chained to a wall in a cave. There is a fire behind them, with people passing in front of it, creating shadows on the wall in front of the prisoners. They have been chained to the wall all of their life, so the closest thing they have to reality is the shadows on the wall. So these people are experiencing things that they think to be real but are actually illusions. Socrates goes on to explain that one prisoner gets up and leaves the cave, realising the illusion is not representative of reality at all, as he can see ‘true’ reality.
The allegory of the cave is Plato’s way of showing that the form’s are the most fundamentally important type of reality, with the reality in the allegory representative of the forms, and the illusions in the allegory the prisoners perceive as reality representative of what we perceive as reality. When the prisoner steps out of the cave and looks into the sun he truly perceives the ‘form of the good!’
The Allegory’s purpose isn’t to only show us our misconceptions, but also to show us what a good leader should be. The escaped prisoner is expected to return to the cave and live with his former prisoners as someone whom can lead better than the rest because he knows what true ‘morality’ and ‘justice’ are. He is expected to protect and look after his fellow prisoners/citizens, “…you have been better and more thoroughly educated than those others and hence you are more capable of playing your part both as men of thought and as men of action.” Plato is telling us that a good leader constitutes as someone who has realized the true forms of the goodness. The allegory is almost a life model, a metaphor for the stages of becoming a public leader.
Plato has another allegory: the allegory of the divided line. The divided line is used to teach basic philosophical ideas about the four levels of existence, and how we come to know about what exists. At the top of the line is ‘philosophical knowledge’ (knowledge) and ‘Forms, especially the form of the good’ (object). Next is ‘mathematical knowledge’, and ‘mathematical objects’, then ‘beliefs about physical things and scientific knowledge, and ‘phyiscal objects’, then finally at the bottom of the divided line is ‘opinions and illusions’, and ‘shadows and things that do not actually exist’.
In comparing the line to the cave allegory, the lowest rung on the line would correspond to the chained prisoners, who can only see shadows and things that do not actually exist. The second rung would be when the prisoner stands up and sees the cave: he will believe these things to be the most real things. When he goes outside the cave, he has reached the third rung: he can see the forms but only has unproven assumptions about them. But when the prisoner looks into the sun, he has reached the fourth rung: he has seen the form of goodness, the ultimate form.
A criticism of the two allegory’s is that Plato cannot give a direct explanation as to what the form of goodness is, he simply compares it to the sun. This doesn’t give a straightforward answer, but we infer what the form of goodness is by thinking about what the sun could represent: the sun makes sight possible, so perhaps the form of the good is responsible for making ‘knowledge’ possible?
The allegory of the cave is this: Plato describes, through his character of Socrates, a group of people, chained to a wall in a cave. There is a fire behind them, with people passing in front of it, creating shadows on the wall in front of the prisoners. They have been chained to the wall all of their life, so the closest thing they have to reality is the shadows on the wall. So these people are experiencing things that they think to be real but are actually illusions. Socrates goes on to explain that one prisoner gets up and leaves the cave, realising the illusion is not representative of reality at all, as he can see ‘true’ reality.
The allegory of the cave is Plato’s way of showing that the form’s are the most fundamentally important type of reality, with the reality in the allegory representative of the forms, and the illusions in the allegory the prisoners perceive as reality representative of what we perceive as reality. When the prisoner steps out of the cave and looks into the sun he truly perceives the ‘form of the good!’
The Allegory’s purpose isn’t to only show us our misconceptions, but also to show us what a good leader should be. The escaped prisoner is expected to return to the cave and live with his former prisoners as someone whom can lead better than the rest because he knows what true ‘morality’ and ‘justice’ are. He is expected to protect and look after his fellow prisoners/citizens, “…you have been better and more thoroughly educated than those others and hence you are more capable of playing your part both as men of thought and as men of action.” Plato is telling us that a good leader constitutes as someone who has realized the true forms of the goodness. The allegory is almost a life model, a metaphor for the stages of becoming a public leader.
Plato has another allegory: the allegory of the divided line. The divided line is used to teach basic philosophical ideas about the four levels of existence, and how we come to know about what exists. At the top of the line is ‘philosophical knowledge’ (knowledge) and ‘Forms, especially the form of the good’ (object). Next is ‘mathematical knowledge’, and ‘mathematical objects’, then ‘beliefs about physical things and scientific knowledge, and ‘phyiscal objects’, then finally at the bottom of the divided line is ‘opinions and illusions’, and ‘shadows and things that do not actually exist’.
In comparing the line to the cave allegory, the lowest rung on the line would correspond to the chained prisoners, who can only see shadows and things that do not actually exist. The second rung would be when the prisoner stands up and sees the cave: he will believe these things to be the most real things. When he goes outside the cave, he has reached the third rung: he can see the forms but only has unproven assumptions about them. But when the prisoner looks into the sun, he has reached the fourth rung: he has seen the form of goodness, the ultimate form.
A criticism of the two allegory’s is that Plato cannot give a direct explanation as to what the form of goodness is, he simply compares it to the sun. This doesn’t give a straightforward answer, but we infer what the form of goodness is by thinking about what the sun could represent: the sun makes sight possible, so perhaps the form of the good is responsible for making ‘knowledge’ possible?
Friday, 22 October 2010
personal statement
Why do I want to study film and television at University? Writing this personal statement has challenged me to make sense of my lifelong interest and reflect on my motives. I realise I’ve been interested in this world from a young age and have never really considered studying anything else at university. It was an important part of family life because my father writes, produces and directs for television. Maybe an early appearance as ‘baby gizmo’ on The Fast Show subconsciously aroused my fascination for the inner workings of programme making, but as I was only 14 months old it’s doubtful. This close relationship with the media has meant, though, that I’ve always been fascinated by how TV and films are made. When I watch a film or a television programme, it is the way it is made that excites me. The collaboration of writers, producers, directors, editors, cast and crew starting with an idea and taking it through to a finished piece is something that I’ve always wanted to be a part of. I want a university course that can prepare me for a life working in this world.
I can write essays but I want to do more than analyse texts – I want to make tangible things for the enjoyment of others, which is why I want a course where I can learn the technical aspects of filmmaking alongside theoretical ones.
When I was at secondary school I had an inspirational form tutor who taught English and Media Studies. He gave me an enormous amount of encouragement and provided incredible opportunities. He also taught a small group of us the Media Studies GCSE in one year, two years early. Whilst doing this I found that I really enjoyed having an idea for the filmed project, working in a team and realizing that idea on video. We made a tongue-in–cheek pop promo taking inspiration from Madness and Buster Keaton videos (which I love).
My tutor also offered me two other very unique opportunities. The first was to help an independent filmmaker create a short film that was to be shown at Edinburgh film festival. It was a study of creativity and involved me interviewing the head of ITV Creative. The second was a project in conjunction with Channel 4. We worked in a small team to create a comic, which was pitched to a board that included the head of Channel 4. We put our creative ideas, knowledge of the conventions of comics and Photoshop skills together to win the ‘best design’ category.
I was lucky to get work experience in the comedy and entertainment department at Tiger Aspect with the producer Geoffrey Perkins. I was able to observe work going on in the sound studio and edit suite where The Harry and Paul Show was being made and I also took on running duties as their runner was unwell – lucky for me if not for her. I was beginning to realise how intelligent the people off-screen were, and how competitive the environment was. The people here were working hard on things they enjoyed, and I enjoyed learning from them.
I like a broad range of films, particularly the Horror and Western genres. My current favourites are the Sergio Leone films of the 60s. For my A-level media project I filmed a short spaghetti western film in Italy influenced by Sergio Leone’s work. I am currently writing and recording the music in homage to Ennio Morricone. I particularly enjoyed the practical aspects of this project. I find it very satisfying to finish a small scene after editing it for hours.
Earlier this year I also made a film for a competition in my own time, using stop frame animation. It showed two pieces of roast beef playing football using a Yorkshire pudding. Not the easiest of cast members admittedly, but I enjoyed the immediacy of the process and I was really pleased with the result, which can be seen on the Walkers website.
So far I have been absolutely captured by everything related to this subject, whether through my studies or not, and, I can only assume, it becomes more and more fascinating at university level.
CHARACTERS WITH SPACES 3950
I can write essays but I want to do more than analyse texts – I want to make tangible things for the enjoyment of others, which is why I want a course where I can learn the technical aspects of filmmaking alongside theoretical ones.
When I was at secondary school I had an inspirational form tutor who taught English and Media Studies. He gave me an enormous amount of encouragement and provided incredible opportunities. He also taught a small group of us the Media Studies GCSE in one year, two years early. Whilst doing this I found that I really enjoyed having an idea for the filmed project, working in a team and realizing that idea on video. We made a tongue-in–cheek pop promo taking inspiration from Madness and Buster Keaton videos (which I love).
My tutor also offered me two other very unique opportunities. The first was to help an independent filmmaker create a short film that was to be shown at Edinburgh film festival. It was a study of creativity and involved me interviewing the head of ITV Creative. The second was a project in conjunction with Channel 4. We worked in a small team to create a comic, which was pitched to a board that included the head of Channel 4. We put our creative ideas, knowledge of the conventions of comics and Photoshop skills together to win the ‘best design’ category.
I was lucky to get work experience in the comedy and entertainment department at Tiger Aspect with the producer Geoffrey Perkins. I was able to observe work going on in the sound studio and edit suite where The Harry and Paul Show was being made and I also took on running duties as their runner was unwell – lucky for me if not for her. I was beginning to realise how intelligent the people off-screen were, and how competitive the environment was. The people here were working hard on things they enjoyed, and I enjoyed learning from them.
I like a broad range of films, particularly the Horror and Western genres. My current favourites are the Sergio Leone films of the 60s. For my A-level media project I filmed a short spaghetti western film in Italy influenced by Sergio Leone’s work. I am currently writing and recording the music in homage to Ennio Morricone. I particularly enjoyed the practical aspects of this project. I find it very satisfying to finish a small scene after editing it for hours.
Earlier this year I also made a film for a competition in my own time, using stop frame animation. It showed two pieces of roast beef playing football using a Yorkshire pudding. Not the easiest of cast members admittedly, but I enjoyed the immediacy of the process and I was really pleased with the result, which can be seen on the Walkers website.
So far I have been absolutely captured by everything related to this subject, whether through my studies or not, and, I can only assume, it becomes more and more fascinating at university level.
CHARACTERS WITH SPACES 3950
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Milton
How does Milton grab the readers attention in the opening section of the poem.
Milton grabs the readers attention in as early as the first 26 lines, because of his very ambitious aim. Milton asks of a ‘heavenly muse’: ‘Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song’. By invoking a muse, Milton is showing how he is aware of Homer and Virgil and their epics, and showing how he is knowledgeable of their format and wants to be part of their tradition. But Milton’s muse is ‘heavenly’, the muse that ‘didst inspire that shepherd who first taught the chosen seed, in the beginning how the heavens and the earth rose out of chaos’. The sentence : ‘Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire’ ends with an iamb, putting extra emphasis on the word ‘inspire’, showing the importance of the muses powers to Miltons poem. By having a heavenly muse, Milton is showing how his ambitions go far beyond Homer and Virgil, helping create a poem that deals with matters of more fundamental importance to human beings. Having the poem open with him asking for God to inspire him shows the heights that the poem will reach: a poem inspired by the almighty, and this is an exciting idea. And while Homer and Virgil’s epics told the story of heroic men, Milton’s shall tell the story of all men, and he shall also ‘justify the ways of God to men’.
The poem then explains that Adam and Eve’s disobedience was partly down to a serpent, who ‘decieved the mother of mankind’. This serpent is Satan, and he has just been cast down into hell by god after losing a huge battle against him. So the first part of the poem is started in medias res and we are thrown straight into the action. We get an immediate description of the ‘fiery gulf’ that is hell, with ‘floods and whirlwinds of tempestuous fire’, with ‘ever-burning sulphur unconsumed:’, but still a place ‘in utter darkness’. Its certainly a spectacular place for the reader to suddenly find themselves in, the contradiction of darkness and fire throwing powerful images into the readers head.
Readers of Miltons time would also relate this story to very important events in their lives. Milton, in a disguised protest against the political regime of Cromwell, put Cromwell into his poem: as the character of Satan.
A final intriguing point, one that grabs the readers attention in the opening section of the play, is that Satan’s description is ambiguous: is he presented at all as a hero, or as a villain? Milton’s epic similes demonstrate this: Satan is described as a Leviathan. This almost makes him seem powerful and in turn heroic, as he is described as a huge whale like creature. However, this creature is also hinted to be a deceiver: sailors moor their boats on them, thinking them to be islands. It also could make us slightly wary of Satan, as in describing him as a mythical beast, we don’t know how big he actually is. Furthermore, in describing him as huge, straight after we learn he has been defeated by God, Milton could be showing the all powerfulness of God. So Satan is an interesting character, and one sure to grab the readers attention.
Milton grabs the readers attention in as early as the first 26 lines, because of his very ambitious aim. Milton asks of a ‘heavenly muse’: ‘Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song’. By invoking a muse, Milton is showing how he is aware of Homer and Virgil and their epics, and showing how he is knowledgeable of their format and wants to be part of their tradition. But Milton’s muse is ‘heavenly’, the muse that ‘didst inspire that shepherd who first taught the chosen seed, in the beginning how the heavens and the earth rose out of chaos’. The sentence : ‘Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire’ ends with an iamb, putting extra emphasis on the word ‘inspire’, showing the importance of the muses powers to Miltons poem. By having a heavenly muse, Milton is showing how his ambitions go far beyond Homer and Virgil, helping create a poem that deals with matters of more fundamental importance to human beings. Having the poem open with him asking for God to inspire him shows the heights that the poem will reach: a poem inspired by the almighty, and this is an exciting idea. And while Homer and Virgil’s epics told the story of heroic men, Milton’s shall tell the story of all men, and he shall also ‘justify the ways of God to men’.
The poem then explains that Adam and Eve’s disobedience was partly down to a serpent, who ‘decieved the mother of mankind’. This serpent is Satan, and he has just been cast down into hell by god after losing a huge battle against him. So the first part of the poem is started in medias res and we are thrown straight into the action. We get an immediate description of the ‘fiery gulf’ that is hell, with ‘floods and whirlwinds of tempestuous fire’, with ‘ever-burning sulphur unconsumed:’, but still a place ‘in utter darkness’. Its certainly a spectacular place for the reader to suddenly find themselves in, the contradiction of darkness and fire throwing powerful images into the readers head.
Readers of Miltons time would also relate this story to very important events in their lives. Milton, in a disguised protest against the political regime of Cromwell, put Cromwell into his poem: as the character of Satan.
A final intriguing point, one that grabs the readers attention in the opening section of the play, is that Satan’s description is ambiguous: is he presented at all as a hero, or as a villain? Milton’s epic similes demonstrate this: Satan is described as a Leviathan. This almost makes him seem powerful and in turn heroic, as he is described as a huge whale like creature. However, this creature is also hinted to be a deceiver: sailors moor their boats on them, thinking them to be islands. It also could make us slightly wary of Satan, as in describing him as a mythical beast, we don’t know how big he actually is. Furthermore, in describing him as huge, straight after we learn he has been defeated by God, Milton could be showing the all powerfulness of God. So Satan is an interesting character, and one sure to grab the readers attention.
Monday, 20 September 2010
ep
Extended Project – Frank Higson
Title: How to make a Native-American style Totem Pole
Model totem. Maquette.
I will split my project into three core areas:
1. Wood types best used for woodcarving
2. Tools best used for woodcarving
3. Design – what does a totem pole consist of?
I will aim to use a variety of different sources, namely, museums, books and the internet, as well as interviews. I will then create a totem pole, based on my research behind what a totem pole is.
What do totem poles consist of?
Totem poles have a variety of different purposes, although they are never used as figures to worship, or depictions of ‘gods’. The primary and most common use for a North American West Coast (the area totem poles originated) totem pole was to tell a story. Although the totem poles may be difficult to interpret as a story in this day and age, when they were carved they most likely helped depict a story that was as well known to them as say, Little Red Riding Hood is to us. So if I tell a story, I may want to tell a story that is fairly well known.
However, Totem Poles are about identity as well. Many original totem pole designs use animals; however, the carvers and creators lived in the same environments as the animals. Hence, as Wayne Hill and James McKee suggest in ‘Carve your own Totem Pole’, we’re hardly going to have any family stories that begin, “One day, when your father was out spearing fish, a whale surfaced beside the boat”. Many modern day totem poles can include not animals but familiar objects, such as skis or golf clubs. I may want to consider this when creating my totem pole: I don’t have many close encounters with grizzly bears or coyote’s, although I might see squirrels, pidgeons, or cups of tea (although these are far less exciting encounters, which don’t produce many exciting stories). This is something to take into consideration when designing my totem pole; traditionally styled or contemporarily styled?
Another alternative and slightly more rare use of a totem pole is to use it as a ‘shame pole’. These are used to ridicule another person or party who the carver believes owes an unpaid debt. They could tell a shameful story or depict the person in a negative way. So I could carve my pole to shame a person or a group, for example, responsible for a major world catastrophe such as the pole created in Alaska that depicts the ex-CEO of the company Exxon distorted, representing the unpaid debt he owes to the environment for taking part in causing a large oil spill. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totem_pole).
According to Carve your own Totem Pole, a full sized totem pole would take a team of 20 experienced wood carvers up to a year to create, with the tools costing a minimum of £300. I don’t have the time, experience or money to create a full size totem pole, so I will want to think of ways of altering my original idea to make it possible for me to create.
Ways I can alter my project:
- Size is an issue. If I use a far smaller piece of wood, then the tools are far less expensive, and I will have the time to carve the pole. So I could either design the full totem pole, and only carve the bottom image, or downsize the entire pole, and carve the full design. I think the latter idea would be my preference, as it would result in my original idea – I would have the end product of a totem pole, while if I went with the first idea I wouldn’t – I would have a carved face. Furthermore, the first idea would mean I would still need to obtain the tools that I would have to obtain for a real totem pole, while if I use a small bit of wood, I can use smaller, more common tools.
- Experience is an issue. Having never attempted wood carving previously, I will probably work very slowly. So I may want to use a very soft wood to carve my pole. As I don’t know about soft woods, I will want to organise an interview to find out about wood.
It is easy to notice when observing numerous totem poles, that they appear to be numerous images ascending one upon another. There is an importance order involved, however it is not that the most important images are at the top with the least important at the bottom – it is the other way round. And this is simply because of common sense and practicality-the images at the bottom are more intricate simply because more people will see them than the ones 20 feet in the sky. But as I will be carving a small totem pole, this is not a relevant issue. An alternative is having a chronology, almost showing a narrative to a story through pictures, either ascending or descending. A common theme to a totem pole showing a story is the theme of transformation: so if I was to use common themes I may want to show an element of transformation in my totem pole.
So the questions I will want to answer before I start the design of my totem pole are:
Do I tell a story?
If so, a story about my identity/life, or a well known story?
Traditionally styled or contemporarily styled?
Do I show a theme of transformation?
Shame pole or totem pole?
To help decide what your pole consists of a method suggested in ‘Carve your own Totem Pole’ is to look for thematic connections. To do this, they suggest drawing a number of different circles on a piece of paper, each holding a different element I want to include, and draw lines between each one to show the links. I tried this method but it gave uninteresting results, as in my interests did not seem like interests that would translate effectively onto a totem pole. However, after thinking about my interests, it gave me some inspiration. On the piece of paper I had ‘Greek myths’ circled. I began thinking about telling a story of a Greek myth, in particular ‘The Labours of Heracles’, a myth more familiar to me than most. So this would be a great way of intertwining two very different cultures. It would still be traditional: it would tell the story of Heracles, which could also be said to be a story of transformation, (he completes the labours to be granted immortality, hence becoming like his father, and a wife, hence becoming a completed man). It is also a fairly well known story, one that some people might recognise even as a totem pole. It also would mean the totem pole would be much less mundane, because of all the exciting creatures he meets in the stories. It is also quite a structured story; he does one task, then another, then another, so structurally, it would fit very well on a totem pole.
So in many ways, it is still a traditionally styled totem pole. I will need to research each ‘task’ to gain inspiration for each tasks interpretation upon the pole, although it is open to my own west coast style interpretation, as I want to carve the pole in the same style as that of the original west coast totem poles.
According to the New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology Heracles’ function was to be the personification of physical strength. So as the totem pole’s function is to tell the story of Heracles, I want it to show somehow his primary aspect of strength. I could do this by making the images upon the totem pole look fearsome and dangerous, showing the hardship and courage (and therefore strength) that Heracles shows to complete his labours.
The 12 labours are:
Slay the Nemean lion. Impenetrable skin, strangled to death.
Slay the 9-headed Lernaean Hydra. Poisonous breath, nine heads, lives in a swamp, one head cannot die, serpent.
Capture the Golden Hind of Artemis. Golden antlers. Chased for a full year.
Capture the Erymanthian Boar. Terrifying, came from a mountain.
Clean the Augean stables in a single day. Dammed a river so that it flowed through the stables.
Slay the Stymphalian Birds. Man eating, with wings and beaks of iron. Blocked out the sun when in flight.
Capture the Cretan Bull. Driven mad by Poseidon.
Steal the Mares of Diomedes. Man eating horses owned by the son of Ares.
Obtain the Girdle of the Amazon Queen.
Obtain the Cattle of the Monster Geryon – a triple bodied monster, and had a great deal of trouble getting them back, especially when Hera sent a gadfly which drove them bad and they scattered over a mountain range.
Steal the Apples of the Hesperides. Slayed the dragon garding the garden, and tricked Atlas, who held up the world, into obtaining the apples for him.
Capture and bring back Cerberus – a three headed dog which luckily for Heracles shared one throat, which he choaked. Cerberus was guardian of the infernal gates.
Now I know what images my totem pole will consist of, I need to know how to present these images in West Coast style. After examining many pictures from ‘Carve your own Totem Pole’ and Native-American art in the British museum, I have a few ideas in my head. Furthermore, ‘Carve your own Totem Pole’ explains that when designing a totem pole, there are five basic shapes that make up most of the design. ‘By varying them and combining them in different ways, carvers can create all kinds of figures’. These shapes are known as: circle, U form, S form, ovoid, split U and trigon, which is split U inversed.
(These can be seen in my notebook). I then used these shapes to design each labour, in rough. I found some designs more effective than others: in particular, I found that the horse did not look effective as I found it difficult to visualise. The ‘carve your own totem pole’ book heavily influenced the designs; without previous experience, I had to gain inspiration from the book as I didn’t know how to design my own designs. So, for example, the boar comes from a picture of an existing pole showing a beaver, only the teeth have been changed. So I designed the influenced ones first: however, there were no designs that looked like a lion. So I did design this one myself, using the 5 basic shapes (the mouth is a trigon, the eyes and nose ovals). The design for the man eating bird is heavily influenced by a wood carving from the native American section. Although independent of a totem pole, I could attach a similar carving to the top of my pole.
I turned the rough designs into a final design on graphed paper. When I did this, I made altercations from my original rough sketches: I removed lots of the detail, as I realised that, as I was doing a smaller totem pole, the detail might be too difficult to carve.
Now, I need to get the materials so I can begin carving. I will conduct an interview to do so.
Planning my first interview: what do I need to find out? I need to find out primarily about what wood would be quickest to carve when carving a small totem pole. So I found someone who knew more than most about carving on a small scale: Mayall, who is the production manager at the Globe Theater, and had been a set designer for many years. I asked him about the best wood for small scale wood carving, and he told me that he used balsa wood, a very malleable lightwood, to design his sets on a small scale. He told me it was easy and quick to carve. A small selection of knives would be enough to carve a whole totem pole, if I was to use balsa wood. So I went to a shop called 4D, to get the block of wood. There was a perfect sized wood for my totem pole, which cost £20.
The photo diary shows the process of constructing the totem pole.
The end product does not look like the final design. There are reasons behind this. Working from top to bottom: Geryon’s nostrils have been changed from the spiral design to a simple circle. I couldn’t visualise the spirals on the pole itself – I found it hard to imagine how they would look when carved.
There are only 7 hydra snakes instead of 9. 3 on each side simply couldn’t fit and simultaneously keep the snake shape. So I had to downsize to 7, although as Greek mythology and native American art is down to personal interpretation, I didn’t think that it ruined the totem pole.
The boar has lost its eyebrows. One of the problems is that I didn’t remove enough detail when changing my rough design into a final design. I overestimated my skills as a wood carver, so when carving the final design, I lost quite a large amount of detail. Because of this, however, I decided to paint my totem pole, as I could regain the detail lost in the carving process. This was particularly important for the Amazonian belt. Because the trigon shapes were so small, they were very difficult to carve and because chipped and undetailed, so it was important I felt to add paint to regain the detail.
I decided I wanted to paint the totem pole for another reason as well: although the lion looked like a lion in design, after it was carved it looked very strange, as though the face was independent from the pole. Painting, if coordinated across the pole, could help tie the lion together with the other designs.
The river maybe changed the most: the s-forms were far too hard to carve, so I decided painting them on would be necessary if I wanted to show the river in the final design.
The other two designs surprisingly didn’t change from the original design, although I felt it wasn’t clear that the ovoid shape carved into Atlas’s left hand was supposed to be an apple, so painting it would help to clarify what it represented. So now I had another job to do: paint the totem pole.
Title: How to make a Native-American style Totem Pole
Model totem. Maquette.
I will split my project into three core areas:
1. Wood types best used for woodcarving
2. Tools best used for woodcarving
3. Design – what does a totem pole consist of?
I will aim to use a variety of different sources, namely, museums, books and the internet, as well as interviews. I will then create a totem pole, based on my research behind what a totem pole is.
What do totem poles consist of?
Totem poles have a variety of different purposes, although they are never used as figures to worship, or depictions of ‘gods’. The primary and most common use for a North American West Coast (the area totem poles originated) totem pole was to tell a story. Although the totem poles may be difficult to interpret as a story in this day and age, when they were carved they most likely helped depict a story that was as well known to them as say, Little Red Riding Hood is to us. So if I tell a story, I may want to tell a story that is fairly well known.
However, Totem Poles are about identity as well. Many original totem pole designs use animals; however, the carvers and creators lived in the same environments as the animals. Hence, as Wayne Hill and James McKee suggest in ‘Carve your own Totem Pole’, we’re hardly going to have any family stories that begin, “One day, when your father was out spearing fish, a whale surfaced beside the boat”. Many modern day totem poles can include not animals but familiar objects, such as skis or golf clubs. I may want to consider this when creating my totem pole: I don’t have many close encounters with grizzly bears or coyote’s, although I might see squirrels, pidgeons, or cups of tea (although these are far less exciting encounters, which don’t produce many exciting stories). This is something to take into consideration when designing my totem pole; traditionally styled or contemporarily styled?
Another alternative and slightly more rare use of a totem pole is to use it as a ‘shame pole’. These are used to ridicule another person or party who the carver believes owes an unpaid debt. They could tell a shameful story or depict the person in a negative way. So I could carve my pole to shame a person or a group, for example, responsible for a major world catastrophe such as the pole created in Alaska that depicts the ex-CEO of the company Exxon distorted, representing the unpaid debt he owes to the environment for taking part in causing a large oil spill. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totem_pole).
According to Carve your own Totem Pole, a full sized totem pole would take a team of 20 experienced wood carvers up to a year to create, with the tools costing a minimum of £300. I don’t have the time, experience or money to create a full size totem pole, so I will want to think of ways of altering my original idea to make it possible for me to create.
Ways I can alter my project:
- Size is an issue. If I use a far smaller piece of wood, then the tools are far less expensive, and I will have the time to carve the pole. So I could either design the full totem pole, and only carve the bottom image, or downsize the entire pole, and carve the full design. I think the latter idea would be my preference, as it would result in my original idea – I would have the end product of a totem pole, while if I went with the first idea I wouldn’t – I would have a carved face. Furthermore, the first idea would mean I would still need to obtain the tools that I would have to obtain for a real totem pole, while if I use a small bit of wood, I can use smaller, more common tools.
- Experience is an issue. Having never attempted wood carving previously, I will probably work very slowly. So I may want to use a very soft wood to carve my pole. As I don’t know about soft woods, I will want to organise an interview to find out about wood.
It is easy to notice when observing numerous totem poles, that they appear to be numerous images ascending one upon another. There is an importance order involved, however it is not that the most important images are at the top with the least important at the bottom – it is the other way round. And this is simply because of common sense and practicality-the images at the bottom are more intricate simply because more people will see them than the ones 20 feet in the sky. But as I will be carving a small totem pole, this is not a relevant issue. An alternative is having a chronology, almost showing a narrative to a story through pictures, either ascending or descending. A common theme to a totem pole showing a story is the theme of transformation: so if I was to use common themes I may want to show an element of transformation in my totem pole.
So the questions I will want to answer before I start the design of my totem pole are:
Do I tell a story?
If so, a story about my identity/life, or a well known story?
Traditionally styled or contemporarily styled?
Do I show a theme of transformation?
Shame pole or totem pole?
To help decide what your pole consists of a method suggested in ‘Carve your own Totem Pole’ is to look for thematic connections. To do this, they suggest drawing a number of different circles on a piece of paper, each holding a different element I want to include, and draw lines between each one to show the links. I tried this method but it gave uninteresting results, as in my interests did not seem like interests that would translate effectively onto a totem pole. However, after thinking about my interests, it gave me some inspiration. On the piece of paper I had ‘Greek myths’ circled. I began thinking about telling a story of a Greek myth, in particular ‘The Labours of Heracles’, a myth more familiar to me than most. So this would be a great way of intertwining two very different cultures. It would still be traditional: it would tell the story of Heracles, which could also be said to be a story of transformation, (he completes the labours to be granted immortality, hence becoming like his father, and a wife, hence becoming a completed man). It is also a fairly well known story, one that some people might recognise even as a totem pole. It also would mean the totem pole would be much less mundane, because of all the exciting creatures he meets in the stories. It is also quite a structured story; he does one task, then another, then another, so structurally, it would fit very well on a totem pole.
So in many ways, it is still a traditionally styled totem pole. I will need to research each ‘task’ to gain inspiration for each tasks interpretation upon the pole, although it is open to my own west coast style interpretation, as I want to carve the pole in the same style as that of the original west coast totem poles.
According to the New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology Heracles’ function was to be the personification of physical strength. So as the totem pole’s function is to tell the story of Heracles, I want it to show somehow his primary aspect of strength. I could do this by making the images upon the totem pole look fearsome and dangerous, showing the hardship and courage (and therefore strength) that Heracles shows to complete his labours.
The 12 labours are:
Slay the Nemean lion. Impenetrable skin, strangled to death.
Slay the 9-headed Lernaean Hydra. Poisonous breath, nine heads, lives in a swamp, one head cannot die, serpent.
Capture the Golden Hind of Artemis. Golden antlers. Chased for a full year.
Capture the Erymanthian Boar. Terrifying, came from a mountain.
Clean the Augean stables in a single day. Dammed a river so that it flowed through the stables.
Slay the Stymphalian Birds. Man eating, with wings and beaks of iron. Blocked out the sun when in flight.
Capture the Cretan Bull. Driven mad by Poseidon.
Steal the Mares of Diomedes. Man eating horses owned by the son of Ares.
Obtain the Girdle of the Amazon Queen.
Obtain the Cattle of the Monster Geryon – a triple bodied monster, and had a great deal of trouble getting them back, especially when Hera sent a gadfly which drove them bad and they scattered over a mountain range.
Steal the Apples of the Hesperides. Slayed the dragon garding the garden, and tricked Atlas, who held up the world, into obtaining the apples for him.
Capture and bring back Cerberus – a three headed dog which luckily for Heracles shared one throat, which he choaked. Cerberus was guardian of the infernal gates.
Now I know what images my totem pole will consist of, I need to know how to present these images in West Coast style. After examining many pictures from ‘Carve your own Totem Pole’ and Native-American art in the British museum, I have a few ideas in my head. Furthermore, ‘Carve your own Totem Pole’ explains that when designing a totem pole, there are five basic shapes that make up most of the design. ‘By varying them and combining them in different ways, carvers can create all kinds of figures’. These shapes are known as: circle, U form, S form, ovoid, split U and trigon, which is split U inversed.
(These can be seen in my notebook). I then used these shapes to design each labour, in rough. I found some designs more effective than others: in particular, I found that the horse did not look effective as I found it difficult to visualise. The ‘carve your own totem pole’ book heavily influenced the designs; without previous experience, I had to gain inspiration from the book as I didn’t know how to design my own designs. So, for example, the boar comes from a picture of an existing pole showing a beaver, only the teeth have been changed. So I designed the influenced ones first: however, there were no designs that looked like a lion. So I did design this one myself, using the 5 basic shapes (the mouth is a trigon, the eyes and nose ovals). The design for the man eating bird is heavily influenced by a wood carving from the native American section. Although independent of a totem pole, I could attach a similar carving to the top of my pole.
I turned the rough designs into a final design on graphed paper. When I did this, I made altercations from my original rough sketches: I removed lots of the detail, as I realised that, as I was doing a smaller totem pole, the detail might be too difficult to carve.
Now, I need to get the materials so I can begin carving. I will conduct an interview to do so.
Planning my first interview: what do I need to find out? I need to find out primarily about what wood would be quickest to carve when carving a small totem pole. So I found someone who knew more than most about carving on a small scale: Mayall, who is the production manager at the Globe Theater, and had been a set designer for many years. I asked him about the best wood for small scale wood carving, and he told me that he used balsa wood, a very malleable lightwood, to design his sets on a small scale. He told me it was easy and quick to carve. A small selection of knives would be enough to carve a whole totem pole, if I was to use balsa wood. So I went to a shop called 4D, to get the block of wood. There was a perfect sized wood for my totem pole, which cost £20.
The photo diary shows the process of constructing the totem pole.
The end product does not look like the final design. There are reasons behind this. Working from top to bottom: Geryon’s nostrils have been changed from the spiral design to a simple circle. I couldn’t visualise the spirals on the pole itself – I found it hard to imagine how they would look when carved.
There are only 7 hydra snakes instead of 9. 3 on each side simply couldn’t fit and simultaneously keep the snake shape. So I had to downsize to 7, although as Greek mythology and native American art is down to personal interpretation, I didn’t think that it ruined the totem pole.
The boar has lost its eyebrows. One of the problems is that I didn’t remove enough detail when changing my rough design into a final design. I overestimated my skills as a wood carver, so when carving the final design, I lost quite a large amount of detail. Because of this, however, I decided to paint my totem pole, as I could regain the detail lost in the carving process. This was particularly important for the Amazonian belt. Because the trigon shapes were so small, they were very difficult to carve and because chipped and undetailed, so it was important I felt to add paint to regain the detail.
I decided I wanted to paint the totem pole for another reason as well: although the lion looked like a lion in design, after it was carved it looked very strange, as though the face was independent from the pole. Painting, if coordinated across the pole, could help tie the lion together with the other designs.
The river maybe changed the most: the s-forms were far too hard to carve, so I decided painting them on would be necessary if I wanted to show the river in the final design.
The other two designs surprisingly didn’t change from the original design, although I felt it wasn’t clear that the ovoid shape carved into Atlas’s left hand was supposed to be an apple, so painting it would help to clarify what it represented. So now I had another job to do: paint the totem pole.
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