Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Herman Hesse- Siddhartha

      Siddhartha curiosity to find himself and to acquire more knowledge and wisdom apart from the one that he was able to receive from his father and others teacher. He knows that there is more to life than self sacrifice, meditation, self-discipline, serenity or self-control  He understand that,"the traditional ways of uncovering meaning will not lead one there, and it can only be learned through experience it cannot be taught." When he joined the Buddha, he still cannot achieve this aim. He later went into the city, where he encounter sexual experiences, with the beautiful lady, Kamala. He went to work with a Merchant, where he was able to observe people with different behavior and character with amusement and sometimes disgust. Initially, he never believe that he could behave like any one of them, until he realizes that he was acting excessively like them. He lost all his previous knowledge and self-control. He felt empty and disgusted of himself and try to commit suicide.
       Later he realizes that as beautiful as this world is, there is limitation and time for everything. He learn his lesson and try to combine his past with  his present and made amends. Finally, he was able to choose the type of life that he wants from all his experiences.


The passage;
           "This behavior escalates and eventually Siddhartha loses all trace of his previous spiritual           enlightenment and sinks into the worst excesses of the world around him. This marks a very powerful theme which tends to characterize almost all religion and philosophy: the corrupting tendencies of the sensual world around us. Things have come full circle from the world of Beauty that Siddhartha was celebrating previously, now the sensual world around him is seen as a negative, and a poisonous influence on him. But which is more real? That the physical world is the world of sensual beauty or the physical world is corrupting and distracting?"

     I think this passage is about how human being get corrupted by their society or people around them. It is like a saying that, "when you are in Rome , you behave like a Roman." Most people get distracted from their main course/dream in life by getting absurd with material things and social life. They lust over money, property, positions, or love, but at the end they realizes that this is not who they really want to become. Most of us believe that if we have enough money, our trouble and fears will disappear, without knowing that everything has its own up and down. The rich and wealthy people have their own problem that money can never solve. The world is corrupt and distracting and we are leaving in it, it is what we made of it that really counts, good or bad. 





1) Siddhartha left his father to seek more knowledge, wisdom and to find his own path or inner most self.     He believed that the only way he can learn is to experience life on one's accord.  

3) No, if Siddhartha never lived with Kamala and the people in the City he would not have reached enlightenment faster. He encounter sexual experiences, love, lust, greediness and he saw mankind going through life in a childlike or animal-like manner.

5) I can evaluate Siddhartha philosophy of detachment as somebody who did not allow anything to distract him from the existing value of life that he had learned. He observe people going through life in different manner which amuses him. He takes life less serious, self-control and self-sufficient.

6)  The style of Siddhartha contrast with social reality in Germany at this time. At the beginning, when he  was detached from his surrounding  or society and in his own serenity, in Germany, there was war, corruption, death, starvation,selfishness, and instability in the economy. 
Later he enjoyed the same lust, greed, selfishness, luxury, and love that people were enjoying. Then, at the end, he realizes that everything is vanity upon vanity, and does not satisfy your inner self.

10) Siddhartha decided not to follow Buddha because it does not contain the mystery of what the exalted one has experienced for himself. He believe that,someone cannot achieve salvation through teaching or learning, but experience it himself. He want to throw himself into the physical world around him.   

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Dadaism

According to Karl Marx (1818-1883), stated, "the economics ''base'' of society was the real driving force of change." The welfare of a society depends on their economic situations. Whatever happens to the economy either depressions, inflation, deflation or economic booming affects the societies.

The author, Marx Karl, states the quote because of the way that the Capitalist were treating the Proletariat  in Germany during Nineteen Century. Though the reality of the quote did not manifest until after World War II when the German lost the war and was made to sign the Treaty of Versailles. the country went into inflation which affect everybody including the Capitalist and the Proletarians.

I agree with  the author because it relates to what is going on in contemporary America, during the depression which starter during the war between American and the Afghanistan, affects all the Americans. People loose their jobs, home, property, money etc. Everybody is trying to survive and hopefully with time things would change for better.






Dada-Otto Dix

Otto  Dix was born December 2, 1891, Untermhaus, Germany and died July 25, 1969, Singen, Germany. He was one of the influential German painter in shaping the image of the Weimer Republic of the 1920s. In the 1930s, he became a target of the Nazis  and in response he gradually moved away from social themes, turning to landscape and christian subjects. He also served in the World War II. He was capture by french troops at the end of war and released in February 1946. After the war, most of his painting were religious allegories of depictions of post-war suffering. Finally, He died in 1969.
Some of his pictures are listed below;


Tittle:- Skat Players (1920)
It is a  picture of war cripple playing cards. The picture  is very colorful and bold; showing how the veterans were enjoying playing their cards without limiting themselves. One of the veterans brain was half blown off, lost one leg and one hand. The middle one lost both his hands and legs but using his mouth in playing the cards. While the third one lost both his leg.


Tittle:-  Corpse in Barbed Wire from The War (1924).
The picture is painted black and white showing an army skeleton stuck in between barbed wired. And his corpse left behind by his troops. It was the aftermath of battle; dead, dying, rotten, bombed-out landscapes, and graves.











Tittle:- Femmes fatales (1925)                             
  It is a picture of three prostitutes but only two fits that description. The one on the left walks with her nose in the air and a dog in her arm. They are rotten witnesses of a system of unscrupulous exploitation. They were waiting for their customer, mostly the army and that was one of the only way for them to survive      
                               


Saturday, February 4, 2012

Introduction

My name is Sekinat Ajayi. I am continue student in Lehman college and I am taking this class as part of my prerequisite to complete my degree. I have interest in Nursing, which  I have plans to follow this year. I came from Africa and  have interest in learning other peoples culture & norms, its among the reason that I choose this class. If you must do something whether you like it or not, why not choose the one that will satisfy your interest (my philosophy).