Tuesday, October 25, 2011

10/26/11

Questions:
1. What do drugs mean to Ickarus?
Drugs mean being carefree and living his life how he wants to live it.
2. Why, when, and how are his fans taking drugs, and which drugs do they take?Some of his fans take drugs all the time and others only when they are out on the town.  They take drugs to either enhance their experiences while out, to change their mood, and others because they want to live without care.  They take many different drugs such as: ketamine, cocaine, meth, and ecstasy.
3. While we can see that his drug habits get him ill and into a psychosis, and while we witness his relapse and inability to work successfully, why does the subculture Ickarus is in focus on drugs?I would like to say most of the reason is because it is what is expected from the subculture, new people go and see what everyone else is doing and want to try it to.  Eventually, everybody in the subculture is on drugs.  The drugs allow people to truly be themselves.
4. Compare the standards you know from your home society with the people you see depicted in this movie. Which are the stark differences and contrasts?
Similarities: The techno/house/trance scenes are the same.  The drugs taken are similar.  In both countries, the subculture is looked down upon. 
Differences: The club scene is bigger and more pronounced in Europe and is more acceptable.
5. Germany is considered a strong industrial nation the world over. Do you think that the youth culture as depicted here could change that? How about work ethics of Ickarus and of Alice, the label director who fires and then resigns him?No, I do not think that the culture will change the industrialism.  There are people that don’t fit the norm in every generation such as the Woodstock era.  Ickarus is carefree and doesn’t show he cares about his work, but deep down I think he is dedicated to his work and does not realize that what he does can affect the outcome of his career.  I think Alice was dedicated to her work and although she took Ickarus back after firing him, she knows that her job is to make money and Ickarus can do that for her.
6. Which similar "cult movies" of US origin have you seen, if any?
None that I am aware of.

Reaction:
I enjoyed watching the film Berlin Calling mostly because I love techno/house/trance music.  Although it seems this movie is about the club/drug scene in Berlin, I found that it was not the main point of the movie, it was more of a backdrop.  Ickarus being so unpredictable throughout the movie made it enjoyable to watch because I really did not know what he would do next; it kept my attention on the movie throughout even though it was in subtitles.  I was surprised that Ickarus stayed in the psychiatric ward so long, I figured he would not have stayed in the first place.  He is dedicated to his work and although he does not think he needs to be off drugs, the drugs are getting to him to the point where it could be life threatening.  At the end of the movie Ickarus and Matilde are back together traveling the world, although it is a happy ending it is not realistic.  I think everything seen in this film would be easy to find in the US.  Overall, if I had seen this movie in a store I would probably have watched it.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

10/19/11

18th Century (1700-1799)

The Roles of Women and Men in Society
Group Members Blogs: Brooke Gillespie , Randall Anderson , Danika Leavitt , Hui Zhang
·         Women  (Picture 1)
o   Expected to be involved only in domestic issues.
o   Before marriage, women were under control of their fathers.
o   After marriage, women were under control of their husbands.
o   If widowed, law required women to acquire a male guardian for their children.
o   Women rarely inherited any land if they had brothers.
o   Believed to be more emotional then intellectual.
o   Men started realizing that women would be better mothers and wives if they were educated in intellectual matters.
o   Resulted in women pursuing educations.
o   Urged to be familiar with various intellectual subjects, but not too familiar.
·         Men
o   Were in charge of their families.
o   Bought and inherited land and property.
o   Were able to get an education, even at the university level.
o   Were the only ones to be involved in political activated, and were able to vote.

The Poets and Writers
Group Members Blogs: Danika Leavitt , Randall Anderson , Morgan Baudhuin
·         Writers/Authors
o   Johann Jakob Engel  (Picture 2)
§  Emotional and dramatic books
§  Philosopher of the World

o   Johann Bernhard Basedow
§  Elementarwerk
·         A popular illustrated textbook for children
o   Johann Christoph Gottsched
§  Important for the development of German style and purification of language
o   Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel
§  Wrote satire and humor
o   Maria Sophie von La Roche
§  Most of her works were meant to be morally instructive for young women
§  For Teutsch Lands Daughters
o   Karl Philipp Moritz
§  Wrote many theoretical writings
§  Sturm and Drang
o   Novalis (Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr con Hardenburg) (Picture 3)
§  German Romanticism
§  His whole works are based most books on an idea of education
§  Notes of a Romantic Encylclopedia

o   Gottlieb Wilhelm Rabener
§  Wrote satires
o   Moritz August von Thummel
§  The Inoculation of Love, a tale in verse
o   Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder
§  A co-founder of German Romanticism
·         Poets
o   Gottfried August Burger
§  Often wrote about a Molly, his 1st wife’s sister and his 2nd wife
§  Lenore
o   Christian Furchtegott Gellert
§  Wrote in order to raise the religious and moral character of the people
o   Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim  (Picture 4)
§  Wrote collevtions of fables and romances

o   Ludwig Christoph Heinrich Holty
§  Roses Scattered on the Road
§  Who Would Bother With Barbecue?
o   Ewald Christian von Kleist
§  Nickname “The Poet of the Spring”
o   Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock
o   Karl Wilhelm Ramler
o   Johann Peter Uz

The Rulers and Governments
Group Members Blogs: Randall Anderson , Matt Dehn , Hui Zhang , YunFei Hua
·         The Peace of Westphalia ended religious warfare among the German states in 1648, but the empire was actually divided into independent states.  From 1740 forward, dualism between the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of Prussia dominated German history (8).


The Music-Theatre-Dance Scene
Group Members Blogs: Randall Anderson , Brooke Gillespie , Danika Leavitt , Kristin Kreuger , Matt Dehn , Jekabs Klasons , Tom Monson
·         Musicians and Composers
o   Johann Sebastian Bach
§  Brought Italian and French influences to German music
o   Ludwig van Beethoven  (Picture 7)
§  Helped transition between music from the Classical to Romantic era in western music art
§  Often cited as the greatest composer that ever lived
§  Composed
·         Fidelio
·         The Ninth Symphony

o   George Frideric Handel
§  Started three commercial opera companies
§  Composed
·         Messiah
o   Johann Pachelbel
§  One of the most important composers during the Baroque era
o   Georg Philipp Telemann
§  Infused French, Italian, and Polish styles, with late Baroque and early Classical styles
·         Playwright
o   August Wilhelm Iffland  (Picture 5)
§  Head of Berlin State Theatre
§  Wrote
·         Crimes of Ambition
·         Compulsory Service

o   August Friedrich Ferdinand von Kotzebue
§  One of the most popular writers of his time
§  Wrote
·         The Ruins of Athens
·         King Stephen
·         Misanthropy and Repentance
o   Gotthold Lessing  (Picture 6)
§  Germany’s first true significant dramatist
§  Influenced the development of German literature
§  Wrote
·         Miss Sarah Sampson
·         Minna von Barnhelm (first national comedy)

o   Karl von Marinelli
§  Wrote
·         The Actor
·         Don Juan or the Stone Guest

The Inventions and Industries
Group Members Blogs: Randall Anderson , Brooke Gillespie , Robert Niehoff , Lacey Harp , Danika Leavitt , Kristin Kreuger , Tom Goyette
·         Inventions
o   In 1703, Gottfried Leibniz pioneered the binary number system, now virtually used in all computers.
o   Daniel Fahrenheit invented the alcohol thermometer in 1709 and the mercury thermometer in 1714.

o   Lithography was invented in 1798 in Germany by Aloys Senefelder.  Lithography is a method of printing from a metal or stone surface on which the printing areas are not revised but made ink-receptive while the non-image areas are made ink repellent (1).

Refernces
(1)   http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lithography (10/18/11)
(2)   http://www.explainthatstuff.com/timeline.html (10/18/11)
(3)   http://www.krysstal.com/display_inventions.php?years=1700+to+1800 (10/18/11)
(4)   http://timelines.ws/1700_1724.HTML (10/18/11)
(5)   http://www.ehow.com/info_8233221_discoveries-inventions-advances-1700s.html (10/18/11)
(6)   http://www.lehigh.edu/~incntr/publications/perspectives/v14/hagenbuch.pdf (10/18/11)
(7)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_German-language_authors (10/18/11)
(8)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany (10/18/11)
(9)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_von_Kotzebue (10/18/11)
(10)                       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Wilhelm_Iffland (10/18/11)
(11)                       http://www.cwu.edu/~robinsos/ppages/resources/Theatre_History/Theahis_12.html (10/18/11)

Pictures
(1)   https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRpYVm5sWvkNeMRDR9WdNAL-1p2E_PwGSP4x-Lg7RNUl4gGDjYrzEkeMRmTdae65OBXfaI9FMCCcWZAwZDIr4-EeQIb6enAFimNkNimmP60oP-WZktgvIatHHFXnIzsPhGs1a9SAVF_o/s1600/Max+Liebermann+%2528German+painter%252C+1847-1935%2529++Women+in+a+Canning+Factory+1879.jpg (10/18/11)
(2)   http://www.google.com/imgres?q=Johann+Jakob+Engel&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rlz=1R2RNSM_enUS389&biw=1366&bih=507&tbm=isch&tbnid=aGq9meedSxp4dM:&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Jakob_Engel&docid=4pJ8xq1S93PFdM&imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Johann_Jacob_Engel.jpg/220px-Johann_Jacob_Engel.jpg&w=220&h=260&ei=nkWeTsbQFIeQsQLKzOTxCQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=196&sig=107636149531949537570&page=1&tbnh=156&tbnw=142&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=119&ty=94 (10/18/11)
(3)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novalis (10/18/11)
(4)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Wilhelm_Ludwig_Gleim (10/18/11)
(5)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Wilhelm_Iffland (10/18/11)
(6)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotthold_Ephraim_Lessing (10/18/11)
(7)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Van_Beethoven (10/18/11)
(8)   http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sugexp=kjrmc&cp=19&gs_id=1m&xhr=t&q=women+1700s+germany&qe=d29tZW4gMTcwMHMgZ2VybWFueQ&qesig=q2gEnvTP-lvjlSKxPd5bQg&pkc=AFgZ2tnAWA6IoDBODYhm6kSlBXQ-RNNPMJbKUOCzdUMkH71R9UjMKTwHrEK1CfOeNxxG0TZBjMKl6IhM4nHpjlvV-yFaY0y1rw&rlz=1R2RNSM_enUS389&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1366&bih=507&wrapid=tljp1318998039106032&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi#um=1&hl=en&rlz=1R2RNSM_enUS389&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=1700s+thermometer&oq=1700s+thermometer&aq=f&aqi=&aql=1&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=7204l302496l0l302810l18l13l0l0l0l0l199l1612l4.9l13l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=52ea6ee7a370ccdf&biw=1366&bih=507 (10/18/11)

Saturday, October 1, 2011

10/1/2011

            Clip: The book conquers without persuading, it shakes you without exaggerating, a perfect work of art and at the same time truth that cannot be doubted. End Clip (2).  Clip: All Quiet on the Western Front…was a book written to reflect the human cost of war.  It shows us how war was a hidden face that most people do not see until it is too late…The major theme of the novel is that war must be avoided at all costs because of the severe consequences that will arise. End Clip (1).  Most people believe, along with myself, that the book portrays an honest account of what happened behind the lines during WWI, which we, the allies, might have not ever heard about without a book such as All Quiet on the Western Front.  The book describes WWI in a vivid nonglorious way.  It shows Clip: all the aspects of trench warfare- -the excitement, the tedium, the horror, the pain, the fear, the hunger, the dirt, the loss, the sense of alienation, the awareness that you may die any minute, and last but not least, the realization of the futility of it all. End Clip (3).  Clip: Remarque is questioning war and he’s questioning authority.  Clearly what can be found in any situation-good or bad-is the importance of the brotherhood of man and comradeship. End Clip (4).  Friendship prevails throughout the book even through the tough times.  Everyone thinks that this book is one of the greatest antiwar books ever made, it shows war without deception, it shows ways in which humanity can be attained even through such horrors. 
      
(1) http://ezinearticles.com/?All-Quiet-on-the-Western-Front—A-Book-Review&id=84991  (10/1/11)
(2) http://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Western-Front-Erich-Remarque/dp/0449213943 (10/1/11)
(3) http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/355697.All_Quiet_on_the_Western_Front (10/1/11)
(4) http://www.awaytoteach.net/?q=node/2117 (10/1/11)

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

9/28/2011

Stanislaus Katczinsky
Over the course of time, Paul becomes best friends with Stanislaus Katczinsky (Kat).  Before the army, he was a shoemaker, with a family back home.  Kat is a commander, a leader, a wise old man, and a friend to the recruits.  He is the most experienced and the most positive influence on his comrades on the battlefield.  As a leader, he can always find food and identify trouble, which the young men admire.  He is generous, realistic, and a father-like figure.  Generosity occurs, because Kat is always sharing his food, whether it is given out or he has killed and cooked it himself.  He is always thinking of others before himself, always helping the younger men, like when there was gas in the trench and he warns Paul to put his mask on and to pass the news down the line.  When Kat sees a wounded soldier, he asks if they should just shoot him and put him out of his misery, this shows realism.  He also shows it when he is arguing with the cook about making too much food, saying they should be able to eat it since everyone else is dead or in the dressing station.  Kat is father-like by always looking after the young men by providing food, by providing help, and for always being there.  He is also a positive influence to the younger men, showing leadership.  In the end, Kat died ironically by a shrapnel wound to the head after a bullet had hit his shin, in Paul’s arms as Paul hurries to get him to camp.  It is though a great hero has died.