Beethoven, the Beatles, and U2

I must admit that the last hour of my Western History lecturer is quite interesting. It is entitled the "Cultural Hour" and it is the time of the lecture in which we watch, or in today's case listen, to something that reflects the period of time that we have studied in the lecture. Today we studied Romanticism and afterwards we listened to Beethoven.

I found Beethoven's 9th symphony quite a powerful piece, one that moved gracefully from moments of fast paced rhythms to the slower and more peaceful parts of the piece. What I found most interesting was the text that followed the last movement. I sourced this from Wikipedia:

Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,

Daughter of Elysium,

We approach fire-drunk,

Heavenly One, your shrine.

Your magic reunites

What custom strictly divides;

All people become brothers

Where your gentle wing alights.

From my understanding the period of Romanticism was filled with so a great deal of optimism. That delighful frame of thinking that places the union of humnanity as priortity for the arrival of true peace and happiness. Throughout the lecture Dr Gentes introduced briefly the parallel between this Romantic point of view that ruled the early 1800's to the so called "hippy" movement of the 60's, reflected by the lyrics of the incredibly popular band "The Beatles." I found this interesting as it proves again just how much history repeats itself. The imaginary/Romantics vs the Rationalists seems to constantly crop up. In the early part of the 19th century the romantics was represented by musicians such as Beethoven, in the 60's the flag was held high and proud by the Beatles, and now it seems to be held by the Irish rock band U2.

ok ok...check this website out....and POST there then:
http://www.droppingknowledge.org/

It is a BRILLIANT web site!

I wonder why no one posts....hmm...

I went to my first full day of university today. UQ (University of Queensland) One of my subjects "The West since 1789" seems to be grabbing my attention the most and Ancient Greek art and architecture is the one that seems to be putting me to sleep. I know I havent yet grasped the "appreciation" of the ancient subjects, but when you could be studying about the French/Russian/American revolution, why would you want to learn about a vase of the 4th century BC? I realise that all areas of human study have their brilliances, but I am finding it a lot harder to see those of the Classical Antiquities. Will post more later...

Tortilla Curtain

This video brings the basic ethics back to a very-much discussed issue. Accept all, love all. It is really THAT simple, yet we insist on making it difficult. It was made by a senior english class.

This post is directed mainly to the Book Hub members. Please post which book you would prefer to read. The Book Hub seems to be heading into two directions: One is the more classical and denser reads, and the other is the more contemporary stories. Balancing these two styles of books may be hard, but I don't think it will be impossible. I have to say I am a fan of both. However, in trying to achieve the aim of the book club which is to expand on our own cultural domain, contemporary tales that share/reflect upon differing cultures from our own, seem to suit best. I havent heard anything about the comic as yet, so here are some other suggestions that have been made:

1) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Eventhough it is a work of fantasy it challenges our own perception in regards to the position of women in our world.

http://www.booktopia.com.au/the-handmaid-s-tale/prod9781841593012.html

2) An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusebagina: An autobiographical story of the man who saved 1,268 of his fellow countrymen during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

http://www.bookslut.com/nonfiction/2006_06_009060.ph

3) The City of Joy: A priest ventures out to find joy in the slums of Calcutta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_joy

4) Almost French: A much lighter read that highlights cultural differences between the French culture and the Australian culture.

http://www.femail.com.au/almostfrench.htm

My vote is The City of Joy.

Hope to hear from you all soon,

Lucia