Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; the do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly found, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition of all the dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brain of the living (Marx p. 595).
Benjamin believe that men can only promise and wish certain things to happen but have no control over the result. Everyman makes history base on what is available to him at a particular time in history.
I choose this passage because its very direct and makes lots of cense to me. In our modern time, those who happen to be in high office will promise everything even before they are elected. Once they take office everything changes. This does not mean they don't want things to happen the way they want it but due to the circumstances of what is happening at the time
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Walter Benjamin: "The Work of Art in the Age of
One might generalize by saying: the technique of reproduction detaches the reproduced object from the domain of tradition. By making many reproductions it substitutes a plurality of copies for a unique existence. And in permitting the reproduction to meet the beholder or listener in his own particular situation, it reactivates the object reproduced. These two processes lead to a tremendous shattering of tradition which is the obverse of the contemporary crisis and renewal of mankind. Both processes are intimately connected with the contemporary mass movements. Their most powerful agent is the film. Its social significance, particularly in its most positive form, is inconceivable without its destructive, cathartic aspect, that is, the liquidation of the traditional value of the cultural heritage (p. 221).
The passage can be interpreted in many ways but the main issue is how can something be reproduce so many times and still have the same value as the original one. In this case for a movie to be perfect, they believe that it has to be repeated over and over up to a certain point which Walter Benjamin it will lack it traditional value.
I choose did passage because it tell a lot about movie making and it's complication specially when it had to be reproduce from the pass to the present. The and place of the original movie might not actually be the same when its reproduce.
Monday, July 1, 2013
6/26 On Pain
We find ourselves in a situation where we are still capable of grasping what is lost; we can still sense the destruction of values and how the world is becoming more shallow and superficial. New generations are growing up far removed from all our inherited traditions, and it is an amazing feeling to see these children many of whom will live to experience the year 2000. By then, the last remnants of the modern, i.e., Copernican, age will most likely have disappeared (p. 45).
The passage is expressing the fact that now a days people don't care much about the pass which actually shape the future that we are living in. Those who lived during the wars can never forget or distance themselves from the horror and destruction that took place. Most of those who with ness the wars will never forget it no matter how much the change . This life experience will always be with them as long as they live.
I thing this passage clearly shows how important the pass is in our life's . For us (people) to move forward to a better future, we most reflect the good things as well as the bad things that happened before us? By knowing the history, it can help us avoid the bad parts of history and live a better life.
6/25 Nazism
6/25 Nazism
Night and Fog happen to be the second face of the movie which shows the real regime of Hitler and the Nazi. They put their evil machine to work on people whom they believed are on their way to success. They put people to execution camp in deferent places. People working day and night in very poor conditions with bad treatment. It was horrifying in in those days if you we're leaving under the Nazi regime and not part of them.
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