Month: February 2017

I began reading the Red Badge of Courage this week and so far it seems like a very interesting book. What struck me the most was the moral struggle that the youth was having with himself about whether he would be able to fight when the time came, or if he would run away. I often think about this when I think about war to be honest. How do these soldiers stand their ground and risk their lives when the enemy is just charging at them. It takes a great deal of strength and courage, and honestly I think I would be too selfish/cowardly to be a soldier and I might be the one that chickens out and runs.

One of the main points I wanted to make about this though was the modern day “solider” in all of us. Although we all are not fighting in a true war and dodging bullets all day long, we still all have an enemy that we must fight. With the recent current events and the policies that have been put in place by the President, I have seen a (not so new) enemy grow into a more powerful source of tension in the population. Lots of the people in this country, especially at Bucknell, saw these new policies as the enemy and they chose to be courageous and strong and to charge into battle. Many people participated in the “walk out” on campus, while others protested in their own private ways. Regardless of the protests, I saw many soldiers fighting a battle that they felt passionate about, when it would be so much easier to stay silent and just run away.

I think the overall moral dilemma occurring within the youth can be translated into many different aspects of life. Although this week it was very easy to see such a public display of strength and courage, it is not something that is present only at certain times. This moral dilemma to fight or run is constantly present, and I think it says a lot about a person’s character whether they choose to stay and fight or they chose to run.

This week we had the opportunity to see how the 19th century used technology in more of a negative way. Topsy the elephant was executed by electrocution in public just because they had the technology and it would have been a public spectacle in which they could make money. Upon doing more research I found that at the time it was believed that death by electrocution was more human. People were for the most part unaware of the actual effects of electricity on a living being. This I think this shows that technology is neither good nor bad but rather it’s how well people understand its effects and what people chose to do with it. Electricity can be very useful in everyday life however it can also be deadly depending on how people use it.

In A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court Hank uses the technology of the era to electrocute everyone but those he has changed because he believes the church was undermining what he was doing while he was away. He believes that have gone back to their old ways of life and instead of trying to fix the system he decides to just destroy it. This is interesting not just because it is cruel and unnecessary because it hints to consumerism in which we just throw something away when it breaks and buy another rather than try to fix it .

 
We look at these two examples and have a hard time imagining how people could do such things. Today’s society have more understanding of electricity than that of 19th century but that doesn’t mean we have full understanding of technology in our own era. The way society thinks is constantly changing with the change of information and technology. Things that we do now people 100 years from now may find inhuman and cruel using information that is unknown to us now.

As I was posting my third journal I became aware that my second journal was in my drafts!! So i’m posting it now.. this is my SECOND journal:

Journal #2

This week I honestly started out confused on where this class was going to go and what direction we’d be moving in, and watching the film about the World Fair also caught me off guard, but as we dove into more discussions regarding the film and Hank Morgan’s “The Human Motor” it all seemed to go full circle and make a lot of sense, as well as become much more interesting.

What I enjoyed about the movie “Magic of the White City” was the emphasis on the importance of the different countries coming together with their individual strengths, to create one unique and incredible fair. Prior to class I didn’t even know the Chicago World Fair ever happened, I have definitely heard of it but I didn’t have the slightest idea of what it entailed, and now with my knowledge of the film I can say I am an even prouder citizen of this country. Things like the Chicago World Fair are what helps make America so great, and the technological advances this country saw in the world fair and in that time period is so interesting.

What I really love about this course is how the importance of technology is so emphasized with the progression of the country, because I think it is extremely important and not touched on enough. We are a country with a history of geniuses and they are not acknowledged enough. This goes to say about a lot of history, indeed is history taught in schools and is so important, but this class especially has made me realized that there still isn’t enough credit given. I don’t think about the fact that I have someone to credit the fact that I have light bulbs in my room or that I have something so complex like an iPhone. I doubt that was the intention when showing the film about the World Fair, but it really stuck with me. Especially different countries, different countries were at different stages of technology and progression and they all came with something they were proud of and wanted to show it off in Chicago, in America. The World Fair was a huge turnout, and I thought it was so interesting how much work and planning went into a Fair that only lasted six months.

Something else I found really interesting that a student mentioned during the discussion of the film, was how all this technology was so amazing and impressive at the time, but in the end it caused a lot of destruction. The military technology advances and nuclear weapons and such were such incredible and complex advances, but they killed so many people. No doubt did this country need these advances and no doubt were they beneficial to our military and for fighting, but it is hard to be celebrating the cause of so much destruction and suffering. Hank Morgan touched on this in The Human Motor and it was a very interesting point- it’s a celebration but it can only be celebrated to a certain extent. We have to support war and fighting because it’s a huge part of why America is so great, but there is still a line.

On a better note, another interesting point a student made in the discussion was about the conservative nature of the fair. The time period was very conservative and sexuality was not something that is not typically part of fairs, it is events like circuses that allow for more openness with sexuality and the opportunity for sexuality to be put into an art form. To add to that however, it was interesting how the organizers of the fair requested help from the “Lady Managers” and all of their rules they made for the fair were turned down: including nude art, risky dancing and the selling of alcohol. This was another aspect of the fair that made it so unique, it was open on Sundays, it sold alcohol, basically it crossed all controversial lines. It goes along with how quickly America was progressing at this time period, it allowed for some change and some excitement.

All in all, I thought the film and the different aspects of technology in America and around the world was very interesting and I’m looking forward to see where this class goes from here.

In Thursday’s class session, we analyzed the ending of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court. The book ends with Hank Morgan orchestrating a mass execution of thousands of knights in an all out war between the Yankee, and the Church. Hank Morgan spent years building up the technological advancements, and gaining the trust of the people. I think it was an interesting twist at the end of the book that had Hank destroying everything that he had created. It is ironic because if anything, you would think that the Church would be the one to destroy the factories that Hank built. I find this situation similar to what happened during World War 2 with Nazi Germany.

Hitler and the Nazis built thousands of concentration camps and risked everything to try to create the perfect race. Similar to Hank, they thought they were pushing the time forward by getting rid of what they seemed to be inferior people or technology. Hank killed thousands of knights during the war, and the Nazis killed millions of people. At the end of the war, the Nazis tried to destroy the concentration camps and scientific labs before the Soviet Union and Western Allies captured them. This situation is just like the end of the book. The Nazi’s and Hank did not want to accept defeat, so they destroyed their work before anyone else could. It might not seem right to compare Nazi Germany or Hitler to Hank Morgan. In the beginning of the book, it is easy to like Hank because you think he has good intentions. He only wants to help the people and make their lives easier and more worth living. However, towards the end of the book when Hank begins to introduce dangerous technology like weapons and the electric fence, you begin to question Hank’s intentions. Before you can even realize, Hank turns from being a savior to being a villain.

In the grand scheme of things, Hank manipulated the 6^th century’s weaknesses to help him gain power. He saw their lack of sophisticated education, and the weakness in the social system as a means to his end. He was using people to strengthen his status and authority. At the end of WW1, Germany was broken. People were poor, hungry and desperate. Hitler recognized this and tried to rebuild the country. The Germans were so broken; they saw Hitler’s first intentions as godly. He was their savior and was going to restore the German name. Hitler used his national following to manipulate the people into a mass execution. Talking about it today, people always wonder how it was possible for a man with the intentions like Hitler to gain so much power of the people. It is the same reason why Hank Morgan gained the following that he did. To explain this I am going to use an analogy. If you have a brain tumor that has compromised your ability to walk, your life is pretty miserable. But if a brain surgeon comes into the room and promises you a 100% cure using this brand new technology, most people would agree to it, not even understanding the new technology. When people make promises to change your life for the “better”, it is only human nature to accept and worship these people. There is an uncanny trust between the people who make these promises, and those that are broken. I think A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court demonstrates the idea that hope and trust is very powerful tool when it comes to human interaction. Hank originally gave people hope in the future, and therefore gained his trust. Ultimately, the end of the book results in the people turning their back on Hank, because the Church destroys Hank’s credibility and people’s hope for a new future.

Being that I was unable to attend class on Thursday due to strep throat, what I do want to reflect on, although it only somewhat relates to the main class material is the walk-out. Firstly, I think it is so inspiring and I feel lucky that my own professor was the leader of this #WalkOut4LockedOut, it emphasized my desire to take part in the walk-out, and it also gave me more reason to brag to my friends about my IP course. It was freezing cold out and many many students had important classes at 1 pm on tuesday, but it wasn’t stopping them. Since tuesday/thursday classes only meet twice a week, missing one of the two I found made it even more of a passionate and powerful walk-out, because for some students I can imagine it would hurt their studies a little bit, by missing their hour and twenty two minute class. I think it is more than appropriate, because Trump’s executive order was not something to be taken lightly. This order directly impacts Bucknell as an institution, and what makes up this institution: the students. Although Bucknell isn’t known for it’s diversity, it still exists here on campus. With students from the effected countries, this is no matter to be taken lightly, whatsoever. Truthfully, I cannot fathom how the directly affected students feel about this order, or how their families, friends and loved ones feel. This executive order is something that has completely turned their lives upside down. We are a country that is born from immigrants, so to be placing orders such as this one we are going against the very foundation America is built on. The Constitution reads “We The People” and the “People” in that very phrase is supposed to represent all people of this country, even if they are immigrants, even if they aren’t here to stay. To relate this back to the Chicago World Fair, the film we watched in class, we saw how each country brought something to the table. That countries all over the world came to this fair and brought a part of them, and millions of Americans came to see those countries offerings. That is because America is made up of all those countries, diversity and immigration is what makes America so unique, and also so strong. I’m currently taking a Women and Gender Studies course, and we are currently talking about the suffrage movement in 1919, the protests and activists that lead to the 19th amendment. A truly inspiring quote from the film is “America’s strength comes from the love of it’s people.” It is true, and in order to be the strong, powerful and free country we claim to be, we must stick to the foundations that we have built for ourselves. We did not come this far to take steps back, and steps back is what we are seeing with this executive order.

To go back to the walk-out, it was freezing cold and classes were in session, yet there had to be at least three hundred people there. In retrospect, three hundred people is not a lot in comparison to the number of faculty and students here at Bucknell, but as one of the three hundred people I felt like a strong member of a strong and passionate community. The protest taking place on the quad I feel really gave it the feeling that we were in the center of campus, with everyone around it still listening and seeing it and being aware of it. So much of what we have discussed in class relates to the very idea that this executive order is un-American. I’m very much looking forward to further discussing these topics in class.