Gallery of Romanticism at the Virtual Museum

 Hello everyone.  I am an aspiring curator for the Romanticism Gallery.  Here are three different pieces of Romantic work which I would like to share with you -

Music:

Richard Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries (1851) – 

“Ride of the Valkyries” is a very popular opera by Richard Wagner that was composed during the Romantic Era.  When I first listened to this piece, I did not think of it to be a Romantic piece because it sounded to me to be very modern with the overall usage of the different instruments.  When I looked at the year that it was composed, I could not believe it because I thought it was so ahead of it’s time!  Some words that came to my mind were adventure, epic, heroic, etc.  This is definitely a strong Romantic piece as it reflects a very controversial theme that was taking place back in this period.  Since the Romantic Era was a very revolutionary time period where many people rebelled against tradition and authority, Nationalism was very common.  This was often presented in the form of folk music and was used to convince and motive citizens into confiding in their nation with the idea that theirs was the greatest of any other nation, and this was taking place all around the world.  Not only this, but many Romantic songs also had incorporation's of Nordic mythologies, such as this one!  The title of this opera makes reference to the Valkyries, female figures in Norse mythology of which many died during battle.  

                                                     

Art:

Fuseli’s Nightmare (1781) –

This painting done by Henry Fuseli is definitely a strong piece that is a representation of work created during the Romantic era.  This painting clearly contains the theme of The Dark Side and the Supernatural, which were some of the many popular aspects that were developed during this time period.  The supernatural element was a new motif of art where artists could apply their creative imaginations in a way that aspects that were not able to be seen by the human eyes, could now be contrasted with the natural world.  In this painting, there is a bright woman who is sleeping, while there are two Gothic figures watching over her.  Both grotesque figures, of the dark horse and the goblin, add to the uncomfortable tone are reflective of the title of Fuseli’s piece: Nightmare.    

Poetry:

Wordsworth’s Lines written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey (1798) –     

Visit this side to see the lyrics: http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Poetry/WordsworthTinternAbbey.htm 

           

Something that is very interesting about literature, especially poetry, is that it can have many interpretations.  When I read the lyrics to the poem “Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey” by William Wordsworth, I couldn’t help but to notice myself feeling very calm and relaxed, in comparison to seeing Fuseli’s Nightmare art piece.  This poem, just like the other two works, is also representative of Romanticism, as it deals with the theme opposite of the supernatural.  During the Romantic era, Nature was a source of inspiration for many artists and allowed them to use it to symbolize beauty, as well as for the contemplation of philosophical ideas.  In this poem, Tintern Abbey (great ruins in Wales) is used as an extended metaphor for the time passing in one’s life.  There are not only many references to natural images, but there are many words in the poem that make reference to the occurrence of time.  For example: Five years have past.  As years and season pass by, the Tintern Abbey becomes old as does the narrator.  The tone that is created through the natural imagery in this poem is very liberating!  

Below is a picture of Tintern Abbey!

     

Quotation

“A house divided against itself cannot stand…. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.”  (Abraham Lincoln)

I believe that this quote is very significant and at one point brought a lot of insight towards attaining a better future for all.  A house (home) is a very important place where every living creature needs to live in order to survive, but what good is a home if it has too many problems within or is too weak to support itself and stand?  If a home is faulty, then that has a negative effect on the people who live in it.

This quote was said in President Abraham Lincoln’s anti-racism speech during the time period of racial discrimination and hatred towards the Blacks in the U.S.  Lincoln knew that all the hatred and inequality in his country was tearing the nation apart, so he tried to abolish it.  After he passed the 13^th Amendment, which would end slavery in the U.S., he was assassinated and racism continued on for many more years until after Martin Luther King.

POLL: Results

Thank You Everyone who decided to vote in my Poll.  Here are the result:

Crime And Punishment - 4 votes
Hamlet - 3 votes
House of the Spirits - 2 votes
Sailor - 6 votes

Total number of people who voted: 8 people

So, Sailor is the book that people have enjoyed reading this year so far!  Congrats to all of you who voted for Sailor!

Charges Against Ryuji Tsukazaki!

Many people have their own personal diaries where they can record their experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings.  Noboru keeps his own secret diary as well, but it is not exactly much of a diary!  I find it really funny that Noboru's "diary" is used to write down reasons for punishing Ryuji.  Noboru hates Ryuji so much, that he will find any reason, even if it is the smallest little detail, to punish him and will record it into his secret diary.  The first three charges he writes down are found in the first part of the novel, Summer, in chapter 7:

"ONE:  smiling at me in a cowardly, ingratiating way when I met him this noon.

TWO:  wearing a dripping-wet shirt and explaining that he had taken a shower in the fountain at the park - just like an old bum.

THREE:  deciding arbitrarily to spend the night out with Mother, thereby placing me in an awfully isolated position.," (81).

He than decides to erase the third note because it is contradicting to the first two notes.  The fact that he decides to keep a diary to write down reasons further establishes Noboru as an immature character.  Realistically, it is evident that Noboru wants to afflict pain and suffering on Ryuji, so he does not need a list of reasons to justify his hatred, except for the single reason that he is with his mother. This is just like in Hamlet, when a supernatural figure must come and tell Hamlet to reassure his need to kill Claudius, even though he knows that he is furious that his uncle is marrying his mother instantly after his father's death.  Raskolnikov from Crime And Punishment also needs to assure himself of his self-doubt several times in his head that he can get away with murder, just so that he can actually carry it out.  The next time Noboru writes in his "diary" is in the second part of the novel, Winter, and is instantly in Chapter 1:

"THREE:  answering, when I asked when he would be sailing again: "I'm not sure yet."

FOUR:  coming back here again in the first place.," (105).

This occurs on New Year's eve when Ryuji returns to celebrate New Years with Fusako.  Many months have passed by, and we'd think that Noboru should've matured even a little by now, but he is still his same old self, and still hates Ryuji.  His next two diary entries, seem to me, to be more naive and immature than the entries he had written before Ryuji has left. 

Suppose Noboru were to end his grudge against Ryuji, would Noboru be able to become the respectable "man" that not only Fusako wants him to become, but all of society?

Sailor Friendships - Starring Dragonball Z!

"What is a friend? A single soul, dwelling in two bodies" - Aristotle

I was told by a friend that my next post should be something that is a little less analytical, and more creative and fun for the viewer, so I've decided to create a post that everybody can relate to in their everyday lives - yes as the title indicates, it is on Friendships. 

Everybody (hopefully) has a friend or a group of people who they "chill" with all the time.  Friendships can occur for many reasons and at different times, even when you don't expect it.  The experience of making a friend first begins during childhood and continues throughout ones life.  The people who you are usually around most of the time can greatly influence you into the kind of person you are today, and that is why it is very important to distinguish between who are your real friends and who are not.  In Sailor, Noboru hangs out with a group of friends who are all "delicate boys and excellent students," which gives us the assumption that he must be in the right crowd (49).  Although this may be the case, ironically, they enjoy discussing "the uselessness of Mankind, the insignificance of Life," supporting the philosophical view of Nihilism.  He and his group of friends, as a result, are always challenging the social norms of their society.  For instance, in search of the cat that they would be killing, "the boys liked this sort of unnecessary, troublesome excursion," (55).  In my opinion, I think the killing of the cat would be a rite of passage into the group because Noboru would have to do something as horrible as the murder of an innocent creature to justify and prove his loyalty to his friends.  This would reveal that Noboru's group of friends are not exactly the kind of people that one would want to associate themselves with, especially not as true friends.

On the other hand, true friendship can be found in the Japanese Manga series, Dragon Ball Z, between the protagonist Goku and Krillin!  It all begins during the pre-series, Dragon Ball, as Goku and Krillin meet as children at Master Roshi's house and become strong rivals.  As they start accompanying each other on their quest to finding the 7 Dragon Balls, their rivalry quickly shifts as they both mutually respect one another for their hard work and talents, and finally reaching the stage of friendship without them even realizing it.As their adventures continue into the DBZ series, they encounter new people, new enemies along the way, but at the end of every problem, they are there for each other no matter what!  Their relationship is so close that it is as though they are a single person with two separate bodies,which can relate to the quote above.

To show how important Krillin is important to Goku, below is a video of what I think is one of the most important scenes in the entire series!  On episode 80, the evil Frieza destroys Krillin, which really sets Goku off!  Frieza at this point has already murdered many of Goku's friends and is on his way to annihilating the entire universe!  As a result of Krillin's second death, Goku goes through his first Transformation... the ultimate Super Saiyan form! I hope you enjoy the video!  It's in HD!

Sailor: A Duality of Noboru

In chapter 1, we already gain insight into Noboru's character. Two character traits that can be seen early in the novel are his Naivety and his Maturity.  Noboru is a thirteen year old child, but there is irony between his age and the way he already views the world around him, which can be seen through his descriptions.  Without even knowing Ryuji, the sailor who is presented as the mother's lover, Noboru already feels detestful towards him.  Something I find interesting about Noboru is that although he feels these emotions, it is unconscious to him, so he does not know what he sees.  The manner in which he describes the event of of seeing Ryuji and his mother together is really advanced for his age.  For example, the way he perceives Ryuji  as “His broad shoulders were square as the beams in a temple roof, his chest strained against a thick mat of hair, knotted muscle like twists of sisal hemp bulged all over his body" (Mishima 11).  His description is explicitly sexual, and it is not right for him to be spying on his mother through the peephole.  This also shows the ambiguity of Yukio Mishima's sexuality because the reader cannot decipher it by the way he describes Ryuji and Fusako, since the descriptions of them are so in-depth.