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August 25, 2014 at 10:21 am #466Joseph FennieParticipant
I decided to sign up for the Dickens class because throughout High School, and even my first two years of college, I never experienced any of Dickens’ writings either through his written work or general literary connections. I feel as if Dickens plays a much larger role in western literature than I have been currently presented with, and I wanted to take this opportunity to experience the impact he has had.
April 29, 2014 at 8:50 pm #413Joseph FennieParticipantInterestingly enough Plato’s idea of banishing the poets from his imagined society has worked its way into the history of the world and its civilizations. Marx himself dismissed art from his communal society, since it distracts the individual from the progression of the whole. In a more applied sense, Hitler destroyed thousands of pieces of art that he found disagreeable with his world view and how he wanted to rule his expanding nation.
This sets me up for my answer to your question. I think a society has both the ability to benefit or suffer from artistic depiction found in poetry, paintings, etc. You have provided one example already of a society benefiting from art depicting violence. Goya’s Third of May, paints a picture of the cruelty and gruesomeness of war. If you look at a photo of the painting you will see a figure dressed in white, his arms raised causing his body to represent a cross, about to be fired upon. Goya transforms this victim of a firing squad into an artistic symbol. The man is innocent, pure, and a martyr for the Spanish cause. This piece of art because of its symbolism and its bias will sway the viewer to categorize the victim as the good guy or at least pity him, therefore, potentially swaying their opinion of the war to align with the cause of the Spanish. Here is evidence of art as propaganda.
I think both Yeats and Heaney’s poetry had an effect on the violence that was prominent during their lifetimes. I think both of them furthered this violence whether that was their intention or not. I will strictly talk about Heaney since that is what you asked about. In North, Heaney creates this idea of tribes and tribal rites in most of his poems. I want to look at “Funeral Rites” specifically. At the very beginning of the poem Heaney writes, “I shouldered a kind of manhood / stepping in to lift the coffins / of dead relations.” There is a ritual here, one of ascending into manhood, becoming a member of the tribe with this evolution. Later in the poem Heaney gives meaning to this ritual and also to the murder of this man, writing: “I would restore / the great chambers of Boyne, / prepare a sepulchre / under the cupmarked stones.” The Boyne is historically where the kings of Ireland were buried. This ceremony gives meaning to the murder, celebrating the deceased as a martyr whether Heaney intended it or not. This could potentially further the violence already taking place while the poem is being written. This could be viewed as art being used for the furthering of negative acts. In both instances the art is being received and interpreted by the readers and is a form of propaganda.
So to answer the question, I think Heaney’s work is somewhat problematic because he focuses his work on death, but in such a way that makes it almost glorious and purposeful to die. Since art is propaganda there have ben many tries to control it throughout history. In a perfect society where change is not necessary and no conflict arises then art would not exist since it would have no purpose, no meaning. Like Yeats believed, the creative process comes from conflict within oneself or from the outside world.
April 29, 2014 at 7:14 pm #412Joseph FennieParticipantVera, I still believe there to be a possible issue when he turns his cousin into a symbol. The imagery is clearly Christian in nature, turning his brother into a Christ-like figure: “I lift you under the arms and lay you flat,” Heaney writes. This symbolization of the dead feeds into the cycle of violence that was prominent during Heaney’s lifetime. If one dies for this cause then there is the possibility that s/he might be commemorated into art. Out of the suffering and the sin comes something beautiful like art. To me, it is very similar to “A terrible beauty is born” like I stated previously. It’s interesting to me to spot these similarities between Yeats and Heaney. Heaney has created this idea of tribes and the tribes will celebrate the violent advancement each respective side makes, which furthers the violence in a vicious cycle.
Joe, I agree with your statement. I think a recognition needs to be made, however, of the impact, whether positive or negative, the art has on society. If there is no reaction to the art then what is the point of its creation? It is fair to assess the poem as artistically and aesthetically beautiful and prominent, but an analysis of its social implications and reactions need to be recognized as well. This was the main focus of anti-revivalists such as Kavanagh and I feel as if in some sense this has been abandoned by Heaney.
April 28, 2014 at 3:09 pm #407Joseph FennieParticipantI agree, especially with the line “How culpable was he / That last night when he broke / Our tribe’s complicity?” Truly the fault of the violence comes from the people who are so passionate that they will go to these means to stop those who break the silly curfew. It relates back to one of Yeats’s line from “The Second Coming”, Yeats writes, “The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity.” The tribe is also truly at fault. They were complicit to not go out and keep giving in to the violence that was rampant in Northern Ireland. The title “Casualty” highlights this point even more giving the sense that he was a victim instead of someone who broke a rule.
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