Quiz1

1.       What is nihilism? Is it correct to say it is the belief in nothing?

Nihilism is the belief in destroying old norms, beliefs and systems in order to create new ones. I don’t think it would be correct to say that it is the belief in nothing. I think it is more so like challenging the current system because it isn’t working and attempting to create a new one.

2.       What are the differences between Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian values according to Nietzsche? Which values does he believe are better for living a full and healthy life and why?

Judeo-Christian values were the opposite of Greco-Roman values. The Greeks were physically stronger but the Christians were more intelligent. Nietzsche thought that the values of the Romans were humane and played into human nature while the values of the Christians sought to restrict and contain human nature.

Nietzche believed that the Greco-Roman values were more suitable for living a full and healthy life because they did not repress natural human traits.

3.       Why is Dada art so pessimistic and bizzare? What groups in Germany society where Dada artists trying to discredit and undermine?

Dada art is pessimistic because it is coming from the perspective of post war Germany. Germany was humiliated after World War II. They were blamed and forced to pay reparations which eventually bankrupted their economy. Dada artists were trying to undermine Army Generals and Politicians, people that they felt were responsible for dragging Germany into the war and ruining society.

4.       How many jobs does Dr. Caligari have in the film?

2

5. Why does Siddhartha leave his father?

He leaves his father because he wants to seek more wisdom. Siddartha feels like his father has taught him everything that he knows.

6. How does Cesare "die" in the film?

Cesare dies by jumping off the ledge after he kills Jane.

7. Why is the river so important to Siddharta at the end of the novel?

The River is important because it is the place where Siddhartha achieved the enlightenment. He learned to listen. 

Reflection #2

The lecture on Siddartha, Buddhism and Dada made me see Eastern Religion in a different light. From what I have studied about Shintoism, Hinduism, and Buddhism, I have learned that they are very spiritual religions that focus on becoming one with the earth and honoring animals. But I have never seen these religions in direct opposition to Western religion. Americans who reject Western religion for Eastern religion are nihilists in their own right. I found that to be an interesting point. I would love to study the reasons as to why Americans or any other westerner turns toward Eastern Religion and what are they looking to achieve when they do this.

Assignment #2

Siddhartha gave his garments to a poor Brahman in the street. He wore nothing more than the loincloth and the earth-coloured, unsown cloak. He ate only once a day, and never something cooked. He fasted for fifteen days. He fasted for twenty-eight days. The flesh waned from his thighs and cheeks. Feverish dreams flickered from his enlarged eyes, long nails grew slowly on his parched fingers and a dry, shaggy beard grew on his chin. His glance turned to ice when he encountered women; his mouth twitched with contempt, when he walked through a city of nicely dressed people. He saw merchants trading, princes hunting, mourners wailing for their dead, whores offering themselves, physicians trying to help the sick, priests determining the most suitable day for seeding, lovers loving, mothers nursing their children—and all of this was not worthy of one look from his eye, it all lied, it all stank, it all stank of lies, it all pretended to be meaningful and joyful and beautiful, and it all was just concealed putrefaction. The world tasted bitter. Life was torture.

Siddhartha is looking upon the society with disdain because he feels that they are pretending to be holy or pretending to have achieved a meaningful relationship with the universe. But it’s all a front because how can one be only while their neighbor is whoring themselves? How can that be ignored? This is why he is disgusted.

The Dada artists protested the war through their artwork. They took various body parts and machinery and mushed them together in order to make light of the things that we take so seriously. I think by taking these elements and making a collage of them, this can relate to Siddhartha’s journey of finding nirvana. The Dada artists are destroying the old norms in attempts to find new meaningful norms.

I chose this passage because it relates to todays’ society as well. America is a country that claims to be about democracy however its citizens aren’t being treated properly. As I walk through the streets, I often look around in disgust at the people who go to church every Sunday and praise God but every other day of the week they turn their cheeks to the evil in their neighborhoods and in their very own houses. This is the best and freest country in the world on the outside but on the inside we still have a lot of issues. There is still racism and prejudices. It seems like the society has become hypocritical and everyone is pretending to be holy and moral while doing otherwise. The world is definitely bitter when there is such a great disparity between the rich and the poor. There are children suffering, crime is high. The law gives criminals the same rights as victims.

Hannah Hoch

Hannah Hoch originally named Anna Therese Johanne Hoch was born in Germany November 1, 1889. In college, she studied glass design and graphic arts. During World War I, she quit school to work with the Red Cross. A year later she returned to school and became close to Raoul Haussman, a member of the Berlin Dada movement. This was how Hannah became involved in the movement. Her work in a handicrafts department helped to create a unique style for her art as she so often used embroideries. Hoch along with Haussman is credited with having created the photomontage style. Photomontage is the process of cutting parts of different photographs to make one thing. Her artwork explores feminism, androgyny and oftentimes bisexuality. She was known to have several relationships with women and men, including Raoul Haussman.

Hannah Hoch “Grotesque.” Here she is challenging the gender roles of men and women. It can also be seen as men walking in women’s shoes and perhaps trying to persuade them to support women’s rights. The use of red at the top gives me the impression that power will be equality spread amongst men and women.

This photomontage is called “Das Schone Madchen,” which means The Beautiful Girl in German. The girl with the bathing suit is the focal point of the picture. She has a light bulb attached to her head which says to me that Hoch is saying “Women can have their own ideas.” The machinery in the background tells the viewer the time period which is obviously during European industrialization.

Dada Panorama was created in 1919.  This artwork is much different from the others. It represents different point of views. I think this because everything is placed away from each other and not in a unified message like the others. I see the German word “Gegen,” which stands for against. I believe that this picture is showing the humiliation of the Germans after the First World War because of the way the men at the top are dressed, in their underwear. It looks to me that there are men lying sideways at the top left which symbolizes the fall of Germany. Then towards the bottom, I see the army men which signify the Germany’s pride.

Hannah Hoch’s artwork mainly focuses on individuals or groups and how society affects them.

Nihilism in Germany and Nietzsche quote

After reading the course description and why Germany was chosen to explore the topic of Nihilism, it makes great sense. Russia may have been where the idea of Nihilism was created but Germany is in a unique position.  Germany had the strongest army at the beginning of World War I. Towards the end of World War I, Germany had suffered more than any other country in the war. Their economy was crushed by the reparations they were forced to pay to France, Britain and the United States. They were publicly condemned and blamed for the war. Their national pride plummeted. It almost seems as though destroying their past to create something new was something they needed to do in order to move forward.

                I think Nietzsche saw Nihilism as the effect of Christianity. He believed that Christianity suppressed human desires and wants which in turn caused those human desires and wants to explode and perhaps become more grotesque than they would have had they been allowed to flourish. I think he embraced the natural human qualities and rejected the moral codes in which one was forced to live by in order to fit into society.