Berlin Calling

In the movie Berlin Calling, we watch the main character, Ickarus, deal with an incredible addiction to drugs and how he is consumed by the fast-paced Berlin night life. This is partly due to his career of being a famous DJ. Ickarus's drug use is his way of having fun and dealing with his issues of stress, problems, or strained relationships. 

Ickarus's drug use is influenced by the atmosphere of his job and many of his fans. Through the movie you see many of his fans taking drugs while they are out partying or in the clubs. The drugs range from ecstasy, cocaine, LSD, PCP, Ketamine, to even meth. The drugs are so easily available to the club-goers and helps them to have higher levels of sensations, "more fun," and to help them stay up all night to party. The drugs can be snorted, ingested, injected, etc.

Compared to my standards and how I was raised, to the lives of the party-goers and Ickarus's, is very different. I am from a very small northern Minnesotan town where there are no clubs and not an abundance and array of drugs like in the movie. It is very unacceptable in my town, where it is very common in the culture in the movie. 

In the movie it makes it seem that much of Berlin's youth is lost in the partying and drug scenes but through Mathilde's character you are able to see that there is still youth with work ethic and level-headedness. Alice is also hard-working and does decide to give Ickarus a second chance with the label once she sees his change and listens to his new work on his album. There are some movies that I can think of from the U.S. that are somewhat similar to that of Berlin Calling. One is the movie Thirteen. The movie is different in the sense that the characters are younger and it doesn't revolve around the fast paced club life but the girls' characters are experimenting with drugs, risky addictions, and other unhealthy relationships. In the end, one of the characters pushes for a better lifestyle. 

My reaction to the movie Berlin Calling was that it was sad to watch Ickarus struggle with such a deep addiction and that it was also shocking. It was shocking to see how much of the youth was partying and using drugs as if they were just candy. I know in the U.S. there is much partying and drug use as well but I know that the club scene is much more different in the U.S. compared to Berlin. Berlin's clubs are more trendier and play music that is house and techno. The U.S. will combine techno with more rap. The movie was very good and I was so happy in the end to see that Ickarus could change his dangerous lifestyle and still continue to do what he loved. 

The German Literature Expansion on the 18/19th Century

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had many famous titles to his name, such as: poet, lyricist, and writer, to name a few. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is considered, in the field of literature, as one of the most influential Germans. He lived to be an old man (82 years old) and carried his success in the later half of the 18th century and into the beginning of the 19th century.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had a nice upbringing. He came from a wealthy family and had private tutors for his education. He was well-rounded with activities such as: fencing, horseback riding, and dancing as well. One thing that I found surprising was that Goethe had a persistent dislike of the Roman Catholic Church. He also had interests in drawing and theater. He then developed his great interest in literature and reading later on. He did have a former career in law but when that did not turn out as successful as planned, he continued his writing.

Goethe was a very diverse individual whose many interests went beyond literature, law, and fine arts. I found this out while doing a little extra research on him. I came across that he had done some scientific work. It was some standard scientific work but it did involve research with prisms and light.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a very influential individual and unique non-the-less. His personality and writings prove to have set a new mold in history and to his German name. His literary ways were bold (such as his erotic pieces of work) and yet significant. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was clearly more than just a historic German writer but also a name to go down in history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe

Women in Nazi Germany

After listening to all of the presentations in class, my reaction to the women in Nazi Germany was that they differed from the roles of women in the United States during the era but also had some similarities.

Hitler had specific ideas for the roles of women. He wanted the women to stay home with the children, since it was a man's work to provide for the family. Hitler had also passed a law in 1933, The Encouragement of Marriage Law, which had many aims for the German civilians. His goal was for German couples to produce as many children as possible and newlyweds receiving a salary. The lifestyle for women was very strict in Germany. The Marriage Law was not similar to the US but the idea of women to stay home and take care of the children was more similar to the US.

During Nazi Germany the women had many rules to follow. They were only allowed to wear flat shoes. The women were also expected to be more "plump" and to not wear make up or trousers. There was more rules and laws for women in Germany.

The presentations made me realize that Germany during the Nazi era was very different from the US but did have some similarities at the same time. Under the Nazi rule, the German women were more restricted to rules and freedoms than women in the US.

German 19th Century Composers

I chose to write my blog on the 19th Century German Composers. I chose this topic because this era was very famous in music for the style and the famous composers. The group that has the slideshow on the 19th Century Fine Arts, did a very well job on providing facts and making an appealing presentation. I was familiar with many of the composers that were listed but I still wanted to know more about the fine arts of the 19th century. 

Previous Presenters:
     John Beuning
     Mari Navarro
     Joe Albers

1. Who were some famous 19th century German composers?

• Some of the famous German composers of the 19th century were; Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Johann Strauss, Franz Schubert, and Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven was the most famous composer of the 19th century. He was mostly famous for creating unusual and brave rhythms and harmonies for many different instruments. Franz Shubert was famous in the 19th century for creating a new field of romantic and artistic poetry, titled, lied. All of these composers made an impact, not only in German music and composition during the 19th century, but world wide.  

2. Why was Ludwig van Beethoven so famously known world-wide?

• Ludwig Van Beethoven was so nationally accredited due to his immense amounts of talent. Beethoven is famous for his compositions of 9 symphonies, 5 concertos for piano, 32 piano sonatas, and 16 string quartets. He has composed other pieces of choral, chamber, and songs as well. Beethoven had published his first piece of work by the age of 12. Beethoven even continued to conduct after he had lost his hearing which contributed to his success even more. 

3. How did German Composers in the 19th century change from composers in the 18th century? 

• All fine arts and music began to change in the 19th century. This period was known as the Romantic Era or period. This was because composers, artists, and writers were all trying to break from the traditionalist mold of the previous eras and create more emotions into their work. Richard Wagner was one of the composers that hated the traditional styles of music. Other composers began to mix romantic elements with some classicalness.

4. What is Romanticism?

• The 19th century was also known as the Romantic Era. Romanticism was referred to as the era of intellectual, artistic, and literary movement. This period was partly due to the Industrial Revolution and a revolt against some of the social and political norms. The Romantic movement placed new emphasis on emotions such as horror, awe, and apprehension. Romanticism was like a revival to the fine arts.

5. How did composers fit into the Romantic Era or 19th century?

• Romanticism musically was a German sensation. Other countries sought to take after German composers. Composers would transition into this style by taking emotions and creating gorgeous symphonies from them. In the Romantic Era, much of the symphonies were "darker" or more melancholy. They expressed an array of emotions.   

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Germany
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven

20th Century German Fine Arts, Music, & Theatre

Copy of Arts of Germany on Prezi

By Tess Hamre, Cody Kvamme, Haitam Aldaij

My 5 Talking Points on "All Quiet on the Western Front"

• A key theme in the novel is isolation.
• Through Paul Bäumer's character, the novel shows the perspective of how young boys personalities and characters where changed and negatively affected by war.
• A novel that demonstrates the "Lost Generation."
• The novel has a melancholy plot and fate, the movie follows the book's plot and chapters very well. 
• There are parts in the novel that illustrate how the young boys have lost parts of their youth by being in the war. For example, the chapter where they meet the French girls. These young men haven't gotten the chance to experience dating and the thrill of being with a girl.

All Quiet on the Western Front

In All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul Bäumer is the main character and narrator. Prior to the war, Paul was close to his family, thoughtful, sensitive, and enjoyed writing poetry. But during the war, Paul’s personality and emotions changed with the trauma of the war. He is unable to cope with the death of his fellow friends/soldiers and feel the same way  as he once did at home. Paul finds it hard to express his negative experiences associated with the war and think about his future. Through fighting in the war, Paul’s character endures hardship and the loss of many people who were close to him.

Paul’s character changes more towards the end of the book. An example of this is when Paul gives away the jam and potato cakes his mother made for him to the Russian prisoners. This is because the cakes remind Paul of his mother’s pain and suffering. Paul’s views on death start to change as the war goes on. Paul has to kill a French soldier who jumped in his shell. He describes the experience as agonizing, since the soldier didn’t pass away until several hours later. Paul had bandaged the soldier and given him water. After the soldier passed away, Paul talks with the dead soldier, explaining that he didn’t want to kill him. Later on, Paul then witnesses the death of one of his closest friends, Kat, while Paul was trying to save him.

Throughout the novel, Paul’s character changes from being a content guy before the war to a lost and haunted soldier after the war. Paul is the only survivor of the original group of classmates. He feels he is left with a bleak future after he receives leave from the war from inhaling poison gas. While Paul’s on leave, he thinks about his fellow soldiers and what their generation will face. Paul has basically lost all hope in himself and his generation. Paul is killed on a peaceful October day. His face seemed to express relief as if it was alright for himself to let go.

Chapter 7

                  In chapter seven, the narrator of the story, Paul, reveals some of the most powerful moments of the book. Two distinct events occur in this chapter: Paul and his friends chase French girls, and Paul goes on a leave of absence. Many of Paul’s friends have died; in fact 120 men had died up to this point in the book.
                  After gawking over a poster of a pretty young girl, Paul and his friends hang out near the canal. They see a few French girls across the canal, and begin yelling in broken French. Throughout the book, the boys talk about women quite a bit. They make up stories of sexual experience to impress the other soldiers. Because the boys had only limited access to women for such long periods of time, it was an outlet for their budding adolescent sensations. Tjaden even offered the girls some bread as a bribe to get them to come across the canal. Food is another recurring theme in the book. As young men, the soldiers are desperate for more food each day that the war runs on. They are even willing to barter rations out for equipment or clothing when they become extremely desperate. The boys decide to visit the girls at night, and end up getting Tjaden so drunk that he can not walk. After meeting up with the girls, Paul realizes that he will not be able to hold on to the girl that he is with, and his mood turns grim. He can not take his mind off of the horror of the war.
                  Paul gets seventeen days for his leave of absence. He goes home for the few days of travel time that he receives. His mother is very sick, but his family is happy to see him. Paul gets angry at the way some of the civilians treat him. He doesn’t enjoy the fact that they feel a sense of honor when serving him, especially when one train tenant refers to him as her ‘comrade.’ Paul is extremely happy to be eating food that differs from the plain, tasteless military food. Basically, everyone is who is not involved with the war continues to ask Paul questions, and he gets upset. His mother is the only one who refrains from these questions. Paul explains that he would like to please the civilians with heroic battle stories, but he simply can not put it all into words. And if he did find a way to word it, he feels he would lose control completely. The civilians perceive the war front completely different. They believe its better fighting the battles than it is at home. Paul brushes off many of the upsetting comments. Surprisingly, Paul states that he wished he’d never come home on leave. He felt that he was hopeless, and that he was a man of war, nothing else.


Tess Hamre, Cody Kvamme, Will Wacholz, Mustafa Al-Abbad