German 110 was a pleasant surprise. I will admit that the class hours got to be long but I was use to night classes and the time would sometimes pass faster than normal. I had a great interest in each of the topics we covered. I also thought it was very interesting to have the class divided into groups to teach the rest of the class about the topic and subtopics we were assigned. I loved all of the movies we watched or were given to watch. Professor Roland chose to take a very unique approach to the learning with blogging, which I have never done before.
Throughout this semester, I have learned way more about Germany, it's culture, politics, and history, than I was expecting. This course caught my eye, not only because it was a general elective, but the fact that most of my heritage is German. My mother is 100% German and my father about half German. We have different German traditions we do in our household (more so around Christmas). My mom also likes to bake and eat some traditional German food. My favorite part of the course was when we focused on the youth and culture, especially that of Berlin. It was very interesting to watch the movie, Berlin Calling, and get a glimpse into the fast lifestyle of Berlin. Comparing Berlin to the United States was very different. The culture in Berlin is much more relaxed and open. Things are more culturally excepted there than in the U.S. Berlin would be a very fun and interesting place to visit.
Some of the other topics that we covered were; All Quiet on the Western Front, German political parties, Baader-Meinhof, the 16 German states, German fine arts, media, literature, and etc. Each topic proved to gain more interest from the class. All Quiet on the Western Front, proved to be a very good book too. I sometimes am a little skeptical when professors tell me that I will like their books assigned, but this book did exceed my expectations. Never judge a book by it's cover, right? All in all, this class was very fun and made me have the itch to travel to Germany sometime in the near future. Professor Roland is so knowledgable, not only about Germany, but many other topics. It was great to hear his opinions and facts during class. I am so glad that I decided to sign up for German 112 for one of my general electives. It was an awesome class and took a new refreshing approach to learning in the classroom.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
Lebkuchen (For Christmas!)
Lebkuchen (or Pfefferkuchen) is a baked traditional German Christmas treat.
Some facts:
There can be different recipes and ingredients added to make these cookies. Some people use different types of nuts and glaze. Below is a link to a recipe I found online for Lebkuchen cookies. This recipe received a 4.5 out of 5 stars review.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/german-lebkuchen/
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebkuchen
Some facts:
- Lebkuchen was invented in the 13th Century by medieval monks in Fraconia, Germany.
- Due to some historical and ingredient differences, Lebkuchen can be known as honey cake (honigkuchen) or pepper cake (pfefferkuchen).
- Lebkuchen can range from being sweet to spicy. It also varies in shapes and sizes but is generally soft.
- Sometimes the packaging of Lebkuchen is distributed in richly decorated tins, boxes, or chests. These make nostalgic collectors items.
There can be different recipes and ingredients added to make these cookies. Some people use different types of nuts and glaze. Below is a link to a recipe I found online for Lebkuchen cookies. This recipe received a 4.5 out of 5 stars review.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/german-lebkuchen/
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebkuchen
Class Discussion Questions
1. The first generation of the Baader-Meinhof group was more organized and thorough with their planning, strategies, and tactics. They had different plans and strategies to follow when it came to the assassinations of government officials, bombing of buildings, kidnapping, or robberies. The first generation wanted to avoid as little harm to the general public as possible. Andreas Baader was the first leader of the Baader-Meinhof group. This is where they first organized the group with more peaceful strategies like, protests, articles, and staged demonstrations. When the second and third generations of the Baader-Meinhof came to be, their planning, strategies, and tactics changed so much from the first's. These generation's attacks were less sought out and more brutal in nature.
2. The way that I felt about the Baader-Meinhof group changed drastically from the beginning to the end of the movie. In the beginning, I thought the group's efforts and ideas were all easy to associate with and understand. As the movie continued though, my feelings shifted because of all the violence the group was resorting to. I felt the group was losing control and beginning to sink with all of their plans. At the end, there was way too much violence. This lead me to view the group as only a bunch of terrorists.
3. Andreas Baader was such a powerful member of the group. This leads me to believe that through his determination and rudeness, it made him the group leader. If Andreas Baader would have been shy and polite, he would not have gotten his status and respect compared to his original superior ways. Through his rudeness, determination, and strong leadership qualities, it provided an excellent base for persuading the group members for doing things in his favor.
2. The way that I felt about the Baader-Meinhof group changed drastically from the beginning to the end of the movie. In the beginning, I thought the group's efforts and ideas were all easy to associate with and understand. As the movie continued though, my feelings shifted because of all the violence the group was resorting to. I felt the group was losing control and beginning to sink with all of their plans. At the end, there was way too much violence. This lead me to view the group as only a bunch of terrorists.
3. Andreas Baader was such a powerful member of the group. This leads me to believe that through his determination and rudeness, it made him the group leader. If Andreas Baader would have been shy and polite, he would not have gotten his status and respect compared to his original superior ways. Through his rudeness, determination, and strong leadership qualities, it provided an excellent base for persuading the group members for doing things in his favor.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Rote Armee Fraktion/Red Army Faction
The Rote Armee Fraktion/Red Army Faction was caused because of their political disagreement with the rest of German society. These people felt that their country was heading in a bad direction because the political structure of Germany was like that of a fascist state. They wanted to protest the oppression in Germany and the Vietnam War.
The RAF had three generations. It started with the first generation the original founders such as; Andreas Baader and his followers. The second generation of RAF held power until the 1970's, due to high terroristic actions taking place. The third and final generation was in existence from the 1980's to the 90's. Many of the terroristic actions were gone but the RAF still remained strong.
The end of the RAF came when the government was no longer able to compete against the group. The RAF began to lose credibility and their foundations when the Soviet Union was starting to dissipate. The May Offensive was probably another factor to the end of the RAF since many of the members were discovered and detained that day.
Some of the similarities from then and now is that the terrorism is still of a Guerilla type. This kind of terrorism was found in Germany during the RAF. Both groups thought it was necessary to take the drastic measures of a human life. In return though, each member was committed enough to take their own lives for the cause. The terrorism caused by the group then and now is still considered some of the worst.
http://terrorism.about.com/od/groupsleader1/p/RedArmyFaction.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Army_Faction
The RAF had three generations. It started with the first generation the original founders such as; Andreas Baader and his followers. The second generation of RAF held power until the 1970's, due to high terroristic actions taking place. The third and final generation was in existence from the 1980's to the 90's. Many of the terroristic actions were gone but the RAF still remained strong.
The end of the RAF came when the government was no longer able to compete against the group. The RAF began to lose credibility and their foundations when the Soviet Union was starting to dissipate. The May Offensive was probably another factor to the end of the RAF since many of the members were discovered and detained that day.
Some of the similarities from then and now is that the terrorism is still of a Guerilla type. This kind of terrorism was found in Germany during the RAF. Both groups thought it was necessary to take the drastic measures of a human life. In return though, each member was committed enough to take their own lives for the cause. The terrorism caused by the group then and now is still considered some of the worst.
http://terrorism.about.com/od/groupsleader1/p/RedArmyFaction.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Army_Faction
Baader-Meinhof Complex
After viewing the movie in class, I felt that my reaction from it was what many other viewers had as well. In the beginning, I was quick to side with the extremists. The extremists faced much abuse from others and the authorities and their voices were all unheard. As the movie progressed though, I then was finding myself to side with the others. I felt this way because the extremists were so organized and had things well planned out in the beginning. Near the end, the extremists seemed to have lost complete control and everything was becoming sloppy and becoming out of their reach. It was also interesting to watch the once strong German government in the beginning of the movie, start to slip once the extremists were becoming a strong group and had well thought-out plans. Towards the end, the extremists' group begins to fall apart and one-by-one members of the group are discovered and either killed or sent to prison. I thought the movie was very interesting. It isn't the type of movie that I would pick out for myself to watch but I thought it was good. The movie has a good image of how the revolt and uprising occurred in Germany. This movie has me very curious to see the ending, since we left class at such a dramatic note in the film.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)