Franco, Zeno E., Kathy Blau, and Philip G. Zimbardo. "Heroism: A conceptual analysis and differentiation between heroic action and altruism." Review of General Psychology 15.2 (2011): 99.

Schlack, Beverly Ann. "Heroism and Creativity in Literature: Some Ethical and Aesthetic Aspects." The Philosophical Reflection of Man in Literature. Springer Netherlands, 1982. 329-351.

JOURNAL 6

The archetype of the hero is one that can be seen in many forms of art and literature and can be expressed and understood by the cultural context in the work.

 

This is very true, but it's not a thesis statement that can be easily argued.

 

JOURNAL  7

 

“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelly is a portrayal in literal terms of humanism and the notions of what defines a human. I don't understand this sentence. Throughout the book there appears to be a monster and a creator, being Victor Frankenstein and his creation, but it is unclear who the true monster is and who is the creator of the monster. At first glance it would seem that Dr. Frankenstein is the creator and his monster is so because of its appearance. In another light the roles can be reversed and seen from the viewpoint of the said creature. Can the monster ever be the Creator? Or do you mean the hero?

 Though it can be said that the Doctor had good intentions when piecing the creation together and brilliantly bringing life into it, truly his endeavors were of self-interest as he had no plans nor the ability to take care of the life he was to make. Victor worked for the glory of creation. He cared not for the promotion of life and thus was terrified upon its actual arrival. There was no malice in the creature when he was first created, he was forced to become so out of instincts of survival from being shunned by humans. The ego of Victor, and by extension the mass of human belief, becomes the monster. This is summary, not analysis.

 

 

ROUGH DRAFT

 

London Jocham

World Masterpieces 2

Dr. Heiniger

November 25, 2014

 

 Freedom in a Post-Colonial World: A Comparison Between Two Novels (Draft)

 

The influences of post-colonialism can be felt today by its mitigating effects upon the social norms of the once European controlled nations. Native languages, native religions, and native traditions are all impacted by the racist and oppressive acts of imperialism. Once this reign is lifted the voice of the oppressed people stand out in defiance and break the boundaries of their former lives with a new call of freedom. The freedom these individuals experience will forever be endued by the harrowing recollections of the past.  Two such voices come from Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o in his novel “A Grain of Wheat” and from Art Spiegalman in the graphic novel series “Maus”. An analysis of this freedom reveals the effects of colonialism.

 The colonizer attempts to dismantle the former society and replace it with its own standards enforcing beliefs and language as a sign of control. The dominance of the stronger nation is dramatic upon the cultural boundaries often resulting in death and a permanent loss of the customs, beliefs and ancestry of the oppressed nation (Fanon 190).  For both the colonizer and the oppressed the effects of colonization causes a change in morals and ethics. It can be inferred then that when the colonization is over there will be either a nation made stronger by the oppression or a nation weakened by it. 

The first novel show an exemplary example of the changes that imperialism causes upon the human psyche.  In “A grain of Wheat” a small town in Kenya is under the rule of European forces. The ambivalence of the British slowly increases throughout the book, showing the detention camps that were used to keep the Africans under control and extort them through torture. The characters in the story are closely controlled by the Europeans and are mistreated and subjugated to their doctrines and principles. For the imperialist soldiers the people of the African town are regarded as not human and liable to be treated as such. With this viewpoint the soldiers have free reign over the townspeople and are rewarded because of their mistreatment to them, in this way their code of ethics diminishes and they are changed into monsters because of their own social status.

 The oppressed Africans in turn lose respect for themselves and also their cultural identity, sacrificing it in order to survive. As is quoted in The Wretched of the Earth, a novel analyzing colonialism, “Hunger with dignity is preferable to bread eaten in slavery” (Fanon 169). The only dignity the Africans have is the strength of the bond of the nation. This bond is a culture ruled by colonial overseers that is built from its own destruction  (Fanon 191) Freedom is regained only with a sadness for those lost during this destruction. It is for this reason that the title is “A Grain of Wheat”, a biblical reference explained in the book.

“Uhruru”, said many times in the novel, is defined by a speaker on page 217 as “land and freedom”. The characters in the story say this word perhaps more than any other, and it is for this word that gets the most of the detainees through the concentration camps. In an interview with several survivors of the camps Jane Muthoni Mara retells her traumatizing experience from the British because she gave food to the freedom fighters “[my interrogator] filled a bottle with hot water and pushed it into my private parts with his foot” these disgusting tortures were used on even the least rebellious detainees ( Zarina ). Though they were imprisoned for no reason and kept for long periods of time, the detainees kept each other alive with visons of freedom.    

 Another example of colonization changing human values in its perhaps most extreme form is the novel series “Maus” written by Art Spiegalman. The Nazi imperialism shown in “Maus” is dehumanizing in many ways that are left even today to be resolved. For the Jewish people during this time in the story the portrayal of them as mice hiding from cats is extremely accurate and can even by justified by the viewpoints of the Nazis treating the Jewish like pests, lowering their status as humans to household level of simple extermination, like that of mousetraps.

What makes the “Maus” story so interesting is that it is told from the viewpoint of a survivor’s son, who records his father’s telling of the colonialism. The family ties given in the story help to define the role of the father to the son and how being a survivor from the camp has made him different from other fathers. The guilt from being a survivor haunts him and makes him unable to enjoy freedom, yet he also feels a responsibility to be strong and uphold this strength into his son. He was lucky to survive, especially with his wife. The holocaust caused the death of about 6 million Jewish people in over 35 countries (Tammes 335). Many families were separated and broken during the holocaust.

Though Vladek survived the camps he is constantly troubled by their memory. In this regard the two stories are similar because all of the main characters in both stories lead lives forever hardened by the past. The freedom the characters experience after colonialism will never be the same after it is over because of the fear of their security as a community, be it Jews or Kenyans. 

Both novels display acts of imperialist dominance and its influence upon the governed people of the nation as well as the changes of the viewpoint of these characters as the control of the oppressing forces becomes forcibly widespread. One work of art that can symbolize the forceful control of the human mind is “Caged Brain” by Tyree Guyton, a sculpture using found objects. Currently housed in the Detroit Institute of Art, the work is composed of a birdcage containing a mess of dirty rope. Tyree Guyton’s work is about the future and making people think about solutions to the world’s problems (Buffington). “Caged Brain” can represent the individual after colonialism. Though the ability to be free is present, there are barriers still surrounding the human soul. 

Imperialism cages the human mind throughout the rest of the individual’s lifetime.  The attitudes created by the treatment will carry on to the next generation. Art Spiegalman was haunted by the memories of his father, just as the children of the Africans will be left with a legacy of loathing for the white man. As with every form of hatred it will eventually subside with the generations, but the cycle will continue of a nation imposing itself upon another and changing the views of freedom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Buffington, M L. "Art to Bring About Change: the Work of Tyree Guyton." Art Education Reston. 60.4 (2007): 25-32. Print.

"Mau Mau: Raw British Brutality." New African London Ic Magazines Limited. (2009): 28-29. Print.

"Mau Mau and the bodysnatchers; British colonial history." The Economist 1 Jan. 2005: 66(US). General OneFile. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.

Ngũgĩ, wa T. A Grain of Wheat. London: Heinemann, 1967. Print.

Fanon, Frantz, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Constance Farrington. The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Grove Press, Inc, 1965. Print.

Spiegelman, Art, and Art Spiegelman. Maus I: A Survivor's Tale : My Father Bleeds History. New York: Pantheon Books, 1991. Print.

Spiegelman, Art. Maus Ii: A Survivor's Tale : and Here My Troubles Began. New York: Pantheon Books, 1992. Print.

Tammes, Peter. "Survival of Jews During the Holocaust: the Importance of Different Types of Social Resources." International Journal of Epidemiology. 36.2 (2007): 330-335. Print.

 

 

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