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Just Testing

This is Dominick Long‘s blog.

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Are Coalhouse's Actions Justified?

     In the past two days in class, we have been discussing the character of Coalhouse Walker, and his actions regarding his car and the death of Sarah. Whenever anyone talks about why Coalhouse did what he did, they always start with "I don't endorse violence or terrorism, but ", and I started to think about why everyone does this, and this brought me to the question: Is terrorism or political violence inherently bad?       First, I think we should start with the definition of terrorism.  The U.S.  Code of Federal Regulations  defines terrorism as "the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives." I would argue that actions that fit this statement are not inherently morally wrong, and I think that most people would agree, at least with some actions. I think that nearly everybody would say...
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Physical Manifestations of Psychological Experiences in Kindred

     When we were discussing the end of Kindred, we discussed Dana losing her arm, and especially  how that was a reflection of her experiences throughout the book, and how she lost part of herself at the plantation. This general theme, of mental experiences and trauma expressing physically, is not only present at the end of the book, but throughout the whole book.      In the first chapter, when Dana initially travels back, she ends up getting a gun pointed at her head, and while she doesn't actually end up getting injured, the gun represents a threat of physical injury, just like the travelling then represented only a threat of mental injury. As she keeps going back to the plantation, her mental state, as well as eventually Kevin's, gets worse and worse. This is reflected physically, in the injuries they receive. The following time Dana goes back, a white patrolled attempts to rape Dana, and Dana has the chance to gouge his eyes out with her fingers...
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How Capitalism Corrupts Tateh's Art

     One major focus of our discussions in class has been Tateh and his transformation over the book from a street artist into the rich filmmaker Baron Ashkenazi, and how that is reflected on and changes his art. Some people in the class have made the argument that even though his financial status, and his position of power, have changed, this doesn't reflect on the intentions, morality, or validity of his art, and I disagree with this statement. The reasons why The Baron makes films are vastly different from why Tateh was making silhouettes at the start of the book, and the difference between these reflects on the art, as well as on Tateh himself, so much that it's almost like he is a seperate person by the end of the book.      I think that the fundamental difference between Tateh and his art at the start of the book, and the Baron at the end of the book is the type of art they make, and how they make it. Tateh starts out making silhouettes by himself, a...
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