Friday, October 24, 2014
Blog Assignment #5 Caesar's Column 10.24.14
Hello, this week in my "Violence in American Art and Culture" class we've discussed "Caesar's Column" and the disputes between the rich and poor. Professor Rogers-Cooper split the class up into groups to analyze certain passages. The passage my group received was "But public safety and the demands of science had long ago decreed that they should be whisked off, as soon as dead, a score or two at a time, and swept on iron tram-cars into furnaces heated to such intense white heat that they dissolved, crackling, even as they entered the chamber, and rose in nameless gases through the high chimney" (Donnelly) 33. The "demand of science" in this case means natural order of things , as in the way society has always been. High society has used the lower class as pawns and once they die, they are cremated, dissolving into dust as if they were not worthy of a traditional burial. Apparently that's how it's always been. Another passage that I thought relates to this is "If the ruling class had to deal only with the brutalized peasantry, they might, as they did in other ages, trample them into animal-like inability to organize and defend themselves." (Donnelly) 53. The idea here is that in the past, the rich have treated the poor with a high level of disrespect to the point that they thought of anyone who isn't within their class as animals. This can be identified as the natural order of things.
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I like how you interpreted the second quote in your blog. In "Caesar's Column, " the rich people are separated from the poor people. The rich live in luxurious houses while the poor live in poor conditions, struggling to survive. The rich don't care about the poor that's why the rich dispose of the dead bodies of the poor in horrible methods; like burning their lifeless bodies. The poor are treated like animals because they aren't wealthy.
ReplyDeleteTaylor your style is very bomb. I appreciate how you warm us up when you post a blog. The way you incorporate quotes is elite. Your way of using multiple points of view are also very good. You write all the right questions this is what I like to see a good job.
ReplyDeleteThe two passages you chose for this blog entry sum up the themes of social darwinism really well. The idea that the rich view the poor as subhuman occurs many times throughout the novel. In addition, the passages you chose to analyze really capture the extent in which the rich have opressed the poor, based on these principles.
ReplyDeleteMy questions now are,
If the rich oppress the poor as part of the "natural order" do the rioters overthrowing the rich and then taking their place also represent that "natural order"?
What are other examples in this novel where the rich oppress the poor based on the principle of social darwinism?
I think that your theme is one that you can find in most chapters of the novel. There are many examples of the upper-class acting in the same manner which you have described in your blog. You can also find this theme in some of the other narratives; it's a constant theme, and therefor a great aspect to write about.
ReplyDeleteYour interpretations of these two passages are pretty spot on, the way the upper class treats the lower class really shows throughout the book. You are right that they do relate to each other, the way the rich see the poor is deplorable.
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