This session began with a consideration of the question: CAN ART CHANGE THE WORLD?
Class discussion considered the political influence of Picasso's GUERNICA [see above] before moving into a discussion of KEN LOACH.
Reference was made to British Filmmaker KEN LOACH and his controversial 1966 film CATHY COME HOME that was broadcast on BBC1 and caused a storm of debate linked to the government's attitude to the homeless. In the film the female protagonist has her children taken from her as she struggles to pay the rent on her flat and becomes homeless. This film inspired a national debate that directly inspired the formation of the homeless charity CRISIS. This charity has helped thousands of vulnerable people to navigate through the horror of being homeless. This film forced a parliamentary debate and political pressure was placed upon social services to change their approach to the treatment of families and homelessness.
Ken Loach...
Cathy Come Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xky8ZqhNAlo
I Daniel Blake:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4KbJLpu7yo
In Parliament, Jeremy Corbyn asked Theresa May to watch this film to gain an insight into how welfare reforms are affecting the lives of people in the UK.
I also referred to Hitler's 1937 exhibition of art that travelled around Germany and Austria. This exhibition attempted to highlight the kind of art that Germanic people should reject. The exhibition included some of the images below:
Hitler's Degenerate Art:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24819441
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/degenerate-art.htm
Below is the work of JOHN HEARTFIELD. The Gestapo placed Heartfield at the top of their WANTED list and attempted to kill him in 1933. He escaped from the country of his birth and continued to create art.
WHY DID HITLER DESPISE MODERNIST ART? WHY DID HE DESPISE ABSTRACT ART? WHAT DID HE FEAR? WHAT DID HE WANT TO CONTROL AND WHY? WHAT DOES THIS MOMENT TELL US ABOUT THE POWER OF HUMAN IMAGINATION?
The session looked at the SECOND section of HARD TIMES. I looked at key issues from EXPLOSION to DOWN. Students were made aware of the key moments from this section of the novel. Focus was placed upon Harthouse and the fact that Dickens clearly despises his indifference and moral vacuity. Dickens presents a potential politician who believes..'WHAT WILL BE WILL BE', and who states when speaking to Tom that '..every man is selfish in everything he does and I am exactly like the rest of my fellow creatures.' Dickens illustrates the destructive nature of Harthouse's 'ennui' with the wonderful line: 'It is the drifting icebergs setting with any current anywhere, that wreck the ships.'
We also looked at the significance of the death of Mrs. Gradgrind and her husband's reaction to her death, the representation of Bitzer and the wonderful moment when Dickens describes his snoring as similar to the sound of a 'Dutch Clock' [even asleep he sounds like a machine], the significance of Mrs Sparsit's staircase, and the significance of Tom's theft from the bank and the moment when Louisa pleads with him to be truthful. Particular focus was placed upon the final two chapters of the second section.The session concluded with a discussion linked to the final chapter of 'REAPING' and how Gradgrind responds to Louisa's emotional honesty.
HOMEWORK:
Complete a paragraph response to the question:
Why is DOWN such a significant chapter?
Students need to offer.....:
- A strong opinion.
- Support this opinion with clear textual reference that considers brief reference to the chapter FATHER AND DAUGHTER in the first book. You must offer evidence of cross reference. How has Gradgrind changed? Why? Try and refer to Dickens' use of metaphor and how he is shaping meaning.
- Question Focus?/Author's aim?/ Historical context?/ Critical comment.
THIS PARAGRAPH NEEDS TO BE PACKED WITH DETAIL.
