Author: Sabri Sönmez

The two versions varied greatly even though they were both the same songs. The original of David Bowie, was very easy to follow with very distinct sounds and limited vocals. Beck’s rendition however included not only many voices but also many instruments. Beck’s version was also in video format so not only was the music vastly more dramatic so was the images that I saw in my head, in comparison to that of the Bowie which was much more calm and concise. Beck’s was so much more packed than that of the original. It reminded me of the jazz performance a lot,  because of the large number of musicians featured in that one piece, there was a necessity to work together in harmony. That was what I noticed in the Jazz performance as these artist all with different sounds had to work together to create a musical piece. They each had places where they had to wait for others or take a solo, and therefore it was very similar to the second version of Bowie’s song.

One of my favorite songs states “Its better to feel pain than nothing at all”.  The feeling of pain is an essential part of life, and rather than sleeping through it all without any sense, it is better to live even if their will be pain. The feeling of pain is not only natural but in a way it is a necessity. If there was no reason to alleviate this pain then there would be no need to live. If we achieve true euphoria without psychical or mental barrier then there is no point in putting effort into changing things. However with this pain our world is ever changing, trying to find new and better ways to solve our pain. And through these efforts sometimes we fail but other times we gain even by accident. This is what Boxer communicates when she states ““When people forge tools or build things, they are often trying to alleviate discomfort. But first they must define the discomfort”. We have the need to create things because we have the necessity to fix the pain we are experiencing, without this vital part of life we cannot have the creative force of pain driving us to push on.

When I saw the Laocoön statue in person this summer, it didn’t really affect me as much as it did after I read this article. I never really thought about the story behind it when I observed the art, I definitely appreciated its beauty and grace, but I didn’t think that this was an art that people looked down upon. When you see a muscular guy struggling against monstrous tentacles, the first thing you really think of is a heroic story, however it was one of punishment and terror. As this man went against the gods and is art to show the aftermaths of disobeying authority. Boxer states “the sculpture [of Laocoön] didn’t change, but the idea of pain and justice did”, and I completely agree with this, because when we think of justice and pain we don’t think about putting this out in the public for people to view and admire. We feel pity for those that go through pain, rather than enjoyment that they got what they “deserved”, and we would never relish such images of pain now.

Part I:  The crimes that the judge initially describes are the ones committed through necessity and done in order to make a living. The crime that the tight-rope walker commits however is a crime done purely out of Petit’s own desire and curiosity, rather than the an essentiality. Petit’s crime is scene as a work of art, and by the judge a kind monument that truly represents New York. A place of chaos, insanity, and beauty all mixed together.

Part II: The doubling up of the two cases furthers the contrast between two different kinds of crimes discussed in part I. Even though the judge is forced to give some sort of consequence for Petit’s actions, he still has a lot of sympathy for him from the get go. Before event facing the trial he already thinks about how bizarre this will be and he is very effected by this court case. He sees Petit’s crime in a very different light than he does of Tillie and Jazzlyn. This is why he has an internal conflict on what he has to do as a judge rather than what he actually feels about the crime committed by the tightrope walker. When it comes to Tillie and Jazzlyn, the judge is very prejudice, and he immediately sees Tillie as a representation of the lower class, and stereotypes her. Rather than thinking about the crime he thinks about looking good in front of the reporters that came for the tightrope walkers case. It is isn’t until the end when he feels some sort of empathy after realizing the mother and daughter relationship, where his real feelings start to come out. The contrast between the two cases that happen on the same day reveal how different people and crimes are viewed and how different prejudices exist.

Part III:

The prologue is the explanation of Philippe Petit’s incredible tightrope walk between the twin towers. This event is interpreted in many ways wether it is the admiration of the human will, or wether it is to find the beauty in everyday things, or whether in the case of some of the characters such as Marcia, a resurrection of her dead son, all the characters are somehow affected by this image of a man walking in the air. It literally stops the chaotic New York, and this event is not only a different symbol for each of the characters in the book but its also a symbol of interconnectedness and unity amongst them. This wasn’t apparent in the prologue but once the story ends it bridges back to this event, as connections are made between characters that are not expected and out of the blue just like the tightrope walker.

Continuing off this theme of uniting people in unfamiliar and random ways, Jaslyn and Pino two strangers ended up getting together in the last chapter. These two strangers unexpectedly got together and it formed a bridge with the earlier symbol of the tightrope walker and how different connections are constantly being made on accident or by chance.

Stanley Diamond argues that the statements made by Keats in his poem are flawed as Keats asserts that “a thing of beauty is a joy forever”.  Keats is trying to explain that beauty has the power to affect people, as it can change their emotions for the better not just temporarily but “forever”, meaning that this pleasure is never-ending. Diamond believes that this assertion is “forced” and that joy can be related to much more than just beauty. He argues that this claim creates a spiritual problem. Not only is this problem evident in Keats writing but also in the other authors that write in the romantic style.  Romanticism focuses on intense emotion, particularly of the individual. As Keats shows great appreciation to beauty he suggests that beauty has a spiritual source. Thats where Diamond attests that this is not only flawed but also dangerous. Transcendental is defined as something that relates to a spiritual or a nonphysical realm, Diamond believes that poems such as Keats which relate to spiritual beliefs can prove to be dangerous to ones inner self, as it could cause someone to fall into despair.  And he proclaims that Keats is not the only one in making such claims about spirituality but one of the many “Western poets” whom bring up similar themes.