Category: uglyandthebeautiful

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a “dilemma” can be defined as “an argument presenting two or more equally conclusive alternatives against an opponent”.  To me it is a complex problem involving multiple solutions, thus making it difficult to resolve. The first time I read the article, it didn’t strike to me as such a huge deal that Western poets were struggling with the ideals of romantic consciousness and I wondered why Diamond had used “dilemma” rather than a simpler term such as “challenge” or “problem”. After rereading it a few more times, I realized that the “dilemma” that the dilemma encountered is not just about the inability for Western poets to  capture the main romantic consciousness, but also the complexity of what beauty is. Diamond previously stated that “beauty is ethnocentric”, meaning that it is different to different cultures. Further along he describes the various aspects that can be attributed to beauty such as exaggerated features, or suppressed features, harmony and disharmonies, etc. All these different features make up what beauty is, however this does not mean that beauty itself has a certain standard, or “form” as Plato would have once said. What I mean by this is that beauty has certain qualities that appeal to us, but it does not have a certain essence or image that pops into your head when someone says “beauty”, as is the case with more ground objects like a table or a home. This complexity is what the “dilemma” refers to in the overall text.

A mellow scene from a movie. Alluring lyrics of a song. The gentle warmth of a person. These are the things that may pop into our heads when we hear the word “Romanticism.” Because the word romance has the overtone of lovey-dovey feelings, a lot of us quickly relate the word romanticism into state of being romantic. However, in many cases we interpret the word incorrectly. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, romanticism is a literary, artistic, and philosophical movement originating in the 18^th century which puts emphasis on the imagination and emotions.

In this article, The Beautiful and the Ugly are One Thing, the Sublime Another: A Reflection on Culture, the author, Stanley Diamond, uses the word romanticism to characterize Keats’ epigram of “beauty is truth, truth beauty.” By categorizing Keats’ idea as romanticism, the author is criticizing Keats’ remark as an imaginative paradox that needs to be argued against.

I agree with the author. Keats argue that beauty equals truth and truth equals beauty, but I believe that more often than not, beauty is established by deceits. What may look pretty on the outside may be unattractive on the inside. Also, the truth does not have to be pretty. The common phrase, “ugly truth” speaks for itself.

    General definitions of the adjective Janus-faced, as given from Dictionary.com all contain aspects which apply to the phrase from the text The Beautiful and the Ugly are One Thing, the Sublime Another: A Reflection of Culture:

1. Having two faces, one looking forward, one looking backward, as the Roman deity Janus.
2. Having two contrasting aspects, as the alternation of mood in a capricious person.
3. Two-faced and deceitful.
4. Aware of or concerned with polarities; seeing different and contrasting aspects.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/janus-faced

   Trickster (as a noun) – the one who tricks and deceives, a cunning or deceptive character appearing in various forms in the folklore of many cultures.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trickster

   Based on what the definitions give and after analyzing the text, it can be concluded that beauty is ethnocentric and is always double sided, which then relates to the two-faced and deceitful identity of the Roman god Janus. This shows that the same person or object might have contrasting personalities and appeals to the eyes of different beholders. What society currently considers beauty can be turned into embarrassment in the future. The noun trickster in “Janus-faced trickster” shows the deliberate deceptiveness of beauty by having the fine line between beauty for one, and the ugly for other. As said from the sentence where the phrase is found from the text  “The Beautiful and the Ugly are One Thing, the Sublime Another: A Reflection of Culture” by Stanley Diamond: “The trickster may appear as the supreme creator… In the Janus-faced trickster, the beautiful and the ugly spring from the same body.”

[by Tasmim]

Stanley Diamond creates an argument against Keats’ idea of joy being only derived from beauty and truth. Diamond describes Keats’ perception of joy as platonic, which google defined as an intimate and affectionate love or friendship. Platonic love is a deep appreciation of ideal beauty that two individuals can have for one and other without desiring a physical relationship. I believe Diamond uses the word platonic to describe Keats’ idea because throughout the article, The Beautiful and the Ugly are One Thing, the Sublime Another: A Reflection of culture, Diamond stresses that joy can not only come from the good things in life, but also the hardships one faces as well. Some synonyms of platonic are ideal and utopian, which further explains Keats’ perception of joy and the essence of truth coming from a place where there are no difficulties or challenges¾only beauty. However, Diamond refutes Keats’ argument; according to him joy can be found in a place where there is experience and growth. A place where one conquers their own challenges, achieves emancipation from bondage, and overcomes any kind of obstacles blocking their path. These experiences Diamond described are what he believes makes a person grow. This growth comes from both good and bad experiences in life, and together they create joy.

Oedipus is best known for his roots in Greek mythology in the story Oedipus Rex where he kills his father and marries his mother. Merriam-Webster defines Oedipus as a complex in which a child feels sexual desires toward the parent of the opposite sex along with jealous feelings toward the parent of the same sex. In summary, Oedipus at Colonnus, Sophocles exaggerates the culmination of the tragic hero’s life and his mythic implication for Athens. During the course of the play, Oedipus experiences a transformation from a hopeless drifter, expelled from his city because of his evils, into a symbol of immense power, capable of extending divine blessings. In conjunction to Stanley Diamond’s, The Beautiful and the Ugly are One Thing, the Sublime Another: A Reflection on Culture, Oedipus Rex is used as an example to measure joy within cultural realization. It describes a culture’s struggle as being something against all forces that reduce people to productive social mechanisms. A society’s needs can be simplified to routine as symbolism and are turned into behavior. Here, culture no longer serves as an expression. That realization is in the words and description that Sophocles uses when Oedipus shuffles off the guilt for his sins. The language used in this play transcends the norm and basic. It is in works like Oedipus Rex and King Lear in which culture was no longer mere functionality but transcends the norm. It is in cases like that where joy “exists”.

It’s funny how I assumed that “sublime” somehow had something to do with slime or a part of a lime, and I never bothered to actually look up the word itself. I guess this assignment turned out to be a great reason for me to look it up for the first time. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “sublime” is defined as (a) lofty, grand, or exalted in thought, expression, or manner; (b)  of outstanding spiritual, intellectual, or moral worth; (c) tending to inspire awe usually because of elevated quality (as of beauty, nobility, or grandeur) or transcendent excellence. Basically, sublime is when something is A+ or tremendously astounding or astonishing. I did find it interesting, though, that sublime could also mean complete or utter, which I think could be a better definition in “The Beautiful and the Ugly are One Thing, the Sublime Another: A Reflection on Culture.” I think it’s interesting how the word sublime is even in the title, but I know it is no accident. The article discusses in detail the difference (or the lack of) between the beautiful and the ugly, and I think Diamond believes that neither the beautiful nor the ugly can achieve completeness or outstanding worth, which makes a lot of sense given the arguments Diamond makes in this article, especially the point that what one culture finds beautiful, another culture might find ugly; what is beautiful one day might be outrageous the next. Sublime is a much deeper word than I thought!