Jazz and Blues Feedback to Jamaica :: essays papers

Jazz and Blues Feedback to Jamaica Music seems to mimic time in a way. As the human race passes through history, the music and its language acts in essence as a speculum of human culture and its path, lavish with its longings, its grief, but always stirring (Santoro, 2). In this paper, I will walk down this path, and show the significance music has played on the Jamaican and American cultures. This paper will illustrate the profound influence that American music, primarily jazz and blues, had on Jamaican reggae, and by breaking down each type of music to a simple rhythm, I will show the relationships between them. If asked about the origins of Jamaican folk culture, some people might answer that it originated in Africa and remained undisturbed by other cultures (such as Europe). Even though Jamaicans are mostly of African descent, Jamaica’s only language in none other that English (Chang and Chen, 10). Whether the race or language influenced Jamaica’s culture, has been a question of long debate. Professor Rex Nettleford, a noted social commentator, sees the language of a nation as ‘the primary bearer of social genes.’ Professor Nettleford answers the question by explaining the Jamaican experience: Africa is indeed tolerated in spurts of sycretised or reinterpreted folk-lore — a little bit of dance, a little bit of music, a little bit of story telling, and a few words lacing the Anglo-Saxon tongue with exotic tones and colour. But our formal education system, our accepted belief system, our art, law and morals, the legitimate customs and so many of our habits and perceived capabilities — all indicate of a so-called cultural sense are dominated by the European heritage (Chang and Chen, 10). The entire argument is conclusive and evident in most points, except the ‘little bit of [African] music,’ which is questionable. The roots of reggae music has been said to be fixed in slavery. The Rhythms, songs, and dances that survived well into the twentieth century in rural Jamaica are seen as solely African (Davis and Simon, 9). During the middle of the seventeenth century, Jamaica was basically a giant agricultural factory, used by a few British planters. The plantations worked by slaves imported from Africa made tremendous amounts of money, but the planters gleaned all the profits. Over the next 250 years when slavery was active, about thirty million Africans were brought to the New World, and is known as the largest forced migration in all of human history (Davis and Simon, 9).

Product Placement Essay -- essays research papers

Introduction Product placement can be considered a new marketing tool when associated within motion pictures and television. It can result in a more positive brand attitude when the product is associated with a character or group of characters that are preserved to be positive in the eyes of their audience. It is the intention of this study to look at the effects of product placement and it’s use in combination with advertising and their effects on the target audience. This literature review is an attempt to view both sides of the controversial issue. Problem Statement The problem of this study is the effect of product placement, used as a marketing tool, in motion pictures, television, literature, Internet, and in games, and the effect that it has on particular product consumers. Summary of Articles Shinan Govani is a Toronto-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in George magazine. She was summarized in saying that products don't tarnish a movie; sometimes they enhance it. She justifies this by saying â€Å"†¦these products give movies an indelible imprint of realism. In real life, we eat, drink, wear, and drive brand name products. It’s part of our typography.† (Govani, 1999) She went on to comment, â€Å"Some may disparage this product treasure-hunt mentality, but it's something nearly all of us respond to. Even during the Clinton-Lewinsky saga - the year's most popular movie, according to Neal Gabler, author of "Life: The Movie" - we chuckled at mention of Monica's blue Gap dress or at Clinton taking a swig from a Diet Coke can during his grand jury testimony.† (Govani, 1999) Was this planned, was this product placement†¦ no it’s real life. David Bauder reported on the controversy and was quoted in saying, â€Å"The new technology isn't likely to replace regular commercials†, he also reported that when it comes to television, â€Å"it's starting to get harder to tell when the ads end and the show begins†. (Bauder, 1999) Bauder interviewed several experts and officials in the industry such as Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University, who said, "There is certainly a sense that the bleeding of the commercials into the programs is getting more extreme than it ever has been†. For many years, networks took pains to avoid product placement. The results often looked awkward: Actors would drink from a... ...p://www.businessweek.com/datedtoc /1998/ 980622.htm. Buss, Dale (1998, June 22). You Ought to be in Pictures. Business Week: On-line. Retrieved on October 8, 2001, from http://www.businessweek.com/datedtoc /1998/ 980622.htm. Hellen, Nicholas and Nuki, Paul(1999, April 25). Product Placement and politics of advertising. Retrieved from http://www.bilderberg.org/product.htm Rothenberg, Randall (2001). Marketing’s ‘borders’ blurred by product placement revival. Advertising Age, 72, 24. Sellers, Dennis (1999, November 4). Faous People: GQ, Stanley Mouse, and product placement. MacCentral On-line. Retrieved from http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/9911/04.famous.shtml Weaver, D.T., & Oliver, M.B. (2000, June). Television programs and advertising: Measuring the effects of product placement within Seinfeld. Paper presented to the Mass Communications Division at the 50th annual conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Acapulco, Mexico. Weinberg, Larry. Product Placement. Retrieved from http://www.geocities.com/weinbergreport/brandinglarry.htm Wells, Melanie (2001, October 29). Who Really Needs Madison Avenue? Forbes 131.

The Great Depression and World War II Shaped My Grandmas Life Essay

The Great Depression and World War II Shaped My Grandma's Life My grandma, Alma Jean, was born in 1935 in Silo, Oklahoma, just outside of Durant. Her birth certificate says she was born in Durant because Silo was too small to be considered a real town. She lived there on a farm with her parents, Orval and Maggie Dale. It was the middle of the Great Depression, and they were a farming family at a time when it seemed like no one could make a living off the land. To supplement their income, Orval and his father worked for the Works Progress Administration (WPA). President Roosevelt set up the WPA the same year that my grandma was born (Divine 760). The WPA was similar to other work relief programs such as the CCC, PWA, CWA and NYA. All were established to provide jobs for the unemployed. However, the WPA was unique because it was the first program to also address the needs of artists, writers, and actors. These people were employed by the WPA to capture and portray the culture and events of the United States at that time (761). As a result of the Depression, Americans learned to be resourceful. People would make clothes out of flour sacks and homes out of cardboard and metal scraps (Conlin 686). They grew gardens and hunted for their food instead of buying it at the store. Some people even sold apples in the city streets to earn money (Current 731). One of the weirdest things about my grandma is that she likes to eat squirrel brains. But it makes sense. When she was little they didn't have money to buy meat, so her dad would go hunting all the time. He'd catch jackrabbits and squirrels and whatever else he could find, and that's what they ate. So my grandma grew up eating squirrels (and their brains). It was normal to h... ... of the war. The day the war ended she was in school. When they found out it was over, they let all the kids go home early. Everywhere she went, she said she could feel a sense of relief. Everyone was happy and excited. My grandma grew up and married Henry Fordge. They now have six grown children and a lifetime of wonderful memories. Her first memories, though, were shaped by two of the greatest events in American history: The Great Depression and World War Two. Works Cited Conlin, Joseph R. Our Land, Our Time: A History of the United States. Orlando: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1991. Current, Richard N., et al. American History: A Survey. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1983. Divine, Robert A., ed. America Past and Present. Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1987. Jordan, Killian, ed. Our Finest Hour. Time Inc. Home Entertainment. 2000.

Introduction to Marketing Essay

Pestle stands for political, economic, social technological, legal and environmental influences. Businesses use this as part of their marketing plan procedure. Political: what is happening politically with regards to tax policies employment laws, trade restrictions, tariffs Economic: what is happening within the economy i. e. economic growth/ decline, minimum wage, unemployment, credit availability, cost of living, etc. Sociological: what is occurring socially i. e. cultural norms and expectations, health consciousness, population growth rate, career attitudes. Technological: new technologies are continually being developed. There are also changes to barriers to entry in given markets Legal: changes to legislation. This may impact employment, access to materials, resources, imports/ exports, taxation etc. Environmental: what is happening with respect to ecological and environmental aspects. A PESTLE analysis is used in business to assess the industry which an organisation is in. The PESTLE analysis looks specifically at factors which are external to the organisation which will impact on the business. This is with a view to determining the current role and status of the organisation in relation to its competitors and can be used as a marketing tool. See more: how to start an essay SWOT Analysis. A tool that identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a business. SWOT is a straightforward model that assesses what a business can and cannot do as well as its potential opportunities and threats. The method of SWOT analysis is to take the information from an environmental analysis and separate it into internal (strengths and weaknesses) and external issues (opportunities and threats). Once this is completed, SWOT analysis determines what may assist the firm in accomplishing its objectives, and what obstacles must be overcome or minimized to achieve desired results. The strengths and weaknesses are interior when it comes to a business and things that are included that could be a problem are things like buildings, the quality of their workers, the i. t systems etc. The external element focuses on the opportunities and dangers in the business. Research into the organisation is essential and required when carrying out a SWOT analaysis. By matching organisations strengths and weaknesses with the external forces. SWOT analysis brings all the proof from all the different analytical techniques used. This is a way of creating a summary which gives the basis of developing the marketing objectives and strategies or even plans. Strengths: These are the internal features of the business. A highly efficient IT system could be an example. Weaknesses: These are the internal aspects of a business. Which don’t cope well with competition? An example would be staff that are not qualified or trained properly. Opportunities: This focuses on developing the business by focusing on things such as events. An example would be new territories for a particular product or a brand new segment of a market. Threats: These are external to the organisation and its development . Which can affect the business and wreck the businesses’ performance. They can be originated by the governmental policy such as an increase in corporation tax and new law. Smart Objectives All businesses have their own objectives. They can be at different levels depending on how well the business is performance. Specific – When the business sets the objectives, they must be specific so that the workers are able to follow them businesses must ensure that the instructions are clear along the goal set. Measurable – So the businesses knows on how successful they have become and to look at any changes that would affect the profit they must do a comparison of their performance in the previous years Achievable – The business needs to think carefully if they are going to be able to achieve their goals. Realistic – The business can’t set goals unless they are realistic and that they would be able to achieve these objectives. Time – The amount of time it is going to take should be stated then this way everyone has an idea and these can get done soon as.

Gcse History Revision Notes – Germany

History Revision Notes – Germany Weimar – strengths and weaknesses The Weimar Republic After Germany lost the First World War, the Kaiser fled and a new democratic government of Germany was declared in February 1919 at the small town of Weimar. It was too dangerous to make a declaration in Berlin where there had just been a revolt by a Communist group called the Spartacists. STRENGTHS †¢ A Bill of Rights guaranteed every German citizen freedom of speech and religion, and equality under the law. †¢ All men and women over the age of 20 were given the vote. †¢ There was an elected president and an elected Reichstag (parliament). The Reichstag made the laws and appointed the government, which had to do what the Reichstag wanted. WEAKNESSES †¢ Proportional representation – instead of voting for an MP, like we do in Britain,Weimar Germans voted for a party. Each party was then allocated seats in the Reichstag exactly reflecting (proportional' to) th e number of people who had voted for it. This sounds fair, but in practice it was a disaster it resulted in dozens of tiny parties, with no party strong enough to get a majority, and, therefore, no government to get its laws passed in the Reichstag. This was a major weakness of the Republic. Article 48 – this said that, in an emergency, the president did not need the agreement of the Reichstag, but could issue decrees [Decrees: Laws passed by one minister in a parliament, which have not been approved by the majority parliament. ]. The problem with this was that it did not say what an emergency was, and in the end, it turned out to be a way that Hitler used to take power legally. Weimar – problems 1919-1923 The Weimar Republic faced opposition from the outset in 1919, after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Economic hardship affected the whole nation and led to uprisings and assassinations.Key problems The Weimar Republic was created at a time of confusion and ch aos after Germany had lost the First World War. Many people felt that Germany had received a very harsh deal in the Treaty of Versailles and they resented the government for signing it and agreeing to its conditions. The Weimar Republic faced violent uprisings from various groups, not to mention economic problems. Germany between 1918 and 1919 was in chaos. People were starving, the Kaiser had fled and people hated the government for signing the armistice to end the war in November 1918 – they called them the November criminals.Bands of soldiers called Freikorps refused to disband and formed private armies. It was not a good start for the Republic. There was continuous violence and unrest: †¢ In March 1920, there was a rebellion – the Kapp Putsch – that aimed to bring back the Kaiser . †¢ Nationalist terror groups assassinated 356 government politicians. †¢ Many of the people in Germany were communists who wanted to bring in a Russian-style commun ist government. There were a number of communist uprisings. For instance, in 1919 the Spartacists rebelled in Berlin. [pic] The Kapp Putsch march in March 1920, the right-wing nationalist Dr Wolfgang Kapp took over Berlin. The army refused to attack him; he was only defeated when the workers of Berlin went on strike. The Weimar government's main crisis occurred in 1923, when the Germans failed to make a reparations payment ( payments made for damage caused in WW1. Part of T of V) on time, which set off a train of events that included: †¢ a French invasion of the Ruhr †¢ a general strike †¢ hyperinflation †¢ a number of communist rebellions †¢ an attempted Nazi putsch in Munich Weimar – crisis of 1923The 1923 crisis began when Germany missed a reparations payment. This situation spiralled out of control and once again the German people were unhappy and in financial difficulty, so uprisings occurred throughout the country. Hyperinflation The sudden floo d of paper money into the economy, on top of the general strike – which meant that no goods were manufactured, so there was more money, chasing fewer goods – combined with a weak economy ruined by the war, all resulted in hyperinflation. Prices ran out of control – eg a loaf of bread, which cost 250 marks in January 1923 had risen to 200,000 million marks in November 1923.German's currency became worthless. But remember: †¢ Some people made fortunes during the crisis. One man borrowed money to buy a herd of cattle, but soon after paid back his loan by selling one cow. †¢ People on wages were safe, because they renegotiated their wages every day. †¢ Pensioners on fixed incomes and people with savings were the most badly hit. One woman sold her house with the intention of using the money to live on. A few weeks later, the money wasn't even enough to buy a loaf of bread. The Early Nazi Party The Nazi ideology: †¢ Lebensraum – the need for ‘living space' for the German nation to expand. A strong Germany – the Treaty of Versailles should be abolished and all German-speaking people united in one country. †¢ Fuhrer – the idea that there should be a single leader with complete power rather than a democracy. †¢ Social Darwinism – the idea that the Aryan race was superior and Jews were ‘subhuman'. †¢ Autarky – the idea that Germany should be economically self-sufficient. †¢ Germany was in danger – from Communists and Jews, who had to be destroyed. The appeal of the Nazis In the 1920s, the Nazis tried to be all things to all people.The 25-Point Programme had policies that were: †¢ Socialist – eg farmers should be given their land; pensions should improve; and public industries such as electricity and water should be owned by the state. †¢ Nationalist – all German-speaking people should be united in one country; the Treaty of Versaille s should be abolished; and there should be special laws for foreigners. †¢ Racist – Jews should not be German citizens and immigration should be stopped. †¢ Fascist – a strong central government and control of the newspapers. The Nazis did not appeal to: †¢ working men who voted Communist intellectuals such as students and university professors They were popular with: †¢ nationalists and racists †¢ farmers †¢ lower middle-class people such as plumbers and shopkeepers who were worried about the chaos Germany was in †¢ rich people worried by the threat from Communism Rebellions Unsurprisingly, the hardships created by hyperinflation led to many uprisings as groups struggled to take power from Weimar. The Munich Putsch 1923 In November 1923, Hitler tried to take advantage of the crisis facing the Weimar government by instigating a revolution in Munich.It seemed like the perfect opportunity, but poor planning and misjudgement resulted in failure and the subsequent imprisonment of Adolf Hitler. Summary At first, the Nazis were just a terrorist group. Hitler assembled a large group of unemployed young men and former soldiers, known as the storm troopers (the SA), which attacked other political groups. Hitler hoped to take power by starting a revolution During the crisis of 1923, therefore, Hitler plotted with two nationalist politicians – Kahr and Lossow – to take over Munich in a revolution.Hitler collected his storm troopers and told them to be ready to rebel. But then, on 4 October 1923, Kahr and Lossow called off the rebellion. This was an impossible situation for Hitler, who had 3,000 troops ready to fight. [pic] Hitler waved a gun at Khar and Lossow On the night of 8 November 1923, Hitler and 600 storm troopers burst into a meeting that Kahr and Lossow were holding at the local Beer Hall. Waving a gun at them, Hitler forced them to agree to rebel – and then let them go home. The SA took over the army headquarters and the offices of the local newspaper. 16 Nazis were killed in the scuffleThe next day, 9 November 1923, Hitler and his Nazis went into Munich on what they thought would be a triumphal march to take power. However, Kahr had called in police and army reinforcements. There was a short scuffle in which the police killed 16 Nazis. Hitler fled, but was arrested two days later. Why did Hitler attempt the Munich Putsch in 1923? 1. By 1923, the Nazi party had 55,000 members and was stronger than ever before. 2. The Weimar Republic was in crisis and about to collapse. 3. In September 1923, the Weimar government had called off the general strike, and every German nationalist was furious with the government. . Hitler thought he would be helped by important nationalist politicians in Bavaria. 5. Hitler had a huge army of storm troopers, but he knew he would lose control of them if he did not give them something to do. 6. Hitler hoped to copy Mussolini – the Italia n fascist leader – who had come to power in Italy in 1922 by marching on Rome. Results of the Munich Putsch The Munich Putsch was a failure. As a result: 1. The Nazi party was banned, and Hitler was prevented from speaking in public until 1927. 2. Hitler went to prison, where he wrote ‘Mein Kampf'.Millions of Germans read it, and Hitler's ideas became very well-known. 3. Hitler decided that he would never come to power by revolution; he realised that he would have to use constitutional means, so he organised: o the Hitler Youth o propaganda campaigns o mergers with other right-wing parties o local branches of the party, which tried to get Nazis elected to the Reichstag o the SS as his personal bodyguard, which was set up in 1925 It was this strategy of gaining power legitimately that eventually brought him to power. How did the Weimar Republic survive?In 1923 the Weimar Republic was teetering at the brink of a very large cliff with problems such as hyperinflation, attem pted revolutions and public discontent, pushing it increasingly towards the edge. How could the Republic possibly survive? Gustav Stresemann and Charles Dawes In 1923, the Weimar Republic was on the verge of collapse, but, surprisingly, the crisis was the start of a period of stability and success. The period 1923-1929 was a time when the economy boomed and cultural life flourished in Germany. This dramatic turnabout happened because Germany was saved by two people – Gustav Stresemann and Charles Dawes.Gustav Stresemann had been a nationalist, but he realised that something needed to be done to save Germany. Under Stresemann's guidance, the government called off the strike, persuaded the French to leave the Ruhr and even got the rest of the world to allow Germany to join the League of Nations in 1926. Stresemann also introduced reforms to help ordinary people such as job centres, unemployment pay and better housing. Charles Dawes was the US budget director. In 1923, he was se nt to Europe to sort out Germany's economy. Under his advice, the German Reichsbank was reformed and the old money was called in and burned.This ended the hyperinflation. Dawes also arranged the Dawes Plan with Stresemann, which gave Germany longer to pay reparations. Most importantly, Dawes agreed to America lending Germany 800 million gold marks, which kick-started the German economy. Was Weimar stable during 1923-1929? Despite all the successes, many historians believe that the stability of the Weimar republic was illusory: 1. The nationalists and fascists did not win many seats in the Reichstag, but they were allowed to exist and campaign, so they were just waiting for the right opportunity to attempt a takeover again. . Everything depended on American money – if that stopped, Germany was ready to return to crisis. 3. No political party had a majority. Coalition gov’t struggled to agree and get laws passed. 4. Dawes Plan and new currency meant eco was stable Hitler 's rise to power Hitler's rise to power cannot be attributed to one event, but a mixture of factors including events happening outside Germany, the strengths of the Nazi party, and the weaknesses of other parties within Germany. Hitler used these factors to his advantage and in 1933 he legitimately gained power to become chancellor.In 1929, the American Stock Exchange collapsed, and caused an economic depression. America called in all its foreign loans, which destroyed Weimar Germany due to the Dawes Plan. Unemployment in Germany rose to 6 million. The government did not know what to do. In July 1930 Chancellor Bruning cut government expenditure, wages and unemployment pay – the worst thing to do during a depression. He could not get the Reichstag to agree to his actions, so President Hindenburg used Article 48 to pass the measures by decree. The Nazis gain support Anger and bitterness helped the Nazis to gain more support.Many workers turned to communism, but this frightened wealthy businessmen, so they financed Hitler's campaigns. Many middle-class people, alarmed by the obvious failure of democracy, decided that the country needed a strong government. Nationalists and racists blamed the Treaty of Versailles and reparations. [pic] In 1928, the Nazis had only 12 seats in the Reichstag; by July 1932 they had 230 seats and were the largest party. The government was in chaos. President Hindenburg dismissed Bruning in 1932. His replacement – Papen – lasted six months, and the next chancellor – Schleicher – only lasted two months.Hindenburg had to use Article 48 to pass almost every law. In January 1933, Hindenburg and Papen came up with a plan to get the Nazis on their side by offering to make Hitler vice chancellor. He refused and demanded to be made chancellor. They agreed, thinking they could control him. In January 1933, Hitler became chancellor, and immediately set about making himself absolute ruler of Germany using Articl e 48. Reasons why Hitler rose to power 1. Hitler was a great speaker, with the power to make people support him. 2. The moderate political parties would not work together, although together they had more support than the Nazis. . The depression of 1929 created poverty and unemployment, which made people angry with the Weimar government. People lost confidence in the democratic system and turned towards the extremist political parties such as the Communists and Nazis during the depression. 4. The Nazi storm troopers attacked Hitler's opponents. 5. Goebbels' propaganda campaign was very effective and it won support for the Nazis. The Nazis targeted specific groups of society with different slogans and policies to win their support. 6. Hitler was given power in a political deal by Hindenburg and Papen who foolishly thought they could control him. . German people were still angry about the Treaty of Versailles and supported Hitler because he promised to overturn it. 8. Industrialists ga ve Hitler money and support. How Hitler consolidated power 1933-1934 Dates and events 1933-1934 |Date |Event | |27 Feb 1933 |Reichstag Fire Hitler used the fire to his advantage in two ways: | |[pic] |It gave him an opportunity to imprison many communist leaders, which stopped them campaigning during the election. | |It allowed the Nazis to say that the country was in danger from the communists during its election campaign. | | |Both these actions helped the Nazis to win more seats in the election. | | |When the courts convicted Dutch Communist van der Lubbe, but did not convict otherCommunist leaders, Hitler was furious and | | |replaced the courts with the Nazi People's Courts. | |5 Mar 1933 |General Election – only 44 per cent of the population vote for the Nazis, who win 288 seats in the Reichstag. |[pic] |Although it did not give the Nazis the majority that Hitler had hoped for in the Reichstag, it gave them enough seats – after | | |Hitler had arrested all the co mmunist deputies and the other parties had been intimidated by the SA – to get the Enabling Act | | |passed, which is all Hitler needed to do. | |23 Mar 1933 |Enabling Act – the SA intimidates all the remaining non-Nazi deputies. The Reichstag votes to give Hitler the right to make his | |[pic] |own laws. | |Arguably the critical event – it gave Hitler absolute power to make his laws. | |26 April 1933 |Local government is reorganised – the country is carved up into 42 Gaus, which are run by a Gauleiter. These Gaus are separated | |[pic] |into areas, localities and blocks of flats run by a Blockleiter. Hitler sets up the Gestapo. | | |This put the Nazis in control of local government, and allowed the Gestapo to rule by terror. | |2 May 1933 |Trade unions are abolished and their leaders arrested. |[pic] |Abolishing the trade unions allowed Hitler to destroy a group that might have opposed him. It also gave Hitler the opportunity | | |to set up the German La bour Front, which gave him control over German workers. | |20 June 1933 |Concordat – Hitler makes an agreement with the Pope who sees him as someone who can destroy communism. This agreement allows | |[pic] |Hitler to take over political power in Germany as long as he leaves the Catholic Church alone.Hitler's agreement with the Pope | | |was a temporary truce that allowed Hitler to ban the Catholic Zentrum party without opposition from the Catholic Church. | |14 July 1933 |Political parties are banned – only the Nazi party is allowed to exist. | |[pic] |Banning political parties made Germany a one-party state and destroyed democracy in the country. | | |After this action, Germans could no longer get rid of Hitler in an election. |24 April 1934 |People's Courts – Hitler sets up the Nazi people's courts where judges have to swear an oath of loyalty to the Nazis. | |[pic] |These were set up to give Hitler greater control over the judgements made in courts. Hitler w as furious because the courts did | | |not sentence the communists to death for starting the Reichstag fire. | |30 June 1934 |Night of the Long Knives – some SA leaders are demanding that the Nazi party carry out its socialist agenda, and that the SA | |[pic] |take over the army.Hitler cannot afford to annoy the businessmen or the army, so the SS [SS: Also known as the Blackshirts. A | | |German police/ military style organisation created to serve as the personal bodyguards of Adolf Hitler. In Hitler's Germany they| | |eventually controlled the intelligence, security and police forces, and extermination of those they considered undesirable. ] | | |murders perhaps 400 of the SA members, including its leader Rohm, along with a number of Hitler's other opponents. | |This destroyed all opposition within the Nazi Party. It gave power to the brutal SS. It also showed the rest of the world what a| | |tyrant Hitler was. | |19 Aug 1934 |Fuhrer – when Hindenburg dies, Hitler dec lares himself jointly president, chancellor and head of the army. This formally made | |[pic] |Hitler the absolute ruler of Germany. | Many historians believe that Nazi Germany only appeared to be a dictatorship.In fact, officials were left to make most of the decisions themselves, and the Nazi government was badly-organised, and chaotic. Hitler and the army It is important to note that in 1934, the army was not subject to Hitler's authority. At this point, he still needed the army's support, which is why he destroyed the SA in the Night of the Long Knives. In 1938, army leaders hoped Hitler's plan to conquer the Sudetenland would fail and give them an opportunity to depose [Depose: To remove a ruler or monarch. ] him.When he suceeded, their attempt to get rid of him fell apart, and Hitler dismissed the chief of staff and 60 other generals. Thereafter, the army was also subservient to Hitler. The structures of control in the Nazi state Hitler introduced many policies and measures to ensure the Nazis remained in control, once he declared himself Fuhrer. These measures dealt with political opponents, as well as ordinary people, who suddenly found their private, social and working lives controlled by the Nazis. Seven key structures The Nazi party aimed to control every aspect of people's political, social and working lives.It maintained control through a mixture of propaganda [Propaganda: A type of advertising for an idea or cause, produced by supporters or opponents of that idea or cause. It is usually produced to influence how the people of a nation think. ] and intimidation. 1. Government (political) The way Hitler consolidated power in 1933-1934 meant that the Nazis had absolute control of national and local government. 2. Religion (social) †¢ Hitler believed that religion was a threat to the Nazis' control over people's minds, so he tried different ways to reduce the power of the church over people.Non-Nazi Catholic priests and Protestant pastors such a s Martin Niemoller and Dietrich Bonhoffer were sent to concentration camps. †¢ Jews and Jehovah's Witnesses were openly persecuted. †¢ Hitler set up a state Reich Church, which banned the Bible and the cross. †¢ Nazis encouraged people to revive the old Viking myths and ceremonies. 3. Culture (social) †¢ Hitler ordered Nazification – the imposition of Nazi values – on all aspects of German life. Artists had to produce acceptable paintings that portrayed Nazi values. †¢ Jazz music was banned. †¢ Books written by Jews were publicly burned. Homosexuals were persecuted; they did not fit the Nazi image of the ideal family. †¢ The Olympic Games of 1936 were a huge Nazi propaganda success. 4. Work (working) †¢ Dr Robert Ley, head of the DAF [DAF: German Labour Front ], boasted that he controlled workers' lives from the ‘cradle to the grave'. The RAD (National Labour Service) sent young men on public works. †¢ Hitler introduce d conscription in 1936; most men went into the army after the RAD. †¢ The DAF (German Labour Front) controlled workers' conditions at work. †¢ The KdF (Strength through Joy) movement regulated their leisure time. . Education and youth (working) †¢The lives of young people were controlled both in and out of school to turn them into fanatical Nazis. Non-Nazi teachers and university professors were sacked; teachers had to join the National Socialist Teachers' League. †¢ Textbooks were re-written to include Nazi political and racial ideas. †¢ History was taught to glorify Germany. †¢ There was a concentration on physical fitness. †¢ Girls were taught cookery; boys were taught science and maths. †¢ The Hitler Youth was compulsory; it indoctrinated boys and prepared them for war. The Nazi Girls' youth organisation – the BDM – was compulsory; it indoctrinated girls and prepared them for church, children and cooking. 6. Terror (method of control) †¢ Germany became a country where it was unsafe to do or say anything critical of the government. SS and Gestapo (Secret State Police. ) †¢ Blockleiters in each block of flats and street informed on ‘grumblers'. †¢ Arrests of thousands of people terrified opponents. †¢ Set up Nazi people's courts. †¢ Concentration camps.7. Propaganda (method of control) Josef Goebbels controlled the Propaganda Ministry, which aimed to brainwash people into obeying the Nazis and idolising Hitler. Mass rallies at Nuremberg. †¢ Newspapers were censored. †¢ People's radios were sold very cheaply, but broadcasts were controlled. †¢ Films were controlled to make films that glorified war and pilloried the Jews. †¢ Loudspeakers in public places blared out Nazi propaganda. †¢ Cult of personality – Hitler's picture was everywhere, and he was portrayed as Germany's saviour. Women in the Nazi state Hitler had very clear ideas about the wom an's role in the Nazi state – she was the centre of family life, a housewife and mother. Hitler even introduced a medal for women who had eight or more children!The role of women The Nazis had clear ideas of what they wanted from women. Women were expected to stay at home and look after the family. Women doctors, teachers and civil servants were forced to give up their careers. Even at the end of the war, women were never asked to serve in the armed forces. Their job was to keep the home nice for their husband and family – their life should revolve round the three ‘Ks': †¢ church †¢ children †¢ cooking Goebbels said: â€Å"The mission of women is to be beautiful and to bring children into the world. † Hitler wanted a high birth rate, so the population would grow.The Nazis even considered making it law that families should have at least four children. Girls did keep fit in the BDM [BDM: Bund Deutscher Madel – the German group for girls age 14+ ] to make themselves healthy for childbirth, but they were discouraged from staying slim, because it was thought that thin women had trouble giving birth. The Law for the Encouragement of Marriage gave newly wed couples a loan of 1,000 marks, and allowed them to keep 250 marks for each child they had. Mothers who had more than eight children were given a gold medal.Unmarried women could volunteer to have a baby for an Aryan [Aryan: a person of European decent (not Jewish) often with blond hair and blue eyes – the Nazis viewed as the superior human race ] member of the SS Women were supposed to emulate traditional German peasant fashions – plain peasant costumes, hair in plaits or buns and flat shoes. They were not expected to wear make-up or trousers, dye their hair or smoke in public. Opposition Those who spoke out against Hitler and his policies faced intimidation and threats from the Gestapo or imprisonment and in some cases execution.However, there were so me brave individuals and groups who openly opposed Hitler and his policies. Who opposed Hilter? It was difficult – and dangerous – to oppose Hitler. However, some brave people did try: 1. The Catholic Archbishop of Munster, von Galen, led a successful campaign to end euthanasia of mentally-disabled people. 2. Some Catholic priests opposed Hitler. In 1937, the Pope's message ‘With Burning Concern' attacked Hitler as ‘a mad prophet with repulsive arrogance' and was read in every Catholic church. 3. The White Rose group was formed by students at Munich University.They published anti-Nazi leaflets, but were discovered and executed in 1944. 4. A paramilitary wing of the Social Democratic Party, called the Reichsbanner, sabotaged railway lines and acted as spies. 5. During the war, ‘swing' groups were formed. These were young people who rejected Nazi values, drank alcohol and danced to jazz. More violent groups were called the Edelweiss Pirates. They daubed anti-Nazi slogans, sheltered deserters and beat up Nazi officials. In 1944, the Cologne Pirates (the Edelweiss Pirates based in Cologne) killed the Gestapo chief, so the Nazis publicly hanged 12 of them. . Many Protestant pastors, led by Martin Niemoller, formed the Confessional Church in opposition to Hitler's Reich Church. Niemoller was held in a concentration camp during the period 1937-1945. Another Protestant pastor, Dietrich Bonhoffer, took part in the 1944 bomb plot and was executed. 7. In 1944, a group of army officers and intellectuals called the Kreisau Circle tried to bomb Hitler. The bomb was planted by Colonel Stauffenberg. It exploded, but Hitler survived. In retaliation, 5,000 people were executed. Persecution Who did the Nazis persecute?The Nazis believed that only Germans could be citizens and that non-Germans did not have any right to the rights of citizenship. The Nazis racial philosophy taught that some races were untermensch (sub-human). Many scientists at this time believed that people with disabilities or social problems were genetic degenerates whose genes needed to be eliminated from the human bloodline. The Nazis, therefore: †¢ Tried to eliminate the Jews. †¢ Killed 85 per cent of Germany's Gypsies. †¢ Sterilised black people. †¢ Killed mentally disabled babies. †¢ Killed mentally ill patients. †¢ Sterilised physically disabled people and people with hereditary diseases. Sterilised deaf people. †¢ Put homosexuals, prostitutes, Jehovah's Witnesses, alcoholics, pacifists, beggars, hooligans and criminals – who they regarded as anti-social – into concentration camps. How the Nazis persecuted the Jews: key dates 1933 †¢ Boycott of Jewish businesses. †¢ Jewish civil servants, lawyers and teachers sacked. †¢ Race Science lessons to teach that Jews are inferior 1935 †¢ ‘Jews not wanted here' signs put up at swimming pools etc. †¢ Nuremberg laws (15 September) Je ws could not be citizens. They were not allowed to vote or to marry a German. 1938 †¢ Jews could not be doctors. Jews had to add the name Israel (men) or Sarah (women) to their name. †¢ Jewish children forbidden to go to school. †¢ Kristallnacht (9 November) – attacks on Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues [Synagogues: These are places of Jewish worship and community. ]. [pic] A shop damaged during Kristallnacht 1939 †¢ Jews were forced to live in ghettoes. 1941 †¢ Army Einsatzgruppen squads in Russia started mass-shootings of Jews. †¢ All Jews were forced to wear a yellow star of David. 1942 †¢ Wansee Conference (20 January) decided on the Final Solution, which was to gas all Europe's Jews.The main death camps were at Auschwitz, Treblinka and Sobibor. Economic policies and benefits Hitler's economic policy had four main ideas: 1. Full employment – the idea that everyone should have a job. By 1939, there was virtually no unemploym ent in Germany. 2. Beauty of Work – the Nazis set up the SdA (Beauty of Work) to help Germans see that work was good, and that everyone who could work should. In fact – because the Nazis had abolished the trade unions, banned strikes, and given more power to the industrialists – real wages fell and hours were longer under Hitler. 3. Re-armament begun in 1935 – the idea of ‘guns before butter'. . Autarky – there was an unsuccessful attempt at making Germany self-sufficient.The good life in Nazi Germany Despite the loss of political and religious freedom, life improved in Germany for many ordinary people who were prepared to ‘toe the line' and look the other way. †¢ Everybody had a job, and a wage. To people who had been unemployed and starving, ‘work and bread' was a wonderful blessing worth every civil liberty they lost. †¢ The Nazis set up KdF (Strength through Joy), which gave workers rewards for their work – ev ening classes, theatre trips, picnics, and even free holidays. The Nazis devised a scheme to allow workers to buy a Volkswagen Beetle car for a small weekly payment. †¢ People appreciated the public works – eg new schools and hospitals. †¢ Nazi Youth groups provided activities and holidays for young people. How Hitler increased employment Hitler introduced many policies to fulfil his goal of full employment: †¢ He stopped paying reparations and invested the money in German companies. †¢ He began a huge programme of public works including planting forests, and building hospitals and schools. He also built public buildings such as the 1936 Olympic Stadium.The construction of the autobahns created work for 80,000 men. †¢ Rearmament created jobs in the armaments industry. †¢ The introduction of national service meant all young men spent six months in the RAD [RAD: The labour service in which young men in Germany had to do a six-month compulsory stint . ] and then they were conscripted into the army. By 1939, 1. 4 million men were in the army, so they were not counted as unemployed. †¢ Many Jews were sacked and their jobs given to non-Jews. †¢ Many women were sacked and their jobs given to men.

The Chrysalids

THE CHRYSALIDS – FINAL RESPONSE The Chrysalids, by John Wyndham is a story about a world where people will not accept differences, whether it is physical, psychological or spiritual. There are many themes in this story. A major theme is satire. David’s society is â€Å"mocking† our society, in real life. Societies, David’s and ours have many similarities. Ever since the beginning, mankind has excluded others for their differences. Whether it is for the color of their skin, or another physical appearance, we all have judged or have been judged unfairly by the people around us. Another major theme of this story is justice and humanity. When Uncle Axel explains the other places and people outside of Waknuk, it shows that people differ in viewpoints, and have different ways of seeing things. We are ignorant when we do not see the way others see things, or when we do not accept other because of their differences. In many cases, a person is â€Å"shunned† from a group because others do not like a certain characteristic that makes them unique. Sometimes, individuals are cast out because others are afraid of their differences that make them superior, or more advantageous. In the novel, the people of Waknuk were devoted to capturing the outlaws, because they were afraid of the group’s ability. Trust is also a theme of this story. David has many people around him, but he cannot trust everyone. Once you get to know a person, you can develop and discover a trust between you. David develops a very strong trust with his Uncle. They share everything, including emotions, opinions, and experiences. However, David does not trust his father, even though his relation means there should be a stronger bond. Anne trusted Alan more than she trusted the group. This is an example of ignorance, and not taking the time to get to know how a person is. The Chrysalids is a fascinating, yet gripping journey about inhumanity, bigotry, intolerance, justice, and lastly solidarity. It is not a surprise at all, that humans can be so cruel, and narrow-minded. Us humans are one have the most powerful and forces that exist. Our life is precious, and we usually do not take notice, and waste that life, or use it the wrong way. Human nature is something that will always exist. Without it, we would have no ideal world. ———————– The Chrysalids THE CHRYSALIDS – FINAL RESPONSE The Chrysalids, by John Wyndham is a story about a world where people will not accept differences, whether it is physical, psychological or spiritual. There are many themes in this story. A major theme is satire. David’s society is â€Å"mocking† our society, in real life. Societies, David’s and ours have many similarities. Ever since the beginning, mankind has excluded others for their differences. Whether it is for the color of their skin, or another physical appearance, we all have judged or have been judged unfairly by the people around us. Another major theme of this story is justice and humanity. When Uncle Axel explains the other places and people outside of Waknuk, it shows that people differ in viewpoints, and have different ways of seeing things. We are ignorant when we do not see the way others see things, or when we do not accept other because of their differences. In many cases, a person is â€Å"shunned† from a group because others do not like a certain characteristic that makes them unique. Sometimes, individuals are cast out because others are afraid of their differences that make them superior, or more advantageous. In the novel, the people of Waknuk were devoted to capturing the outlaws, because they were afraid of the group’s ability. Trust is also a theme of this story. David has many people around him, but he cannot trust everyone. Once you get to know a person, you can develop and discover a trust between you. David develops a very strong trust with his Uncle. They share everything, including emotions, opinions, and experiences. However, David does not trust his father, even though his relation means there should be a stronger bond. Anne trusted Alan more than she trusted the group. This is an example of ignorance, and not taking the time to get to know how a person is. The Chrysalids is a fascinating, yet gripping journey about inhumanity, bigotry, intolerance, justice, and lastly solidarity. It is not a surprise at all, that humans can be so cruel, and narrow-minded. Us humans are one have the most powerful and forces that exist. Our life is precious, and we usually do not take notice, and waste that life, or use it the wrong way. Human nature is something that will always exist. Without it, we would have no ideal world. ———————–

Literary Criticism of Don DeLillo

Literary Criticism of Don DeLilloâ€Å"It's my nature to keep quiet about most things. Even the ideas in my work. When you try to unravel something you've written, you belittle it in a way. It was created as a mystery, in part.† –Don DeLillo, from the 1979 interview with Tom LeClairThere are a number of books and essays which are devoted to analysis of Don Delillo's writing. This page concentrates on the books only (for the most part), with most recent on top.Terrorism, Media, and the Ethics of Fiction: Transatlantic Perspectives on Don DeLillo (2010)Great to see the publication of this book of essays from the DeLillo Conference held in Osnabrà ¼ck, Germany in 2008 (see my page on the Conference). Edited by conference organizers Peter Schneck and Philipp Schweighauser.Terrorism, Media, and the Ethics of Fiction is published by Continuum, ISBN-13: 9781441139931, 2010 (hardcover, 264 pages).Contents include: Introduction – Philipp Schweighauser and Peter Schneck M emory Work after 9/11The Wake of Terror: Don DeLillo's â€Å"In the Ruins of the Future,† â€Å"Baader-Meinhof,† and Falling Man – Linda S. Kauffman Grieving and Memory in Don DeLillo's Falling Man – Silvia Caporale Bizzini Collapsing Identities: The Representation and Imagination of the Terrorist in Falling Man – Sascha Pà ¶hlmann Writers, Terrorists, and the Masses6,500 Weddings and 2,750 Funerals: Mao II, Falling Man, and the Mass Effect – Mikko Keskinen Influence and Self-Representation: Don DeLillo's Artists and Terrorists in Postmodern Mass Society – Leif Grà ¶ssinger The Art of Terror–the Terror of Art: DeLillo's Still Life of 9/11, Giorgio Morandi, Gerhard Richter, and Performance Art – Julia Apitzsch Don DeLillo and Johan GrimonprezGrimonprez's Remix – Eben WoodDial T for Terror: Don DeLillo's Mao II and Johan Grimonprez' Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y – Martyn Colebrook Deathward and Other PlotsTerror, Asce ticism, and Epigrammatic Writing in Don DeLillo's Fiction – Paula Martà ­n Salvà ¡n The End of Resolution? Reflections on the Ethics of Closure in Don DeLillo's Detective Plots – Philipp Schweighauser and Adrian S. Wisnicki The Ethics of FictionSlow Man, Dangling Man, Falling Man: Don DeLillo and the Ethics of Fiction – Peter Boxall Falling Man: Performing Fiction – Marie-Christine Lepsâ€Å"Mysterium tremendum et fascinans†: Don DeLillo, Rudolf Otto, and the Search for Numinous Experience – Peter Schneck CodaThe DeLillo Era: Literary Generations in the Postmodern Period – David Cowart (Sept. 6, 2010)The Cambridge Companion to Don DeLillo (2008)Above is a shot of the book ‘on location' in Cambridge, with St Johns College in the background; I found the book at the Cambridge Book Shop, and the clerk told me that the book had just come in that day! (May 13, 2008)The Cambridge Companion to Don DeLillo is a new book edited by John Duvall, and it features articles covering much of DeLillo's work by many familiar names of DeLillo criticism. Published by Cambridge University Press, ISBN-13: 9780521690898, 2008 (paperback, 203 pages). There's a hardback as  well.Contents include: Introduction: â€Å"The power of history and the persistence of mystery† John N. Duvall Part I. Aesthetic and Cultural Influences â€Å"DeLillo and modernism† Philip Nel â€Å"DeLillo, postmodernism, postmodernity† Peter Knight Part II. Early Fiction â€Å"DeLillo and media culture† Peter Boxall â€Å"DeLillo's apocalyptic satire† Joseph Dewey â€Å"DeLillo and the political thriller† Tim Engles Part III. Major Novels â€Å"White Noise† Stacey Olster â€Å"Libra† Jeremy Green â€Å"Underworld† Patrick O'Donnell Part IV. Themes and Issues â€Å"DeLillo and masculinity† Ruth Helyer â€Å"DeLillo's Dedealian artists† Mark Osteen â€Å"DeLillo and the power of la nguage† David Cowart â€Å"DeLillo and mystery† John McClure Conclusion: â€Å"Writing amid the ruins: 9/11 and Cosmopolis† Joseph Conte It's unclear how much of this material is truly new; much may be adapted from previously published work.Beyond Grief and Nothing: A Reading of Don DeLillo (2006)Beyond Grief and Nothing is a new book by Joseph Dewey from the University of South Carolina Press. The book traces a thematic trajectory in DeLillo from his first short story to ‘Love-Lies-Bleeding'. The book examines DeLillo as a profoundly spiritual writer, a writer who has wrestled with his Catholic upbringing (the title comes from the famous line from Faulkner's ‘Wild Palms' that forms a motif in Godard's ‘Breathless') and who has emerged over the last decade as perhaps the most important religious writer in American literature since Flannery O'Connor.Dewey finds DeLillo's concerns to be organized around three rubrics that mark the writer's own cre ative evolution: the love of the street, the embrace of the word, and the celebration of the soul.Joseph Dewey is an Associate Professor, American literature at University of Pittsburgh, and heco-edited Underwords (see below). 184 pages, hardcover, $34.95.Don DeLillo: The Possibility of Fiction (2006)Don DeLillo:The Possibility of Fiction by Peter Boxall (Routledge). I don't know much about this book, except for the fact that it's expensive! Dr. Peter Boxall is a lecturer in English Literature at the University of Sussex, and has previously published on Beckett (among others).Approaches to Teaching DeLillo's White Noise (2006)Approaches to Teaching DeLillo's White Noise is a new book edited by Tim Engles and John N. Duvall. From the MLA website:This volume, like others in the MLA's Approaches to Teaching World Literature series, is divided into two parts. The first part, â€Å"Materials,† suggests readings and resources for both instructor and students of White Noise. The sec ond part, â€Å"Approaches,† contains eighteen essays that establish cultural, technological, and theoretical contexts (e.g., whiteness studies); place the novel in different survey courses (e.g., one that explores the theme of American materialism); compare it with other novels by DeLillo (e.g., Mao II); and give examples of classroom techniques and strategies in teaching it (e.g., the use of disaster films).The book is aimed at folks who include White Noise in their syllabus, and it includes pieces from Mark Osteen, Phil Nel, John Duvall, Tim Engles and many more.Benjamin Kunkel on Novelists and Terrorists (2005)In the New York Times Book Review of September 11, 2005, Benjamin Kunkel offers â€Å"Dangerous Characters†, an essay on the ‘terrorist novel' of the pre 9/11 era. DeLillo unsurprisingly features in the essay. It's worth reading in its entirety, but I pull out a couple quotes here that were of particular interest to me:Terrorists might be a novelist's r ivals, as Don DeLillo's novelist character maintains in †Mao II† (1991), but they were also his proxies. No matter how realistic, the terrorist novel was also a kind of metafiction, or fiction about fiction.DeLillo saw that novelists, like terrorists, were solitary and obscure agents, †men in small rooms,† preparing symbolic provocations to be unleashed on the public with a bang. Of course this could refer only to a certain kind of novelist, starting perhaps with Flaubert and ending, DeLillo suggested, with Beckett, whose work could be taken as an indictment of an entire civilization, and whose authority when it came to that civilization was paradoxically derived from his appearing to stand completely outside it.Don DeLillo: Balance at the Edge of Belief (2004)Don DeLillo: Balance at the Edge of Belief by Jesse Kavadlo, published in 2004 by Peter Lang Publishing (ISBN: 0-8204-6351-5). Here's how the back cover puts it:Don DeLillo – winner of the Nation al Book Award, the William Dean Howells Medal, and the Jerusalem Prize – is one of the most important novelists of the late-twentieth and early-twenty-first centuries. While his work can be understood and taught as prescient and postmodern examples of millennial culture, this book argues that DeLillo's recent novels – White Noise, Libra, Mao II, Underworld, and The Body Artist – are more concerned with spiritual crisis. Although DeLillo's worlds are rife with rejection of belief and littered with faithlessness, estrangement, and desperation, his novels provide a balancing moral corrective against the conditions they describe.  Speaking the vernacular of contemporary America, DeLillo explores the mysteries of what it means to be human.Don DeLillo – Bloom's Modern Critical Views (2003)Don DeLillo was published by Chelsea House in 2003, edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom.The book consists of previously published critical essays on DeLillo:â₠¬Å"Introduction† by Harold Bloom â€Å"Don DeLillo's Search for Walden Pond† by Michael Oriard â€Å"Preface and Don DeLillo† by Robert Nadeau â€Å"Don DeLillo's America† by Bruce Bawer â€Å"White Magic: Don DeLillo's Intelligence Networks† by Greg Tate â€Å"Myth, Magic and Dread: Reading Culture Religiously† by Gregory Salyer â€Å"The Romantic Metaphysics of Don DeLillo† by Paul Maltby â€Å"For Whom the Bell Tolls: Don DeLillo's Americana† by David Cowart â€Å"Consuming Narratives: Don DeLillo and the ‘Lethal' Reading† by Christian Mararu â€Å"Romanticism and the Postmodern Novel: Three Scenes from Don DeLillo's White Noise† by Lou F. Caton â€Å"Don DeLillo's Postmodern Pastoral† by Dana Phillipsâ€Å"Afterthoughts on Don DeLillo's Underworld† by Tony Tanner â€Å"‘What About a Problem That Doesn't Have a Solution?': Stone's A Flag for Sunrise, DeLillo's Mao II, and the Politics of Political Fiction† by Jeoffrey S. Bull White Noise: A Reader's Guide (2003)Don DeLillo's White Noise: A Reader's Guide by Leonard Orr was published in 2003. The book is published as part of the Continuum Contemporaries series, sells for $9.95 and is 96 pages.Underwords: Perspectives on Don DeLillo's Underworld (2002)Underwords: Perspectives on Don DeLillo's Underworld is edited by Joseph Dewey, Steven G. Kellman, and Irving Malin, and published by University of  Delaware Press in Sept. 2002 (ISBN 0-87413-785-3 $39.50). Here is a picture & the blurb:Don DeLillo's 1997 masterwork Underworld, one of the most acclaimed and long-awaited novels of the last twenty years, was immediately recognized as a landmark novel, not only in the long career of one of America's most distinguished novelists but also in the ongoing evolution of the postmodern novel. Vast in scope, intricately organized, and densely allusive, the text provided an immediate and engaging challenge to readers of c ontemporary fiction.This collection of thirteen essays brings together new and established voices in American studies and contemporary American literature to assess the place of this remarkable novel not only within the postmodern tradition but within the larger patterns of American literature and culture as well. By seeking to place the novel within such a context, this lively collection of provocative readings offers a valuable guide for both students and scholars of the American literary imagination.The book contains:â€Å"A Gathering Under Words: An Introduction† by Joseph Dewey â€Å"‘What Beauty, What Power': Speculations on the Third Edgar† by Irving Malin and Joseph Dewey â€Å"Subjectifying the Objective: Underworld as Mutable Narrative† by David Yetter â€Å"Underworld: Sin and Atonement† by Robert McMinnâ€Å"‘Shall These Bones Live'† by David Cowart â€Å"Don DeLillo's Logogenetic Underworld† by Steven G. Kellman â₠¬Å"Pynchon and DeLillo† by Timothy L. Parrish â€Å"Conspiratorial Jesuits in the Postmodern Novel: Mason & Dixon and Underworld† by Carl Ostrowski â€Å"Don DeLillo, John Updike, and the Sustaining Power of Myth† by Donald J. Greiner â€Å"In the Nick of Time: DeLillo's Nick Shay, Fitzgerald's Nick Carraway, and the Myth of the American Adam† by Joanne Gass â€Å"Don DeLillo, T.S. Eliot, and the Redemption of America's Atomic Waste Land† by Paul Gleason â€Å"The Unmaking of History: Baseball, Cold War, and Underworld† by Kathleen Fitzpatrick â€Å"Underworld or: How I Learned to Keep Worrying and Live the Bomb† by Thomas Myers â€Å"The Baltimore Catechism; or Comedy in Underworld† by Ira Nadel The book also includes a bibliography of Underworld reviews and notices by Marc Singer and Jackson R. Bryer.Don DeLillo: The Physics of Language (2002)Don DeLillo – The Physics of Language by David Cowart was published in Feb. 20 02 by the University of Georgia Press. Here is a link to more info: http://www.ugapress.org/index.php/books/don_delillo/Cowart examines the work of DeLillo with an emphasis on language; DeLillo's use of it in the novels, and the way in which characters in the books are characterized by different types of language. He divides the novels into three groups: the tentative early novels (End Zone, Great Jones Street, Players and Running Dog), the popular fictions (White Noise, Libra and Mao II) and the works of great achievement (Americana, Ratner's Star, The Names, Underworld and The Body Artist).Throughout his twelve novels, DeLillo foregrounds language and the problems of language. He has an uncanny ear for the mannered, elliptical, non sequitur-ridden rhythms of vernacular conversation (the common response to â€Å"thank you† has somehow become â€Å"no problem†). His is an adept parodist of the specialized discourses that proliferate in contemporary society – in sport, business, politics, academe, medicine, entertainment, and journalism. The jargons of science, technology, and military deterrence offer abundant targets, too. But the author's interest in these discourses goes beyond simple parody, and it is the task of criticism to gauge the extra dimensions of DeLillo's thinking about language.Underworld: A Reader's Guide (2002)Don DeLillo's Underworld: A Reader's Guide by John Duvall was published in early 2002. The book is published as part of the Continuum Contemporaries series, sells for $9.95 and is 96 pages.The book has five chapters: The Novelist, giving background on DeLillo; The  Novel, the main section of the book with an analysis of the main themes; The Novel's Reception, on the initial reviews of Underworld; The Novel's Performance, on the subsequent academic treatment; and Further Reading and Discussion.Critical Essays on Don DeLillo (2000)Critical Essays on Don DeLillo, edited by Hugh Ruppersburg, and Tim Engles, published b y G.K. Hall, appeared in 2000. Contains a section of book reviews and a section of essays, covering each novel through Underworld.The essays are:â€Å"For Whom the Bell Tolls: Don DeLillo's Americana† by David Cowart â€Å"Deconstructing the Logos: Don DeLillo's End Zone† by Thomas LeClair â€Å"The End of Pynchon's Rainbow: Postmodern Terror and Paranoia in DeLillo's Ratner's Star† by Glen Scott Allen â€Å"Marketing Obsession: The Fascinations of Running Dog† by Mark Osteen â€Å"Discussing the Untellable: Don DeLillo's The Names† by Paula Bryant â€Å"‘Who are you, literally?': Fantasies of the White Self in Don DeLillo's White Noise† by Tim Engles â€Å"Baudrillard, DeLillo's White Noise, and the End of Heroic Narrative† by Leonard Wilcox â€Å"The Fable of the Ants: Myopic Interactions in DeLillo's Libra† by Bill Millard â€Å"Libra and the Subject of History† by Christopher M. Mottâ€Å"Can the Intellectual Still Speak? The Example of Don DeLillo's Mao II† by Silvia Caporale Bizzini â€Å"Excavating the Underworld of Race and Waste in Cold War History: Baseball, Aesthetics and Ideology† by John N. Duvall â€Å"Everything is Connected: Underworld's Secret History of Paranoia† by Peter Knight â€Å"Awful Symmetries in Don DeLillo's Underworld† by Arthur Saltzman American Magic and Dread (2000)Mark Osteen's book on DeLillo, American Magic and Dread: Don DeLillo's Dialogue with Culture, was published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in June, 2000. The book examines DeLillo's work from some of the early stories thru Underworld.Modern Fiction Studies (1999)Modern Fiction Studies special issue on DeLillo (Vol 45, No. 3, Fall 1999), includes 10 essays, including work from such friends of the site as Phil Nel, Mark Osteen and Jeremy Green.Undercurrent (1999)In May 1999 an all-DeLillo issue of Erick Heroux's online journal Undercurrent appeared (Number 7). It co ntains the following essays:â€Å"Celebration & Annihilation: The Balance of Underworld† by Jesse Kavadlo â€Å"DeLillo's Underworld: Everything that Descends Must Converge† by Robert Castle â€Å"The Inner Workings: Techno-science & Self in Underworld† by Jennifer Pincott â€Å"American Simulacra: DeLillo in Light of Postmodernism† by Scott Rettberg â€Å"Baudrillard's Primitivism & White Noise: ‘The only avant-garde we've got'† by Bradley Butterfield â€Å"Beyond Baudrillard's Simulacral Postmodern World:White Noise† by Haidar Eid Postmodern Culture (1994)The January, 1994 issue of Postmodern Culture featured the DeLillo Cluster, four essays all dealing with DeLillo edited by Glen Scott Allen and Stephen Bernstein.Glen Scott Allen, â€Å"Raids on the Conscious: Pynchon's Legacy of Paranoia and the Terrorism of Uncertainty in Don DeLillo's Ratner's Star† Peter Baker, â€Å"The Terrorist as Interpreter: Mao II in Postmodern Con text† Stephen Bernstein, â€Å"Libra and the Historical Sublime†Bill Millard, â€Å"The Fable of the Ants: Myopic Interactions in DeLillo's Libra†Don DeLillo (1993)Don DeLillo is a book by Douglas Keesey, a part of the Twayne's U.S. Authors  Series, published by Macmillan, 1993, 228 pages. This book has a chapter on each novel, as well as brief summaries of the stories and plays.Keesey's reading of DeLillo's work is that his novels â€Å"engage in the intensive study of media representations of reality that threaten to distance us from nature and from ourselves.† Thus he links Americana to film, End Zone to language, etc.I found the chapter on Americana quite interesting, as Keesey rebuts those critics who categorized this book as a typical first novel, poorly constructed and lacking charcter development. He argues that on closer examination DeLillo is clearly in control of the book's structure and characters, having made â€Å"fully conscious aesthetic choices.†I tried to get this book through a store, but they couldn't get it, so I ended up buying direct – call 1 800 323 7445 to order.There's an article by Keesey in Pynchon Notes 32-33 entitled â€Å"The Ideology of Detection in Pynchon and DeLillo†.Introducing Don DeLillo (1991)Edited by Frank Lentricchia, 1991. Published by Duke University Press, 221 pages. Lentricchia is the editor of South Atlantic Quarterly and Professor of English at Duke.The book consists of 12 articles:â€Å"The American Writer as Bad Citizen† by Frank Lentricchiaâ€Å"Opposites,† Chapter 10 of Ratner's Star by Don DeLillo  Ã¢â‚¬Å"An Outsider in This Society†: An Interview with Don DeLillo by Anthony DeCurtis (an expanded version of the November 1988 Rolling Stone interview)â€Å"How to Read Don DeLillo† by Daniel Aaron  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Clinging to the Rock: A Novelist's Choices in the New Mediocracy† by Hal Crowther â€Å"Postmodern Romance: Don DeLillo a nd the Age of Conspiracy† by John  A. McClure â€Å"Some Speculations on Don DeLillo and the Cinematic Real† by Eugene Goodheart â€Å"The Product: Bucky Wunderlick, Rock ‘n Roll, and Don DeLillo's Great Jones Street† by Anthony DeCurtis â€Å"Don DeLillo's Perfect Starry Night† by Charles Molesworthâ€Å"Alphabetic Pleasures: The Names† by Dennis A. Foster â€Å"The Last Things Before the Last: Notes on White Noise† by John Frow â€Å"Libra as Postmodern Critique† by Frank Lentricchia More on Frank and Don†¦Jason Camlot delivered an interesting address entitled ‘Frank Lentricchia's Don DeLillo: â€Å"Introducing†, Postmodern Modernism and the Academic Fear of Death' which was given at University of Oregon, May 1993. I am happy to say that this work is now back on the web, hosted here at Don DeLillo's America.Here's a taste:What, then, can be said to make Lentricchia's work as a critic equally relevant and eff ective? In a most obvious sense, it is the position he assumes in relation to the important author that he is introducing that works to establish his own importance. Don Delillo was already a popular author soon after 1985, and by this time he was becoming a significant object of academic attention as well, but these two facts had little bearing on one another, but rather were two distinct phenomena. At least this is what Lentricchia's role as editor and introducer seems to suggest. It is as if the true social significance of Delillo could not exist until a critic such as Lentricchia recognized it, patented it, in a way, by introducing Delillo as the last of the modernists in the postmodern era.New Essays on White Noise (1991)This is a short book of critical essays on White Noise, which is also edited by Lentricchia, published by Cambridge University Press in 1991 (115 pages).The book has five essays:â€Å"Introduction† by Frank Lentricchia â€Å"Whole Families Shopping at N ight!† by Thomas J. Ferraro â€Å"Adolf, We Hardly Knew You† by Paul A. Cantor â€Å"Lust Removed from Nature† by Michael Valdez Moses â€Å"Tales of the Electronic Tribe† by Frank Lentricchia Here's more info on the book.In the Loop – Don DeLillo and the Systems Novel (1987)By Tom LeClair, 1987. Published by University of Illinois Press, 244 pages. LeClair is Professor of English at University of Cincinnati. This is a look at all of DeLillo's novels (through White Noise) in the context of the â€Å"systems novel†. Includes a complete DeLillo bibliography.First Epigraph: â€Å"Somebody ought to make a list of books that seem to bend back on themselves. I think Malcolm Lowry saw Under the Volcano as a wheel-like structure. And in Finnegans Wake we're meant to go from the last page to the first. In different ways I've done this myself.† — Don DeLillo, â€Å"Interview,† Anything Can HappenFrom the Preface:In the Loop also de scribes the situation of the reader who has already entered a Don DeLillo novel, as my first epigraph suggests. DeLillo consistently creates polarized structures–of genre, situation, character, language, tone–that double the novel back upon itself, questioning its generic codes, its beginnings and development, its creator's position toward it, his relation with the reader, who becomes self-conscious, reflective about both his reading and himself, a mobius-stripping away of assumptions about the forms that DeLillo uses, the charged subjects he encircles with his reversals, and the act of reading from beginning to end.Here's the text of a lecture LeClair gave in March 1993 entitled â€Å"Me and Mao  II†.Other Books with DeLillo in the TitleCivello, Paul. American Literary Naturalism and its Twentieth-century Transformations: Frank Norris, Ernest Hemingway, Don DeLillo. (University of Georgia Press, 1994, 208 pages). Chapters 8-10 deal with DeLillo, End Zone and Libra in particular.Hantke, Steffen. Conspiracy and Paranoia in Contemporary American Fiction: The works of Don DeLillo and Joseph McElroy (Peter Lang, 1994).Weinstein, Arnold. Nobody's Home: Speech, Self, and Place in American Fiction From Hawthorne to DeLillo (Oxford University Press, 1993, 349 pages). Chapter 14 is â€Å"Don DeLillo: Rendering the Words of the Tribe† pages 288-315.Back to DeLillo's America Last updated: 06-SEP-2010 Send in some news!