Poets and Writers 19th Century Germany

Rainer Maria Rilke(1875-1926): Writer and poet, Rilke was considered one of the greatest lyrical poets of modern Germany. He created the “object poem” as an attempt to describe with great detail physical objects, the “silence of their concentrated reality.” Rilke had published 2 books by 1923, these were his major works and he then felt that he had done his best as a writer. He passed 3 years later.

“All emotions are pure which gather you and lift you up; that emotion is impure which seizes only one side of your being and so distorts you.”

Herman Hesse(1877-1962): was born into a family pietist missionaries and religious publishers. His father was born a Russian citizen and his mother Indian. His parents expected him to follow the family tradition in theology. He entered the protestant seminary at Maulbronn in 1891 but was expelled shortly after. He was unhappy with his studies. He then went to work as a clerk at a book store and read vigorously. This inspired him to write. He had published 2 books by 1899 and continued writing well in to the 20^th century.

“All men are prepared to accomplish the incredible if their ideals are threatened.”

19th century german poets and poems. (2006, january --). Retrieved from http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/country-6/Germany/19th_century_German_poets.html

Roles of Men and Women 1901-2000

            For Centuries, German Women’s role in society could have been described by “the three K’s”: Kinder (children), Kirche (church), and Kuche (kitchen). Throughout the the twentieth century, women began to be victorious in their battles for equal rights. In 1919 they received the right to vote. Changes were also brought on by World War II. During the war, women took on positions generally held by men. After the war, the Trummerfrauen (women of rubble) tended to the wounded, buried dead soldiers, salvaged belongings, and began the exhausting task of rebuilding their country which was left in ruins by the war.

            Men for the first part of the century played the role that they always do, which is to provide for, and protect their family. They protected them by fighting to protect their country in World War II (which later proved to be slightly controversial). But none the less, they did what they were taught was necessary.

            In west Germany, the basic law of 1949 stated that men and women were equal, but it was not until 1957 that the amendment was made to the civil code to make this statement true.  Even in the 50’s women could still be dismissed from the military when they were married. But with the shortage of young men, marriages were not common during this time. Western Germany relied on migrants or immigrants to fulfill its economy’s labor requirements. Women withdrew from employment outside of the home and tended to their families.

            In the east, women still remained in the workforce. The government pushed for womens participation in the workforce and gave educational and vocational opportunities to them.

 Jone, Johnson Lewis. "Germany-Status of Women." About.com History of Women. Federal Research division of the Library of Congress, August 1995. Web. 2 Nov 2011. <http://womenshistory.about.com/library/ency/blwh_germany_women.htm>.

Berlin Calling

Movie Questions
1). Ickarus says that he takes drugs to relax
2). They take drugs because it has become a part of this subculture. They take MDMA, Ketamine, Cocaine and amphetamines.
3). I think that the subculture feels that they need drugs to live this lifestyle. That the drugs induce creativity. In turn, I think that this makes Ickarus feel that he needs to take the drugs in order to make the music to the quality that the drug users will appreciate. I also think that he just likes how they feel. It is also the setting in which he spends a lot of his time, the night clubs. Night clubs around the world are notorious for being a place for young people to experiment with drugs.
4). Our values are largely different. His are based on partying and creating music. Now I cannot lie, I too like to party and listen to music as well. It is just that our methods of practicing both of these hobbies are completely opposite of each other. The only real similarity that I can find in this is that I like to hang out with my friends, and I like to be around music.
5). The only way I really feel that Ickarus' subculture could change the world is in a negative way. The lives that they lead can in no way be helpful to Germany's Industrial Economy.
6). I have not seen any cult movies before. I am happy this was the first one I saw, I enjoyed it.



Film Reaction

            I enjoyed the film, I thought it was very well put together. I do not watch films of this type very often, which made it very interesting to me. I liked the fact that it documented a culture that most societies try to hide and pretend do not exist. I feel that these types of things need to be unveiled for the world to see, not because it is a positive thing, but because I feel that people need to be educated on these cultures which you do not hear much about. The film created a lot of emotion, without actually having Ickarus himself show these feelings. It was mainly shown through the events and constant actions of all characters portrayed.

            In the beginning of the film, everything seems to be alright for Ickarus(besides the fact that he is on drugs). Which I later realized was the point, because from then on, things slowly started to deteriorate. At this point, he was still with his girlfriend Matilde, and seemed to be content with that. Of course, being a DJ, the night club was a large influence of his life. As the film progresses, we learn that he is making a new album, which then becomes the constant for the rest of the movie. No matter what else is going on around him, he makes sure he can work on that album, which I found impressive that someone as drug obsessed as him could still find time to focus and and do something productive. He even continued to work on it in the hospital while he had psychosis. There are many significant ups and downs in this film, but they finally get resolved in the end when he is said to be suitable to live on his own by his doctor. He then ends up refusing the drugs from his friends, and makes amends with his father. All in all I thought this was a good ending to a good film. I would recommend it to anyone who has not yet seen it.

States Presentation

State: Bavaria                Population: 12,538,696                Capital: Munich

-      - The state is located in southern Germany

-       -It is the largest state in Germany, it covers 27,200 square miles, which is 20% of the total land area of Germany

-       -Bavaria has had the strongest and healthiest economy in all of Germany, and Europe as well for quite some time. Some major industries that are located there are BMW, Audi, and Adidas. Just to name a few.

-       -In 2007 the GDP in Bavaria exceeded 434 billion euros (Roughly 600 billion US) making it one of the strongest economies in the world. Only 17 other countries have a higher GDP. And the average income per capita is 33,200 euros a year.

-       -It has 20 cities within its borders that are all decent sized considering that its smallest city has a population of 44,000 people. Its largest is the capital, Munich which has 1,326,000.

-       -The geography is beautiful, it borders with the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Austria. The area where they all meet also happens to be the European Alps.

-       -From 1806 to 1918, it was known as The Kingdom of Bavaria, ever since 1918 however, it has been a part of the federal republic.

-       -What I found interesting about Bavaria is the history behind it. I have been there before and people still carry out traditions just as they were a hundred or more years ago.  They play centuries old folk music. And early Germanic and Celtic heritage are celebrated with the playing of the bagpipes. It is just an all around awesome place.