Originally posted by Bardock42
Oh please, just because Americans overrate their "authors" as they live in a land unable to produce even a shred of art, if they were given it and just had to not **** it up. I'm sure Mark Twain sounds great compared to such giants as Michael Bay, but coming from the country that produced Goethe and Mozart, you must forgive that he is all but forgettable, if it wasn't for his outrageous use of racial slurs.
Was a German claiming credit for Mozart part of the joke?
Originally posted by Ushgarak
Was a German claiming credit for Mozart part of the joke?
Well we get Hitler, so we should get Mozart.
But yeah, I suppose one could argue that we should go by modern country lines, though that's really problematic in the case of Germany (and German speaking countries), for example Kafka, most people would consider him a German writer, but by today's standards he'd be Czech, and Immanuel Kant'd be Polish. In germany at least we mostly defined ourselves by the language, otherwise there is a huge problem we'd have with identifying. Regardless at the time Austria was still part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, really the fundamental distinction between "Germany" and Austria mostly happened after the second world war.
I do see your point though, perhaps I should have taken Bach or Beethoven instead, though I guess the first was a Saxon and the second Rhinelander....or well a Prussian by his death 😛
Originally posted by Bardock42
Oh please, you also have Bryan Adams and Celine Dion.
come on now, we were having a civil discussion here, there is no reason to bring those kind of things up
Originally posted by Bardock42
Aww, and here I thought I was giving you some credit for referring me 😛
lol, if only he knew what an inimalist was
Originally posted by inimalist
come on now, we were having a civil discussion here, there is no reason to bring those kind of things uplol, if only he knew what an inimalist was
You also have Rush...so there's that.
Yeah, I figured he probably didn't have too many friends cause he's into politics and stuff and most people are a bit dumb, so I assumed he'd figure it out. Maybe by asking every single one "Hey, btw, are you inimalist?"
Originally posted by Bardock42
You also have Rush...so there's that.
if we push it outside of music, we also have the group of seven, who are really important modern painters, especially tom thompson. We also have the Band, Neil Young and Venetian Snares
Originally posted by Bardock42
Yeah, I figured he probably didn't have too many friends cause he's into politics and stuff and most people are a bit dumb, so I assumed he'd figure it out. Maybe by asking every single one "Hey, btw, are you inimalist?"
LOL, zing...
actually, the anarchist part probably gave it away, most of my friends don't swing that way
Originally posted by inimalist
if we push it outside of music, we also have the group of seven, who are really important modern painters, especially tom thompson. We also have the Band, Neil Young and Venetian SnaresLOL, zing...
actually, the anarchist part probably gave it away, most of my friends don't swing that way
Yeah, lets get back to bands though, you got Godspeed You Black Emperor and Joni Mitchell, and we are kinda hijacking this thread.
Well, I noticed you don't swing that way so much anymore either...
I like Mark Twain, but I really don't see how huckleberry finn got to be his most famous work. Its really not that great. I've read many writings by Twain that were much better.
"Letters from the Earth" was hilarious. Its hard to imagine something written that long ago to be so radical, even today it would be shocking to conservatives.
Originally posted by Bardock42
Oh please, just because Americans overrate their "authors" as they live in a land unable to produce even a shred of art, if they were given it and just had to not **** it up. I'm sure Mark Twain sounds great compared to such giants as Michael Bay, but coming from the country that produced Goethe and Mozart, you must forgive that he is all but forgettable, if it wasn't for his outrageous use of racial slurs.
Says the guy who's fascinated(fan-boy) by America, American culture and American television. Don't be angry or jealous, just move here, renounce your Germanicness and become a citizen.
P.S. Avoid most of the South, Midwest and Eastern states. In fact, the Bay Area of California is about the only sensible(ie not shit) place to live, just bring lots of Marks with you. See you soon; bring me some Kinder Uberraschung, hard to get those here.
Originally posted by Robtard
Says the guy who's fascinated(fan-boy) by America, American culture and American television. Don't be angry or jealous, just move here, renounce your Germanicness and become a citizen.P.S. Avoid most of the South, Midwest and Eastern states. In fact, the Bay Area of California is about the only sensible(ie not shit) place to live, just bring lots of Marks with you. See you soon; bring me some Kinder Uberraschung, hard to get those here.
lol, I'd love to do that.
Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Anyway at best the change is pointless and takes away from the text. The lesson of "why did Twain use this word even though we consider it inappropriate" opens up an important discussion into history.
I agree with that. Really, rather than change anything, just don't teach it if you are bothered, there's enough alternatives, it's not like people leave High School with a thorough knowledge of literature, unless they helped themselves
Originally posted by King Kandy
I really don't see how huckleberry finn got to be his most famous work.
I'd argue Sawyer was his most famous, but that would be semantics. To answer your question:
Originally posted by skekUng
we're made to read his books in the 5th and 6th grade.
Most of his works aren't particularly age appropriate, given when we're typically introduced to his stories. It's meant to be a jumping off point so we can further explore and appreciate him as an author, but most Americans stop reading -pretty much anything- after they are no longer forced to do so. Actually, I'd wager most people, not just Americans, approach reading as a chore. Maybe it comes from being forced to read books in middle school, we gain a distaste for it.
I must confess, I didn't read the article before I posted, being familiar with the issue, I did it now though, it's actually quite good, he shows that it can be incredibly useful to have a discussion like that, even with children. However I understand that a classroom situation may be different, and that it is perhaps a discussion better suited for parents. Though again, if that's the case, don't teach it at all.
re: The "N" Word & Huck Finn
I saw this on the news last week, and its way too PC. The only people offended are either extremely thin-skinned and/or have no understanding of history. Even Abe Lincoln used the N-word. Back then it wasn't the offensive "Oh my god, its the end of the world" word that it is today. It was the accepted term.
In fact, Gandhi used the word "Kaffir". Today its considered an offensive word for Blacks in South Africa, but back then it was the normal word to describe Black people.
Originally posted by Robtard
P.S. Avoid most of the South, Midwest and Eastern states.
That's funny; my 3 favorite states (Arizona, Oregon and Hawaii) happen to not be on that list.
Originally posted by Bardock42
I must confess, I didn't read the article before I posted, being familiar with the issue, I did it now though, it's actually quite good, he shows that it can be incredibly useful to have a discussion like that, even with children. However I understand that a classroom situation may be different, and that it is perhaps a discussion better suited for parents. Though again, if that's the case, don't teach it at all.
Considering the ages of the main characters in the books we are taught in school, I think the debate is completely appropriate. More often than not, I disagree with the whole "it's my kid, I'll teach him what I want him to know" approach to social issues -especially since there is rarely a bias in the classroom that hinders the progress and understanding.