Monday, May 7, 2012

The RIGHT sample document test

Fortunately nobody has commented on the sample exercise I put up yesterday, so there's been no wasted effort (whew). So, here it the right sample document test. It would be great if you could put up your comments in response to the questions raised by these two documents. We'll gather up you thoughts in the tute of week 11 as a way of finetuning your preparation for the final test which happens in week 12.

I hope this is clear enough to read. I'll have paper copies for us to work with in week 11.

2 comments:

  1. Question 1
    Gobineau has a very segmented understanding of civilisation. To him there are three distinct races, black, yellow, and white. These races are not equal, and the black race threatens civilisation. The white race is the superior race, and the founder of civilisation. They are required to govern and control the other races. The yellow race is the hardworking backbone of civilisation, but they are still inferior to the white race. For a civilisation to succeed, each race must play their role. It is impossible to move from one race to the other.
    Question 2
    The British war poster shows the importance of patriotism to Britain in the First World War. In order to win the war, the British realise that they need every one of their citizens to do their part. The poster shows the idea that men have an obligation to their country, and that they should be happy to risk their lives for it. The First World War was not a war between states; it was a war between people and nations.

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  2. Question 1;
    Gobineau understands civilisation as a product of racial disparity and hierarchy. The age of science in which Gobineau's observations are found lend insight into the nature of his remarks on racial superiority. Gobineau believes ethnicity to be definitive of an individuals characteristics and intelligence - and as such, as an immediate indication or 'stamp' of the place society holds for such an individual. The basic concept of civilisation is that its civillians each play an occupational role in its operation. Gobineau has extended this concept to the races contained within civilisation. With the analogy of the 'ladder', the negro being at its foot, the mediocre 'Yellow' race in the middle, and superior whites allegedly on top, Gobineau indirectly acknowledges the necessity of these races - even the inferior. What is further stressed, however, is the necessity of retaining the social hierarchy here described. Thus, Gobineau terms the servitude of the blacks as their 'destiny', the narrow 'circle' they must inhabit. Similarly, no civilised society can be 'created' by the yellows, as they were bound to the status of 'middle class'; the 'backbone' role. It is thus implied that the whites must create civilization and, naturally, govern it.

    Question 2;
    This advertisement illustrates the sense of duty to the war effort held by many Britons during WW1. The question, 'Who's absent?', carries this connotation of duty - as though potential soldiers are not fulfilling their role if they are not participating in the war effort. They are 'absent' - they are not were they should be. This is further appealed to by the image of a sparse group of soldiers, behind John Bull. There are clear gaps missing in the ranks - illustrating the need for support, and obviously, directing this need at the viewer; Bull points, asking "Is it you?" . Furthermore, the fact that Bull is used in presenting the call to arms is indicative of the public view of the war effort. Bull stands as a personification of Britain, yet he carries particularly middle class characteristics. It is not the sovereign Monarch calling men to the war - by but the middle class itself - Britons themselves. This is because the duty, although indeed for the defense of the crown, is also inevitably for the defense of all Britons. The fire approaching from behind the soldiers captures this awareness of the danger the war could hold for Britain, and therefore, the need to rally in its defense.

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