Pink Floyd, The Wall

At the beginning of the 1980’s, Pink Floyd wrote one of their best-selling works of art with 30 million dollars claimed sales which had made it reach the third highest certified album in USA. After releasing “Dark Side of The Moon”, the band had demonstrated a unique and successful sound impact that made them gain millions of fans across the world. Furthermore, the band exceeded expectations with going beyond the objective way of writing the songs. Pink had took it into a higher level of self-expression by making the writing process of the lyrics more personal and self-centralized.  He described the world through his tough experience. The songs of “The Wall” offers an extraordinary attachment all through the album in which it gives a smooth and coherent transition from a track to another.

This album has been a huge success because it reflects a certain amount of tension against the pain and struggle the world will hand over. It has recorded as sales more than 11.5 million copies around the world and was placed by the Rolling Stone the American pop culture magazine in the range of the first 100 of the 500 greatest albums of all times list, more precisely number 87. The material offered to the fans of Pink Floyd in this album is characterized by story-telling trait. Many songs illustrate perfectly personal miseries and wounds of the songwriter Roger Waters which had made earn a valuable aspect. By this feature the audience will find themselves involved in each and every song because the lyrics express a relatable deep frustration. There is a questioning of the norms and values of the society which oblige us to be reflect and rethink our daily perception of the world. For example, the song entitled “Thin Ice” emphasizes Roger Waters’ childhood during which he found himself being disposed of his father at an early age. This song reflects the ideology of abundance shaped by the memory of his father he barely knew. The fluid use of words had translated his pain into lyrics reachable to the heart and mind of the listener, where both parties find themselves sharing the same heavy load of sad memories.

Pink realized that he was powerless when facing life’s unfairness early in his childhood, as mentioned by the song Another Brick in the Wall Part 1. Brick by brick, he built an inner wall to protect himself from those calamities. Since then, external factors such as his overprotective mother (Mother) and his cheating wife (One of My Turns) heightened his feeling of psychological confinement. Pressure and sentimental disappointments pushed him to contain himself internally. Humans are social beings, as stated by Aristotle. Such behavior is only the beginning of a death spiral which lead to bigger troubles such as bipolar disorders. Therefore, one may wonder if it can be considered as the only way out of the continuous struggle between the individual and the world. There will always be social and personal boundaries built out of dismay and anxiety, but it is our duty as conscious human beings to be consistently fighting to tear them apart and shatter what divides us in order to establish efficient social institutions. The lack of communication between people directly echoes on their abilities to integrate.

            However that same integration is heavily criticized in the album. It clearly expresses its objection and refusal of life responsibilities that society will oblige us to fulfill in a ritual manner. Giving the example of “Another Brick in the Wall Part II”, Roger Waters criticized the educational system that tended to produce typical and similar generations that would only be useful in fulfilling the needs of the manipulative government which treated its citizens like chess pieces. Following the rise of consumerism during the 20th century, social conformism was openly condemned by artists. It is a valid and understandable reaction seeing the consequences social conformity can have. When all what matters becomes the necessity of following our community's trend or our parent's footsteps, it does not allow to explore people's potential since "what's trendy" has already drawn limitation to people's own capabilities. In other words, conform will make "you" happy because it will make "us" happy to see "you" conform. However, it is the same as people digging their own grave since they will be making choices based on what will make the others content rather than themselves. In the end, everyone find themselves unhappy and unfulfilled chasing other's approval for an endless meaningless feeling of satisfactory conformism. So the question remains: How can we make the right decisions to be happy if our parents and the people of our society influence our choices with experiences that made them till now unhappy?

The wall is a revolutionary album since that it’s a combination of wild imagination and concrete experience of pain. This mix is brought together through furious rhythmic sounds and harsh lyrics written by Roger Waters. The name of the album is a description of the delirious idea to separate the band from the audience. It illustrates also the decision of Pink to isolate himself from the world as mean of protection seeing that he had difficult life that made him create his own universe away from any social judgment.

Malcolm X - Chapter 17

       The text in analysis is the seventeenth chapter of Malcolm X's autobiography entitled "Mecca", which refers to the holy city in Saudi Arabia in which Muslims of all nationalities pilgrim to, in order to fulfill the religious obligation set by the Quran. Through this chapter, Malcolm describes his feelings of amazement and spiritual cleansing at Mecca, as he discovers the Islamic world and highlights his admiration towards the religion's unity and consideration to all races. Towards the end of the chapter, Malcolm's perspective and stand regarding racial issues in the US starts to take another direction. After his visit, Malcolm sees Islam as the solution to America’s racial problem. “I could see from this, that perhaps if white Americans could accept the Oneness of God, then perhaps, too, they could accept in reality the Oneness of Man”. In addition to personal upbringing, religion has been one of the major inspirations for those who devoted their lives to the fight against racial discrimination such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.

            Of all the historical events to have taken place in the United States, the Civil Rights movement of the 1950's and 60's is arguably one of the most impacting. Not only did it provide an insight to the whole nation -as well as the rest of the world- of the reality of black discrimination and racial segregation (implemented through laws such as the "Jim Crow" laws) but it also gave rise to civil rights activists other than Malcolm X such as Rosa Parks, Andrew Goodman, and Martin Luther King Junior. These social and political advocates all believed it imperative to abolish the mistreatment of blacks all over the U.S; while their view on eradicating discrimination may have been the same, other aspects such as religion and personal upbringing set the line among them, particularly for Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.

            Various links between these two have been made by scholars of civil rights around the world -as a quick Google search will confirm- with books such as "Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and the Civil Rights Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s" by David Howard-Pitney and "Martin & Malcolm & America" by James H. Cone examining the differences and similarities between the two men.

One of the first contrasts that can be brought up among the two traces back to X's and King's childhood which helps mark the differences from the first to the latter from a young age.  

            X is known to have had a turbulent upbringing characterized by frequent harassments by the Ku Klux Klan due to his father’s involvement in political activism as well as serving in jail for almost seven years as a teen on account of theft. Martin Luther King, on the other hand, was brought up in a more privileged household and was granted access to education, although the reality of racial segregation would impact him profoundly from a young age.

            Many psychologists believe "that childhood experiences play an important role in the development of personality traits" (Mentalhelpnet, 2016), which is why the upbringing of both Civil Rights activists Malcolm X and Martin Luther King are the first stepping-stone towards the comparison between the two.

            Furthermore, the religious beliefs of the two may be a further link to set the two apart. This statement is applicable considering their different faiths, Christian for King and Muslim for X, known for dictating laws of conduct such as the ten commandments which prohibit the adoration of another God, to respect the Sabbath day and, for Muslims, not making graven images.

Both men made their religion (as well as the fight for civil rights) the epicenter of their lives, inevitably leading to contrasts among their ideologies.

            However, the most relevant contrast among the two may be their differing opinion on integration. Indeed, Malcolm X was of the stern idea that "Any Negro trying to integrate is actually admitting his inferiority, because he is admitting that he wants to become a part of a 'superior' society." In an interview with a member of the National Staff of U.S. News & World Report on March 30, 1964, Malcolm stated: "The Negro is better off by himself, so he can develop his character and his culture in accord with his own nature".

            When asked if he believed if there could ever be a real integration of the black and white races in America, Malcolm X sternly pointed out that he did not, a statement which went -and goes- in direct contrast to Martin Luther King's views on the matter. King specifically addresses integration in different parts of the speech "I have a dream" such as: " I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.", and "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.", thus re-affirming the difference between the two Civil Rights activists.

It is important to focus on the differences between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King as their upbringings helped shape their adulthood (and therefore their views of the world), their religious beliefs set the line among both ideologies, and their contrasting views on integration in the US.

This chapter is an important step in understanding Malcolm's state of mind and its inspirations; It shows the importance of religion for this social and political advocate that is Malcolm X, and in shaping his perspectives regarding racial issues in The United States. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King are one of today's major references when discussing the segregation issue in the United States. Their childhood and their life experiences shaped their point of view toward how to solve this social issue. One saw Islam as a solution to America’s problems while the other believed  integration to be the key solution. But to what extent does the first preclude the second?

References:



Masjidtucsonorg. (2016). Masjidtucsonorg. Retrieved 15 May, 2016, from http://www.masjidtucson.org/submission/practices/hajj/hajjverses.html

Elke moritz. (2016). Uni-klde. Retrieved 15 April, 2016, from https://www.unix-ag.uni-kl.de/~moritz/6.html

Mentalhelpnet. (2016). Mentalhelpnet. Retrieved 15 April, 2016, from https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/early-life-experiences-and-the-development-of-personality-disorders-nurture/

The Guest by Albert Camus

            The Guest is a short story that is both attractive and inspiring through its smooth progress of events. It brings up questioning about one's unpredictable course of actions and destiny. Camus’ core school of thought throughout the story focuses on choices and one's relevance in life. The dilemma brought by the story is whether we are able to identify ourselves in our decisions. In fact certainty is unreachable which leads to develop certain substitutes to reach acceptance and inner satisfaction.          

As the reader progress in the story. He discover that Daru encourages the escape of the prisoner. As we can see here the writer try to highlight the fact that Daru has an obvious emotional side where he tried to help the Arab by his own way. In which he decides not to make a choice and make the events go smoothly as the prisoner wishes too where he choose for himself.

The interesting part was that the Arab chose his own fate in a hilarious way. He chose to go to the police office where he will be punished for what he committed. As a reader it will be difficult to predict such deviation in the story. The Arab has chose for himself a dead-end for an unknown reason. Here the ironic  flow of actions had made the story announce a deep and valuable lesson. If we try to manage a certain situation such as this one or take action in a tough circumstances it will be more wise to make a deeper decisions in which it will make the intervention we have made less harmeful. For example lets say that Daru will help the Arab but differently. He would have thought deeply in a way he won’t get so much in trouble with the Frensh police. for example he could  made the scene like the prisoner escaped away from him and he couldn’t manage the situation. After all ‘’it’s not his job’’ as he said.

The point that Daru was missing is the fact that he didn’t fight for what he believed. He want it to help the prisoner in a lazy and incomplete manner. He made the choice not to fulfill his mission towards what he thought for the Arab.

 Daru is facing a painful situation of loneliness in the story, both physical and psychological, in a desolated setting. One can understand that the main character throughout the story is struggling between two cultures. He is trying to be accepted by members of this new “hostile” environment where he is alienated and threatened while thriving to be considered as a French. The title of the text “The Guest” might be problematic itself. It may be referring to either the Arab that is the guest of Daru or Daru himself who is a French settler living in Algeria. The character drawn by Camus in The Guest is complex. In a sense that he is facing struggles on different levels. One of them is the feeling of belongingness. It is an emotional necessity in the human nature to be part of a group as explained by Abraham Maslow in his hierarchy of needs (Maslow A.H., 1943). This hierarchy is a psychological theory proposed in 1943 that can be represented in the form of a 5-level pyramid with the most fundamental necessities at the bottom (physiological). Love and belongingness are positioned in the 3^rd level and it is what enhances individuals’ self-esteem and worth in a society by self-regulating oneself (Kune N., 2011). However the situation that Daru has been put in compromised his objectives of having satisfying relationships with his surroundings. The dilemma he faced forced him to make a choice that endorses only one side. By delivering the Arab to the French, he will face the wrath of the Algerians, but if he ignores the orders, he will be considered as a traitor by his fellow countrymen. When facing such dilemmas, people usually try to make compromises to please everyone, but at some point it becomes an impossible task. Our personality is what makes us perceive things differently. Therefore the choices we make may be subject to criticism by others.

            The world’s silence towards one’s metaphysical or existentialist questions constitutes the divorce between the man and the world as described by Camus’ school of thought. It is the sense of strangeness of nature and unpredictable world we live in that establishes the absurdity described by the philosopher through the character of Daru. The guest is a short story based on choices. Choices to which the main character has not essentially find a response, either because of an individual ethical conflict or the absurdity of life. One might identify to the character’s struggle as it is part of life to be confronted to questions and decisions that are not all of the same difficulty. Future is unpredictable and control over destiny is mostly inconceivable. Indeed, it is common to make a choice perceived to suit our needs that ends up reaching a different outcome. As an illustration to this statement, Camus gives us a clear example with the encounter that Daru faces. Either ways, Daru will be held responsible by one of the two factions: by the French jurisdiction or the Arabs. Regardless of his choices, complications will persist which highlights both of the existentialist and absurdist philosophy of Camus. Although, both of the lack of knowledge and meaning of life might suggest that it is not worth living. It is fundamental to find one’s own catalyzer of happiness and self-actualization. Camus describes three core features that need to be developed in order to attain the stage of acceptance of life. Those are: rebellion, freedom, and passion. Rebellion consists of taking decisions that correlate with your needs rather than the needs and pleasures of society. It also includes bearing in mind the certainty of death which recommends taking a stand and fulfilling one’s own pleasures. Freedom as suggested by Camus, states that before confronting the absurd, Man had the hallucination of being free, but was rather a victim of his habits. The encounter with the absurd allowed him to perceive his surroundings from a new perspective: it can only be totally free once he becomes aware of his situation, and consequently learns to live without claims. Passion is described by Camus as a multiplication of lucid experiences with eager and excitement. Rather than focusing on the quality of experiences, the philosopher insists on their quantity. He suggests that the absurd Man (Man who accepts absurdity) is a Man who accepts the consequences of his actions and is ready to pay for it which recalls to freedom. Though, he highlights that Man is his own end but from his actions he is serving humanity; a sense of humanism that will that will shape the thought of the philosopher.

            The story is also about individuals, loneliness, freedom, responsibility, and most importantly, the difficulty of making moral choices. The guest is a story that perfectly illustrates Camus’ inner struggle. He addresses key points that shaped his philosophy. Its main idea was the uncertainty of life and its lack of meaning. Although these perceived dramatic suggestions Camus highlights that one needs to find his or her own key to happiness and success.

References:

Freefr. (2016). Freefr. Retrieved 8 April, 2016, from             http://mael.monnier.free.fr/bac_francais/etranger/abscamus.htm

Kune, N. (2011). The need to belong: rediscovering Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Paul H.          Brookes Publishers.

Maslow, A.H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review 50 (4) 370–96.