Re: Butterflies and life

From: Kris Gutierrez (gutierrez@gseis.ucla.edu)
Date: Sun Apr 03 2005 - 19:34:17 PDT


THIS IS OFF TOPIC BUT IT CAN'T GO UNNOTICED--SOMETHING CLOSE TO HOME
FOR THOSE OF US IN THE SOUTHWEST and hopefully something else to
ponder: KRIS

Soldados Mexicanos Muertos en Irak" (Xenophobes of the Minutemen
  Project want to play soldiers on the Arizona-Mexico border, hunting
down "illegal aliens."  Meanwhile, Mexicans are dying in Iraq for the
US government) -- FULL TEXT:
<http://montages.blogspot.com/2005/04/soldados-mexicanos-muertos-en-
irak.html>

-- 

Kris D. Gutierrez Professor GSE&IS Moore Hall 1026 UCLA Los Angeles, CA 9009501521 310-825-7467 On Apr 3, 2005, at 6:14 PM, Ana Marjanovic-Shane wrote:

> Phil, > Thanks for the link!! And thank Nate for posting it > Ana > > Phil Chappell wrote: > Mike and All Spam lovers, > > Parts of Psychology of Art are here. > > Cheers, > Phil > > http://www.marxists.org/archive/vygotsky/works/1925/ > > On Monday, April 04, 2005, at 02:52AM, Mike Cole <lchcmike@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > <<Original Attached>> > > > > > Ana--  I am confused by the law of aesthetic response. > I get two (perhaps) relevant defintions from OED for catharsis: > 1. The purification of the emotions by vicarious experience, esp. > through the drama > 2. Psychotherapy. The process of relieving an abnormal excitement by > re-establishing the association of the emotion with the memory or idea > of the event which was the first cause of it, and of eliminating it by > abreaction > > My copy of Psych of Art has long ago been borrowed in extinction. Can > you elaborate so I can follow the rest of the thought? > mike > > > On Apr 2, 2005 11:27 PM, Ana Marjanovic-Shane <ana@zmajcenter.org> > wrote: > In the Psychology of Art, Vygotsky said: > "The law of aesthetic response ...: it comprises an affect that > develops in two opposite directions but reaches annihilation at its > point of termination. > This is the process we should like to call catharsis."(Psychology of > Art, MIT Press, 1971, p. 214) > Learning is often, probably always, driven by the law of catharsis -- > learning which is meaningful and transformative. > But the emotion that develops in two opposite directions is not > always a benign and sweet thing. It is dramatic, it is breaking away, > it is or can become fully developed drama or tragedy. Think of the > great thought revolutions: Copernicus and Galileo. > The best learning, a true metamorphosis is never merely academic and > just cognitive. > But, there are more levels here. There is a difference between a > catharsis, as transformation into something new; and destruction, a > transformation after which nothing is left. However, a line between > the two is very thin. > What does it mean to be pro-life? A catch phrase, almost a battle > cry, that touches some people and blinds them to everything else: > complexities of human situation, effects on other people, scientific > findings...  In the same breath, they can be against "abortion" and > for the "capital punishment". And it makes sense to them. And then you > have people who know how to use this catch phrase, this battle cry to > achieve some other goals. Goals which have nothing to do and may be > contrary to the meaning of "pro-life". You almost feel like a > spectator in a theater seeing how the affects develop in the opposite > directions and you wait for them to reach annihilation and the point > of termination. And you pray that the termination will be in the form > of the social catharsis -- not social destruction. > Ana > > > > Mike Cole wrote: > Breaking away > > Breaking away > stealing thoughts > cutting edges and > turning around. > > Hippity-hop! > I cannot stop. > > Butterflies, jellyfish, > marzipan sweet, > snap dragon flies > sprinkled with sand. > > Breaking away > over the wires > under the radar > covering tracks. > > Hippity-hop! > I cannot stop. > > Butterflies are blown northward > to the San Joaquin valley in profusion. > Orange, black, white fleeting lives, > Flying, blowing north. > > Breaking away > gently destroying > remembrance of life before. > >   > >   > Today the butterflies in our back yard crowded our beautiful purple > flowers. Not yet blown away on their > trip north. Heather appreciated the thoughts. Their lives are so short! >   > Today Pope John Paul the 2nd died. They say he promoted pro life and > pro social justice policies. It is an > occasion,along with the furor over Terry Shaivo,  for all of us to > re-think what it means to be pro-life and pro-poor. David tried to get > us to think about this issue earlier this week. Apparently his > comments did not resonate. Might > they evoke more externalized reflection the second time around? >   > mike  > >



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