OPPRESSION, OPIUM, and OPERA…O, O, O in the 1800s!

–Take Two—

PRELIMINARIES:Our discussion this week has two parts to do (as usual)—and three toselect from. The first subject (the oppression of slavery) is relatedto chapter 29; the second subject (intrusions into Asia and theOpium Wars) is related mainly to chapter 30. And the third subject isabout music (Opera in the mid to late 1800s) and is also related mainlyto Chapter 30. Do two out of these three three—you choose which two.

There is also the usual EXPLORE list under the topic. Be sure to usethat instead of any random googling for answers–you are required to usethe class text each week and at least one of the EXPLORE-listedwebsites. HINT:The Explore list normally suggests what page numbers to focus on.ANOTHER HINT: If using the eBook purchased via our bookstore, when youjust click on the on-screen page, the page number appears on the lowerleft of the screen. Jot it down.

Watch Media

TOPIC: Please select two of the following three subjects; respond to those two subjects using the class text and sources under the Explore heading as the basis of your response. And then have fun interacting with classmates:

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Select ONLY TWO of the subjects (out of the three listed) to address in your discussion this week.

• SUBJECT ONE–Describetwo examples of how either black slaves or white abolitionists usedliterature or the visual arts as a form of protest against slavery.Compare this to a modern example of art used for social protest.
• SUBJECT TWO–Describethe key motives involved in the increased presence of Westerners inIndia, China, and Japan in the 1700s and 1800s. Identify the key factorsthat led to Britain's successful imposition of its presence and tradepolicies on China, despite communications like those from EmperorCh'ien-lung (i.e., Qianlong) and Commissioner Lin Zexu (i.e., LinTse-hsu). Argue for or against the British policies regarding China inthe 1800s, using analogies from our own modern times.
• SUBJECT THREE–Read,listen to, and watch the sources for the opera composers at theWebsites below and in this week's Music Folder. Describe the majorinfluences that Verdi, Wagner, or Puccini exerted upon opera in terms ofmaking it more innovative, realistic, and even controversial. Next, consider Wagner and this dilemma:Wagner's brilliance is clear because his works remain some of the mostpopular and admired productions in our own time. Yet, he was a blatantlyantisemitic and held notions of racial purity, traits that have stainedhis artistic legacy. (This was compounded by the later celebration ofWagner's music by Hitler and the Nazis). New York Times writer AnthonyTommasini wrote of Wagner in 2005: "How did such sublime music come fromsuch a warped man? Maybe art really does have the power to ferret outthe best in us." So, consider the issue of whether we should or canseparate the artist from the art, whether we can appreciate the art butreject the artist. Or whether we should reject both the person and hisor her art. Identify one (1) modern musician or artist where thisdilemma arises.

Explore:

American Dilemma–Slavery – The Art & Literature of Protest

• Chapter 29 (pp. 962-976); slavery, literature, and art
• Haven's article on Goodman's scholarship on art protesting slavery before the Civil War at http://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/february18/artists-slavery-protests-021809.html
• Art and Slavery article at http://www.realhistories.org.uk/articles/archive/the-art-of-slavery.html

Intrusions in Asia

• The Opium Wars and Foreign Encroachment: http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_1750_opium.htm
• Opium Wars with visuals at http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/opium_wars_01/ow1_essay01.html
• Key documents from China at http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1793qianlong.asp and http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/com-lin.html

Opera and Society

• Chapter 30 (pp. 999-1004), Wagner and Verdi; (pp. 1133-1134), Puccini; review the Week 5 “Music Folder”
• Huizenga article and audio selections at http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2012/04/11/150420827/talk-like-an-opera-geek-how-verdi-wagner-and-puccini-got-their-grooves
• Wagner video of a stage production (Tristan und Isolde) at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAEkTK6aKUM
• Verdi video clip of stage production (Rigoletto) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4UdG9CXz1I and a clip of the film at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWwg_VtrTdg
• Puccini video clip of stage production (Tosca) at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sSoKbv46zc