BERLIN CALLING

According to Ickarus, drugs help him relax. It put him in a better mood and it inspire him with his music. His fans take drugs because it makes them enjoy the music in a better way. They take it when they go to parties. The subculture Ickarus belongs to focuses on drugs because that the way people from this subculture relax and taking drugs is necessary for them to enjoy life. The kind of music they listen to is also very loud so it may trigger their need to rely on drugs to enjoy the music even though they are not aware of that.

In my home culture, some young people take drugs to relax and because they believe it is the way they should behave. Young people in my culture also listen to the kind of music Ickarus creates.

I found the film interesting because it portrayed how destructive consuming drugs is. I did not like the music in the film because it really is too loud. Even though I could not understand why Ickarus was attracted to drugs, it was intriguing to see how he eventually stopped consuming drugs even though he was not under medication. It showed that he had a strong will to pursue his musical career.

Anthroposophy

Anthroposophy from the Greek terms anthropos (human) and sophia (wisdom) is a philosophy that studies the knowledge of the nature of man. The movement was founded by Rudolf Steiner and it is based on the conception that there is a spiritual world  that can be directly experienced through inner development. 

The main purpose of this philosophy is to develop perceptive imagination, inspiration, and intuition by using a form of thinking that is not based on the use of the senses. The results of the spiritual experience are then explain rationally just as the natural sciences have been rationally proven. Steiner created spiritual exercises that help with the inner development. Steiner's wish was not to promote Anthroposophy as a replacement for Christianity but rather to help understanding Christianity better through Anthroposophy. 

The movement became quite popular and has had since its creation more followers. Another aspect of the philosophy is that it is applied to many areas such as Steiner/ Waldorf education, special education, bio-dynamic agriculture, medicine, ethical banking, organizational development, and the arts.

Steiner/ Waldorf education focuses mainly on intellectual, practical, and artistic activities to develop free, morally responsible, and integrated individuals who have a string social competence. This education emphasizes on the role of imagination in learning.

Steiner also applied Anthroposophy to architecture. He built approximately thirteen buildings and among those are the two Goetheanum built in Dornach, Switzerland.


First Goetheanum; built in 1919 in Dornach, Switzerland.


Second Goetheanum; built in 1924-1928 in Dornach, Switzerland.



Performance hall,


References: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthroposophy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_education

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3

Group Members:

Mohammed A

Andrew P

Tatiana S

Kropp: He is a thinker and he suggests that instead of the soldiers fighting against each other during  war that declaration of war be a festival where ministers and generals armed with clubs fight among themselves. then whichever side wins the festival wins the war.

Katczinsky (also called Kat) : He is the one who always scavenge for food with success. He finds Horse flesh and bread in an area an artillery man claims there is nothing to found. He also knows how to cook.

Haie Westthus: He held Himmelstoss down during his beating and he gave the coup de grâce to Himmelstoss during his beating. He knows how to operate under Kat's orders.

Tjaden : Since he has a grudge against Himmelstoss he is the one who gets satisfaction from beating Himmelstoss mostly. He gains some self-satisfaction by getting his revenge against Himmelstoss for his “treatment” for wetting the bed. Being part of the beating made him less afraid of Himmelstoss.

Himmelstoss: He was a postman before the war and he became a drill sergeant after enrolling in the war. He is beaten by a group of soldiers he is in charged of because he abuses of his authority. Himmelstoss begins to lose his authority over his men who no longer fear him after they beat him. he did not discover who beat him.His superiors praise him for being strict but the soldiers despise him for that.

Paul : He is closed to Haie because they knew each other just before living for the front. He had the bed cover that was use to cover Himmelstoss during the beating. Tjaden and him were the one who covered him when he entered the barracks.

PAUL BAUMER

Paul Baumer

I am Paul Baumer, I was 19 year-old when I enrolled in the army. I used to write poems before the war and enjoyed literature. I realized how this war had changed me when I went back home to my family. I felt disconnected from  my mother, my sister, and my father. I did not want to be around my family. I wanted to go back to the front because I felt that I belonged there with my comrades and not in this house. I wished I could tell my mother what she wanted to hear but I could not. When I killed Gerard Duval, I had the revelation that those soldiers whom we were fighting against were not different from us. I felt guilty when I murdered him but I knew that I should not blame myself because that was my duty. I do not know what I should do after this war and I do not know who I am anymore.