Overview of German 110

I was a little hesitant to take the class at first; I had almost no idea what to expect the class structure to be like. This would make any student a little nervous. Going into the class I had hoped to get a general knowledge of Germany and its culture and we were able to just that. After taking the class I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed being apart of it and glad that I signed up. We were able to learn and cover quite a few topics about Germany and its culture which is exactly what I had hoped for. I found the topic/presentations about the different areas throughout the decades particularly interesting. One of the more surprising areas that we covered is the whole nudist thing. I found interesting that how different our countries view nudity in public. I also loved how the course its self was set up. I also that Prof. Roland was a very easy to approach man and he also allowed the class to be even more enjoyable. He allowed for students to stay on top of things with ease. Not to mention that he also allowed us to save and arm and a leg by not having to purchase a textbook :^). I wouldn't structure the class any different than its current state. The only thing that was bad was having to go to class so late, which couldn't be helped.

Germany and its Immediate Neighbors: The East

France:

France-Germany relations have always been a touchy subject. It roots back to the to powers being the biggest empires to stretch across Europe at the time. Having struggles back and forth over land, politics, and power.  France would go so far as to seek out allying countries to attempt to shut out Germany from the outside world. Their failed attempts to do so would loosen their ties even more so.  Most of France's policies were in fact brought about as a result of direct fear of the Germans. With their pasts struggles it won't be until after the Second World War that Germany and France will finally see any any sort of peace between the two. It takes the soviet threat to bring them together. 

Belgium:

Belgium has almost always remained neutral throughout times of war. Belgium has historically been the route of invading armies from its larger neighbors. With virtually defenseless borders, Belgium has traditionally sought to avoid domination by the more powerful nations which surround it through a policy of mediation. This, however, didn't work during the two World Wars. Germany didn't care that their policy was to remain neutral during war time and they took over Belgium both wars. Fed up with staying neutral, in 1948, Belgium signed the Treaty of Brussels with the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, and one year later became one of the founding members of the Atlantic Alliance.

My Character for All is Quiet

If I had to take the role of a character from the book I would easily take over the roll of Katczinsky. Kat always seems to find a way to make the best of their situation. And while he may not look it or even act like it at times, he always steps up to raise moral or lead the group when the time needs him. Without him the group of friends would have never made it as far as they did. He was a friend to all and for a very good reason.

My Expectations

What do I expect to get out of this class:
I expect to get a better understanding and knowledge about Germany in it's past and present. I, as many other students taking this class, have some background in Germany through family relations. This is part of the why as to me taking this class. I also have just been interested in Germany as a country. Germany has been the focus of so much attention and has gone through so much change throughout the years due to war and other movements. I find it fascinating that they can recover time and time again.

Günter Grass

Günter Grass is a German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, sculptor and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is often referred to as Germany's most famous writers that are still around today

Early Years:

Born in 1927 he spent his youth living in the Free City of Danzig (which is now Gdank, Poland). It wasn’t until 1945 that he came to West Germany as a homeless refugee because of the war. Grass was unable to return home for the Soviet Army expelled all Germans from the area. Soon after being removed from his home, he worked in a mine and received training in stonemasonry in 1946 and 1947.

Beginning of a Career:

For many years he studied sculpture and graphics, first at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, then at the Berlin University of the Arts.

  With his built up training that he acquired piece by piece throughout his life, Grass worked as an author, graphic designer, and sculptor, travelling frequently. He married in 1954 and since 1960 has lived in Berlin as well as part-time in Schleswig-Holstein. His first marriage ended in 1978, he remarried in 1979. From 1983 to 1986 he held the presidency of the Berlin Academy of the Arts.

His Major works:

  Grass has published many famous works in his lifetime. One of his most famous pieces, for English-language readers, is the trilogy known as Danzig Trilogy. The three works (being published from 1959 to the latest one in 1963) consist of: Die Blechtrommel, Katz und Maus, and Hundejahre or The Tin Drum, Cat and Mouse, and Dog Years. The trilogy deal with the rise of Nazism and the the war experience in the unique culture setting of Danzig area.

Grass received many rewards and honors for his works. In 1999 he achieved the highest literary honor: the Nobel Prize in Literature. The Swedish academy noted his as a writer "whose frolicsome black fables portray the forgotten face of history”.

en.wikipedia.org/Guten_Grass

nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature

'Berlin Calling' Reflection

1. To Ickarus drugs are a way to chill out. At the begging of the film hes sees them as the only way possible for him to regain his creativity for his music. Blinded by the drugs it has become all he knows for a source of inspiration and relaxation.
2. His fans do drugs whenever, wherever, whatever and however. Although Ickarus may not be directly promoting drug use, it is very likely that his fans see this and 'want to be like him' and they follow suit.
3. not sure answer this one :(
4. The biggest difference I notice is the variation in authority. While someone getting caught here will almost likely see some sort of time behind walls of some sort, here they take a different approach and instead try to fix the problem instead of just punishing the problem. This approach to drug use makes a lot more sense to me.
5. I think that every generation has the ability to change their country. Some might say that with access to all new technologies and such that they have the power to change their country ideal for them even more so than previous generations.
6. I havnt seen any movies similar to this. Im more of a sci-fi kind of movie watcher.

I really enjoyed this film. It does such a good job depicting what it would actually be like to be in this scenario. I have a family member who has also had bad go ins with drugs and still struggles to this day with them and they are no joke. One of the biggest differences that i noticed was again how they handle individuals that are caught with drug use. Although I dont know enough to know if every delinquent is handled this way the ones in this film that are seem to be handled in a way that makes way more sense than it does get handled here. Here its very unlikely that one will go directly to a rehab center. This is the exact opposite of what we see in the film

German Gymnastics

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1je8OvnjJPYaXXjf9vLdeplsvyfOE0nflRxgi8nYhTwU/edit?usp=sharing