Global Issue: Lessons learnt from the consequences of violence – wars, conflicts and genocides.
- Politics, Power and Justice
Body of Text 1: ‘We are Making a New World’ (1918)
Body of Text 2: ‘Shooting Stars’, from Standing Female Nude (1985)
Introduction
The global issue that I have chosen today is based on ‘Politics, Power and Justice’. Despite World War Two ending 75 years ago, there are still a multitude of conflicts happening every day, all around the world. Whether it might be conflict in Afghanistan or tensions rising between the US and Iran, the threat of a third world war consistently looms before us. Consequently, the lessons learnt from previous destructive wars and conflicts are still relevant today in order to prevent the repetition of similar atrocities.
Appointed as an official war artist by the British government, Paul Nash was recognized for his depictions of the first and second world war landscapes. In place of glorifying it, Nash showcased the reality of the war through a brutal and honest expression. Nash’s attachment to the natural world fueled his anti-war sentiments, signalling a new approach to documenting war in art. For example, in his painting, ‘We are Making a New World’, he portrayed the full extent to which war had ravaged the Belgian countryside. Through his perspective, Nash encourages viewers to embrace the harsh reality of war in place of the romantic style that was depicted in the past: poems and official propaganda – which had become entwined with nationalism. Similarly, a poet willing to tackle sensitive and difficult topics through her customary use of first person narrative, colloquialisms and graphic language is Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy. In her poem ‘Shooting Stars’, published in 1985 in her book Standing Female Nude, Duffy portrays the perspective of the victims of the holocaust through the voice of a Jewish women who is about to be shot. Through their work, both Duffy and Nash incentivize their readers to truly acknowledge and contemplate the atrocities of the past. Regardless of any stigmatization surrounding these sensitive events, they prompt audiences to consider their relevance today, in order to prevent similar events from occurring in the future.
Extract 1 – Paul Nash – ‘We are Making a New World’ (1918)
The first non-literary text I will be discussing will be the painting ‘We are Making a New World’, by Paul Nash. Completed in 1918, Nash uses oil paint to display the remains of the Polygon Woods at Inverness Copse, near Ypres in Belgium after a battle. Through his piece, Nash explores the suffering of those involved in the war, as well as the consequences and progress that society is left to live with post the conflict. In addressing these themes, Nash encourages us to review our modern-day conflicts whilst keeping in mind lessons learnt from the past.
Nash explores the suffering endured during the war of both humans and the natural environment. Nash employed the modernism style in this particular painting, which was a literary and artistic movement that is usually associated with art in which experimentation was favoured over upholding traditions of the past. The abstract, sharp-planed edges, unevenly distributed curves – extenuated by the lifeless and dull tones – are a parody of what can be seen in organic landscapes. The style of the painting also portrays the heavy influence of mechanized warfare on the war, land and soldiers. Through the portrayal of this landscape as reshaped by the bombardment and attacks, Nash highlights the extent to which the land itself has become unrecognizable and inorganic. As a consequence it has become dead, polluted and ownerless. Furthermore, through his representation of the destruction, he asks audiences what a weapon capable of ripping apart an entire landscape would do to a human body.
Nash addresses the consequences of the war through his choice of subject matter, as well as the symbols he chooses to portray. The 19th century artists were known for ‘genre art’, which meant they primarily found their subject matter in the life around them. These domestic settings, parties, or other events were either portrayed realistically or romanticized. This, too, was the art that was commonly exhibited in art showcases. Nash’s deliberate choice to paint a landscape visually similar to those common in the British countryside encouraged viewers to recognize that this could have been their land, countryside, town or cities that experienced the damage done here. Displaying this deglamorized piece next to romanticized versions in museums that the audience are accustomed to, shocks them, ultimately sending a stronger message that hits closer to home. Ultimately, his style subverts the landscape genre by being both recognizable and unrecognizable at the same time. Moreover, the land, painted in earthy tones is littered with masses of shell holes. The mounds of earth are spread out across the landscape in an irregular pattern. The exaggerated organic line’s nature itself has become a subverted parody of itself. It could also remind an audience of gravestones, once again subverting nature by yoking it to death, ultimately serving a reminder of all those who lost their lives fighting in the war. The skeletal remains of the blasted trees personify those brutally killed and their families, who were left stranded after having lost their brothers, fathers or husbands in the war. Similar to the state of the land, Nash suggests through his depiction that the consequences of the war are permanent and inescapable. This holds true even today, where some zones along the Western Front continue to remain toxic and littered with unexploded ordnance.
Despite the melancholy, Nash introduces the idea of progress through artistic choices which cause the reader to question the cause and effects of the war. The optimistic title: “We are Making a New World”, contrasts with Nash’s ironic depiction of a scarred landscape, mocking the ambition of the war. In Nash’s bitter vision, the sun will continue to rise each and every day, exposing the desecration and repeating judgment on those responsible. The sunrise is a conventional symbol for romanticism, pertaining to hope or a new dawn. Although, here it is slightly off centre, and the colour is a cold white rather than a warm yellow or orange, challenges these expectations. Whilst, this new world is unwanted and unlovable, it is inescapable. It asks questions, without providing answers. It leaves the audience to ponder the experiences of those who fought in such places and question the nature of the war itself. Whilst technology had promised in the past, and continues to promise today, this idea of a utopian future, we often neglect to consider the increased destruction that comes along with it. As a human race, can we face the fact that progress would mean an increased scale of destruction? The moral questions that Nash’s work implores us to consider become more prevalent today as we see weapons such as drones in operation. Killing at a distance dehumanizes the destruction caused, concealing one from the true horror of death by transforming it into a mere computer game.
Extract 2 – Carol Ann Duffy – ‘Shooting Stars’ (1985)
The second literary text I will be discussing will be ‘Shooting Stars’ by Carol Ann Duffy, published in 1985. The confrontational poem is voiced by a Jewish women who represents the silenced and marginalised voices of the prisoners held captive by Nazi soldiers during the time of the holocoust. Through this poem, Duffy urges us to face the suffering , torture and death of the Jewish people during the genecide. Furthermore, it addresses the consequences such as the normalization of violence, whilst providing hope for the future – reminding us that these past lessons should guide our actions in modern day conflicts.
Throughout the poem, Duffy places emphasis on the suffering of the Jewish people, in hope that we learn from the discrimination. Similar to Nash, Duffy’s choice of title is ambiguous yet effective in subverting the expectations of audiences. ‘Shooting Stars’ are a cliche symbol of hopes and dreams. However, the notable mention of the star is truly symbolic of the ‘Star of David’ which is a recognized symbol of Jewish identity. The word ‘shooting’ refers to the genecide or literal shooting of Jewish people, as well as the degradation of the ‘Star of David’ – their religious symbol. Moreover, through the list of Jewish names of three women and men – “Rebecca Rachel Ruth” and “Aaron Emmanuel David” – which deliberately lack punctuation of commas, Duffy displays the unity of the Jewish community in the face of adversity. Furthermore, she displays how the Nazi’s did not distinguish between individuals, instead grouping them as a signly entity who were to be killed without further deliveration or mercy – essentialy dehumanazing them and demeaning their religion.
Through collated images scattered across the poem, Duffy addresses the dehumanization of the Jewish people in order to bring attention to consequences of those past actions. The image of the german soldiers breaking the fingers of a Jewish woman in order to ‘salvage’ her wedding ring – thereby desecrating a symbol traditionally associated with love and earnest money – displays how the soldiers showed no remorse, valuing a ring over the life of a human being. Afterwards, the soldiers are depicted to be laughing, their mood not dampened despite being surrounded by dead corpses, indicating their lack of empathy towards the horrifying circumstances. This treatment bears witness that it was ingrained in the soldiers, that the lives of Jewish people were equivalent to that of garbage. Additionally, the juxtaposition between the “immense suffering” of humans and the domestic action of taking “tea on the lawn”, shows the extent to which the horrors were overlooked. In the midst of the scene, “a boy washes his uniform”. The blood he washes, symbolizes the washing away of sins, divulging their belief that by washing their uniforms, they can ignore the event. Through the uniform, casual tone adopted throughout the poem, Duffy showcases the normalization of suffering among the german soldiers – including child soldiers. This becomes increasingly relevant today, when we draw a parallel between them and the use of child soldiers today in armed groups like the Taliban.
Duffy confronts the consequences of the holocaust and focuses on what it means for our future. The Jewish woman asks the audience to “mourn for the daughters”. Judaism is matrilineal, where a child of a Jewish mother is considered to be Jewish regardless of the father’s lineage. As a result, when the daughters die, the Jewish family line is terminated. Through this line, Duffy reiterates the Nazi’s intent to eradicate the Jewish poeple. Furthermore, the repetition of “Remember” emphasises the idea that we should not forget the tragic things that happened during the holocaust which has made the world “forever bad”. Through exploring the theme of rememberence and progress, Duffy conveys the message that no amount of retribution will compensate for what has been suffered by those in the holocaust. In addition, Duffy writes that “after the history lesson children run to their toys”. Through this line, she calls out present-day readers, implying that we often overlook the suffering and dismiss it as history when “only a matter of days seperate this from acts of torture now.” This becomes pertinent, when we are consistently calling into question the existence of concentration camps in countries like North Korea and the United States today.
Conclusion
To conclude, whilst, both Nash’s painting and Duffy’s poem are centred around events that have taken place in the past – the second world war and the holocaust – the messages they convey to us are timeless. In today’s world, where we are in a constant state of unrest and tension, the lessons we learn from their work are more valuable and relevant than ever. It serves as a reminder of the consequences we faced in the past, and urges us to prevent the repetition of similar atrocities in the future.
