faust and pignuts ~

[lookingland]

more "oh brother" in the news: 'Faust' Opera Video Stirs Angry Parents

parent, Casey Goodwin, said, "I think it glorifies Satan in some way."

now i don't know if it's useful to show the opera of Faust to first graders, but here is clearly a parent who is objecting on total heresay and knows nothing of what the story is actually about. Faust is a moral cautionary parable about the seductive power of evil. it's a highly Christian work ~ to the point of being pedantic!

ignorance make me shake my head in wonder.

: o p

murnau's Faust (1925) is simply incredible. i once saw it with an industrial live band playing soundtrack and it was an amazing theatrical experience.



the archangel confronts the devil
in murnau's silent classic

~ * ~

i'm writing. just a wee bit though. the gears are sorta stripping and the words and tumbling rather scattered and disorganized onto the page. today it's all about pignut hickory, chick peas and sorghum. i've never done botanical details well, so writing about a farm is a challenge. my main character has been citified for so long we've both forgotten his roots.

if i yield anything worth sharing, i may post it later (you are warned).

: D

Comments

[pithhelmet.livejournal.com]

Welcome back.

I do wish parents would do their research before they start lighting their torches and heading for the castle. I'm certain this teacher's actions were done more out of youthful exuberrance than out of any desire to win kids over to "the debbil." I remember when I toyed with the idea of teaching high school English I thought I was going to use Iron Maiden to teach Coleridge and how cool that would be. Now, I know the kids would have been thinking, "Um, why is this old dude making me listen to this. Can't he play some Limp Bizkit or sumpthin'?"

I honestly have to say that while I'd be quite pleased if this were shown to my high-schooler, middle-schooler, or probably even fifth grader, I wouldn't be too thrilled if a teacher showed it to my first (or second or third) grade kid. My pre-Ker still watches Thomas the Tank Engine, Veggietales, and Winnie The Pooh. His cousin, who is only a couple of years older, enjoys the Blade trilogy. I guess what I'm saying is there will be a time when my kid is old enough for Faust, but I know it's not now.

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

thank you for the welcome ~!

i absolutely agree that it's of questionable judgment (and educational value) to show Faust to first-graders (i think i was still recovering from the horror of Bambi in the first grade and i was deathly afraid of masks and puppets).

while some kids are more sophisticated at a younger age because of their exposure to television, it's a myth that they cope with such exposure in a more sophisticated way. i'm all for sharing opera with young'uns, but there are plenty of G-rated operas that would be more suitable for small children.

p.s. iron maiden rulz ~ hahahahahahahaha ~

: D