Monday, March 7, 2011

Sontag and Specific Questions

Through out Sontag's "American, seen through Photographs, Darkly" she is giving us the idea that there is no specific object that is beautiful or person that is better than another. Only that we have that there is not standard of what makes a photo beautiful. She talks about Diane Arbus who takes photos of specific objects and people who would not commonly be known as beautiful that are ignored in our society because of politics and the common model of what men and women should look like.

1). On page 31, what is Sontag referring to when she says Whitman's Poems are psychic tenchology for chanting the reader into a new state of being? Is this the idea that we don't see what is common and idea of creating a new perspective of the world.

2) . On papge 33, I understand that Sontag is trying to  prove that a photograph doesn't have to be a certain kind of beauty and that every person/object is unique and beautiful, but what does she mean when she says Diane Arbus's work enrolled in one of art photogrphy's most vigorous enterprises? Is this the idea that Arbus is entering a whole new world of taking photos and what is common and beautiful?

3). On page 34, What does Diane Arbus mean in the second paragraph when she says there's another world? Is this her world or world of general photography?

4). On page 36, WHy does Diane Arbus photograph people why is she trying to show everyone the people who are not beautiful or known to be appealing.

5). On page 38, If she was so known for her photography then why did she kill herself?

6). On page 39,  How can a phot5o be dangerous to someone ? If its just a photo.

7). On page 40 Why did Diane Abrus enhoy taking photo's of life's horror and reality and pain?

8). On page 41, How is photography like a lisence where you can go take a bunch of photo's and feel free eventhough she already told us that from taking photo's of war there were consequences of death.?

9). On page 45, What does Sontag mean when she says they offer no opening to mockey, and no possibiility of finding freaks endearing as do films of Warhol and Paul Marrissey? Why does she say this about Diane Arbus's photo's and what could they possibly represent?

10). On page 48, What is meant by America is just a freak show, a wasteland, cut-rate pessimism typical or reduction of real to surreal? Why does Diane Arbus see the world in this way?