I think that one of the "uses" of poetry, indeed of all art that isn't
propagandist anyway, lies in its very uselessness, offering in part a
resistance to an instrumenalist, utilitarian and therefore dominative (is
that a word?) view of what people and their lives are all about. As in
Adorno, I think. Obviously this isn't the whole story, but I think it's an
important part of it. It seems kind of powerless and weak perhaps, but the
world's still at least better with it than without. And we need small
mercies now, that's for sure.
Regards,
Jon
----- Original Message -----
From: Alison Croggon <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, September 21, 2001 4:06 AM
Subject: Re: operation infinite justice
Dear Arni
Poetry is of no "use" at all. I think we all have to begin from that
assumption, or we're fooling ourselves. That doesn't mean however that it
doesn't matter.
Best
Alison
>At last the list livened up again, but at what cost? Much as I'm fascinated
>by the heated, eloquent posts of late (there's even the old touch of
>national pride in reverse, i.e. your foreign policy is worse than / as bad
>as ours!), I harbour a very basic doubt which may be concentrated into a
>simple question: Are there any examples anywhere at all, perhaps even
neatly
>tucked away in some hidden pockets of history, where a poet / writer /
>artist / musician / dancer / singer / actor has changed the mind of a war
>lord bent on death and destruction? The build up to war is always the same,
>there's a veritable tradition to it, which makes you wonder about the
>usefulness of knowing history and/or loving poetry. The recent scurrying of
>one Mr. Blair from one country to another recalls, very uncomfortably, the
>build up to WWI as well as WWII, when such riff-raff as statesmen and
>political leaders scurried across Europe like so many ants in anticipation
>of winter. And for so many thousands of years, the notion of PEACE has been
>the core essence of all those warring religions, to most of which I have a
>natural aversion. What's the use of history? What's the use of powetree?
>
>Love and peace
>
>Arni
>
>
>--
>Árni Ibsen
>Stekkjarkinn 19,
>220 Hafnarfjördur,
>Iceland
>
>tel.: +354-555-3991
>e-mail: [log in to unmask]
>http://www.centrum.is/~aibsen/
>
>
>
>
>
Alison Croggon
Home page
http://users.bigpond.com/acroggon/
Masthead
http://au.geocities.com/masthead_2/
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