I find that Orientalism is apparent in other aspects of pop-culture and the arts, not just film. When reading Said's selection, I instantly thought of literature that upholds this biased view. Several semester's ago I had to read Coleridge's poem Kubla Khan. Kubla Khan makes many stereotypical references regarding the Orient. For instance, Coleridge writes:
"But oh ! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover !
A savage place ! as holy and enchanted
As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover !"
This passage touches on the "romantic" notion of the East, as well as its supposed "savage" nature. Coleridge is saying that despite the beautiful landscape of Kubla Kahn's vast empire, the land is untamed, wild and dangerous. Coleridge depicts the East as a place of mystery and enchantment, much like Spielberg depicted India in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Said writes that "Orientalism reveals more about the West and its fantasies than it does about the actual people, culture, and history of the East" and it is moreover a "valuable sign of European-Atlantic power over the Orient than it is a veridic discourse about the Orient." Due to the fact that Coleridge's text dates back several hundred years, it is obvious that Orientalism has been an issue for some time. However, now, more than ever, has its influence become apparent due to political biases and the horrifying opinion many Americans harbor that the East is subordinate to the West.
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2 comments:
Excellent work. You're working in both the second and third stages of reading development here. It is scary that Orientalism has never gone away. The West's survival needs it now more than ever - which is equally scary.
Where's the entry that was due today? This isn't like you, Whitney.
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