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Education and Urban Society

Education and Urban Society
-from OCLC FirstSearch ECO
Holdings: 1999-2005

Letter to Congress

This letter written on behalf of the Society of American Archivists expresses one group’s opposition to the CTEA and the need to oppose such a passing of an act. They argue that the law disrupts the balance between public and private interests and will have a negative impact on the public’s use of unpublished materials for teaching, scholarship and research. The point of the Society is to make things available to the public and they believe that such an extension will inhibit their ability to make things available and useable to the public. Maher on behalf of the society argues that there should be a vigorous public domain and protections for the rights of holders of intellectual property as well. They believe that too short of a copyright may discourage new works but too long of a period may limit the creation of new discoveries and Congress must maintain a balance between the interests of authors and the rights of the public. Maher argues that, “no extension of copyright term should be contemplated until there are available solid analysis of the likely impact of such an extension on the creation of new knowledge”. He goes on to say that the Society is troubles by the effect the extension may have on the use of unpublished material that is found in archives and that courts have continues to restrict the application of fair use, which applies, to archives. The final argument Maher makes is that the Society believes that only a few individuals of heirs and corporations would benefit from the extension of such an extension.
This letter is important because it takes the perspective of an organization that finds the passing of the CTEA to be unbeneficial and detrimental to their work. It is important to my paper because it takes a different perspective, a more personal perspective in a sense. The argument they make is not just for the public domain but also rather for the balance which is something that has not been argued for in other articles.

Western movies / edited by William T. Pilkington and Don Graham ; ill. by Laura Butler.

Graham, Don. “High Noon.” Western Movies. Eds. William T. Pilkington and Don Graham. Albuquerque: U. of New Mexico Press, 1979. 51-62.

In his essay, Graham begins first with a reaction to the relative lack of critical respect given to High Noon, and continues on to critique a number of interpretations of the film. While accepting the validity of the HUAC interpretation, Graham believes the film remains effective, even after audiences can no longer relate to any early-50s political messages, because of the depth of emotion and the heroism shown by Gary Cooper’s Will Kane. Even though Graham casually mentions the HUAC and thereafter ignores it, he still manages to touch on the general issues raised by Carl Foreman in his provocative script. Graham focuses on two issues that are enduring enough to appeal to an audience unfamiliar with 1950s politics: the “hypocritical community” and “the issue of transfer of authority from one generation to another” (57).

The former issue is much more directly related to the HUAC, although Graham chooses not to emphasize that aspect. Still, the way in which “High Noon mocks and derides the mask of complacent morality” worn by the townspeople is a clear attack on society (56). It takes little imagination to apply the idea of hypocrisy and false morality to the situation of the fervent anti-Communists and those who stood idly by. The idea of a generation gap, manifested in films of the era such as 1955’s Rebel Without a Cause, is only part of a tumultuous social climate that also included the HUAC hearings. Even though the generation gap might be a secondary conflict to the HUAC interpretation, which pervades the film, it still adds to the level of crisis and stress facing both Kane, standing in Foreman’s place, and the townspeople who represent the apathetic American public. Graham’s essay chooses to minimize the HUAC interpretation, but his emphasis on how High Noon revealed social conflicts in America directly relates to the flawed society in which such persecution could occur.

Westerns and American culture, 1930-1955 / by R. Philip Loy.

Loy, R. Philip. “Friendly Neighbors All Around.” Westerns and American Culture, 1930-1955. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2001. 121-151.

In his essay, Loy focuses primarily on the B westerns which typically define the genre, and as stated in his title, these westerns generally present a positive view of the community, with High Noon as “a dramatic departure from the typical B western” (126). As many sources emphasize, the townspeople in westerns were generally marginalized, with the plot focusing mainly on the hero and villain. While accepting this viewpoint, Loy brings up multiple instances of when towns band together, especially in the form of “community associations” (127), which were essentially posses. Although Loy emphasizes how B westerns focused on community, he still acknowledges that “bigger-budget westerns [High Noon included]… were films most likely to focus on the individualist aspect of American beliefs” (148).

Notably, although the townspeople now refuse to stand behind Kane, when Frank Miller was first arrested five years before, it was by Kane along with a large posse, implying a shift in the town’s attitude. It is hardly a stretch of the imagination to think back little over five years before High Noon was released to WWII, which represents for many the pinnacle of American unity. Foreman could therefore be drawing a contrast to a previous stand against fascism and oppression five years before, but a current unwillingness by the townspeople, and implicitly the American people, to stand against a new injustice. By showing how typical westerns featured a supportive town, Loy’s essay brings the townspeople’s cowardly behavior into even starker relief. At the same time, the individualist attitudes of bigger-budget westerns allow for the independence and non-conformist attitude displayed by Kane. Therefore, it is only Kane’s “big-budget” individualism that allows him to overcome the constraints of the unsupportive community.

Existentialism and human emotions.

Sartre, Jean-Paul. “Existentialism.” Existentialism and Human Emotions. Trans. Bernard Frechtman. New York: Philosophical Library, 1957. 9-51.

Although not one of Sartre’s best-known works, Existentialism and Human Emotions presents a clear summary of his beliefs, written in the form of a response to critics. What Sartre emphasizes, and what is of great relevance to High Noon, is the notion of Existentialism as leading to a need for individual responsibility. Like High Noon, the doctrine of Existentialism is a product of a post-WWII world, and both deal with the question of how the individual should act in the face of apparent solitude, be it the absence of god for Existentialism or the absence of community for High Noon. For Sartre, the key aspect of Existentialism is the idea that “existence precedes essence” (13). This essentially means that, since there is no god or preconceived morality, it is up to the individual to define oneself through one’s actions. Sartre extends this self-determination not just to the individual, but also to all of humanity – or, “I am responsible for myself and for everyone else” (18). This responsibility brings a great deal of “anguish,” as Sartre calls it, in the sense that one has to consciously realize that every action influences everyone else.

This postwar idea of individual responsibility for the collective whole is a constant theme in High Noon. Anguish especially stands out in this film, and the scene of Kane collapsing in exhaustion and dismay upon his desk is rarely paralleled in more conventional westerns of the time. Many in the town refuse to help Kane, and some townspeople in the church retort that Miller is Kane’s own problem. Kane’s actions, of course, are not just about him, since his choices also determine the town’s future. High Noon is a call to action, saying essentially that even those not under investigation by the HUAC still need to stand against it. What makes Kane a hero are not his moments of anguish, which are unprecedented in more straightforward westerns, but his actions. Sartre argues that heroes are not born heroes, but “the hero makes himself heroic” through his choices, which Kane clearly does in the face of the town’s opposition (35).

Plague / Albert Camus ; translated from the French by Stuart Gilbert.

Camus, Albert. “Part One.” The Plague. Trans. Stuart Gilbert. New York: Vintage International, 1991. 1-63.

Unlike the other sources, The Plague, as a work of fiction, never explicitly states Camus’s viewpoints. However, the actions of the narrator, Dr. Rieux, show a sensibility along the lines of Camus’s fellow Existentialist Sartre. The Plague documents an outbreak of the plague in the Algerian town of Oran, and the subsequent actions of the townspeople. Camus portrays a number of different reactions, from individualism to altruism, as a way of characterizing the human response to death. Of the various approaches, that of Rieux is portrayed most favorably, since those on the extremes of individualism or altruism died, but Rieux’s middle path saw him through the crisis while still helping others. In this way, Rieux echoes Sartre’s belief of “in choosing myself, I choose man” (Sartre, 18).

Rieux is the embodiment of the existentialist ideal, the man who defines himself through action, and therefore mirrors Kane in many ways. Kane is not an idealized hero; he struggles with his decision to stay, but ultimately feels that it is his duty. Even so, he tries not to be reckless, and confronts Miller and his gang alone as a last resort. Rieux, like Kane, faced opposition, both in the form of an abstract threat such as a villain or plague, but also from the people who can help, such as Rieux’s fellow doctors and Oran’s prefect. Similarly, Foreman found himself gradually abandoned by those near him as the blacklist took effect, since even his closest partners dared not to risk the HUAC’s wrath, and that of the studios. Oran’s doctors and prefect refrain from declaring a state of emergency for some time, despite Rieux’s protestations, which mirrors in many ways the townspeople who choose to downplay Miller’s return. Rieux, Kane, and Foreman are duty-and-honor-bound to act, and in the mode of the Existentialist hero, prove their mettle through action during a difficult situation instead of passivity.

What is cinema? / by AndreL