Walter Benjamin: Thesis on the Philosophy of History

The passage that I choose is the following:

The true picture of the past whizzes by. Only as a picture, which flashes its final farewell in the moment of its recognizably  is the past to be held fast. “The truth will not run away from us” – this remark by Gottfried Keller denotes the exact place where historical materialism breaks through historicism’s picture of history. For it is an irretrievable picture of the past, which threatens to disappear with every present, which does not recognize itself as meant in it. 

My interpretation is that history tends to fade away with time, and  it can take precious details and key pieces of the account. In history there will always be a big gap between who lived it and who told it. History tends to get distorted by many different reasons like political views, creed or even moral standards. 

There is an old saying that says "History is written by the winner" often use to reference war history and this is another big problem, which can distort and hide important facts about historic accounts.

I chose this quote because every moment that we live in the present is a chance we have to make our own history without distorting our own truth. Although, someone may try to distort it with their personal point of view and/or opinions (this being out of our control). This is what Benjamin referenced to.

Walter Benjamin: The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Production

The passage that I choose is the following:

Around 1900 technical reproduction had reached a standard that not only permitted it to reproduce all transmitted works of art and thus to cause the most profound change in their impact upon the public; it also had captured a place of its own among the artistic processes. For the study of this standard nothing is more revealing than the nature of the repercussions that these two different manifestations – the reproduction of works of art and the art of the film – have had on art in its traditional form.

To my interpretation this quote is saying that film and art have changed so much during the 

years, that it has taken a turn that no one had imagine. Art has become so important among 

people that is has transformed from a simple ritual to work of art, during the mechanical

reproduction. 

This quote relates to media today in the way that people are so inspire by art and film that

some dedicate their lives to it. It has changed so much that people are even trying to come up

with their own ways to make people fell in love too. 

The film The Great Dictator is being compared to dadaism in a way that it shows how 

people are being forced to what to do. In the film they stand to something different, out

of the ordinary. 

On Pain: Passage

The passage that I choose is the following:

Our children’s tales close with passages about heroes who, after having overcome many dangers, live out their lives in peace and happiness. We hear such assurances with pleasure, for it is comforting for us to learn about a place removed from pain. Yet, in truth, life is without any such satisfying end, as is evidence by the fragmentary character of most great novels, which are either incomplete or crowned by an artificial conclusion. 

My interpretation of this passage is that we think of life as a fairytale, full of happiness and peace, but
the sad part is that life is not unfortunately not like that. We must suffer in order to laugh. Those who
at one point of the lives had to suffer because of the circumstances, eventually they will overcome those
fears and learn to live life in peace and happiness. Life can definitely have happy endings, to some people,
but in reality there is no such thing as happy endings, that only happens in novels, and soap operas.

I chose this passage, because Junger is basically telling the story of our lives. We all have to experience
pain and happiness in our lives. We must have pain in order to understand what others are going through
because you will understand better the pain of others and comprehend. I mean it's always a good
feeling when you think of your life as a fairytale, and that everything is going to be alright and it's going
to have a beautiful ending, but we must be real, life is not what you always hope it would be.