Norman Finkelstien Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Norman Finkelstien - Essay Example It was not simply writing on the Holocaust that Finkelstein saw to be fraudulent, but an entire â€Å"Holocaust industry† pushing this particular past on the present for both ideological and financial gain. Finkelstein's criticisms of what were perceived to be misuses of the Holocaust were neither the first word nor the last on this subject. As the accusations leveled at Leai suggest, right from the outset, questions were raised about the mixed motives behind representing this particular past. With the increasing prominence of the Holocaust in popular discourse since the 1960s, those dissenting voices have gotten louder, reaching a deafening crescendo in Finkelstein's damning critique of the Holocaust industry. But Finkelstein's claims of the existence of a Holocaust industry drew on a much longer tradition of critical reflection on the popularization of the Holocaust. Much longer history of the criticism of Holocaust representation can be seen developing alongside the history of that representation. There are two broad strands in this disparate literature. One strand has questioned what has been seen as an overemphasis on the Holocaust in general, and by Jews in particular. Another strand has not questioned all contemporary concerns with the Holocaust per se, but has critiqued specific representations of the Holocaust—movies, museum exhibits, and books—in large part on the grounds of inauthenticity. What unifies these two broad strands—and such diverse writers as Norman Finkelstein and Elie Wiesel—is a refusal to accept any cultural product that draws on the history of the Holocaust as by definition a good thing, simply because it makes this past known. Within the more restricted criticism of someone like Wiesel, there can be, and have been, inappropriate Holocaust representations. From the more radical perspective of Finkelstein, all the products of the Holocaust industry are rejected as little more than attempts at â€Å"J ewish aggrandizement.† 4 While these two critical strands differ quite markedly, beneath both lies the deeper question of whether all the more recent talk about the Holocaust is a good thing in general, and whether it is a good thing for Jews and non-Jews in particular. However, such criticisms have recently been themselves subject to criticism. In the aftermath of the publication of Finkelstein's book in particular, voices were raised against the questioning of both specific Holocaust representations, and the perceived centrality of the Holocaust. The attack on the Holocaust industry by Finkelstein and others has been challenged and critiqued, perhaps most importantly, in an essay written by Alvin Rosenfeld in the American Jewish Year Book for 2001. There, Rosenfeld argued that the criticism of what was perceived to be a contemporary overemphasis on the Holocaust amounted, explicitly or implicitly, to calls for forgetting. If the Holocaust was to be increasingly forgotten, as critics of the Holocaust industry advocated, the result would be, Rosenfeld suggested, that Jews would â€Å"return to the kind of vulnerability that preceded Auschwitz and helped bring it about.† 27 However, before reflecting on the recent debate over the broader critique of the Holocaust industry, there are narrower criticisms of the specific products of the H

Character analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Character analysis - Essay Example Mozart is very immature and his childlike conduct contrasts him from the grown man that he is. His actions state that he expects the world to work according to his means rather than conform himself to society. A true master at music, his character contains a great amount of passion for beauty around him, including his wife, however, despite that he is unfaithful to her, displaying his uncertainty and lack of respect towards both his emotions and that of others. His character has been depicted as humble because despite his excellent musical abilities he did not refrain from seeking help from Salieri and instead tried to make himself better and get inspired by Salieri’s words. His emotional side comes to terms with the audience as he is shown as being truly touched by learning from Salieri and showing him appreciation for having taught him what he knew. Constance Mozart, the wife of the composer, has been shown as a woman of both play and steel in the film Amadeus. Her role is n ot confined to her husband’s participation in society but is much more than that in the sense that she has her own standing in life and takes control of her family life when she witnesses Mozart not being able to strike a balance between his personal immaturity and professionalism towards his musical dreams. Even though Constance shares a number of the playful qualities of Mozart that include juvenile behavior, she also has her head on her shoulders as she has been portrayed to be a woman who knows how to go about conducting a business and make profits not only financially, but also out of situations. In the movie, she has also been shown as having a tactful frame of mind as she is willing to do anything to help her husband out; this takes place when she uses her body in the presence of Salieri to attain favors from the composer in order to save her husband and help him gain more popularity and fame. Mozart’s death left Constance in a very hard place in life with a son to look after as well as the lack of a legacy to live on with; she was forced to deal with her husband’s innumerable debts which she did with utmost skill and posterity. She was able to obtain pensions and also organize concerts for the public in honor of her husband and these depicted her true love for him. She was aware of the fact that he loved her yet was unfaithful towards her yet loved him enough to let him lead his life whichever way he wished to. She never stopped him from doing anything or taking any chances and never failed to show her compassion towards him for the work that he did. Antonio Salieri, also known as Mozart’s rival, was indeed a brilliant music composer with a focused frame of mind. Salieri was aware of the talent that he housed within himself and the success that he could bring about in his life if he used his talent well. He never engaged in actions that he assumed would distract him from his work and thus steered away from all kinds of vices like drinking, smoking, gambling, indulging in intimacy with women etc., except for his one vice – having a sweet tooth. He was extremely fond of candy, perhaps an indication to show the innocence that lay within him as most children have a fondness for candy. Salieri is a very