Composers in this elective consciously represent aspects of history and memory to give the responders a deeper understanding of people or events in the text. Do you agree?
In your response make detailed reference to Smithsonian September 11 Website and at least ONE other related text of your own choosing. (2012 Independent Trial)
Composers in this elective do indeed represent aspects of history and memory to give responders a deeper understanding of people or events. Once the dichotomous extremities of history and memory are viewed from a symbiotic perspective, responders gain an enlightened awareness of the representation. History’s objectivity lets it fail to give to give a voice to individual experiences, while the subjectivity of memory enables it to encompass an emotional connection. The varied representation of the Smithsonian September 11 Website and Michael Moore’s 2004 documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11 consciously represents the interplay between history and memory to give responders a deeper understanding of the event while indicating how the composer’s purpose and perspective affects representation, and thus meaning.
The multimedia textual form of the Smithsonian Website enables it to uniquely represent history through the interactivity of the site whereby hyperlinks display the webbed nature of memory. This is furthered as the artefacts are uniquely placed in a non-chronological order allowing responders to freely navigate through the collection and create their own memory of the event, providing a therapeutic solution to the horrific event hence representing history and memory. The website’s use of inclusive language “become part of our collection” and prophetic tone as it calls for “exploration” to “evoke many memories and reflection” facilitates user-engagement while fulfilling its purpose of representing the event as significant to all individuals. The subtle push towards American sympathy is evident through the subdued colours white and grey, with only the patriotic red, white and blue on moving graphics of commemoration, drawing our attention to “view our collection”. Decisions by curators to utilize a combination of highly emotive and symbolic objects such as, the tattered American flag and Chief Pfeifer's fireman hat, becoming a metaphorical representation of the enduring 'American spirit' shift focus to the heroisms that arose from September 11, meeting the Smithsonian’s patriotic “commemorative” purpose.
The Website coerces the viewer to conform to the message that it aims to propagate yet give a deeper understanding of the event. The composer utilises direct acts of selection and omission of text and photos which is driven by the composer’s purpose. Curator Jim Gardner claims that we have to “think about who we are and what we stand for”, where an ellipse is used to emphasise the importance of this nationalistic stance in representing this event in the form of documented history as “memory is preserved through the medium of photography”. The website attempts to justify its use of certain comments and artefacts by claiming to be “stewards of the nation’s memory” where metaphor is used that illustrates how the website’s representation of past events can propagate a singular perception. This can facilitate conformity. The use of anecdotes provides a hybrid product which combines history and memory, which aims to portray a more wholesome snapshot of the event. Survivor Neill Marlon claims: “I take pride in my country and love her to death” where personification is used to further this sense of nationalism and textual subjectivity. This is how the site aims to propagate its message by manipulating the memories of the audience, marginalising those ones which provide a sense of solemnness to the event. The cinematic verite of Fahrenheit 9/11 powerfully portrays a markedly varied, satirical representation of September 11. The brisk and entertaining indictment of the Bush administration’s relating to the tragic event of 9/11 shows how the composer’s agenda coupled with selection and omission can strongly influence the way history and memory are represented and perceived by the audience. This is seen through Moore’s juxtaposition using the effect known in psychology as ‘structure activation’. In his propaganda, the cuts from scenes showing unbelievable grief and suffering of the witnesses of 9/11 to Bush “happy, smiling and confident” - along with the careful selection of archival footage consisting of several of Bush’s public addresses and newsflashes - portray the history of the event in accordance with Moore’s purpose of representing Bush’s administration as incompetent. The interviews of those affected by the tragic event inform the audience of how the event has been perceived in the memories of individuals. Furthermore, the omission of video footage of the 9/11 attacks, indicates that his purpose is not to evoke anger or retribution. Instead he portrays the aftermath which provokes the emotion of sorrow. Furthermore, Fahrenheit 9/11 acts as an indicator of the interplay between history and memory, also indicating the composer’s agenda. The frequent cuts between the newsflashes and interviews symbolises the interplay between history and memory in the representation of an event. Through the interview of Lila Lipscombe, a mother of two veterans, Moore delves further into the interplay between history and memory. Initially she is represented as a patriotic and “extremely proud American” who reckons “military is an excellent option for our children.” The setting in a council office and her business attire add to the effect of the history as an impersonal and objective representation. In contrast, the sorrowful scene in her home, mourning the death of her son in Iraq, and her emotive words “Why is it my son that you had to take? He didn’t do anything. He wasn’t a bad guy” reflects how the same event is perceived differently in individual memories, encompassing a personal connection. Furthermore US citizen Barry Reingold’s comment “Bush is an asshole” indicates that memory is individualised rather than history which is obliged to be objective. As evident, composers in this elective consciously represent the interplay between history and memory, whilst abiding by their agenda through acts of selection and omission, to give the responders a deeper understanding of the event which varies in accord with the perspective of the composer and the aspects he/she chooses to represent.