Friday, May 8, 2015

Assignment Due 5/9: Choose a passage from "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," write out the passage; explain what it means and why you chose it.

"The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,"

“Mass media then gives us a more realistic view of the world and increases our ability to communicate with others even though we lose out in the sense of the supernatural and the mysterious that used to make art so powerful, what he later refers to as the "cult value" of art.”


The meaning of this passage is the “Mass media” has pros and cons; it is true the mass media has brought the people all over the world more closely. For example, by keeps people informed about politics, arts, cultural values, history etc. Mass media has influence us. First there was the telegraph, then the radio, newspaper, magazine, camera, and now internet. Throughout the world there different cultures with many different values, but despites their differences they all go through sociological changes strongly affected by modernization. Mass media had impact society because people develop a dependency on it and forget the beauty of art. Technology has evolved society to the extent that nations are fighting for space in outer space. According to Benjamin the way humanity look and see visual work of arts is different today. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," the true is the modernization change people view, for example when you take a picture of a place, things or person, it just a picture . On the other hand, when you see a painting, you see something unique. You can analyze and understand the mystery behind the color, and style.  People have lost the perception of nature arts and their aura.

I took this passage because I believe the mass media has influence us too much, it make humanity to forget the meaning of perceive the world and the history of beauty.