Words & Images & Atrophic Thoughts & Declining Civilizations

8/11/2019 Words & Images & Atrophic Thoughts & Declining Civilizations

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Words & Images & AtrophicThoughts

& Declining Civilizations

While I served (August 1967-August 1968) in Vietnam as a feld andsta frst lieutenant in the Artillery, I read seventy-t! "!!#s am!nghi$h ere "i!gra%hies, hist!ries, n!vels, %!etries, e$!n!mi$the!ries, %!liti$al hy%!theses, %hil!s!%hi$al treatises, et alia. &ueyheli$!%ters, hen 'urnishing us ith su%%lies in the ungles al!ng the

"!undary lines !' am"!dia and *a!s, "r!ught -rati!ns, s!metimesh!t $h!, ammuniti!n, mail and a "ag am-%a$#ed ith readingmaterials d!nated t! the Ameri$an +ed r!ss that net distri"uted t!us everything 'r!m s#in mags t! "i"les .!ldiers dum%ed the "ag'uls!nt! the gr!und, and then s$r!unged '!r h!met!n nes%a%ers !rhatever might interest them When it as my turn, I %i$#ed u%,here and there, that hat I th!ught !uld het my $uri!sity Ialays had a"!ut ten "!!#s in my ru$#sa$# I as the !nly !ne evert! "e seen reading a "!!# in the in'antry $!m%anies I served ith in

the /!urth and Ameri$al 0ivisi!ns I as $alled 2he &i%%ie*ieutenant3 2he "!!#s and %eri!di$als that remained !n the gr!und!uld "e eventually $!lle$ted and used t! 'uel fres in the earlym!rnings "e'!re e set !ut !n %atr!l

2he Vietnam War3 as a turning %!int in my li'e "e$ause it gave methe time t! re4e$t at length !n my eisten$e and hat I anted t! d!ith it in the 'uture5i' ever I returned sa'e and s!und t! e !r#It as hile I hum%ed u% and d!n the hills !' the entral &ighlandsin Vietnam that I de$ided, fnally, t! d! s!mething a"!ut my dream !'

"e$!ming a riter I !uld leave the essential $!re !' my li'e, e!r#, and return t! university, !n the I :ill, and study ;nglish frst'!r a master


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;nglish studies, s! I attended (197@-7) the >niversity !' Biamihere I gained en!ugh ;nglish $redits t! enter the grad %r!gram(197-7C) at >/ a"!ut fve h!urs n!rth !' Biami in ainesville Ir!te %art-time general assignments '!r the The Miami Herald hileI studied in Biami, and in ainesville I re%!rted !n !dd-!"

!urnalism %r!e$ts '!r The Gainesville Sun. I '!rever had h!%ed thatI !uld have "een sele$ted t! rite revies !' "!!#s andD!r flms,"ut that ish never materialiEed !r did !thers I envisi!ned !uld"e'all me !n$e I had returned t! the >nited .tates a'ter my servi$ein the >. Army I fnally 4ed t! ara$as, VeneEuela in 0e$em"er1976, a very disgruntled Vietnam veteran, $!ntent t! have le't there%r!"ate, ra$ist 0is>nited .tates '!r g!!d A girl'riend hel%ed meland a $!%y edit!rniversity !' /l!rida


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things in $!mm!n We "!th had :a$hel!r !' Arts degrees in=hil!s!%hy e "!th had served in the >nited .tates Army and, e"!th l!ved $igarsJ At the time I as a mem"er !' a $igar $lu"3 in2am%a, /l!rida, and every t! m!nths I re$eived an ass!rtment !'f'ty $igars !' my $h!i$e5m!stly 'r!m i$aragua and the anary

Islands (! &avanasJ) I alays "r!ught a hand'ul !' these $igars t!W++ hen e had $lass, and I t!ld him they ere t! "e $!nsidereda%%les,3 "ri"esJ &e had a !nder'ul sense !' hum!r, "ut used itl!!sely during his gruelling lit $rit $lasses hi$h !'ten res!undedith %hil!s!%hi$al and even meta%hysi$al themes W++ taught met! "e intelle$tually 4ei"le "ut s$h!lasti$ally rig!r!us

I did n!t realiEe it at the time I as at the >niversity !' /l!rida, "utW++ as then a$ting as a $ham%i!n !' a m!vement "ent !nin$!r%!rating flm $!urses int! the $urri$ula !' ;nglish 0e%artments

all !ver the >nited .tates >/ as !ne !' the frst t! have these$!urses, hi$h had $hanneliEed the study !' flm t! the a$ademi$level, and they had $!me in handy at the time !ering tea$hing%!siti!ns t! !therise h!%eless graduate students hile hel%ing in-h!use %r!'ess!rs t! #ee% their tea$hing "erths W++ had trai%sed t!many %arts !' the >nited .tates visiting th!se halls !' Ameri$an iv!ryhere he diligently laid !ut his reas!ns s! that !thers als! $!uldem"ra$e his %assi!n '!r ma#ing !' flm a s$h!larly underta#ing

2his is n!t t! say that W++ as stri$tly a flm $!urse sales%ers!n

+ather, ith his %hil!s!%hi$al "ent, he '!rged a '!rmida"le "asis '!rhis flm $urri$ula and !ered his "eer-drin#ing and $igar-sm!#ing'ell! travelers in ainesville


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+ev!luti!nary B!ral /!r$e (=art I K =art II),3 are e$ellentintr!du$ti!ns t! hat W++ th!ught flm might "e and hy it is s!im%!rtant t! us as a s!$ial and m!ral $!nsiderati!n W++ as amem"er !' the frst generati!n !' university flm the!rist-$riti$s

=r!'ess!r +!"ins!n "egins lam"asting 2he W!rd as a n!stalgi$

f$ti!n3 /urther, he $laims that 2he W!rd has "een su%erseded "ysensati!n, and t!day serves as an adun$t !' 2he Image hi$h is a$l!ser anal!g t! reality than is literature 2he W!rd, reas!n,ham%ers !ur imaginati!n and re%resents the ehausted m!rality thatd!es n!t %ermit us t! %!ssess a sense !' man and !man


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Arn!ld =u"lishers, *!nd!n, 19@N) as $hara$teriEed "y its %essimismand de$aden$e and as n!t a "ur"ly sym"!l !' re"irth

/!r M&, 2he W!rd and 2he Image are dierent aestheti$ 'un$ti!ns yethave !%erati!ns in $!mm!n 2he a$$urate imaging !' 'eatures inliterature are m!re dii$ult t! %r!du$e than th!se in %aintings5"ut

they $an "e A %ainting !n a museum all might "e %reserved '!r alltime :!th are %!%ularly res%e$ted and regarded and might have"een '!r $enturies 2hey !er us artisti$ e%erien$es and !neith!ut the !ther !uld n!t "e "enef$ial t! human#ind


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I

.%end tenty-'!ur h!urs al!ne in a r!!m

ith the "!!# !' y!ur $h!i$e

II


ith the flm !' y!ur $h!i$e

III


ith the %ainting !' y!ur $h!i$e

L L L

Auth!red "y Anth!ny .t M!hn

O$t!"er BBPIV

alenEan!, Italia

s$ri"d$!mDthe!rdarri!r

2itter Qthe!rdarri!r

6
http://www.scribd.com/thewordwarriorhttp://www.scribd.com/thewordwarrior


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