Summatative Entry

“The Twentieth Century gives me real insights into human and social issues that are still current in the 21st century.”

Throughout the blogging of this unit, many mediums that explore into the 20th-century literature has taught me insight about the prominent social issues at its time. From issues that plagued the 20^th century such as the First World War and British Imperialist colonialism. Consequently, this resulted in numerous human and societal issues. Nationalistic propaganda had heavily influenced the perceptions of war and the beliefs regarding nation and race. This led to an array of movements that rebelled against these instilled perceptions, through art, literature and activism from assailants affected by these conflicts. However, the propaganda influence has reappeared and remains evident in the 21^st century. 

My first blog is an intrapersonal piece where I self-reflect my own life to a moment were, I was personally touched compared to my daily norm. My self-reflection is reminiscent of connecting with nature, and through its connection, I can spiritually connect with it and be at peace. I refer to the indigenous monument from the aboriginal’s sacred monument, Uluru. Colonialism named Uluru, as ‘Ayers Rock’, I felt it was appropriate to refer my spiritual connection, due to the recent announcement of respecting the Anangu’s wish for Uluru to no longer be climbed. I believe ‘Ayers Rock’ is a reflection of the imperialistic influence that oppressed many indigenous in the 20^th century due to the colonisation. 

Alternatively, in my second blog, I explore British war veteran, Siegfried Sassoon’s provocative poem, ‘On passing the New Menin Gate’ re-evaluating my beliefs on war memorials. In this poem, Sassoon claims that the Menin gate doesn’t serve to remember the fallen soldiers as it claims. Instead, Sassoon argues it is a government cover-up made to romanticise the war in a favourable light instead of acknowledging what he believed to be the atrocities. In my blog, I personally questioned his intentions for degrading a war memorial, before sympathising upon introspection. Through this blog, I as someone I the 21^st century have gained insight towards what war veterans had to deal with regarding citizens that had skewered views of war due to nationalistic propaganda. 

My third blog attempts correlate emotions felt from returning war soldier in T.S Eliot’s poem, ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ to my own. I discuss how the poem embodies many emotions from its surroundings that I believe remain prevalent in the 21^st century. Whilst, the returning war soldier refers to the abrupt newfound abandonment upon reflecting a reformed society. I empathise with emotions taken from such an occurrence referring to a feeling of abandonment and isolation. I correlate these emotions to the current generation’s obsessions expressing how we are in an age where we can be connected anywhere, and yet we are still isolated. Whilst, the circumstances are different, the emotions remain the same whether in the 20^th century, continuing in the 21^st century.  

My fourth blog is a comment on Virginia Woolf’s beliefs in the power of imagination to liberate human beings from the enslavement. I explore ‘enslavement’, connotating to societal norms that we assimilate towards, causing a utilitarian mindset. Prevalent with Woolf’s, ‘Mrs Dalloway’, I explore Septimus, a war veteran with trauma from war. The doctor fails to consider the psychological health causing Septimus to spiral, feeling isolated, and later committing suicide. Issues regarding isolation and improper mental health treatment continue into the 21^st century. This blog suggests that we need to dream and imagine a better future to ‘liberate’ ourselves from these shackles that are the social norm. 

In my final blog, I take a retrospective outlook of my hopes in life, with a starting sentence by James Joyce. My outlook focuses on the emotions that embody my life and give me the incentive to keep on living. I suggest that what motivates me to live on is not having a definitive purpose in terms of use, but rather being connected with my emotions. Notably, I believe that my phrasing of never forgetting the past and moving on is crucial in acknowledging the atrocities that came from war and imperialism. Censorship or ‘bleaching’ of these events would only lead to them repeating in the 21^st century. 

In conclusion, the exploration of societal issues of the First World War and Imperialism in the 20^th century has made me aware of its contingency into the 21^st century. We still romanticise war, failing to fully comprehend its devastation and have issues in properly acknowledging those that suffered under colonial imperialism. These modern social issues reflect into the 20^th century.