"Overhead the albatross hangs motionless upon the air and deep beneath the rolling waves in labyrinths of coral caves; the echo of a distant time came willowing across the sand and everything is green and submarine"


Pink Floyd

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Reading Comprehension 2

Reading Comprehension 2
1. Hersey makes the point that all aspects of Greek architecture are rooted around sacrifice. He makes face value connections between the column and the sacrificial body. Hersey connects visual meanings between objects on the columns to sacrificial beings. He then compounds upon the conclusion. His point is one sided. The Greeks emphasized monumental size and proper proportion as respect to the gods. However the latent meaning behind the column may be present. The Parthenon displays the point made by Hersey. Upon the pedestal of sacrifice is set a depiction of the battle between Athena and Poseidon. This seems fitting hierarchy to put an honor to the gods above a sacrificial monument. There are many different columns displayed in different places throughout Greece. If Hersey’s point was valid a specific style column would be more appropriate in certain structures. Hersey makes reference to intricate details in the Corinthian style column. These details are in reference to the sacrificial body. The Corinthian column is prominently derived from the Egyptian lotus leaf and could have a different meaning in Egypt.

2. The lessons learned here are not to take everything at face value. As the archaeologist moved through the room he named everything and theorized as soon as he saw an artifact. He made incorrect deductions due to overconfidence and ego. This can be compared to information on the internet. Certain sites claiming to be credible extract information from resources with no citations. Certain references may be deducing incorrectly. This gives reason for researching the sites credibility and citing information.
3.  Queen Hatshepsut’s tomb was built into the side of a mountain. By doing so the mountain becomes part of the structure and is incorporated as part of the tomb. Ra had been displaced by Amon as the principal god before the time of Queen Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut’s tomb was set to be a garden of paradise for Amon. This garden was filled with Myrrh trees. This was to symbolize the queen’s commercial expedition into Somalia. The colonnade that lined the front of her tomb was set to mimic the trees in the garden. The stairs in the center of the columns rose above the trees in a symbolic gesture of rising above earthly accomplishments into heaven. The feminine aspects are being displayed by the open space between columns and the smaller size of the temple in comparison to the Pyramids of Giza.
4. Queen Hatshepsut’s tomb and the Parthenon are similar and contrast in different ways. Hatshepsut’s tomb has columns that represent linear trees and are equally spaced. The columns at the Parthenon display entasis are set to demonstrate monumental size. However both have colonnades meant to define the hierarchy of aedicule and the direction of movement through defined space. The stairs in Queen Hatshepsut’s tomb ascend above the columns to several flat plains. The Parthenon stairs ascend only to the level of the column footing. The Parthenon columns provide support for an elaborately decorated tympanum. The columns in Queen Hatshepsut’s tomb only provide support for a flat roof.

5. The lightweight quality of furniture is a display of the feminine characteristics. The feminine elegance is also captured in the curves presented in the furniture. A feeling of delicacy but with respect is evident. The Pyramids demonstrate a rigid masculine entity that towers above everyone. The furniture is submissive in holding the occupant. However the feminine aspect of furniture is the only gender worthy of holding a godly figure and his belongings.
6. The urns depict the male seated and the female as the servant. The male figure is holding a sword or ram’s horn resembling an urn. The Ram’s horn could resemble the harvest and the sword resembling the duty of protection. The female is tending to both. The male characteristics display strength and dominance. The act of tending to the possession is submissive to the fact that she does not possess it or have the means of possessing it; or the ability to act with the possession. On one urn, the male hands off the sword to the female to dispose of it properly. On the other urn the female is receiving from the ram’s horn. This displays the definition of roles within the Greek society. The male acts as the protector and supplier. The female acts as the servant.

1 comment:

  1. [1] great synopsis of hersey, but what do YOU think? [2] good. [3] nicely written. [4] are there more avenues of comparison between these two buildings beyond their parts? [5] interesting and supported interpretation. [6] ok.

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