Author Brian Ladd's, "Berlin Walls," is an interesting, in-depth look at the history surrounding the Berlin Wall. Ladd explores the events leading up to the construction of this fortification and its subsequent road to extinction. Ladd delves deeply into the profound psychological and social implications this immense structure represented and the emotional scars it left on a country already indelibly stained with a bloody and shameful past. Ladd also examines the interesting contrast between the ways in which the Western world chose to define and view the Wall and the ways in which it was viewed by the German people and their rulers. Regarding this Ladd asserts, "Western Leaders denounced the Wall as anachronistic: a relic from an earlier age, it was built to keep progress out, and people in. Meanwhile, the Wall's builders justified their work as a necessary defense against the atavistic forces of the West" (343). Both sides of this fight surrounding the Wall were embittered in a dispute to, as Ladd posits, "define a symbol, each side trying to make the Berlin Wall comprehensible in ways that would justify its cause" (343).
Works Cited
Ladd, Brian. "Berlin Walls." Literacies. 2nd ed. Ed. Terence Brunk et al. New York: Norton, 2000. 337-358.
1 comment:
Ladd obviously made a deep analyzes of historical and psychological impact of the Berlin Wall on the German society. During reading the essay my attention was caught as well by the statement that “it was built to keep progress out, and people in.” You presented a good summary and pointed to the most important things said by Laid. But this is your Blog, and I think you should add your own reflections or give any feedback to what you have learned even if those historical events are hard to talk or judge about.
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