In this essay I explore Erich Fromm’s framework that is constructed on the premise that human beings are governed simultaneously by their instincts and their character. Fromm, together with Philip Zimbardo, will provide distinct tools in the analysis of North Korean Political Prison Camps, which have long been the primary tool of oppression for the totalitarian regime in North Korea. The extraordinary life of Shin Dong-Hyuk, who was born in Camp 14, “Kaechon,” serves as a case study in this essay. While both theorists shed valuable light on Shin’s story, the purpose of this case study is to test their fundamental assumptions. None of them pass the test and the case study thus reveals significant shortcomings of both theories.
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Le Nozze di Figaro: Tonal Drama in Act II Finale /
Composers face significant challenges in tying together the action of the story with music. In this essay, I look at one tool available, that of key structure, which Mozart used to present a structured narrative to the ever-changing power-balance on the stage. Two primary power sources are in conflict during the finale: on one side, we have the Count, who at the very end is aided by Marcellina, Don Basilio and Bartolo, and on the other side we have the Countess, who receives support from Susanna and Figaro. Entrances and exits of singers constantly interrupt the finale and characters bring new information that tips the scales to one end or the other. I will now proceed by analyzing how tonality is used to express the changing power balance in order to provide the finale with a sense of structure.
Read MoreShow Trials in the Czech Republic /
In this essay I will first offer an overview of the transitional methods used in Czechoslovakia after the fall of Communism and present some key theories on show trials in a transitional justice setting. I then apply the theories to two specific cases, the trial of Milada Horáková in 1950 and a recent trial of Ludmila Brožová-Polednová. I conclude that while the trial with Horáková was clearly a show trial, the trial with Brožová-Polednová occurred in a “gray area,” with characteristics of both just and show trials, and is best classified as a liberal show trial.
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It is now almost a year since I graduated from Macalester College. I recently went through some of the papers that I wrote over those busy four years and felt that some of them were ripe for publishing on this blog. I hope you will find them thought-provoking.
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