Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

1
Walls and Barriers
2
Eugene Raskin

• Eugene Raskin, was a Renaissance man. He had
  written not only scholarly books and plays, but a
  worldwide folk-pop hit song as well. The
  multi-talented Raskin died in Manhattan on June
  7. He was 94.
• He had been Columbia adjunct professor of
  architecture for four decades, from 1936 to 1976.
  During that time he published three books on
  architecture Architecturally Speaking (1955),
  Sequel to Cities (1971) and Architecture and
  People (1974).
• Raskin was also an accomplished playwright. Among
  his works were the 1949 comedy "One's a Crowd,"
  and 1951's romantic fantasy "Amata".

3
Eugene Raskin Those Were the Days

• Eugene Raskin, who performed with his wife,
  Francesca, as Gene Francesca, wrote the lyrics
  and music for "Those Were the Days" in 1962,
  basing the tune on a Russian folk melody.
• Paul McCartney heard the Raskins sing the song at
  a London club in 1964 and remembered it four
  years later when he was looking for material for
  the Beatles' newly formed label, Apple Records.

4
Mary Hopkin Those Were the Days

• Mr. McCartney decided to give the song to Mary
  Hopkin, a Welsh teenage singer and multiple
  winner of the British television talent show
  "Opportunity Knocks," who had been introduced to
  him by Twiggy, the fashion model.
• The song, with its catchy refrain "Those were
  the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end"
  was one of the first four releases by Apple
  Records.
• It reached No. 2 on the American charts in the
  fall of 1968 and held the top position on the
  British charts for one week, edging out another
  of Apple's first four releases, "Hey Jude."

5
Those Were The Days English text by Gene
RaskinSung by Dolly Parton

• Once upon a time there was a tavern,Where we
  used to raise a glass or two.Remember how we
  laughed away the hours,think of all the great
  things we would do.
• Those were the days my friend,We thought they'd
  never end,We'd sing and dance for-ever and a
  day,We'd live the life we choose,We'd fight and
  never lose,For we were young and sure to have
  our way.Lalala lah lala, lalala lah lalaThose
  were the days, oh yes, those were the days.

6
Those Were The Days English text by Gene
RaskinSung by Dolly Parton

• Then the busy years went rushing by us.We lost
  our starry notions on the way.If by chance I'd
  see you in the tavern,We'd smile at one another
  and we'd say
• Just tonight I stood before the tavern,Nothing
  seemed the way it used to be.In the glass I saw
  a strange reflection,Was that lonely woman
  really me.
• Through the door there came familiar laughter.I
  saw your face and heard you call my name.Oh, my
  friend, we're older but no wiser,For in our
  hearts the dreams are still the same.

7
Guideline for Reading

• Raskins purpose of writing is to bring out the
  difference in the mentality between the old
  generation and the younger one.
• So naturally he employs contrast as his major
  mode of development. While the basic contrast is
  that between walls as barriers and walls as
  screens, there are other related contrasts in the
  essay.
• Find them out while you are reading.

8
The Manufacturers Trust

• The bank building at 43rd Street and Fifth Avenue
  in New York City

9
Paragraph One

• Raskin begins his writing by quoting his father.
  Is this an effective opening? Why?

Raskins father is made to represent the earlier
generation his voice is a voice from the past.
Raskins is a voice of the present, representing
the new generation. As what he wanted to do is to
contrast the old views with the modern ones,
quoting his father is an effective way of
starting the essay.
10
Paragraph Two Three

• Why do you think Raskins father and people of
  his generation take a negative attitude toward a
  bank with glass walls?

To people of Raskins fathers generation, money
is a tangible commodity. To deposit money in a
bank is to keep it in the safe the banker
provides. Therefore, a bank must be solidly
constructed to perform this function. A bank with
glass walls falls short of the expectations of
these people.
11
Paragraphs Two Three

• Was it necessary for banks in the past to have
  heavy walls and bronze doors? Why or why not?

Yes, it was. For two reasons first, money was a
tangible commodity, and there was much more cash
in circulation then. So it was necessary to have
a strong safe to keep all the money in. second,
to attract customers by satisfying them
psychologically.
12
Paragraphs Three Four

• Contrast between the old and the Young

Now
In the past
Less tangible, less cash but more credit
A tangible commodity bullion, banknotes, coins
Money
Provision of services
Provision of a safe
Function of the bank
A cubical cage of glass, the door becoming a
window display
An impregnable appearance
Architecture
13
Paragraphs Five Six

• Whats the differences between the old and the
  new banks? What conclusion does the writer arrive
  at?

Theres no division between architectural
meanings and human assertion.
14
Paragraph Six

• Criticisms of Architecture
• Classical vs. New

Classical architecture measures excellence by
form with little regard to function. The new
theory stresses the integration of form and
function, esp. the function as a manifestation of
human mentality
Walls are just walls. Bases for artistic
judgment Pure proportion, composition, etc.
Walls are physical symbols. Architecture is a
medium for the expression of human beings.
What does this contrast mean?
15
Paragraph Seven

• What point is the example in para. 7 supposed to
  illustrate?
• Walls are not simply walls but physical symbols
  of the barriers in mens mind.

16
Paragraph Eight

• What do the words And then at the beginning of
  para. 8 indicate?

This indicates that this paragraph is a
continuation of the discussion of walls as
barriers carried out in the preceding paragraph,
but from another aspect.
17
Paragraph Eight

• What evidence does Raskin give to prove that
  people in some Mediterranean cultures attached
  great importance to their private life and inner
  world?

went about in guarded litters or veiled
Behaviour
surrounding walls, rooms facing a patio, etc
Architectural features
intricate and rich
Decorative arts
contemplative
Philosophy
18
Paragraph Seven Eight

• These two paragraphs tell us the different
  attitudes toward possible hostility from without
  in a primitive society and some Mediterranean
  cultures.

Mediterranean Culture
Primitive society
The world of men
The outside world
Hostile Object
Dirty, prying, vile, and dangerous
Large, fearsome, hostile, beyond human control
Image of the Object
Litters, veils, and inward rooms
Heavy walls
Solution
19
Paragraph Nine

• Different aspects of life between modern men and
  their predecessors

Ancient People
Modern Men
Cherish privacy
Proud to have women seen and admired
Attitude
Uses physical barriers to control human hostility
By the conventions of law and social practice, as
well as the availability of motorized police
Solution
Membranes of thin sheet metal or glass
heavy surrounding walls
Building
20
Paragraph Ten

• Philip Johnson House refers to the famous glass
  house in New Canaan, Connecticut, which was
  designed by Philip Johnson in 1949.

21
The Last Paragraph

• Does the writer believe that man can and does
  master nature and society? Does he have faith in
  the eventual solution of all problems through the
  expanding efforts of science? Whats your own
  opinions?