draft
I am growing weary of this collapse of democracy, fear of death from unknown viruses, insane conspiracy theories with souvenir hats, presidents compromised by $400 M loans that we can't find out anything about, sort of thing. I want to return to happier days when political corruption meant breaking into an office, not intentionally murdering 100s of thousands (or more) people. We didnt have smartphones, but we were happy.
Showing posts with label despair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label despair. Show all posts
Thursday, June 18, 2020
Friday, April 5, 2013
Rudyard Kipling, Language Change and the Case of "Gentlemen-Rankers"
[in progress, I just cant get this right]
For example, it turns out that "its Greek to me" is a throw-away line from The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by Wm. Shakespeare in which a fellow conspirator tells Brutus what happened at the Senate that day. Someone was speaking from Greece. What did he say, asked Brutus. I have no idea, said the conspirator, it was Greek to me.
This
is a post about a particular poem by Rudyard Kipling which is the
origin of about 14 very recognizable idioms in the English language,
yet is also, on its own, somewhat incomprehensible to a modern
reader.
Every
once in a while I come across the source of a commonly known idiom or
saying in its original form or context, and it is usually an amusing
surprise. Maybe I knew it came from that (whatever that is, book,
play, short story) and maybe I had just forgotten. But then all of a
sudden there it is and it is all the more amusing because it is in
situ, in its place.
For example, it turns out that "its Greek to me" is a throw-away line from The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by Wm. Shakespeare in which a fellow conspirator tells Brutus what happened at the Senate that day. Someone was speaking from Greece. What did he say, asked Brutus. I have no idea, said the conspirator, it was Greek to me.
So
in a typical Internet binge that covered the usual related topics of
philosophy, optics, cosmology and the concept of echelon in military
service (e.g. company, regiment, brigade, division, corps, etc), I
came across a poem by Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936) where about 26%
of the 56 lines are immediately recognizable. Not only are they
recognizable, but they are used individually, so its not just one
turn of phrase out in the real world, its something like 14 of them,
each standing on its own. (Note: "standing on its own" is
a good example of an idiom in modern use).
Here is a stanza from the poem in question, called "Gentlemen Rankers"
We have done with Hope and Honour, we are lost to Love and Truth,
We are dropping down the ladder rung by rung,
And the measure of our torment is the measure of our youth.
God help us, for we knew the worst too young!
Our shame is clean repentance for the crime that brought the sentence,
Our pride it is to know no spur of pride,
And the Curse of Reuben holds us till an alien turf enfolds us
And we die, and none can tell Them where we died.
Here is a stanza from the poem in question, called "Gentlemen Rankers"
We have done with Hope and Honour, we are lost to Love and Truth,
We are dropping down the ladder rung by rung,
And the measure of our torment is the measure of our youth.
God help us, for we knew the worst too young!
Our shame is clean repentance for the crime that brought the sentence,
Our pride it is to know no spur of pride,
And the Curse of Reuben holds us till an alien turf enfolds us
And we die, and none can tell Them where we died.
I
had not realized until now that Rudyard Kipling lived in the 20th century. He died right before the start of World War 2 in 1936. He was born in Mumbai to British parents in the year our
Civil War ended (e.g. 1865).
And yet the language of his poems seem much more archaic, or at least filled with unrecognizable idiom, then your average late 19th century essay or poem. For example, Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven was first published in 1845, or 20 years before Kipling was even born, and yet The Raven is very readable today with very few archaic uses that are a problem. Well, as they say, the US and England are separated by a common language, and apparently this is even more so when you use a lot of idiom and slang.
And yet the language of his poems seem much more archaic, or at least filled with unrecognizable idiom, then your average late 19th century essay or poem. For example, Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven was first published in 1845, or 20 years before Kipling was even born, and yet The Raven is very readable today with very few archaic uses that are a problem. Well, as they say, the US and England are separated by a common language, and apparently this is even more so when you use a lot of idiom and slang.
This fabulous off-center photograph of Kipling is throwing off the symmetry of my blog. Stop that!
Here
is a partial list of such phrases: run his own six horses, and faith
he went, he held the ready tin, machinely crammed, sweet to, blowzy,
regimental hop, out on the spree (1), cock-a-hoop, Tommy, worsted,
blacks your boots, Curse of Reuben, knew the worst, and of course Gentlemen-Rankers, the very title of the poem is incomprehensible, at least to me.
A "Gentleman-Ranker" is a soldier in the British Army who is from the upper classes but finds himself an enlisted soldier (e.g. below his station in life). This would happen because of misfortune, a mistake, or a flaw in his character. But in any case, he has the education and manners of a member of the ruling class, but he is living the life of a common soldier. Hence, a "gentleman" who is a "ranker".
Other idiom in this poem which are still in common use include: something less than kind, black sheep, troop, thrash, down the ladder.
A "Gentleman-Ranker" is a soldier in the British Army who is from the upper classes but finds himself an enlisted soldier (e.g. below his station in life). This would happen because of misfortune, a mistake, or a flaw in his character. But in any case, he has the education and manners of a member of the ruling class, but he is living the life of a common soldier. Hence, a "gentleman" who is a "ranker".
Other idiom in this poem which are still in common use include: something less than kind, black sheep, troop, thrash, down the ladder.
Here
are six lines in particular that I found very recognizable but had not realized had come from this poem: "To the legion of the lost ones, to the cohort of the damned", "Its the home we never write to, and the oaths we never keep", "We have done with Hope and Honor, we are lost to Love and Truth", "We're poor little lambs who've lost our way", "And we die, and none can tell Them where we died", "Damned from here to eternity".
Notice the eccentric punctuation, its not mere love and honor we are done with, no, its Love and Honor that we are talking about.
When researching this I came across the following image of Mickey, Donald and Pluto as the Three Musketeers, but some Internet wit had them labeled as "Gentlemen-Rankers", fallen from the upper classes to a mere soldier, but still showing here a certain spirit and elan.
When researching this I came across the following image of Mickey, Donald and Pluto as the Three Musketeers, but some Internet wit had them labeled as "Gentlemen-Rankers", fallen from the upper classes to a mere soldier, but still showing here a certain spirit and elan.
Gentlemen-rankers of a different period?
Read
the entire poem here:
The
poem has been adapted as a famous drinking song, and numerous other
topics in popular culture. It is practically the anthem of those who
are in despair about their lives and position in life.
_____________________________________
References
Rudyard
Kipling on Wikipedia
Military
Rank
Marian
Reforms of the Roman Army:
The
Man Who Would Be King (1975) on IMDB
Gunga
Din (1939) on IMDB
____________________________________
Notes:
1.
A spree is an archaic term for cattle raid. Its more common
usage is someone who is out on a drinking binge, or spree.
2.
For those of you not up on the organization of the Roman Army after
the Marian reforms of the 2nd century BC, the cohort
was a standard unit of the Roman Legion, each legion had ten cohorts,
each cohort was about 500 fighting men.
3.
From Here to Eternity (1953) which
of course we now realize is short for "Damned from here to
eternity".
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Ignoring the Transcendent Moment with Visual Effects: An Example from Life of Brian (1979)
We have an important goal here at Global Wahrman which we hope to achieve by reviewing with you the history and process of visual effects through the years. Previous to having this knowledge, you might see a film and become swept away into another world, a
world of interesting characters, or a fascinating story, or an
important idea. But now you will be able to ignore these trivia of story, ideas and character and spend all your time analyzing the film, estimating the work
required to execute the shot, the elements of the shot, and other
important and engrossing nuances. No longer will you need to worry
about what happens to the characters who are in jeopardy: now you can
rise above it and just do shot breakdowns and back of the envelope budget
estimates just like the bored and jaded professionals in the glamourous motion picture industry.
I will demonstrate how this works by way of
example: the final and uplifting
sequence from an important film on the foundation of Western
civlization and ethics: Life of Brian (1979).
In this sequence, Brian has been
unjustly nailed to the cross, where he will be expected to die,
horribly, with other criminals of the Roman empire in the province of
Judea. But in an unexpected and heart-warming twist, the other
crucifixion victims remind Brian to "always look on the bright
side of life".
The sequence on Youtube is here.
You may be asking
yourself, where are the visual effects in this sequence? A better
question may be, where are the potential visual effects in this
sequence? As you watch this inspirational transformation from
despair to hope, just let the sequence run and note how the camera
pulls slowly back, revealing the scene on the hilltop, the desolate
countryside, then slowly turns to heaven as the final credits start
to roll.
Instead of being
carried away by the ecstatic moment as Brian is now happily whistling
as he prepares to leave his mortal state and return to a loving God,
you can now ask yourself whether or not this was a location that they
found in the desert somewhere, without any signs of civilization,
where they could do such an extensive pullback in simulation of the biblical Calvary (see note below). That is possible. Or perhaps it is a cross
dissolve to a matte painting? Or even a rephotographed process shot
on a rear projection camera, remembering that this was in the days
when visual effects was a skill and you actually had to think in
order to do them. How do you know? Real or cross dissolve?
The fact is that I
do not know for sure, but it doesn't matter. The point is that now
instead of being in the moment and enjoying the film, you are free, free
to constantly analyze and over-analyze how you would achieve the
shot. I used to think that this was certainly a cross dissolve to a painting, but in the course of writing this post I have reviewed the scene many times, and I think what we have here is probably an interesting location that the filmmakers found. But as I say, it doesn't matter, the moment is gone, and the movie is over.
So as you go
forward, armed with the knowledge of the history, purpose and meaning
of visual effects, it is our sincere hope that we have irretrievably destroyed any enjoyment or moral improvement you may have once gotten from
the cinema, and we will feel we have achieved our goal.
I have transcribed
the words of this inspirational song below.
Crucified Man: Cheer up, Brian! You know what they
say ... (starts to sing)
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...
And...always look on the bright side of life...If life seems jolly rotten
Always look on the light side of life...
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing.
And...always look on the bright side of life...For life is quite absurd
Always look on the light side of life...
And death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow.
Forget about your sin - give the audience a grin
Enjoy it - it's your last chance anyhow.
So always look on the bright side of deathLife's a piece of shit
Just before you draw your terminal breath
When you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true.
You'll see it's all a show
Keep 'em laughing as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you.
And always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the right side of life...
(Words and music by Eric Idle, reprinted here without permission)
For more details on the setting of the crucifiction, here is the Wikipedia page on Calvary:
Life of Brian (1979) on IMDB
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