Question One: William Carlos Williams is considered to be one of the most important modernest poets. “This is Just to Say” is one of his best known poems.
This Is Just to Say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
What, if any, difference should it make if someone discovered that Williams had not written this as a poem and never intended it for publication. What if, in fact, it was just a note he had left a friend on his refrigerator after eating all the plums?
Question Two: Betsy, a Chimpanzee at the Baltimore zoo, is given some paints and some paper. She creates various products, some of which might be called paintings. Some of these “paintings” are interesting and appealing in their own way. Suppose that Betsy’s works are exhibited at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and the Chicago Art Institute. These works are greatly admired by the viewing public. Is Betsy’s work art? Does her work belong in one museum but not the other?
Question Three: D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation is renowned for its innovative techniques and is renowned as one of the landmarks of early film-making. It also vilifies African-Americans and depicts violent Klansmen heroically. Can the subject matter of a work of art irredeemably damage it?
Question Four: Provide an example of an artwork you like and explain why you believe that it is art? Why do you like it?
