Response 1: Literature for the People

It is as if no one didn't need to observe whether the media is being used by certain parties to point the public’s opinion and judgment or not during the campaigning period, because the usage of the media seems visible especially concerning the matter mentioned previously. For me, a person currently studying in English department, the effect desired by using the media to drive judgments and opinions about a presidential candidate didn't work since one of the docents told us not to just believe what the news says and we must be critical upon facing it, but different story may come from the ones who do not study or know how to apprehend the news. The media can be used to drive them.

I do not know since when exactly newspapers and electronic media came into use for spreading the words about happenings all over the world or in a certain region, but in Plato’s “Republic” in Book II the works of literature were “being used” to drive or maybe to construct the public to become what the government wanted them to be.

“Then the first thing will be to establish a censorship of

the writers of fiction, and let the censors receive any tale of

fiction which is good, and reject the bad; and we will desire

mothers and nurses to tell their children the authorised ones

only. Let them fashion the mind with such tales, even more

fondly than they mould the body with their hands; but most

of those which are now in use must be discarded.” (Socrates in Adams and Searle, 2004:16)

What I mean by the works of literature is “being used” is that the works of literature were not presented as what they were, but rather as the government want the people to see them. Although such policy was for good intention, that is to condition a desirable people of a state, there are problems shadowing this policy according to my point of view.

By omitting or hiding certain literatures (as a whole or certain parts of the literature) the people wouldn’t know the whole matter inside, the government didn’t show the truth for the people. Then, such action limited the knowledge the people would have, if the government had not censored the literature.

Although to me they are problems, there is still something to consider. When I think about it again, even though the people didn’t get the whole truth the goal of creating a desired people according to Socrates is not a bad one at all. For me his ideas of censoring some works of literature is somewhat an unappreciative action towards literature, however there are things to consider especially in his time.

Somehow, the dialogue between Socrates and Adeimantus reminded me of the matter concerning Avant-garde and Kitsch style of art. It has been a while for me since I studied both style of art and I’m not sure if the dialogue has something to do with one of both, especially Kitsch. However, in the future, I would like to compare this topic lied in “Republic” Book II with Avant-garde and Kitsch (if it’s possible) and the relation of literature and media being used as a means of driving and constructing people.