Tameka Davis
Studies in World Literature
Dr. Sharon Raynor
February 19, 2014
Beautiful vs. Ugly
Photography, TED Talks and the readings we read reflect the multi-dimensions of what is considered beautiful, what is considered ugly, and what is considered the "other."
The photos we viewed reflected what was considered beautiful and ugly in war. War is beautiful when humans are selfless enough to risk their lives for the good of their family and others. It is beautiful that thousands of people are fighting for their natural rights and the land they live on. War is considered ugly because of the hatred towards other individuals due to the land on which they live. The brutal fights, men continuously falling to the ground, and the sounds of gunshots reveal the reality of war. The world is a diverse place, but we are one. We were brought into a world where people know nothing else but to fight, and when conflicts arise, we all want to turn to war.
John Stuart Mill, an English economist and philosopher, stated "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
In "TED Talks", we see what is considered beautiful and ugly in our society. In today's society, people seem to judge others by their outward appearance. Often we let others, television, and magazines define what's beautiful and ugly to us. "Beauty is in the eye of the...