Reference no: EM133490582

Question

1. Robert Redford wrote: "When our leaders talk about creating jobs, it's unlikely they have 'poet' or 'playwright' in mind. When they speak about American ingenuity, it's usually about entrepreneurs and inventors, not artists" (p. 456-57). Why do you think the place of the artist does not receive full recognition in the United States? Kennedy remarked, "A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors" (p. 461). What kind of country is the United States, if it does not honor the artist? Why does it command respect for its strength, but not "for its civilization" (p. 462)?

2. Why was Kennedy concerned with the artist's role as "questioners of our society" (p. 455-56, 461)? From his point of view, "the men who question power" were just as indispensable as "the men who create power." Why? What did Kennedy mean by "When power corrupts, poetry cleanses"? Why is the great artist a "solitary figure" who "must often sail against the currents of his time" (p. 461, 468)? Why is this not a popular role? Why did Kennedy think of America as lacking "grace" and "beauty" (p. 462)? What is the difference between art and entertainment, if entertainment is a thriving industry in America?

3. Kennedy's Amherst speech was a broad, incisive clarion call for the position of the artist in American society approximately one month before his assassination (p. 467). Why was he so driven to call for artists to reveal the "national darkness"? Why has the world largely given up the presumption of the "social power of the artist" (p. 468)? Why has the funding for national arts organizations been severely slashed?

4. Discuss "The highest duty of the writer, the composer, the artist is to remain true to himself and to let the chips fall where they may" (John F. Kennedy, p. 462).