burnett punctum exercise 1 - princeton university

BurnettPunctumExercise1

(Hegel)

“ComedyistheformwhichreflectiontakesafterithasassimilatedthetruthsofTragedytoitself”(White,p.94)“Itwouldseemthat,forHegel,thereasonforwritinghistoryistobesoughtinthetransformationsofconsciousnesswhichtheattempttodosoeffectsinthemindsofthehistoriansthemselves.”(White,100)“Hegelthusfullycreditedtheimmediateperceptionofthehistoricalfieldasa‘panoramaofsinandsuffering.’Buthesethisperceptionofthispanoramawithinthemeans-endsquestionwhichheinsistedinraisedintheconsciousnessbymoralreflectiononit(‘towhatprinciple,towhatfinalaimtheseenormoussacrificeshavebeenoffered.’)¶Inshort,‘sinandsuffering’mustbeviewedasthemeansfortherealizationofsomeprinciplethatissuperiortothem.”(White,107)

Ihavebeenunabletoascertaintheprecisehour.Butthe“verylongrange”P-51Mustangsofthe21stFighterGroupstationedonIwoJimatendedtotakeofffortheirescortmissionsearlyinthemorning,rendezvouswiththeB-29sthathaddepartedGuamorTinianabouttwohoursearlier,andthenflythecirca-three-hourstotheJapanesecoast.Supposinga5:30amdeparture,itisreasonabletosurmise,then,thatVincentA.GaudianiwasshotdownoverTokyosometimebetweennineandtenamonthe6thofAugust,1945.Theincidentoccurredafterthecompletionoftheescortmission,whenthefighterswereexpectedtostrafegroundtargets(airstrips,factories,railways)beforereturning—lightenedofbothfuelandmunitions—totheairstripatIwo.Anti-aircraftfirewastheprimarythreattotheMustangsinthislatephaseoftheconflict.SkilledJapanesepilotswerescarcebyAugustof1945,andtheJapanesecommandwasconservingitsremainingaviationabilitiesfordefenseagainstafullalliedinvasion,alreadyunderstoodaslikelyimmanent.InthecourseofastrafingraidontheKashiwaAirfield,northofTokyoproper,Gaudiani’senginereceivedapiercingshotandbeganlosingcoolant.Recognizingthattheenginewouldoverheatwithinminutes,Gaudianimadea(soft)crash-landing,bellyingtheplaneintowetagriculturallandeastoftheTobu-Nodarailwayline.HereisthereportfiledbyLieutenantJohnCombs,flyinginGaudiani’swing,whowitnessedtheincident:

Gaudianisurvivedthelanding.Takenprisoner,hewastransferredtotheOmoriprisoncamp,isolatedonanartificialislandinTokyoharbor,notfarfromthelocationofthemodernShinagawaAquarium.AphotoofhiswreckappearedinaJapanesepaperafewdayslater:

Ifmyreconstructionofthetimingiscorrect,VincentGaudianifellfromtheskyandlandedonJapanatmoreorlesstheverysamemomentthattheEnolaGaydroppedanuclearbomb(called“LittleBoy”)ontheJapanesecityofHiroshima,killingsome80,000peoplemoreorlessinstantly(withperhapsanother150,000sentencedatthatmomenttoslowdeathoverthenextseveralyearsfromradiationsicknessandothersecondarycauses).1Iwishtomove,inmyseriesof“PunctumExercises”forourclass,fromthistemporalconjunction.Mysubject,then,isthedate/moment/hour“6August1945,9:15am”(Tokyotime).Itherebyintendtotrytoworkaconjunctionthatissimultaneouslygrotesque(bothonaccountofthedisjunctionofscale,andtheabsolutemagnitudeoftheHiroshimahorror),anddifficultformewhollytodisregard(inthatVincentA.Gaudianiwasmymaternalgrandfather).Afewbasicthings:Ineverdiscussedanyofthemattersatissueherewithmygrandfatherhimself,whosurvivedthewar,butwasanexceedinglydifficult(andinmanywaysadangerous)person—hebrookedabsolutelynomentionofhistraumaticcaptureandimprisonment.Ofwhatoccurred,mymotherandhersiblingsappeartoknowverylittle,andwhenIfinally(attheageof48)directlyaskedmy

1Thebombwasdroppedat8:15amHiroshimatime,whichwasonehourearlierthanTokyotime.

grandmotherafewbasicquestions,shesaidthatsheandherhusbandhadbasicallyneverdiscussedtheepisode.“Icouldseethathedidnotwanttodiscussit,”sheexplainedtome,“andIdidnotwanttomakehimfeelhewasdisappointingmebynottellingmethingsIwantedtoknow,soIjustletitbe—Iwasjustsogratefultohavehimhome.”Icannotknowifthisisabsolutelytrue.Butitverydefinitelyhastheairoftruthonherlips.Therearefamilyrumorsthatheawakenedinthenightinnightmarefitsacrosshislife—butIalsodonotknowifthisistrue.Idoknowthathewasviolent(andmoregenerallyimperiling)indifferentwaystothosearoundhim(hiswife,hischildren);thoughofthesedistressingthings,too,Ihaveonlyfragmentaryknowledge—knowledgescrimmedbyvariousfamilialdelicaciesandprotectiveconcerns.ButwhatmightHegelhavetosayaboutallofthis?Atthemostbasiclevel,Hegelputstousamonstrouschallengeasfarashistoryingeneralisconcerned—achallengewhoseharrowingdemandsaresharpened,Ithink,bythespecificityofmypunctum.WhitelaysitoutforusclearlyinthethirdofthequotesfromwhichIdepartedabove:myaim,inaddressingmyhistoricalpunctuminaHegelianmodality,willbetodiscern(oratleaststrivetowarddiscerning)someformofratio(intheLatinsense)initscontours/occasion—somehighermanifestationofspirit/reason/planintheswirlingheapofsqualor,banality,andhorror(individualandcorporate;physicalandpsychic)ofthehumanpast.Icannot,frankly,quiteimaginehowtogoaboutthis.Itwouldrequire,itwouldseem,awillingnesstoplacesomeformtranscending“meaning”abovethesufferingandhumanspecificity(abovethecontingencyandquirk,abovetheanguishandterror)ofmypunctum-moment—andalltheothermomentsthatcanbeconceived.Somethingverydeepinmerecoilsatthischarge.Whatisitthatflinches?Atfirstblush,IthinkIflinchbecauseIaminclinedtoprivilegetheindividualhuman,andindividualhumanexperience,overall.Totraducethosespecificandpersonalperspectives(ofthe“sinandsufferning”),inthenameof“someprinciplethatissuperiortothem”isanathematomyunderstandingofthehistoricalvocation,andtomyhumanisticcommitmentsmoregenerally.Thatsaid,IcansortofimaginethekindofthingperhapsHegelwouldhavehadinmind?Let’ssee…

• SomephaseinthemovementoftheWorldSpiritfromEasttoWest?AsAmericadefeatsJapaninthewar,butthenmygrandfathergoestoworkforatrademarkcompany(RCA)thatiseventuallyownedbyaJapanesecompany(Sony).

• Somedialecticalpivotinthenatureofwarfare,evincedandepitomizedbymygrandfather’sgettingshotdownatthemomentofthebirthofthenuclearage?Afterall,mygrandfatherwasafenceratWestPoint,andthistraditionlinkshispilotingthe“Mustang”directlytothelonglinageofchivalry,ofwarcraftasamatterofmountedmenmakingcharges—fighterplanescanbeunderstoodascavalryinitsfinaltechno-elaboration,andtheexplosionofanuclearbombmightbeunderstoodlegiblytomarktheendofthelongeraofwarassomekindofknightlycombat.

• SomeProvidentialism?Mygrandmother,whenItoldherIhaddiscovered

thatVincent’splane(#308)wasknownasthe“MaryOne,”immediatelywonderedifthiscouldhavebeenaninvocationoftheVirgin.Ithinkitisunlikely.Butitisnotimpossible,Isuppose.Therecanbelittledoubtthatmygrandmother,backinNewYorkwithmy8-montholdmother,wasprayingveryhardtoMarythatherhusbandwouldreturn.Andshe(andmymother)cannothelpbutfeelthat,hadthebombnotbeendropped,hewouldlikelyhavediedatOmori…

Iamnotabletoenteranyoftheseformsofthoughtaboutmypunctum.Doyouhearme?Icannotthinkintheseways.Notwithmyactualthinkingperson.ButtheworkoffeelingmywaytowardthemcertainlygivesmeasenseofthedirectioninwhichHegel’shistoricalthinkinglies—andofthegreatdistancethatseemstoseparateus.

PunctumExercise2(Burckhardt)

“[Burckhardt]apprehendedtheworldofhistoricalobjectsasaliteral‘satura,’stewormedley,fragmentsofobjectsdetachedfromtheiroriginalcontextsorwhosecontextsareunknowable…”(White,p.251)“TheplotstructureofthisstorywasIronic,thatistosay,the‘pointofitall’wasthattherewasno‘point’towardwhichthingsingeneraltend,noepiphaniesofthelaw,noultimatereconciliations,notranscendence.”(White,251)“Iknowtoomuchabouthistorytoexpectanythingfromthedespotismofthemassesbutafuturetyranny,whichwillmeantheendofhistory.”(Burckhardt,citedinWhite,235)

NOTABENE:Whatfollowsismybestefforttodoakindofpasticheor“impersonation”oftheBurckhardtianhistoricalvoiceormood(asweencountereditinthepassageswereadfromCivilizationoftheRenaissanceandtheHaydenWhiteanalysis)asIimagineitmightlookconfrontingmypunctum.IshouldsaythatIamnotveryhappywithhowthisturnedout.Bothinthesenseof“Idonotlikewritinghistorythisway,”and“IamnotsureIdidanespeciallygoodjobbootleggingBurckhardt.”Themoodofaristocraticpessimismthatonediscernsinhiswritingisalientome,andwhatitdoestoone’ssubjectmatterIfindbasicallyappalling.Ialso,asawriter,tendtowardfiguralelaborations,andIhaddifficulty(despitemybestefforts)suppressingthattendencyhere—evenasIwasmindfulthatHaydenWhiteisquitecorrecttoidentifytheanti-metaphoricaltenorofBurckhardt’sprose(andthepreponderanceofsimplesentencesbuiltaroundverbsofbeing).Aswillbeclear,Itriedtogetatmypunctumviaapre-modern“frame,”sinceIthoughtthisletmeworkinakeyclosertoBurckhardt’s.Itproduces,however,acertainloopingweirdnessintheexercise—togetherwithasortofelisionofhistoricalspecificitythat,inourcurrenthistoricalmode,clearlytriggersconcernsaboutOrientalist“othering.”Iwanttounderlineseveraltimesthatthisisastylisticexercise.Notmedoinghistory…-DGBItmaybesaidofthemartialvirtuesthattheydiestanding.Andthismaybethebestthatcanbesaidofthem.InternalpoliticsintheKamakuraShogunate,droveMinamotonoYoshitsune(1159-1189)intoanitinerancyofexilicmisalliances,despitetheyouthfuléclatofhisserviceintheGenpeiWar.Hispoeticspiritservedhimnobetterthanhisswordsmanship,andattheageofthirty-one,hebenttothetaskofritualself-slaughterintheinnersalonoftheTakadachiCastle,Koromogawa—therebymakingofhimselfasmallgifttobushido,thehighernihilismofthewarriorclass.ButitwasoutsidethemaingateofTakadachithatworkwasbeingdonethatwouldkeeptheannalistsofmedievalJapanbusyforhalfamillennium.AsYoshitsune’s

bellybloodflowedbylamplightintheshrineofFujiwaranoHidehira,themorecharismaticworkofspanglingfatalismwashappeningonthebridgeoutside,whereYoshitsune’swarmongeringvassalmonk,Benkei,hadstationedhimselftofendoffsomethreehundredretainersofFujiwaranoYasuhira(manymounted),inordertopermithissamuraimasterYoshitusunethequietnecessarytokillhiswholefamily—andhimself.Benkei’slaststandconsisted,inessence,ofpresentingsomenacingafigureastostayanyfrontalassaultuponthebridgewhatsoever.Nevertheless,ahailofwell-placedarrowssoondispatchedhimwherehestood.Andstandingheremained.Hisuncannycommitmenttotheworkofwarpreventedhim,evenindeath,fromfallingtotheground,whichsignificantlydelayedthefinalonslaughtbyYasuhira’smen,whoremaineddurablyfearfulthattheirnemesisstilllived,despitehavingbecomeaSaint-Sebastianfortheirtargetpractice.Intreatingtheeventsof6August1945,wedowelltorecallBenkei’sstandingdeath,andthecountlessentr’actesofstiffenedsubmissiontodutifuldemisecelebratedintheLandsoftheRisingSunbetween1189andthefireballatHiroshima.There,ofcourse,manydiedstanding,andtheintenseflashoflightandheatproduced,hereandthere,strikingtableaux:theshadows,onbitsofmasonrythatsurvivedtheblast,offiguresinstantlyincineratedwheretheystood,butwhosefinalmomentcastaspectralsilhouetteandtheirbodyabsorbedamarginalincrementofthefatalbrightness.HeretheModernAgemeetsthedaughterofButades.VincentGaudianiwouldnotdiestanding.Orsittingeither,forthatmatter—sincehewaspromptlyhauledfromhisbelliedcraftbyaknotofhostilefarmers.FamilyloreamongtheGaudianishasitthathewas“rescued”byapatrolofJapanesemilitarypolice,whichisplausibleenough.Thoughhehadlittlereasontofeelreassuredwithinthebondsofformalcustody.HereisanaccountoftheexecutionofoneofseventeenUSpilotskilledninedayslateratFukuoka,southofHiroshima:2

2TimothyLangFrancis,““ToDisposeofthePrisoners”:TheJapaneseExecutionsofAmericanAircrewatFukuoka,Japan,during1945,”PacificHistoricalReview66,no.4(1997):469-501.