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| Headline | The Teacher = God? |
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| Author | Comment |
Lekornee
Feb-17-2005, 05:51 GMT
IP:
USA - United Staates America
 | Do you think Paul is making an allusion to God in The Teacher? The way he talks about the teacher´s words on tablets of stone (like the Ten Commandments) and all the "powers" the teacher has, and then the end where he says "Carry me home." I can´t quite figure out this song...any other viewpoints? |
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miriam
Feb-17-2005, 13:36 GMT
IP:
Germany
 | Hmm, I´ve always considered The Teacher as a "bad leader", someone who seems to be powerful and trustworthy but fails, like Hitler...For me the moral of the story is that people always need such a "leading figure" but you should be careful who you trust. Well this is just my interpretation of course... :-) |
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Nathgertsch
Feb-17-2005, 13:39 GMT
IP:
France
 | And in that case, it could be God too as for unbelievers, He could be seen as a "bad leader" too... :-) |
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Scaaty
Feb-21-2005, 00:13 GMT
IP:
Ireland
 | or someone who say they are following Gods Plan and then lead people to distruction eg the Wako seige |
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GandJ
Mar-29-2005, 10:55 GMT
IP:
France
| "The Teacher" is about the search |
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GandJ
Mar-29-2005, 11:11 GMT
IP:
France
| "The Teacher" is about the search for God and it is about the search for one`s Jewish identity.The first lines of the song refer to Moses("Whose words were like tablets of stone")who was the first teacher of monotheism/of the Jewish religion."Gather your goods and follow me or you will surely die"is a clear reference to the exodus and means that the Jewish people had only one option:To follow Moses or die in slavery,to follow the one monotheistic God or die as a people(be without God,be without a distinct identity).
Then the song refers to contemporary times:Paul Simon refers to his own family`s Jewish identity."My parents were children of immigrant stock"means they were Jewish immigrants but he was "only a child of the city",a third generation Jew who was more interested in baseball than in bar mitzvah lessons.Still they "followed as followers go" without thinking much about it.
"Sometimes we don`t know who we are,sometimes force overpowers us and we start to cry" clearly depicts the loss of a Jewish identity or indifferance towards one`s Jewish heritage and the awareness of of one`s jewishness(during a concert in Israel Paul started to cry because ha was overpowered.)
The narrator in the song/Paul is the "dreamer of Love",a seeker who searches for God,for love.He "sleeps on a quilt of stars" because trusting in God`s existence will not lead to material wealth(the seeker will not sleep on a real quilt)but to spiritual wealth.(A quilt of stars.)
In the song teachers functions as negotiators between man and God.In the end the seeker asks his teacher to carry him "home".It is the wish to be close to God as God is home. |
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Scaaty
Mar-29-2005, 13:20 GMT
IP:
Ireland
| Beautifully interpretated!!:)
How ever would Paul not have been upset in Israel cos they are now treating others as the jews were always treated in Europe? |
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Bee-lee
Mar-30-2005, 00:33 GMT
IP:
USA - United Staates America
| Wow thanks for that excellent interpretation. |
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lost
Mar-30-2005, 03:54 GMT
IP:
Canada
 | hmmm, excellent interpretation i must say. Job well done indeed! |
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GandJ
Mar-31-2005, 13:11 GMT
IP:
France
| To Scaaty,first of all we do not intend to discuss Israeli-Palestinian relations on a Paul Simon discussion forum because that is off-topic.Still we cannot ignore your cynical comment.When Paul cried during a S&G concert in Israel in 1983 it was because being in the land of his historical forebears moved him.You do not seem to grasp the meaning Israel has for Jews.
Secondly,comparing the holocaust to the "way palestinians are treated" in Israel is tantamount to minimizing the holocaust.No other event in history can be compared to the organized genocide of the nazis.History is full with bloody pogromes and genocides but the jewish holocaust can just not be compared.Jews were tortured ,killed and reduced to smoke and not even given a grave.Are there death ´camps in Israel,are Palestinians sent to gas chambers?So what motivation do you have to type in such a useless cynical anti-Israel comment?Well,in Iraq people were actually executed.Did that lead you to support US policies(=the war)?We assume not.Palestinians can live a normat life within the Israeli state.Israel is not fighting against the Palestinian people but against terrorism in order to asure that Israeli and Palestinial citizens can live a peaceful life.And we are really sick of all this anti-Israel propaganda in Europe,really it`s disgusting.You know,when Israelis/Jews are critical of Israeli politics it`s just that,they criticize certain Israeli policies but with non-Jews you have to be very careful as to what their motivation is because in most of the cases we know it is anti-Semitism,sometimes these people don`t even conciously know that but when you talk with them you find out.But can here really be anti-Semitic Paul Simon fans?That is really absurd to us!
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Scaaty
Mar-31-2005, 14:37 GMT
IP:
Ireland
| I didn´t mention the holocaust. Jewish people were treated badly by europeans long before Hitler - thats why he got away with so much!!
to be anti Israeli is not anti jewish no more than when we were anti South Africa was to anti christian/dutch/africaans.
I just feel the palastinians are suffering for the past (and maybe present) sins of the Europeans. Many feel this but cannot say for appearing to anti-Semitic and God/Allah/Yehweh forbid pro holocaust.
Being Jewish is an essential part of who Paul Simon is, so if I was anti-Semitic he wouldn´t be my number one favourite singer/songwriter for the last 30 years. Another of my hero´s is Woody Allen :)
Sorry if I offended you, it is purely a political opinion and nothing to do with race creed etc. |
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ivalo
Mar-31-2005, 15:03 GMT
IP:
Finland
 | It´s stupid to compare the holocaust to the things Israel has done to the Palestinians, I agree with that. You cannot, however, understate the things the Jews have done to the Palestinians - and I´m not defending Palestinians either.
The Jews came to Israel in the early 20th century because god "had promised the holy land" to them. You can say what you want but I say that was an occupation. Could this be possible today? No.
And now both Palestinians and Jews have learned to hate themselves and think that god is on their side whatever they do...
No, this can´t be compared to the holocaust but because the Jews have experienced such horrible things in the past one could expect that they (as a civilized people) would understand and stop the fighting.
GandJ: "But can here really be anti-Semitic Paul Simon fans? That is really absurd to us!"
You´re exaggerating. I´m not anti semitic and Scaaty is probably not anti semitic. I personally just can´t understand why people are fighting because of religion or other cultural differences. |
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Klausi
Mar-31-2005, 16:10 GMT
IP:
Germany
| As German one still has to be careful to say something about "Holocaust". I agree, although I`m born after it. As long as there - well as long, I don`t know. History will tell. Astonishingly for me, to tell the truth.
But I think it was a stupid idea, "created" long before realized after second world war, in early 20.th century, to settle jews in a land that was not theirs. Where they might have been thousand years ago, but also other peoples. This will never be accepted by the owners.
There can only be relative peace, but there was relative peace. So let`s hope, it will be again, as in the last months compared to 2003/04.
Other folks like the curds have lost their land much later, here only 100 years ago. They will never accept. Simon sang for them in 1991.
But back to The Teacher. Thanks also for the great information, GandJ!
It is a spiritual song. Like the title song on "Rhythm Of The Saints." And like "Silent Eyes".
I Love such songs. |
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GandJ
Mar-31-2005, 16:37 GMT
IP:
France
| Hi Scaaty and Ivalo,first of all we have not called you anti-semits.We just said that we hope Anti-Semitism is not the reason for your anti-Israeli statements.Our experience is just that people who constantly blame Israel are motivated to do so because of anti-Semitic tendencies.Isn`t it strange that people all over the world think they have to say sth. about Israelt politics but you only find a small number of people who dares to to criticize the Turkish state for example?(Well,Klausi at least mentioned the Kurds).
Well,you know you just have to be aware of the fact that Israelis might think that you are anti-Semitic when you come with words such as "occupation".Someone like Paul Simon might also criticize some Israeli policies but we are convinced that as a Jew he would never doubt the legitamacy of the Israeli State.Maybe it would be interesting for you to listen to Bob Dylan`s song "Neighborhood Bully".It is a pro-Israel song.("He knocked out a lynch mob/he was criticized/Old women condemned him/said he should apologize/Then he destroyed a bomb factory/Nobody was glad/The bombs were meant for him /He was supposed to feel bad ")which clearly says that Israel has the right to defent itself.Leonard Cohen is also pro-Israel.In 1967 he wanted to join the Israeli army.Well,these people might feel estranged when hearing your opnions.Just think about it ,and then,please let us drop the topic,Okay?
Best wishes
P.S:Thank you all who liked our interpretation so much.It is very nice to get positive feedback |
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Bluesmoke
Mar-31-2005, 16:57 GMT
IP:
Italy
 | Just a note.
I think I have read interesting things but some very superficiial or bias statements.
None the less I will only commento on a particular issue.
It is plain WRONG to analyze israelis zionistic movement towards Israel as an occupation.
Not only is that the land they were KICKED OUT of...even if a long time ago.
It is the right land for one of the most culturally-strong people which are the only ones in the WORLD not to have had - before Israel - a place to call home.
You know, the romans conquered the whole of europe 2000 years ago. So according to many of the reasonings I have read here , Europeans would have had - if the roman empire hadn´t collapsed - no right to claim it back today. |
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