Leadership DOBIE: THE MUSTANGS
Open With Natasha Beddingfield Video:
Objectives:
To gain an understanding of the ideas presented by J. Frank Dobie in The Mustangs.
Goals:
To extend the sympathetic imagination to the Mustangs, to identify the representations of the horse, and compare the human dominance over a species to cruelty and animal humanities.
1. What are some symbolic associations with the horse/mustang/stallion; historically or today? Are there any relatable findings one can extrapolate from the image of the mustang to human beings?
a. Austyn – “You see, Mustangs carry “a life and a spirit” (848) that I envy. They’re free, independent, and excitable- constantly eluding captors.”
b. Mary – “Horses are the ideal symbol of freedom, strength, beauty, and confidence.”
c. Samantha –
i. “Mustangs represent the frontier, the pristine untouched nature of the new world, the open prairies and plains that have now been diminished by development.”
ii. “This feeling of freedom is also evoked by the mustang, which we can envision gallantly gliding through the “amber waves of grain” entirely unencumbered by any preoccupations. These two are representations of our lust for liberty from modern day anxieties.”
d. Ben –
i. “Greek tradition associated the horse to the spoils of war: Hindus to the Cosmos: Native Americans to the wild nature: Celts to war.”
ii. “I feel that we are all, at this point of our lives stallions at heart. We have been relinquished for the reins of our parents, and are free to roam and find the meanings of life, and explore the workings of the world.”
e. Jenny –
i. “Power, strength and freedom: three characteristics I have come to associate with the horse.”
ii. “ I, like many of the class of 2012, was born in the year of the horse. The horse personality is very much associated with liberty and freedom. My mother describes them as being confident and strong, and most of all, independent. Their attitude of “DON’T FENCE ME IN” (X844) carries from the heaving muscles of their flanks to “rollers in [their] nose” (X849).”
iii. “When I was little, if I found someone to be rather handsome, I would describe them as ‘looking like a horse’. This was because I could not find any other way to convey the nobility of their looks, nor the strength and royal way they carried themselves.”
f. Kristen – “They have this Spirit about them, something free and untamable. They are noble, even in the meanest of positions.”
2. In what aspects of our lives today can we find like qualities of the mustang? Is the free spirit something of the past, and only a dream for children? What will it take to reassert those freedoms in our daily lives?
a. Mary – “The free dancing child within us slowly becomes aware of the staring audience. We allow the observers' opinions to influence our decision whether to keep dancing or not. I miss those days of innocence and care-free attitude. Everything nowadays seems so serious. I remember my young elementary years when summer seemed to last forever. Daytime seemed endless and invincible. Yet, society pressures us towards adulthood by encouraging focus on the future. We are told living in the present is a perspective of the past, and preparing oneself for the future is the most sensible path. I fall so easily into that confined box.”
b. Austyn –
i. “When I was younger I used to be independent; now I’m constantly seeking affirmation from materialistic things that do not matter. I used to be excitable, but now disappointment and frustration dominate my moods. However, the worst thing is I’ve lost my spirit. I’m encountering a familiar tedium (some would call it reality) as an adult that restricts me to a bubble, and deprives me of the necessary freedom to simply explore my character and live.”
ii. “Perhaps what he means by this is, in order to achieve a Mustang’s freedom and spirit, we must disassociate ourselves with “reality/tedium” (what’s the best way to get an A? What career makes the most money? How can I get a letter of recommendation? What’s the best way to begin building my grad school transcript?), and remember back to simpler days. What brought us the most joy as children? What was our favorite activity?”
c. Saumya – “When teaching a 4 year old ballet student to chasse, I always say "gallop like a horse!"...it typically gets the job done. And that seems to be sympathetic imagination at its most basic form.”
3. What is something that one looks for in their own querencia? Anyone want to share theirs?
a. Samantha – “Humans should all find a querencia at some point in their lives to maintain as their safe-haven, their place of escape, retreat. This does not necessarily have to be a place of nature, as it is difficult for many people to get away from the city, just some place where you can melt away into your surroundings and free yourself from all stresses and anxieties. (Wisconsin)”
b. Mary – “I believe we too have a form of “querencia.” Like horses that have an “attachment of a parcel of living flesh for a particular parcel of earth”, we too will always have an unbreakable attachment to the young child that once danced freely through our lives. [6] At times it may be a challenge to find that inner, uninhibited spirit, but it is a worthwhile hunt that must not be put off. Before we know it, our chances to live wild, carefree, and uninhibited will soon be over.”
c. Ben – “For me, going home feels much more comfortable than ever before, and I know it is because it is the place that represents the uninhibited trials of youth, and I have made my imprint in that place.”
4. The unobtainable White Stallion: What does it mean? Why is it White? What are some things that we search for today, besides the Albino Squirrel, and what do they represent?
a. Skaggs - “I found it interesting to note that it always seems to be the white animals, or “white objects of the Earth,” that are the rare and majestic things in life. The story by Dobie talks about the White Steed of the Prairie, India has its White Elephants, Moby Dick has its White Whale, and UT has its Albino Squirrel. What is it about white objects that inspires such majesty? Is it the purity, or something greater?”
b. Jennifer – “I was so moved by the White Mustang's vitality; to me he represented life, freedom, strength, and beauty.”
5. Why do you think that the sculpture of The Mustangs was chosen to be a part of the Campus?
6. Agree or Disagree: “the more machinery man gets, the more machined he is”?
a. Samantha – “Living in the technical age definitely has its benefits: news travels at lightning speed worldwide, the answer to nearly any question can be found on Google, light comes with the flick of a switch, etc. But, humans are entirely addicted to technology. Dobie said “the more machinery man gets, the more machined he is”[3] and he is entirely right. If the world tried to revert itself back to pre-industrialized times…well it would not happen. However, people often get so caught up in the hustle and bustle that comprises daily life nowadays, all they long for is a return to nature, a desire to be Kendall’s White Steed, impervious to all.”
b. Brian – “Man, though deemed superior by himself, is so troubled, “the rule is simple: the more machinery man gets, the more machined he is.”[3] The advancement of mankind is at a snail’s pace, yet we are entirely concerned with what might be regarded as trivial in the great scheme of things. The more “machined” we get, the less natural we are, and the less beauty there is in our life. On that same note, it can be argued that this is our normal state—to contemplate trivially the goings on of the universe. But that is another argument.”
7. In trying to reflect on the discussions about animal humanity, is it wrong to try and domesticate animals, and take them out of their natural habitat? What is the justification for doing so?
a. Jennifer – “The simple fact that men have repeatedly tried to inadvertently extinguish his freedom disgusted me. Seems as though humankind has always wanted to subordinate animals. In appreciating the beauty of nature, we've often ruined it: we see pretty flowers outside and pluck it from their home to keep them in our own. This kind of attitude, that we can do whatever we please with nature, has further developed throughout the decades. We say we're becoming “greener,” but are we really?”
b. Kristen – “Horses are now kept in stables, pens, and fields. They are fenced in by man, yet they have retained their Spirit and nobility throughout the years. Do they still have the longing to run free? To run and run without meeting a fence? Do they still have their ancestor's instincts as well as their noble look? If they do, what right do we have to cage them?”
c. Russ – “Nature, like mustangs, is beautiful because it is wild. Today, we have lost touch with this “wildness.”[4] Perhaps it is because we feel that we are above it. Maybe it is because we think we own it.”
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
"Horses and children, I often think, have a lot of the good sense there is in the world." - Josephine Demott Robinson
It seems that an almost everyday conversation that I have with others is the prospect of getting a tattoo. People have polarized opinions regarding the permanent statement that you are making by putting something publically on your body to be judged by anyone. People often get a tattoo for the sole reason of saying they have one, but hide it so that it is always concealed and can only be displayed in intimate situations. This is not something that I feel necessary in the personal statement making act out of defiance or hidden authority. I feel that tattoos can be something to preserve the special moments in life, and say a great deal about a person. Having something so eternally bled onto your skin is a very vulnerable and brave act.
I am not one opposed to tattooing; I think that it is a beautiful art, and though I want one someday, I will never be a person to get an arm sleeve or anything flamboyantly calling the attention of others. 
The tattoo I want is of the schematic drawing of a horse. There are various reasons for this image, personally and some that symbolically resound in my life.
One of my father’s hobbies was to draw, or sketch rather. I have one of his pencil drawings of a series of horse images that he drew for me throughout my life, and this image will always be something that reminds me of him. The act of drawing and creating is one that I have always been greatly found of, and I owe that to my father who always encouraged this development.
A schematic drawing is the first iteration of lines constructed before laying down the hard lines in order to complete the picture. As an individual I am continually changing, and constructing myself to become my own being, and do not see completion of self anytime in the near future, and do not necessarily think that I will even be able to say I am complete at any point in my life. For this reason, the form-finding construction lines represent my endless search of identity.
Horses, on the other hand, have held a great meaning in my life. The one thing that reminds me of my father (besides James Taylor) is the image of the horse. Most of the memories that I have with him are the times that we shared going out and taking care of horses. For the last 5 years of his life, my dad was the caretaker of his friend’s two horses, for the simple pleasure of experience. He drove out 30 miles everyday in order to feed and ride the horses, brush their manes, and eventually oversee one of their pregnancies. My father was never a cowboy type, but was a pharmacist during the day that enjoyed spending time with horses, and he always conveyed the message of “the beauty of the spirited”[1].
Since my father’s passing, I have found a sincere appreciation for horses, and cannot wait until the day that I can have one of my own. In J. Frank Dobie’s The Mustangs, the author gives the historical context of how the wild mustangs have emerged to become a staple symbol of America. Prior to being brought to the West, many cultures had deeply rooted beliefs regarding the symbol of the horse.
Greek tradition associated the horse to the spoils of war: Hindus to the Cosmos: Native Americans to the wild nature: Celts to war. However within each culture the horse is emblematic of the following[2]:
Power
Grace
Beauty
Nobility
Strength
Freedom
The mustang, or stallion, have also significant symbolic references in various cultures, but overall encompass the ideas of the free-spirited, wild, unharnessed beauty found within nature. The image of a free running horse is hard to even image in today’s society where they can only be found behind the white fences of polo clubs and ranches. One of the most interesting aspects that Dobie presents in his article is the portrayal of the querencia. The word itself “denotes not only the stomping grounds of animals, but their place-preference for certain functions”[3]. A wild horse has been found to only birth its children by going back to the same place.
I feel that we are all, at this point of our lives stallions at heart. We have been relinquished for the reins of our parents, and are free to roam and find the meanings of life, and explore the workings of the world, yet we can still find the querencia of place back in the homes where we were brought. For me, going home feels much more comfortable than ever before, and I know it is because it is the place that represents the uninhibited trials of youth, and I have made my imprint in that place. Our wildness and naiveté to the rational world has only begun to be tamed, but mostly has opened the door for more to come. Here, at the University of Texas[4] we are “like the mustang… beautiful and free” making marks “for centuries to come”[5].
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