Sunday, February 8, 2009
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
11/12
First the buisiness: The essays are due via email Monday December 17th by nine a.m. I'll be leaving town only two days later, and will not return before the grades are due. Therefore, missing this deadline will result in your failing the course.
Then the niceties: No speeches, but I will say that this was the either the first or second most engaging group of students I've taught in the last ten years. In fact, you were called 'the kind of students all of us at Queens dream of having' by another professor at this school. Many of you will probably not be in a classroom full of that many verbally engaged and engaging students again. Maybe, but probably not. So congratulate yourselves for that. And look over your blogs, and congratulate yourself on just writing so much about so many different things. It represents a fine effort.
I'll put up the pictures here as soon as Jennifer sends them.
Then the niceties: No speeches, but I will say that this was the either the first or second most engaging group of students I've taught in the last ten years. In fact, you were called 'the kind of students all of us at Queens dream of having' by another professor at this school. Many of you will probably not be in a classroom full of that many verbally engaged and engaging students again. Maybe, but probably not. So congratulate yourselves for that. And look over your blogs, and congratulate yourself on just writing so much about so many different things. It represents a fine effort.
I'll put up the pictures here as soon as Jennifer sends them.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Feminism
The only thing that I can really get from my reading about feminism in Lear is in act II. The women Regan and Goneril are both being portrayed as stubborn and demanding. Women are typically stereotyped as needing too much from men, and being very set in their ways. This is something a feminist would have a problem with, stereotyping is the worst. Honestly though I don't think Shakespeare wrote it in a demeaning way for women. If you sit and study anything long enough you can twist and manipulate it to find whatever you are looking for in it.
Anyway you can see this in Act II when they are refusing to let him stay with them. They are asking him to get rid of all his servants or men or knights or whatever they are, and then they just throw him out in the cold. The whole scene just makes women look mean in general and does not show them in a kind understanding light. They also proceed to call him old and senile.
Also in the act before this one the third sister, Cordeilia, is the nice and sweet one and she is left with none of the power in the end, and she doesn't stand up for herlself she just backs down. Helen Cixous would say, "“Either the woman is passive; or she doesn’t exist." This is the only way that men want women to be, either do as they say or you are not even a person to them.
Anyway you can see this in Act II when they are refusing to let him stay with them. They are asking him to get rid of all his servants or men or knights or whatever they are, and then they just throw him out in the cold. The whole scene just makes women look mean in general and does not show them in a kind understanding light. They also proceed to call him old and senile.
Also in the act before this one the third sister, Cordeilia, is the nice and sweet one and she is left with none of the power in the end, and she doesn't stand up for herlself she just backs down. Helen Cixous would say, "“Either the woman is passive; or she doesn’t exist." This is the only way that men want women to be, either do as they say or you are not even a person to them.
It would be easy within the first few scenes for a feminist critic to find things that they are at odds with. Shakespeare’s reflection of a predominantly male oriented society if apparent in the roles females play within his plays. They are subject to dominated, disgraced, and always at fault. The historical fact that all female characters were played by men shows that society had an issue with the capacity of a woman perform accordingly, in life and in theatre.
Lear asks his daughter to express their undying love for their father, dependent on how they respond Lear divided his empire accordingly. In this sense the daughters are prostituting themselves out for the assets of their father’s kingdom. As we will learn later in the play there is no emotional attachment to their claims, which would make the reader think that they are sincere.
Feminist critics would also have an issue with Lear disowning Cordeilia for her lack of expression for how much she loves her father. Lear takes tosses her away as if she was a piece of property, The Duke of Burgundy also drops all attempts to marry her after he finds out she is worthless. As Cixous states “women are either passive or no existent”(p.230) , this is the case with Cordelia, she could submit like her other sisters and make a theatrical profession of her love for her father, or she could refuse and face the consequences. Her choice of the latter resulted in her the erasing of her existence, she no longer has any worth or value.
Lear asks his daughter to express their undying love for their father, dependent on how they respond Lear divided his empire accordingly. In this sense the daughters are prostituting themselves out for the assets of their father’s kingdom. As we will learn later in the play there is no emotional attachment to their claims, which would make the reader think that they are sincere.
Feminist critics would also have an issue with Lear disowning Cordeilia for her lack of expression for how much she loves her father. Lear takes tosses her away as if she was a piece of property, The Duke of Burgundy also drops all attempts to marry her after he finds out she is worthless. As Cixous states “women are either passive or no existent”(p.230) , this is the case with Cordelia, she could submit like her other sisters and make a theatrical profession of her love for her father, or she could refuse and face the consequences. Her choice of the latter resulted in her the erasing of her existence, she no longer has any worth or value.
Luce Irigaray in King Lear
In Act II scene IV When Goneril and Regan both treated him like crap and neither one of them gave him shelter. I thought about Luce Irigaray when she was talking about Sexual Difference in terms of space and time. I remembered the gap that mentioned on page 238 "But it is never found in the gap between man and woman. This gap was filled instead with attraction, greed, possession, consummation, disgust,etc." It seems to me that both Goneril and Regan filled in the gap. They both have all of the traits that were in the gap separating men and women: The two of them have some sort of attraction towards Edmund, They both are greedy in the way that they took over their fathers castle and they want to possess even more power by taking away Lear's remaining power (His Soldiers/Servants/etc). Irigaray also says that "The interval would never be crossed. There would be no consummation. Such an idea is a delusion. One sex is never entirely consummated or consumed by another. There is always a residue." I related this to the two daughters and Lear. Goneril and Regan have crossed the interval in some way but king Lear hasn't been consumed by them. I thought of the residue as the remaining power that Lear still has. That is why Goneril and Regan keep wanting to take it from him. In a way this play kind of supports Irigaray's thoughts and ideas. The stuff she said turns out to be pretty much true.
Reading King Lear, I found that one could very easily read it through a feminist’s eyes and find much to comment about. First of all, Lear is, quite literally, the King of the castle, the master of his domain. His is a patriarchal kingdom and he is at the top of it. This image of a dominating man ruling over all is very familiar in literature (the elders in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart for example) and his placing value upon his daughters based on their affection for him is typical of how women were regarded in the course of such stories. A feminist reader would also point out how the girls were portrayed in two stereotypical ways. First is the infamous image of the femme fatale, the woman who uses her charm and sexuality to get what she wants, no matter what the cost. Regan and Goneril are the femme fatales of the story. They manipulatively toy with their father’s little vanity and basically seduce him, telling him how much they love and cherish him, until he hands over their share of the kingdom. Cordelia is the polar opposite. One could argue that, by refusing to take part in her sister’s conniving games, she is at a higher level, closer to the ideals of feminism. But, when her father cuts her off from her rightful portion, she just accepts it and backs down from him like a meek child. She just shies away from his critical remarks of her, not standing up for herself. She is still tied down by the patriarchy.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
The part which struck me as being somewhat marxist is the part when Lear, the fool, Kent and Edgar go to the hovel after they are banished from his castle. Here is where Lear must endure this storm that has come.
Here his character begins to see what is actually going on. Here he sees how the rest of the kingdom
lives.
Poor naked wretches, whereso'er you are,
That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm,
How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides, 35
Your loop'd and window'd raggedness, defend you
From seasons such as these? O, I have ta'en
Too little care of this
Here he is feeling what his people feel when storms like this come and how he has done nothing to help them. He also sees how his daughters have mistreated him.
But I will punish home: 20
No, I will weep no more. In such a night
To shut me out! Pour on; I will endure.
In such a night as this! O Regan, Goneril!
Your old kind father, whose frank heart gave all,--
O, that way madness lies; let me shun that; 25
No more of that.
I would interpret this as Lear being the upper class in terms of wealth over the people of his kingdom, but at the same time he is lower class compared to his daughters.
Here his character begins to see what is actually going on. Here he sees how the rest of the kingdom
lives.
Poor naked wretches, whereso'er you are,
That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm,
How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides, 35
Your loop'd and window'd raggedness, defend you
From seasons such as these? O, I have ta'en
Too little care of this
Here he is feeling what his people feel when storms like this come and how he has done nothing to help them. He also sees how his daughters have mistreated him.
But I will punish home: 20
No, I will weep no more. In such a night
To shut me out! Pour on; I will endure.
In such a night as this! O Regan, Goneril!
Your old kind father, whose frank heart gave all,--
O, that way madness lies; let me shun that; 25
No more of that.
I would interpret this as Lear being the upper class in terms of wealth over the people of his kingdom, but at the same time he is lower class compared to his daughters.
Marxism In King Lear (Too tired for a witty title)
When taking a look at the opening scene where King Lear gives his three daughters; Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia the test of love and the after effects of this test, I can't help but feel that this scene has a Marxist connotation to it. Given this light, it might seem like Regan and Goneril could be seen as the bourgeoisie , as they flatter and "show their love" to King Lear in order to obtain what they desire, the ownership of the kingdom. However, their sister Cordelia could be seen as the representation of the proletariat, as she refuses to go along with King Lear's game in order to preserve her own integrity, and loses favor with the King as a result and certainly loses her shot at ruling the kingdom. At the same time, a Marxist could look at this contest as a positive at first, as the King gives his three daughters a fair chance. However, under these circumstances, Lear just wants to prove that Cordelia is worthy of being his favorite daughter (as she is young and sought after by many a suitor), but his requirement of "proof" is the way that Lear creates what a Marxist might see as a class division between his three daughters. Basically, in terms of Marxism King Lear has created a capitalist system and Goneril, Regan and Cordelia are forced to abide to this system in this scene.
King Lear......Feminist Reading
It was a little difficult to relate King Lear to the topics that we have covered in the semester. Finally, after some thought, I decided to select Act II and relate it to the feminist critics discussed.
Helene Cixous in “sorties” states that “Either the woman is passive; or she doesn’t exist. What is left is unthinkable, unthought of. She does not enter into the opposition, she is not coupled with father” (pg 230). Women, in the past, were perceived as obedient and submissive. These characteristic traits were portrayed as favorable and if women lacked these aspects they were considered as non-existent. In Act two, the women, more specifically Regan and Goneril demonstrated the exact opposite of this notion. They utilized deception to gain priority. The sisters strived to completely dethrone their father. The king’s knights represented power and the sisters, acknowledged this fact, demanded the king to release them from their knightly duties. By eliminating the King of Britain, the women gained excessive amount of power and hence became more salient to the world as well as to the male dominating society. Another way in which they eliminated the king from power was when they sent Kent to the Stocks. Even though King Lear asked his daughters to dismiss him from the device, they refused indicating his lack of power.
Act two can also be perceived as anti-feminist. Luce Irigaray states “Man and woman, woman and man are therefore always meeting as though for the first time since they cannot stand in for one another. I shall never take the place of a man, never will a man take mine” (pg 238). The sisters, in a discrete fashion, strived to become the opposite sex. They could have gained power and rights to the country with out striving to deliberately belittle their father. This notion is also perceived through their relationship with their husbands. It seems as if they dominated that relationship as well. They refuse to listen to their spouses when they ask them to treat their father in a more kindly fashion. However, in order to gain power, according to Irigaray, once must remain in their own position and never strive to become the opposite sex.
Helene Cixous in “sorties” states that “Either the woman is passive; or she doesn’t exist. What is left is unthinkable, unthought of. She does not enter into the opposition, she is not coupled with father” (pg 230). Women, in the past, were perceived as obedient and submissive. These characteristic traits were portrayed as favorable and if women lacked these aspects they were considered as non-existent. In Act two, the women, more specifically Regan and Goneril demonstrated the exact opposite of this notion. They utilized deception to gain priority. The sisters strived to completely dethrone their father. The king’s knights represented power and the sisters, acknowledged this fact, demanded the king to release them from their knightly duties. By eliminating the King of Britain, the women gained excessive amount of power and hence became more salient to the world as well as to the male dominating society. Another way in which they eliminated the king from power was when they sent Kent to the Stocks. Even though King Lear asked his daughters to dismiss him from the device, they refused indicating his lack of power.
Act two can also be perceived as anti-feminist. Luce Irigaray states “Man and woman, woman and man are therefore always meeting as though for the first time since they cannot stand in for one another. I shall never take the place of a man, never will a man take mine” (pg 238). The sisters, in a discrete fashion, strived to become the opposite sex. They could have gained power and rights to the country with out striving to deliberately belittle their father. This notion is also perceived through their relationship with their husbands. It seems as if they dominated that relationship as well. They refuse to listen to their spouses when they ask them to treat their father in a more kindly fashion. However, in order to gain power, according to Irigaray, once must remain in their own position and never strive to become the opposite sex.
Disowning people because they don't love you as much? That's F-d up
Somewhere between working on a portfolio for my Creative writing class and napping was my response to this weeks blog, incase you haven’t guessed it yet the scene I am going to discuss takes place at the beginning of the play, when King Lear disowns his daughter because her declaration of love for him is not as heartfelt and profound as her other sisters. Found in ACT 1 SCENE 1
So I decided to do this as a feminist. I did it this way because its a good example of men and what happens when you don’t stroke their egos. I'm not going into a Freud thing here though I probably could. I decided to use the Ideas of Simone de Beauvior, with the idea of the "Eternal feminine" in mind his first two daughters that offer him praise and numerous reasons as to why they love him are given shares of his Kingdom, while the daughter that only seems to love him out of obligation because she is his daughter gets pawned off on other people. He understands that his two other daughters will never be queens but strips Cordellia of the ability to become that because she doesn’t love him the way he thinks se ought to. All women have inside of them the ability to either be the "saintly mother" or cruel stepmother" perhaps this was the authors way of showing the different facets of women at the time? On a more modern scale even today, women who suck up to men in powerful positions are more likely to get ahead, its extremely self defeating and sexist but it exists. de Beauvior says
He try’s to pass her off to two people. The Duke of Burgundy and the king of France who only gets her by default. He banishes both her and Kent from his Kingdom because he argues that he has made a stupid decision in disinheriting Cordiellia, Keeping the earlier quotation in mind and the concept of vocational obligation of the slave, Cordiellia to me was not only indifferent to the situation because she felt this way, but because if she comes across feeling like this when asked to express her love for her father, what can he really do but renounce his loyalty to her? Realistically people arent always going to give you the response you want to hear. Social constructs leave all Lear’s daughters at his mercy, whereas he gets to decide what happens to them based on who he gives shares of his Kingdom to. This falls back into the idea that the man in the situation maintains "absolute rights" and imposes "categorical imperative" on the women. It is expected that the women in both this situation and any modern one similar to this simply take what they can get and be happy with that.
So I decided to do this as a feminist. I did it this way because its a good example of men and what happens when you don’t stroke their egos. I'm not going into a Freud thing here though I probably could. I decided to use the Ideas of Simone de Beauvior, with the idea of the "Eternal feminine" in mind his first two daughters that offer him praise and numerous reasons as to why they love him are given shares of his Kingdom, while the daughter that only seems to love him out of obligation because she is his daughter gets pawned off on other people. He understands that his two other daughters will never be queens but strips Cordellia of the ability to become that because she doesn’t love him the way he thinks se ought to. All women have inside of them the ability to either be the "saintly mother" or cruel stepmother" perhaps this was the authors way of showing the different facets of women at the time? On a more modern scale even today, women who suck up to men in powerful positions are more likely to get ahead, its extremely self defeating and sexist but it exists. de Beauvior says
The myth of women plays a considerable part in literature; but what is importance in daily life?To what extent does it affect the customs and conduct of individuals? In replying to this question it will be necessary to state precisely the relation this myth bares to realityThe myth is shown to exsist here because Cordiellia is written off as the immediate bad guy because she isnt like her sisters so she's basiay stripped of all worth and titles. She submits herself as the kings daughter to loving him out of obligation unlike her sisters as I mentioned earlier but the connection I wanted to make here was about that and de Beauvior's point that
Paternalism for hearth and home defines imminence and transcendence; when one offers the extent no ain or transcendence falls vainly into the past-that is to say, into imminence, This is the lot assigned to women in the patriarchate; but is in no way a vocation , anymore than slavery is a vocation of the slave
He try’s to pass her off to two people. The Duke of Burgundy and the king of France who only gets her by default. He banishes both her and Kent from his Kingdom because he argues that he has made a stupid decision in disinheriting Cordiellia, Keeping the earlier quotation in mind and the concept of vocational obligation of the slave, Cordiellia to me was not only indifferent to the situation because she felt this way, but because if she comes across feeling like this when asked to express her love for her father, what can he really do but renounce his loyalty to her? Realistically people arent always going to give you the response you want to hear. Social constructs leave all Lear’s daughters at his mercy, whereas he gets to decide what happens to them based on who he gives shares of his Kingdom to. This falls back into the idea that the man in the situation maintains "absolute rights" and imposes "categorical imperative" on the women. It is expected that the women in both this situation and any modern one similar to this simply take what they can get and be happy with that.
Monday, December 3, 2007
11/3
For Wednesday, a bit of work to begin the work for the presentations: Write a 250-400 word response regarding one scene or portion of a scene from Lear, and begin in it to sketch out how it might be read by one of the particular critical movements we've dealt with this term. Make particular reference, of course, to at least one critic. And again, remember that most of the more interesting moments come later in the play, so read as much as you can as soon as you can.
Anyone who missed class can view the presentation parameters to the right.
Anyone who missed class can view the presentation parameters to the right.
12.3.07
When looking and analyzing Hyeons dream there are some things that stand out after going over the main concepts that we learned from Freud. His dream focuses on him playing soccer with a close friend in his first dream, someone he hasnt seen in years. In his second dream he is with this girl that he specifically has physical images about. After talking about Freud we learned he likes to focus on how the dream was manifested, and how he talks about three achievments first being condensation, the second being displacement, and the third being transforming them into visual images. Using those achievments you can analyze Hyeon and his dreams in a couple of ways. Looking at his first dream of him playing soccer with a close friend you might think of him maybe wanting to see a friend he hasnt seen in a while. The playing soccer part maybe that was a sport he has played in the past or liked to watch on television. The concepts or as Freud said elements he might of had in his dream had to do with people he knew and a sport he enjoyed playing or watching, in which he condensed into one dream and then the dream was manifested. In his second dream where he meets a girl and has a romantic moment with her. The only thing he rembers is the girl having one certain physical characteristic. Maybe he was insecure about having a relationship with a girl potraying those characteristics. The dream was probably manifested because he had not been in a relationship for a long time and was looking for someone to be with.
Part II.
When reading the Lacan piece one passage that i had trouble understanding was "In the light of this conception, the term primary narcissim, by which analytic doctrine designates the libidinal investment characteristic of that moment, reveals in those who invented it the most profound awarness of semantic latencies. But it also throws light on the dynamic opposition between this libido and the sexual libido, which the first analysts tried to define when they involved destructive and, indeed death instincts, in order to explain the evident connection between the narcissitic libidio and the alienating function of the I.."
Part II.
When reading the Lacan piece one passage that i had trouble understanding was "In the light of this conception, the term primary narcissim, by which analytic doctrine designates the libidinal investment characteristic of that moment, reveals in those who invented it the most profound awarness of semantic latencies. But it also throws light on the dynamic opposition between this libido and the sexual libido, which the first analysts tried to define when they involved destructive and, indeed death instincts, in order to explain the evident connection between the narcissitic libidio and the alienating function of the I.."
Interpreter of Dreams....
I am a person who does not remember many dreams, but the last one I remember consisted of me hanging out with an old friend of mine, the friend being a female. And throughout the whole dream I kept feeling like it was forbidden to hang out with this girl. There was no special significance about the girl and all we were doing was watching T.V. on a bed. Look wise she was pretty. We used to be friends but nothing serious or personal. But I just kept feeling like I was doing something wrong when I really wasn't. It was short and boring and just woke up confused. I wonder what Freud would make of this.
I know and trust that all of my fellow classmates most certainly understands that I and all of us are not really trained as pscychoanalysis professionals, so taking a stab at interpreting each other's dreams is all in good fun. I truly think that Ziyad's dream might have something to do with mayne his feelings towards women in general. Freud might say that there is a good chance that he is experiencing these weird feelings that he was doing something wrong because maybe secretly deep down inside he may feel more comfortable with having been with a man. Why would he feel it is weird to hang out with a girl if he is heterosexual? It could be his subconsious trying to tell him something. Or....maybe he feels uncomfortablw in hanging out with the girl because of his religious upbringing. If I am not mistaken, the religious upbringing he has was a muslim one. In the country that his family originated from, I know for a fact that marriages are arranged and there is no "hanging out" with the opposite sex. It is a major forbidden. Woman are viewed as much lesser then the man, and the virtue of a woman is held in very high regards. Maybe, in the dream, the weird feelings came from a deeper suppresed feeling of sexual need. He felt like he was doing something wrong for being on a bed and watching t.v. even though there was nothing going on. His mind led him to believe that he was because of condensation. A whole set of images packed into one, which this would make a lot of sense. He is just laying in bed doing nothing wrong, but a deeper reading is that maybe he wanted it to go a lot further and it didn't because he knows that it would be wrong because of his moral and religious upbringing.
Of course, I just realized that another classmate analyzed the same dream so I will take a stab at another dream as well....
I remember two dreams I've had this and last week. In onc of them, I was playing soccer with a very close friend of mine, whom I haven't seen for years ever since I came to States. In another, I was kissing this fat chick, thankfully not a french. The good thing is that I haven't had a nightmare in more than 10 years, if I remember it correctly.According to Freud readings I've done, these manifest dreams just represent my desire to meet my old friend (playing soccer may not have any meaning at all) and another desire to, well, have a romantic relationship with someone which I think is in the unconscious level (because I won't admit it).
I think it is very possible that the imagery of playing soccer with a friend that Heyon hasn't seen in along time might be perhaps just a condensation of a feeling of longingness. Maybe that one friend just represents that he is a feeling of loneliness and maybe the want and need to revert back to the past. The funny thing that I picked up on, is that he said, "I haven't had a nightmare in more then 10 years"... is it really a nightmare that you are kissing a fat chick? I think that this is a bit shallow, and might say something about what he perceives as good enough for him. Is it possible that he fears being with someone who does not meet his standards physically? This could possible illustrate that he might in his real life be striving for perfection in a woman and the dream might be illustrating that no one is perfect, and that he should try to connect with a woman on an emotional level as opposed to a physical one.
I know and trust that all of my fellow classmates most certainly understands that I and all of us are not really trained as pscychoanalysis professionals, so taking a stab at interpreting each other's dreams is all in good fun. I truly think that Ziyad's dream might have something to do with mayne his feelings towards women in general. Freud might say that there is a good chance that he is experiencing these weird feelings that he was doing something wrong because maybe secretly deep down inside he may feel more comfortable with having been with a man. Why would he feel it is weird to hang out with a girl if he is heterosexual? It could be his subconsious trying to tell him something. Or....maybe he feels uncomfortablw in hanging out with the girl because of his religious upbringing. If I am not mistaken, the religious upbringing he has was a muslim one. In the country that his family originated from, I know for a fact that marriages are arranged and there is no "hanging out" with the opposite sex. It is a major forbidden. Woman are viewed as much lesser then the man, and the virtue of a woman is held in very high regards. Maybe, in the dream, the weird feelings came from a deeper suppresed feeling of sexual need. He felt like he was doing something wrong for being on a bed and watching t.v. even though there was nothing going on. His mind led him to believe that he was because of condensation. A whole set of images packed into one, which this would make a lot of sense. He is just laying in bed doing nothing wrong, but a deeper reading is that maybe he wanted it to go a lot further and it didn't because he knows that it would be wrong because of his moral and religious upbringing.
Of course, I just realized that another classmate analyzed the same dream so I will take a stab at another dream as well....
I remember two dreams I've had this and last week. In onc of them, I was playing soccer with a very close friend of mine, whom I haven't seen for years ever since I came to States. In another, I was kissing this fat chick, thankfully not a french. The good thing is that I haven't had a nightmare in more than 10 years, if I remember it correctly.According to Freud readings I've done, these manifest dreams just represent my desire to meet my old friend (playing soccer may not have any meaning at all) and another desire to, well, have a romantic relationship with someone which I think is in the unconscious level (because I won't admit it).
I think it is very possible that the imagery of playing soccer with a friend that Heyon hasn't seen in along time might be perhaps just a condensation of a feeling of longingness. Maybe that one friend just represents that he is a feeling of loneliness and maybe the want and need to revert back to the past. The funny thing that I picked up on, is that he said, "I haven't had a nightmare in more then 10 years"... is it really a nightmare that you are kissing a fat chick? I think that this is a bit shallow, and might say something about what he perceives as good enough for him. Is it possible that he fears being with someone who does not meet his standards physically? This could possible illustrate that he might in his real life be striving for perfection in a woman and the dream might be illustrating that no one is perfect, and that he should try to connect with a woman on an emotional level as opposed to a physical one.
12/03
Ketive's dream:
"Within my dreams, there have been several various settings; a classroom, out with my friends, in my own home with my family and the list goes on. But in each of these dreams, I am the center of attention. Everyone seems to be trying to speak to me, and only me, regardless of who is there. It could be my best friend, a professor, or even an attractive girl asking me question after question. But, in each dream, I cannot come to a response. I can't even process what these people are saying to me. I'm just sitting there, doing nothing, not able to move or even breathe. I can't walk or talk or feel anything emotional or physical. Just a bag of meat with eyes."
The relative position of him and others suggest me that level of attention Mike is getting normally is either insufficient of more than sufficient. Maybe there are some people in his life who are forcing him to do things. Also Mike suggests that he's not expressing himself enough, or that he just wants to stay quiet. Or maybe he just doesn't like crowd.
Lacan is basically way beyond my comprehension, but here's just one of them:
"In man, however, this relation to nature is altered by a certain dehiscence at the heart of the organism, a primordial Discord betrayed by the signs of uneasiness and motor unco-ordination of the neo-natal months. The objective notion of the anatomical incompleteness of the pyramidal system and likewise the presence of certain humoral residues of the maternal organisms confirm the view I have formualted as the fact of a real specific prematurity of birth in man."
I honestly have no clue about Lacan.
"Within my dreams, there have been several various settings; a classroom, out with my friends, in my own home with my family and the list goes on. But in each of these dreams, I am the center of attention. Everyone seems to be trying to speak to me, and only me, regardless of who is there. It could be my best friend, a professor, or even an attractive girl asking me question after question. But, in each dream, I cannot come to a response. I can't even process what these people are saying to me. I'm just sitting there, doing nothing, not able to move or even breathe. I can't walk or talk or feel anything emotional or physical. Just a bag of meat with eyes."
The relative position of him and others suggest me that level of attention Mike is getting normally is either insufficient of more than sufficient. Maybe there are some people in his life who are forcing him to do things. Also Mike suggests that he's not expressing himself enough, or that he just wants to stay quiet. Or maybe he just doesn't like crowd.
Lacan is basically way beyond my comprehension, but here's just one of them:
"In man, however, this relation to nature is altered by a certain dehiscence at the heart of the organism, a primordial Discord betrayed by the signs of uneasiness and motor unco-ordination of the neo-natal months. The objective notion of the anatomical incompleteness of the pyramidal system and likewise the presence of certain humoral residues of the maternal organisms confirm the view I have formualted as the fact of a real specific prematurity of birth in man."
I honestly have no clue about Lacan.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Well seeing as how it won’t let me see who posted what I’m doing the dream of the person going through the never ending meadow. Curiously, it sounds a lot like Catcher in the Rye with a few things changed. I think that this person is overwhelmed with everything there is. My interpretation is that there is no one to help this person and that they are ill-equipped to take on their daily tasks. This person is also scared about the future which they are unsure of. The blue dress could be significant because blue could represent depression and anxiety. These things could be the condensation.
The passage which I tried so desperately to translate is on 193 and is the second last paragraph. Here Lacan is saying that all knowledge and urges are taken by the wishes of the other (or the image, not the I). It is in this that abstract equivalence and meaning is given and through this the actions we take are dangerous even though these things seem natural. These normalizing values are only gained though living in the society and learning what is accepted. Through society we learn things, but our (I am guessing he is only talking about men) sexual preference and objectivity comes from the Oedipus complex, or the antithesis of that, which Hegel would argue.
I have to say though, I disagree with him philosophically.
The passage which I tried so desperately to translate is on 193 and is the second last paragraph. Here Lacan is saying that all knowledge and urges are taken by the wishes of the other (or the image, not the I). It is in this that abstract equivalence and meaning is given and through this the actions we take are dangerous even though these things seem natural. These normalizing values are only gained though living in the society and learning what is accepted. Through society we learn things, but our (I am guessing he is only talking about men) sexual preference and objectivity comes from the Oedipus complex, or the antithesis of that, which Hegel would argue.
I have to say though, I disagree with him philosophically.
Dream Analysis
Kimberely's Dream
I am in my town which is in this house on the beach (I live by the beach) and I know exactly what block it is. I am in this dark brown, possibly black house which is black and red on the inside. It seems very gloomy and almost "vampirish" if that makes any sense. I am trapped inside and can't get out although I am free to roam around. There is an eagle in it that I think comes after me or something. It's just a very scary place and although I am in the house I can see that the town is isolated and no one is to be found. This is really all I can remember but I had this dream twice and it was almost the same both times. When I wake up I am petrified and can't go back to sleep, so good thing I don't have it often.
Analysis:
Maybe this dream is about your fear of being alone. (Dont take any of this personally please) Maybe the town and house being vacated is just you being alone and it comes across in this house just to make you realize like this house, being alone is something you are scared of. The eagle could possibly represent someone who may be coming to save you since eagles are sometimes a symbol of freedom. I think maybe you are free to roam but locked in to show you that you can be at peace and free within yourself even if no other person is around you. This is just about all I could decide. I think yours was one of the only dreams left unanalyzed. Sorry if this bothers you at all... if it does blam the professor...lol.
I am in my town which is in this house on the beach (I live by the beach) and I know exactly what block it is. I am in this dark brown, possibly black house which is black and red on the inside. It seems very gloomy and almost "vampirish" if that makes any sense. I am trapped inside and can't get out although I am free to roam around. There is an eagle in it that I think comes after me or something. It's just a very scary place and although I am in the house I can see that the town is isolated and no one is to be found. This is really all I can remember but I had this dream twice and it was almost the same both times. When I wake up I am petrified and can't go back to sleep, so good thing I don't have it often.
Analysis:
Maybe this dream is about your fear of being alone. (Dont take any of this personally please) Maybe the town and house being vacated is just you being alone and it comes across in this house just to make you realize like this house, being alone is something you are scared of. The eagle could possibly represent someone who may be coming to save you since eagles are sometimes a symbol of freedom. I think maybe you are free to roam but locked in to show you that you can be at peace and free within yourself even if no other person is around you. This is just about all I could decide. I think yours was one of the only dreams left unanalyzed. Sorry if this bothers you at all... if it does blam the professor...lol.
Short Boring Pointless Dreams
I am a person who does not remember many dreams, but the last one I remember consisted of me hanging out with an old friend of mine, the friend being a female. And throughout the whole dream I kept feeling like it was forbidden to hang out with this girl. There was no special significance about the girl and all we were doing was watching T.V. on a bed. Look wise she was pretty. We used to be friends but nothing serious or personal. But I just kept feeling like I was doing something wrong when I really wasn't. It was short and boring and just woke up confused. I wonder what Freud would make of this.
What I interpreted from this dream could possibly mean that Ziyad has a guilty conscience about something going on in his life. If he has a girlfriend and was dreaming about another girl whether she was just a friend or not he feels like in some shape or form he betrayed his girlfriend. Another approach would be to watch out for a girl whom says she just wants to be Friends because she might have something hidden up her sleeve.
What I interpreted from this dream could possibly mean that Ziyad has a guilty conscience about something going on in his life. If he has a girlfriend and was dreaming about another girl whether she was just a friend or not he feels like in some shape or form he betrayed his girlfriend. Another approach would be to watch out for a girl whom says she just wants to be Friends because she might have something hidden up her sleeve.
Mike is just a piece of meat.
"Within my dreams, there have been several various settings; a classroom, out with my friends, in my own home with my family and the list goes on. But in each of these dreams, I am the center of attention. Everyone seems to be trying to speak to me, and only me, regardless of who is there. It could be my best friend, a professor, or even an attractive girl asking me question after question. But, in each dream, I cannot come to a response. I can't even process what these people are saying to me. I'm just sitting there, doing nothing, not able to move or even breathe. I can't walk or talk or feel anything emotional or physical. Just a bag of meat with eyes. However, I do have a form of conscious within these dreams of mine, as I can seemingly understand (within the dream) the concept that someone is trying to communicate with me. But I am still completely non-responsive. I cannot do anything at all. It's almost as if I am comatose or at least heavily opiated. I don't really understand the cause of this, as these dreams aren't usually vivid enough to remember in detail (perhaps that plays into the dream in and of itself), but I can only see what happens in the dream. It's as if you're watching your own surgery while it happens, but you don't even know it, if that is pertinent analogy." I believe that Mike's dream is showing him a near-opposite view of how he may actually feel when out with his friends, or in class, or talking up the ladies. Contrary to him being the center of attention, I think Mike feels cast aside if not downright ignored in most groups situations; his dream self cannot seem to respond to the attention given to him, whereas I think Mike IRL does not receive the attention he deserves in relation to how much he contributes to the group. Mike's dreams aren't vivid enough to remember in detail because most of his experiences are remembered in vivid detail; and his mind, subconscious, whatever is showing him what it'd be like if his life WASN'T how it is, if it was in fact the complete opposite. Methinks it may be his own mind telling him to be happier with what he's got, hmmmm?
I'll post the Lacant thing in a bit. Tootles!
I'll post the Lacant thing in a bit. Tootles!
Adrien's Bigness
I remember this one dream I had during the summer. It involved this girl from Florida I had met online. For six months we had been in contact with each other (still are) and she would send photos of herself to me. I reached this point where I just couldn’t stop thinking about her. One night last July, I dreamt that I was out on my front lawn (not sure what I was doing). The atmosphere was strange. It was orange everywhere, like in an old 1970’s photo. Suddenly I felt someone’s hand brush up against my shoulder. I turned around and there she was. I was just stunned. I mean literally, I couldn’t move. I just couldn’t believe she was right there in front of me. Suddenly, before I could do or say anything, like a second later, she’s ten blocks away and turning the corner. I follow her as fast as I could but when I turn that corner, the setting changes from my neighborhood to this weird nighttime Manhattan-like street scene. I look everywhere but she’s nowhere to be seen, just a bunch of faceless people covered in torn coats and jackets, walking quickly left and right. They pretty much creep me out, so, to get away from them I run into this building (the sign indicated that it was a comic book store) figuring that maybe the girl might have done the same. The inside looked like an old abandoned subway station. It gets kind of weird at this part. The scene started to look like something out of a horror-based video game. I started to freak out. I just wanted to get the hell out of there and find her. Then I go through this door and I find myself in this huge room. It looked like a bedroom but it was just bigger then normal. I turned around and there she was. I had finally found her. But the thing is, she was now gigantic (or I had shrunk). I was speechless. It was like my greatest fantasy. She was a giantess lying down in front of me and it seemed so real… and then the damn alarm clock woke me up. I hate that alarm clock.
My analysis:
In order to understand what the idea of a Giantess was I not only had to find the definition but also ask Aidrien, the conversation took place a while ago but between the actual meaning an the shirt he wore on Wednsday I think I have a pretty well constructed idea. So before I get into the Freudian way of interperating his dream I wanted to start with what I compiled over the weekend according to both dream dictionaries, articles and what the actual term means. First the whole concept of him being attracted to larger than normal women ie the 50 foot woman has to do with a term called macrophilia. This is defined as fetishism towards giant women, these types of women do not exsist in the real world they are often described as similar to a woman you may have read about during the time of the titans and amazons. The only reasonable example I could find according to "Urge: A Giant Fetish" found on Salon.com was the Statue of liberty which was described as a
Macrophiles are turned on by giant women that uare also called GTS's. As I did some more digging for outside information I found out that the fact that he is dreaming about Giant women may not even be something that can be considered of a sexual nature. Giants in dreams often signify obstacles in a persons life where if a person constantly dreams about giants they may be consumed with the idea itself. Whereas on the opposite side if a person dreams they are a shrunken person being dominated by a giant they are likely to have an inferiority complex. Leaving the idea of sexual attraction or fetishism according to the article I read, these things may not even be his issue. According to Dr Helen Friedman, a clinical psychologist in St. Louis he's either
The bed in the bedroom of his dream
Since he really didn't describe the state of the bed in his post there is no way to tell whats going on with him, because mostly from what I've learned our beds are supposed to be places we rest ourselves while in dreams their seen as a symbol for how we see ourselves and our lives when we are awake. The fact that theres a woman on his bed and its away from home may mean that he is not comfortable expressing the fetish he has in familiar surroundings or people he knows on a more personal level. Whereas say in class he may feel more comfortable because he doesn't know everyone and may feel less likely to be judged since on some level we're all relativitly strangers to each other
The Subway/Underground transportation in his dream Because this part of the dream was short, ot can be seen as a temporary look at his day to day life or hidden emotions based on what I've read. Going back to the idea that he fetishizes GTS' this may mean that he draws on it based on the people around him. It also has to do with the way he deals with normal things in his life. The last symbol I wanted to talk about in his dream was the color orange, now first I thought this had to do with sunlight, but sunlight in dreams and the color orange mean two totally different things. I was kinda hoping to get away from the sexual aspect of everything but that just seems to be a recurring theme at this point. The color orange has to do with a persons sexual well being and expression.
What Frued would say
Because I really would like to get back to sleep I'm going to sum up what I think his thoughts would be as well as incorperate the ideas of disasociation, condensation and
. First The dream ends in a SUBWAY then a bedroom, he beleived that any symbol in a dream ie: trains or tunnels were automatically about sex. So no there is no excaping this and we might have a freak on our hands. As far as the Giantess women go another Fruidian issue is visited, he might just be projecting his issues with his mother, I mentioned this earlier according to another Dr. But this was orginally a Fruidian idea. With dissociation in mind it is defined as a " state whereby the memory of an event is divided into individual parts which are not wholly, or partially accessible to consciousness at any one time" So even with everything that is going on in his dream everything may just be a result of what has gone on durring his day, his mind may just be projecting it all in a familiar surrounding with objects or people that he knows on some level (except the faceless people) Condensation is defined as when ideas merge together to form one, so the major symbol in the dream (The girl from Florida who later becomes a giantess) may just be all the events of his day culminating into one idea. People usually dream about things in the form of others they can relate to see on a regular basis or in someway idolize so this makes sense. His displacement issue was something I found more interesting than anything else because with the whole idea that displacement means most of the time bouncing an idea or emotion on to something or someone else Adriens dream could just represent how he feels about a separate person or situation. He mentioned that he couldnt stop thinking about the girl so maybe this was his minds way of internalizing his obession with her?
My analysis:
In order to understand what the idea of a Giantess was I not only had to find the definition but also ask Aidrien, the conversation took place a while ago but between the actual meaning an the shirt he wore on Wednsday I think I have a pretty well constructed idea. So before I get into the Freudian way of interperating his dream I wanted to start with what I compiled over the weekend according to both dream dictionaries, articles and what the actual term means. First the whole concept of him being attracted to larger than normal women ie the 50 foot woman has to do with a term called macrophilia. This is defined as fetishism towards giant women, these types of women do not exsist in the real world they are often described as similar to a woman you may have read about during the time of the titans and amazons. The only reasonable example I could find according to "Urge: A Giant Fetish" found on Salon.com was the Statue of liberty which was described as a
monument to freedom, democracy and the big-girl aesthetic, she looms over New York Harbor, 225 tons of womanhood, 151 feet from toes to torch tip, her head high and huge, her massive bosom outthrust to welcome the tired, the poor, the huddled masses. For immigrants arriving on America's shore, the statue is the earth mother of international acceptance. For macrophiles, she's something else -- the ultimate sex goddess.
Macrophiles are turned on by giant women that uare also called GTS's. As I did some more digging for outside information I found out that the fact that he is dreaming about Giant women may not even be something that can be considered of a sexual nature. Giants in dreams often signify obstacles in a persons life where if a person constantly dreams about giants they may be consumed with the idea itself. Whereas on the opposite side if a person dreams they are a shrunken person being dominated by a giant they are likely to have an inferiority complex. Leaving the idea of sexual attraction or fetishism according to the article I read, these things may not even be his issue. According to Dr Helen Friedman, a clinical psychologist in St. Louis he's either
Playing out some old, unresolved psychological issue.Maybe as a child they felt overwhelmed by a dominant mother, or a sadistic mother. Or were abused. This macrophilia is not so much a fetish as a disassociation from reality. It's part of an internal world." The macro's submersion in fantasy, she says, serves as a substitute for a more normalized approach to sex.
The bed in the bedroom of his dream
Since he really didn't describe the state of the bed in his post there is no way to tell whats going on with him, because mostly from what I've learned our beds are supposed to be places we rest ourselves while in dreams their seen as a symbol for how we see ourselves and our lives when we are awake. The fact that theres a woman on his bed and its away from home may mean that he is not comfortable expressing the fetish he has in familiar surroundings or people he knows on a more personal level. Whereas say in class he may feel more comfortable because he doesn't know everyone and may feel less likely to be judged since on some level we're all relativitly strangers to each other
The Subway/Underground transportation in his dream Because this part of the dream was short, ot can be seen as a temporary look at his day to day life or hidden emotions based on what I've read. Going back to the idea that he fetishizes GTS' this may mean that he draws on it based on the people around him. It also has to do with the way he deals with normal things in his life. The last symbol I wanted to talk about in his dream was the color orange, now first I thought this had to do with sunlight, but sunlight in dreams and the color orange mean two totally different things. I was kinda hoping to get away from the sexual aspect of everything but that just seems to be a recurring theme at this point. The color orange has to do with a persons sexual well being and expression.
What Frued would say
Because I really would like to get back to sleep I'm going to sum up what I think his thoughts would be as well as incorperate the ideas of disasociation, condensation and
. First The dream ends in a SUBWAY then a bedroom, he beleived that any symbol in a dream ie: trains or tunnels were automatically about sex. So no there is no excaping this and we might have a freak on our hands. As far as the Giantess women go another Fruidian issue is visited, he might just be projecting his issues with his mother, I mentioned this earlier according to another Dr. But this was orginally a Fruidian idea. With dissociation in mind it is defined as a " state whereby the memory of an event is divided into individual parts which are not wholly, or partially accessible to consciousness at any one time" So even with everything that is going on in his dream everything may just be a result of what has gone on durring his day, his mind may just be projecting it all in a familiar surrounding with objects or people that he knows on some level (except the faceless people) Condensation is defined as when ideas merge together to form one, so the major symbol in the dream (The girl from Florida who later becomes a giantess) may just be all the events of his day culminating into one idea. People usually dream about things in the form of others they can relate to see on a regular basis or in someway idolize so this makes sense. His displacement issue was something I found more interesting than anything else because with the whole idea that displacement means most of the time bouncing an idea or emotion on to something or someone else Adriens dream could just represent how he feels about a separate person or situation. He mentioned that he couldnt stop thinking about the girl so maybe this was his minds way of internalizing his obession with her?
Assal's Never Ending Meadow
1) "My most recent dream consisted of a meadow. I remember a bright, green, fresh, and vibrant looking meadow. The sun was beaming brightly. I was wearing a light blue dress. I was not wearing shoes and could actually feel the grass. I kept walking and walking and hoping that the meadow would end at some point and that I would eventually reach civilization. I eventually came across an old man and asked him for directions. He remained quite and ignored my presence. I decided to walk some more and hoping that I would reach the end of the meadow. However, this never occurred and as far as I can remember the meadow never ended. I felt lost and hopeless."
My interpretation of this dream is simple. Through the first couple of lines, I get the feeling that Assal feels tranquility by being in this meadow. Personally, I would too...an endless field of green on a bright sunny day, (kind of like that desktop background that already comes with the Windows XP software called Bliss). Assal later writes that she walks continuously, hoping to reach the end of the meadow, in a way contradicting her initial feelings of peace and happiness. If the meadow was such an inviting place, why would she want to reach the end of it? When she encounters the old man who fails to give her any directions, I feel as if Assal begins to feel desperate, anxious to get somewhere productive. Perhaps the old man didn't even see her there, perhaps Assal was invisible to anybody around her. She pretty much sums up her own dream with her last line: "I felt lost and hopeless". This dream might parallel with her life right now; maybe she feels as if she's lost in certain situations and no one cares enough to help her get out of that hole.
2) "..the mirror-image would seem to be the threshold of the visible world, if we go by the mirror disposition that the imago of one's own body presents in hallucinations or dreams, whether it concerns its individual features, or even its infirmities, or its object-projections; or if we observe the role of the mirror apparatus in the appearance of the double, in which psychical realities, however heterogeneous, are manifested" (Lacan 191).
In English, Lacan might be saying that one's mirror-image, in other words one's reflection is thought to be what appears in our dreams, even if the imago's details aren't exact. Later he goes on to say that "pshychical realities are manifested", in other words, the remainder of one's dream is purely created by our brain and these additional thoughts or images are false.
My interpretation of this dream is simple. Through the first couple of lines, I get the feeling that Assal feels tranquility by being in this meadow. Personally, I would too...an endless field of green on a bright sunny day, (kind of like that desktop background that already comes with the Windows XP software called Bliss). Assal later writes that she walks continuously, hoping to reach the end of the meadow, in a way contradicting her initial feelings of peace and happiness. If the meadow was such an inviting place, why would she want to reach the end of it? When she encounters the old man who fails to give her any directions, I feel as if Assal begins to feel desperate, anxious to get somewhere productive. Perhaps the old man didn't even see her there, perhaps Assal was invisible to anybody around her. She pretty much sums up her own dream with her last line: "I felt lost and hopeless". This dream might parallel with her life right now; maybe she feels as if she's lost in certain situations and no one cares enough to help her get out of that hole.
2) "..the mirror-image would seem to be the threshold of the visible world, if we go by the mirror disposition that the imago of one's own body presents in hallucinations or dreams, whether it concerns its individual features, or even its infirmities, or its object-projections; or if we observe the role of the mirror apparatus in the appearance of the double, in which psychical realities, however heterogeneous, are manifested" (Lacan 191).
In English, Lacan might be saying that one's mirror-image, in other words one's reflection is thought to be what appears in our dreams, even if the imago's details aren't exact. Later he goes on to say that "pshychical realities are manifested", in other words, the remainder of one's dream is purely created by our brain and these additional thoughts or images are false.
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