I thought about this question. The question "Do I have power?". Do I need power? I mean, regardless of my life's actions, we all end up dying anyway. So might as well lean back. Might as well take the easy path.
...Wait. You're telling me that I don't have any say in my future? ...oh well. Right? Er. Well, hmm.
Anyway, in Albert Camus' novel, the protagonist Meusault is helpless to the tides of societal power. He is so passive, so not aggressive that the days fly by for him, he "accidentally" kills a guy and even tells a woman that he will marry her because "why not?". He goes to the beach and gets a girlfriend, goes to a comedy movie with her all the day after his mother dying. He didn't cry at her funeral, accepted coffee on her grave and in essence, is strange. Stranger than the rest of society. And that is purely why he has no power in the system, because everyone looks down on him, seeing the worst in themselves in him, and shunning him for it.
Camus wrote the other article on the Sisyphus and the absurd hero. How the absurd hero is aware of problems inherent in the system, but rather than changing them or fighting one way or the other, an absurd hero just steps back. Observes. Meusault is an absurd hero. He knows what's up in society and disregards it, choosing to take his own path instead of following blindly. However, he doesn't step far enough back, and his inaction is what gets him in trouble. Not just in the trial, where his morals are brought onto the stage as improper character evidence, but in his shooting of the Arab, where his inaction, his inability to tell himself to go back to the house, ended with a death.
Meursault, in his infinite indifference, his absence of action and his passive performance are perceived negatively by society, and his process of stepping back causes society to end up controlling his ultimate fate. Mersault tries, oh does he try to have power over himself, but to no avail. Oh well.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Invisible man with Invisible power
An invisible man only has as much power as he is, and how he thinks of himself. I say this because throughout this novel, the eponymous narrator struggles with his invisibility, seeking power in it. When he is not invisible, however, he becomes part of an oppressive collective of people, losing his power.
The college and the Brotherhood were the two main places in which the narrator strives to be visible, to be recognized as an individual, recognized as a person. However, in both cases, the exact opposite occurs, leaving the narrator used and abuse. The group attempted to assimilate him, but to no avail. As much as the narrator wished to be a part of the group, he never could allow his identity to be crushed.
But when the narrator is left to his, own devices, he had the power to move crowds, to stop fights. Most easily demonstrated in his curbside speech, where he essentially controls the crowd, captivating them when he wishes, yet allowing them to do what they want when he wants them to. This leads to the run in with the brotherhood, etc.
The invisible man's power is there, it always was. What stopped him was himself, and to an, extent, the corporations and groups controlling him. No, he needed to be alone to vinyl his fate.
The college and the Brotherhood were the two main places in which the narrator strives to be visible, to be recognized as an individual, recognized as a person. However, in both cases, the exact opposite occurs, leaving the narrator used and abuse. The group attempted to assimilate him, but to no avail. As much as the narrator wished to be a part of the group, he never could allow his identity to be crushed.
But when the narrator is left to his, own devices, he had the power to move crowds, to stop fights. Most easily demonstrated in his curbside speech, where he essentially controls the crowd, captivating them when he wishes, yet allowing them to do what they want when he wants them to. This leads to the run in with the brotherhood, etc.
The invisible man's power is there, it always was. What stopped him was himself, and to an, extent, the corporations and groups controlling him. No, he needed to be alone to vinyl his fate.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Finally!
Henry IV Part I contains all aspects of a play that people enjoy. It has humor, drama, war, family, and the power we all think we have.
Wait...what? Power? Actual power over life, rather than just an illusion?
And that's the beauty of it. There is actual power, instead of the illusion thereof, in this play. Hal exerts this power by keeping his friends and family in the dark of his true nature. The other characters embody the appearance of power, due to their being kept in the dark by Hal. And the brilliance is that Hal is the future king, the one who makes Britain a place of power and paradise. Hal has the power, one of the few which we have seen throughout literature, and uses that power for good, to make his world a better place.
Although Hal is searching for a father figure, or a power source to look up to, the true power is within himself, which he realizes in the final scene, when his father accepts him and shows Hal respect, throwing Hal out of his search and fulfilling his true potential.
Wait...what? Power? Actual power over life, rather than just an illusion?
And that's the beauty of it. There is actual power, instead of the illusion thereof, in this play. Hal exerts this power by keeping his friends and family in the dark of his true nature. The other characters embody the appearance of power, due to their being kept in the dark by Hal. And the brilliance is that Hal is the future king, the one who makes Britain a place of power and paradise. Hal has the power, one of the few which we have seen throughout literature, and uses that power for good, to make his world a better place.
Although Hal is searching for a father figure, or a power source to look up to, the true power is within himself, which he realizes in the final scene, when his father accepts him and shows Hal respect, throwing Hal out of his search and fulfilling his true potential.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Betrayal
A lie, a truth, the appearance of reality or imagination. What keeps mankind going every day is, arguably, being with and trusting others. We want to be able to go out into the world and not be worried of malice and death, it's in our nature. In the early days of humans, this trust was not just wished for, it was needed in order to survive day to day. Having trust is the difference between being attacked by a saber tooth tiger and sharing a saber tooth steak with your buddy. Trust is vital.
In modern times, that trust isn't necessarily as necessary, but is still a huge part of everyday life. From the pilots on planes to other drivers on the road to the people who prepare your food, that trust is vital. But the issue is, that trust is completely out of your hands. People can choose who to trust, choose who to have their back, but if worse comes to worse, one really doesn't know if they are alone or not.
In The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, this trust has been shattered. Laura, the sister of the protagonist, Iris, is suspected to have committed suicide due to the trust she had spiraling out of control. Laura had figured out that her husband and sister were having an affair, and she was completely powerless to do anything. So she drove off of a bridge. She had control of just one aspect of her life at this point, and that was to keep living in a powerless situation, or not.
So she trusted herself, the only one we truly can rely on.
In modern times, that trust isn't necessarily as necessary, but is still a huge part of everyday life. From the pilots on planes to other drivers on the road to the people who prepare your food, that trust is vital. But the issue is, that trust is completely out of your hands. People can choose who to trust, choose who to have their back, but if worse comes to worse, one really doesn't know if they are alone or not.
In The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, this trust has been shattered. Laura, the sister of the protagonist, Iris, is suspected to have committed suicide due to the trust she had spiraling out of control. Laura had figured out that her husband and sister were having an affair, and she was completely powerless to do anything. So she drove off of a bridge. She had control of just one aspect of her life at this point, and that was to keep living in a powerless situation, or not.
So she trusted herself, the only one we truly can rely on.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Entrapment
Wuthering Heights, both the book and the place, bring feelings of hopelessness and entrapment to the characters or readers. In essence, nobody holds power, not the reader, not the characters.
The reader, a passive observer, reads through the events taking place in Wuthering Heights and is powerless to change anything. Their inputs do nothing to the events in the books, and the reader is powerless.
The characters within Wuthering Heights can do nothing, they are plagued constantly with illnesses and death, two forces which are all-powerful and difficult if not impossible to stop. The building Wuthering Heights is an emotional anchor, dragging all of the characters towards an inevitable doom.
The paths which everyone walk are predestined. Free will is an illusion, especially towards those involved with Wuthering Heights.
The reader, a passive observer, reads through the events taking place in Wuthering Heights and is powerless to change anything. Their inputs do nothing to the events in the books, and the reader is powerless.
The characters within Wuthering Heights can do nothing, they are plagued constantly with illnesses and death, two forces which are all-powerful and difficult if not impossible to stop. The building Wuthering Heights is an emotional anchor, dragging all of the characters towards an inevitable doom.
The paths which everyone walk are predestined. Free will is an illusion, especially towards those involved with Wuthering Heights.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Fate and the Future
Oedipus, the story of a man and his struggle through his own life. The never ending twist and turns that keep coming at him blind him from the problems facing him directly. We all know the story, a king and queen get a prophecy that their son will kill them, have a son, send him out in the wild, he grows up, ends up hearing the same prophecy and goes out and kills his dad and marries his mom. And this all started because of one silly prophecy.
Or was it so silly and little? The mere fact that the prophecy existed and was told to the king and queen caused it to become a reality. There would be no reason for the monarch to rid themselves of their child if they had no knowledge that he would kill them. Even so, due to the circumstances in the play, one could even argue that if the prophecy was never told to the king and queen, it never would have become true.
Yet it is told and the king and queen rid themselves of their heir. Even then, the prophecy wouldn't have necessarily become a reality. But then, just to reinforce it, the prophecy was told again, this time to Oedipus. And Oedipus, taking matters into his own hands, decides to try and stop the prophecy from ever becoming a reality. Ironically, the mere act of attempting to fling the chains of fate from his feet is what caused the future to happen.
So it all boils down to a lone man, Oedipus, on his quest to feel powerful against fate, to cast the future to the side and say "You don't control me!". But he doesn't posess that power, here is a madman babbling things about the future, but he cannot change it. The future becomes exactly what it intended to be, and no puny human could ever interfere with something as grand as the future.
So, strike one Oedipus, Fate wins this round.
Or was it so silly and little? The mere fact that the prophecy existed and was told to the king and queen caused it to become a reality. There would be no reason for the monarch to rid themselves of their child if they had no knowledge that he would kill them. Even so, due to the circumstances in the play, one could even argue that if the prophecy was never told to the king and queen, it never would have become true.
Yet it is told and the king and queen rid themselves of their heir. Even then, the prophecy wouldn't have necessarily become a reality. But then, just to reinforce it, the prophecy was told again, this time to Oedipus. And Oedipus, taking matters into his own hands, decides to try and stop the prophecy from ever becoming a reality. Ironically, the mere act of attempting to fling the chains of fate from his feet is what caused the future to happen.
So it all boils down to a lone man, Oedipus, on his quest to feel powerful against fate, to cast the future to the side and say "You don't control me!". But he doesn't posess that power, here is a madman babbling things about the future, but he cannot change it. The future becomes exactly what it intended to be, and no puny human could ever interfere with something as grand as the future.
So, strike one Oedipus, Fate wins this round.
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| Source: ciel-in--wonderland.deviantart.com |
The Big One!
Yar! There she blows! The Big One! The all-mighty, underlying thematic idea which applies to every work of literature, be it film, text or even theater! Yaaarrrrr! Avast ye question, reveal yourself to mine eyes, and I promise that I will try my hardest not to harpoon ye.
*Water splooshes*
Ah! Look at ye, the great white beast of the deep, rise further, come up!
*Splashing noises*
*A loud foghorn-like noise erupts from the beast*
Ye speak! To me! Alas, the question you pose it....MAN THE HARPOONS! Spear that beast and reel her into land! Come on mateys, grab her!
-5 hours later-
Men, we tried, we tried good and hard, but...but she was too much to handle. We were powerless.
Speaking of which, she knew the whole time....or at least that what I assume. I mean, the question she bespoke upon me was
"Does mankind really have power, or do we fall into an illusion in which we do?"
And mateys, I guess we were powerless in this one...but never lose hope! This question makes us question reality, our lives in the infinte universe in which we all live, it defends our never-ending struggles against nature and ourselves. So are we powerless or powerful crew?
YARRR!!
Thats what I thought! Now man the sails mateys, we've got a question to catch!
*Water splooshes*
Ah! Look at ye, the great white beast of the deep, rise further, come up!
*Splashing noises*
*A loud foghorn-like noise erupts from the beast*
Ye speak! To me! Alas, the question you pose it....MAN THE HARPOONS! Spear that beast and reel her into land! Come on mateys, grab her!
-5 hours later-
Men, we tried, we tried good and hard, but...but she was too much to handle. We were powerless.
Speaking of which, she knew the whole time....or at least that what I assume. I mean, the question she bespoke upon me was
"Does mankind really have power, or do we fall into an illusion in which we do?"
And mateys, I guess we were powerless in this one...but never lose hope! This question makes us question reality, our lives in the infinte universe in which we all live, it defends our never-ending struggles against nature and ourselves. So are we powerless or powerful crew?
YARRR!!
Thats what I thought! Now man the sails mateys, we've got a question to catch!
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