Ignorance is Bliss: Melville’s Idea of Goodness is Modern Society’s Autism In his final piece of literature Billy Budd, Sailor, Herman Melville contrasts the good and the bad. However, good does not necessarily mean “normal,” and bad does not necessarily represent “evil”. Billy’s innocence and childlike behaviors create a positive reputation throughout the ships he inhabits, creating an example for the other shipmates. However, his innocence and naiveness proves Billy to be on the autistic spectrum, while the rest of his shipmates are not. By not being as kind and free spirited as Billy, the shipmates show how it is more difficult to live as a “normal person,” compared to a Billy who has a naive and childlike nature. Living as a free spirit …show more content…
His naive and innocent persona is rooted farther than past experiences, but from how his brain is wired. Asperger 's Syndrome - a mental disability located on the low end of the autism spectrum - has caused Billy to mature in a different direction than his shipmates, and has caused him to process and live life on the ships differently than most. Billy demonstrates many signs of having ASD - aspergers syndrome disorder -, including verbal and mental differences, as well as spontaneous physical reactions. Billy is seen as a beautiful man, despite having this fairly perfect physical attraction, he does suffer with a speech impediment. He has “[n]o visible blemish indeed, as with the lady; no, but an occasional liability to a vocal defect[,]” which serves as an obstacle when communicating in situations which are difficult to process (Melville 16) . Speech impediments and stutters are signs of ASD, and Billy’s stutter - being confined to moments of uncertainty and poor processing - is a clear indicator of autism (Myles and Simpson). Billy’s flamboyant good looks serve as a subconscious crutch on the ship. He is well liked and maintains an affirmative reputation, however, as soon as he comes in contact with a multi-layered situation and people who are not as fond of him, he stutters and is unable to communicate …show more content…
Discovered in 1941, autism is a fairly new concept and scientists are still exploring what composes a person with autism ("A History of Autism"). In the late 1800s - the time period Billy Budd, Sailor takes place in - people high on the autistic spectrum were not seen as “having a mental disability”, but were just seen as abnormal and crazy (Blenner, Reddy, and Augustyn). People who were like Billy, falling not far on the autistic spectrum, were seen as completely normal. It was also common for people who would be diagnosed with ASD today, be seen as more innocent and childlike (Blenner, Reddy, and Augustyn). People were not suspicious of anything being abnormal about them, which explains why Billy is undiagnosed and treated the same way by all of his shipmates. Billy would not have been diagnosed at this time, but he was high enough on the autism spectrum to have this childlike presence and innocence about
In 1891, the novel, Billy Budd, was published by Herman Melville. Readers claim the novel is a masterpiece, holding controversy about certain characters, especially captain Vere. In 1971, Charles A Reich had written “The Tragedy of Billy Budd” showing that Captain Vere was wrongly accused. In 2002, Robert Martin had written “Is Vere a Hero?” to show that Vere is no hero. Both works support their reasons well using textual evidence, however Reich’s work is more persuasive than Martin’s.
Those with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) see the world in a diverse way; teachers and adults need to recognize this. Robison gives examples of his childhood where he misinterpreted information from others including social cues, as well as instructions. He was in these situations punished either socially or academically.
"Billy is spastic in time, has no control over where he is going next, and the trips aren 't necessarily fun. He is in a constant state of stage fright, he says, because he never knows what part of his life he is going to have to act in next." (23)
...He is still anchored to his past and transmits the message that one makes their own choices and should be satisfied with their lives. Moreover, the story shows that one should not be extremely rigid and refuse to change their beliefs and that people should be willing to adapt to new customs in order to prevent isolation. Lastly, reader is able to understand that sacrifice is an important part of life and that nothing can be achieved without it. Boats are often used as symbols to represent a journey through life, and like a captain of a boat which is setting sail, the narrator feels that his journey is only just beginning and realizes that everyone is in charge of their own life. Despite the wind that can sometimes blow feverishly and the waves that may slow the journey, the boat should not change its course and is ultimately responsible for completing its voyage.
Melville, Dickinson, and Whitman show evidence that people are connected through experience in their writings. By means of Melville’s experience with Bartleby, Dickinson’s experience with death and greif, and Whitman’s ride on the Brooklyn Ferry, they all show that people not only are connected, but they need relationships to have a functional society and fruitful life.
In the 1940’s two doctors in different countries observed children displaying similar behaviors and deficits. One of the doctors was Viennese pediatrician Dr. Hans Asperger and the other was a child psychiatrist named Leo Kanner. Dr. Kanner was the first of the two doctors to report his observations. What he described were behaviors similar to those seen in children with what we call Autistic disorder. The behaviors affected the children’s communication, social interaction and interests. Dr. Asperger later published an article discussing what he dubbed “Autistische Psychpathen im Kindesalter” which translates to “Autistic Psychopathy”. Although some behaviors overlapped, there were differences leading to the belief that these doctors were documenting two different disorders. The two most prevalent were the differences in motor and language abilities (Miller, Ozonoff). Another was Asperger’s belief that his patients were of normal or above average intelligence. It was not until 1994 that Asperger Syndrome was entered into the Diagnostics and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition (DSM IV), finally becoming an official diagnosis. At the time, Asperger Syndrome (AS) was labeled as a subcategory of autism along with autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive development disorder. Since then, the community of people with Asperger Syndrome has grown to love and better understand the disorder that they live with every day. Some of them have even affectionately named themselves “Aspies”.
In conclusion, this essay analyzes the similarities and differences of the two stories written by Herman Melville, Billy Budd and Bartleby. The settings, characters, and endings in the two stories reveal very interesting comparisons and contrasts. The comparison and contrast also includes the interpretation of the symbolism that Melville used in his two stories. The characters, Billy and Bartleby, could even be considered autobiographical representatives of Herman Melville.
Herman Melville wrote some of the most widely read works in the history of literature during the late nineteenth century. He has become a writer with whom the romantic era is associated and a man whose works have become a standard by which modern literature is judged. One of his most well-known and widely studied short pieces of fiction is a story entitled, simply, Billy Budd. In this short story, Melville tells the tale of Billy Budd, a somewhat out-of-place stuttering sailor who is too innocent for his own good. This enchanting tale, while inevitably entertaining, holds beneath it many layers of interpretive depth and among these layers of interpretation, an idea that has been entertained in the literature of many other romantic writers. Melville uses a literary technique of developing two characters that are complete opposites in all aspects and contrasting them throughout the narrative, thus allowing their own personalities to adversely compliment each other. Melville also uses this tactic in another well-known short story, Bartleby the Scrivener. Much like Melville's two stories, another romantic writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne, uses this tactic in his short story, The Artist of the Beautiful when he creates two completely different characters who vie for the same woman's love. Both writers use the contrary characters to represent the different facets of the human personality. Using this idea and many others, these romantic writers, Melville and Hawthorne, created works with depth of meaning that were both interesting to read and even more intriguing to interpret.
Herman Melville’s novels, with good reason, can be called masculine. Moby-Dick may, also with good reason, be called a man’s book and that Melville’s seafaring episode suggests a patriarchal, anti-feminine approach that adheres to the nineteenth century separation of genders. Value for masculinity in the nineteenth century America may have come from certain expected roles males were expected to fit in; I argue that its value comes from examining it not alone, but in relation to and in concomitance with femininity. As Richard H. Brodhead put it, Moby-Dick is “so outrageously masculine that we scarcely allow ourselves to do justice to the full scope of masculinism” (Brodhead 9). I concur with Brodhead in that remark, and that Melville’s use of flagrant masculinity serves as a vehicle in which femininity is brought on board The Pequod; femininity is inseparable from masculinity in Melville’s works, as staunchly masculine as they seem superficially.
The specific array of symptoms used to diagnose an individual as autistic do not appear as straightforward as Frith's simple statement. It seems hard to fathom that they could all arise from one similar defect in a certain part of the brains of all autistics. Examples of these symptoms include a preference for sameness and routine, stereotypic and/or repetitive motor movements, echolalia, an inability to pretend or understand humor ((3)), "bizarre" behavior((4)) and use of objects ((2)), lack of spontaneity, excellent rote memory ((2)), folded, square-shaped ears ((3)), lack of facial expression, oversensitivity, lack of sensitivity, mental retardation, and savant abilities.
In his essay "Autism and Culture," Joseph Straus discusses the recreation of the concept of autism as a cultural and social category rather than a medical one. He also discusses how, as autistic community has emerged, autistic people have begun to look for historical figures that could be identified as autistic. Straus calls this practice "extremely problematic" (Straus 464) because he feels that the concept of autism is a modern social construction and that classifying historical figures as autistic denies this. However, associating prominent historical figures with autism has the benefit of providing autistic communities with role models and a sense of community through their shared history. Attempting to diagnose historical figures with
What exactly is Autism? Well it is one of many mental conditions that affects precisely one in 110 kids in the U.S. More specifically, Autism is a developmental disability. In other
Autism has been misjudged for many years and some people have gone without treatment and were locked up in mental hospitals for the rest of their lives due to the ignorance of the public... The main problem is that there has not been any productive treatment available to help them in the past. The typical case of autism can be frightening to those who are not educated in the characteristics on how one can be affected by autism and its symptoms. It would be easy to be intimidated and overwhelmed by the reactions of people that have autism. There are several ways to diagnose autism, however it is in many cases not being recognized, and especially in children who have debilitating handicaps such as schizophrenia. There are also the children that may seem very normal and may only have a few symptoms, such as rocking or not being able to
Autism was discovered in the early 1900. It was then used to name a range of different neuropsychological conditions. The Term Autism is derived from the word “autos” that in Greek means self. This word was used because Autistic people usually keep to themselves and keep away from social interactions. The first person to use this term was a Eugen Bleuler. He was a Swiss Psychiatrist. He started this in 1911 and he used this to refer to certain symptoms from schizophrenia. The term became used in the USA in the 1940’s. It was then used by a doctor from John Hopkins University to name withdrawn behavior that he observed by children.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that effects the brains development. It is characterized by affecting communication, cognition and social interaction. The spectrum of the disorders ranges from a mild condition called Asperger’s syndrome to a more severe form, which severely impairer’s development. The Office of Communications and Public Liaison states that the disorder affects one and eighty-eight children, however ASD effects boys more frequently than girls (Office of Communications and Public Liaison, 2013). ASD emerges in all age, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. The significant varied character and severity of the disorder is why ASD is considered a spectrum that poses a broad range of symptoms.