Analysis of In Madness and Civilization by Michel Foucault
In Madness and Civilization, Michel Foucault discuses the history of insanity in Europe from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. He begins his analysis with the treatment of the lepers and criminals concluding with the treatment of the insane. As “madness” became part of everyday life, people of the time were though to be threatened by “madness”. This sense of threat resulted in the hiding of the “mad” in early day asylum or “mad house”, whose conditions were inhumane. As medicine evolved, and the conditions of the “mad” worsened; There was a distinction made between medicine and reason. Not all that were housed in these “mad houses” were mad. Some indeed were insane, but others were sick and their disease were contagious. However, both were unhealthy and had to be separated from society.
Madness was seen as a plague that had to be concealed from society. In the early years of Foucault’s analysis, the mad were kept in “mad houses” or sent away on ships so that society would not be exposed or threatened by these individuals. “Madness” impacted the time to the point were it is evident in the works of Shakespeare and Cervantes. The confinement of the “mad” was an inhumane process. Concealed from society, these individuals were chained to their bed and walls. Some were even exhibited like animals around Europe. Toward the end of the time period which Foucault examines, medicine plays a greater role in the ...
You never know how you would react to a situation until you are in that situation, before Mann was in the situation he was in I’m sure he didn’t know how he would react either. If I had to take a guess on what I would do if a situation like this took play in my life, I would probably go to a family member’s house, get a job, pay rent, and save money. I will not go robbing people because I feel like that is backwards and it will only end me up in the big
In the short story, “Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield, the author introduces Miss Brill as a lonely and a putting on her fur scarf, and getting ready to go to the park. As she sits on the bench and listens to other people talk, she imagines herself as an audience watching the people in the park as if they are on stage. Miss Brill believes that all the action going on in the park, such as the little boy giving the thrown-away violets back to the woman is just a play. However, a closer look at Miss Brill reveals a character that is unable to distinguish between perception and reality.
“Miss Brill was glad that she had decided on her “fur” for that Sunday afternoon in the park. Her little friend she wore around her neck would be the perfect companion to enjoy such a beautiful day. After going to the park and sitting down, Miss Brill wishes to talk with the other people sitting about, but they never make a sound, though after this she admits to listening to their conversations. “She had become really quite expert, she thought, at listening as though she didn’t listen, at sitting in other people’s lives just for a minute while they talked round her.” Within moments, Miss Brill is commenting on other people: The old people who sat on the benches like statues, the little children running here and there, a beautiful woman accidentally dropping violets on the floor, and once a little boy picks them up and tries to...
Madness: A History, a film by the Films Media Group, is the final installment of a five part series, Kill or Cure: A History of Medical Treatment. It presents a history of the medical science community and it’s relationship with those who suffer from mental illness. The program uses original manuscripts, photos, testimonials, and video footage from medical archives, detailing the historical progression of doctors and scientists’ understanding and treatment of mental illness. The film compares and contrasts the techniques utilized today, with the methods of the past. The film offers an often grim and disturbing recounting of the road we’ve taken from madness to illness.
The period of reconstruction started in 1865 and lasted until 1877. The period of reconstruction was a way the north thought they were punishing the south; they wanted to rebuild and make the south better. Reconstruction took place after the civil war. The radical republican’s goals were black male enfranchisement and strong reconstruction policy for the south. (Williams, 8/25) During this time it was very challenging. When the reconstruction began, President Lincoln was in office. He came up with
Poe endured more than any individual should endure, and experienced so much negativity it was almost inevitable that the theme of insanity would appear in his works. He suffered from an excessive amount of hardships and tragedies throughout his life that placed him on the brink of insanity. The first sign of Poe’s insanity is found in his short story “The Black Cat” where the narrator claims “mad [he] is not”. Present in the state of denial, Poe’s character will say or do anything to relinquish the claim of ...
The controversial topic of insanity manifests itself commonly in Romantic writing, and has been one much disputed over time. Some say that people who seem crazy are so above our own level of thought and understanding that we can’t possibly begin to identify with them and that we can find genius in the form of ordinary lunatics who connect to God and divinity in ways “normal” people don’t comprehend. Throughout works such as “The Cask of Amontillado and “The Castaway”, the authors question insanity with ideas that show the possible outcomes when one looks deep inside themselves for a divine spark or intuition. Both of these stories address madness in different forms, and madness itself is Godly experiences gone wrong; the person who receives the divine vision is unable to handle its raw truth.
The BBC documentary, Mental: A History of the Madhouse, delves into Britain’s mental asylums and explores not only the life of the patients in these asylums, but also explains some of the treatments used on such patients (from the early 1950s to the late 1990s). The attitudes held against mental illness and those afflicted by it during the time were those of good intentions, although the vast majority of treatments and aid being carried out against the patients were anything but “good”. In 1948, mental health began to be included in the NHS (National Health Service) as an actual medical condition, this helped to bring mental disabilities under the umbrella of equality with all other medical conditions; however, asylums not only housed people
Probation is set out for criminals to get a second chance with life. In the criminal justice system probation is a particular type of sentence for criminal defendants. It is a sentence whereby a convict is released from confinement but is still under court supervision; a testing or a trial period. Probation can be given in lieu of a prison term or can suspend a prison sentence if the convict has consistently demonstrated good behavior. Some probationers haven’t reached the prison stage simply because probation is the alternative for prison. Probation does not only save criminals, but they also save money for the government, state prisons, and federal prisons
History shows that signs of mental illness and abnormal behavior have been documented as far back as the early Greeks however, it was not viewed the same as it is today. The mentally ill were previously referred to as mad, insane, lunatics, or maniacs. W.B. Maher and B.A. Maher (1985) note how many of the terms use had roots in old English words that meant emotionally deranged, hurt, unhealthy, or diseased. Although early explanations were not accurate, the characteristics of the mentally ill have remained the same and these characteristics are used to diagnose disorders to date. Cultural norms have always been used to assess and define abnormal behavior. Currently, we have a decent understanding of the correlates and influences of mental illness. Although we do not have complete knowledge, psychopathologists have better resources, technology, and overall research skills than those in ancient times.
Mental illness, today we are surround by a broad array of types of mental illnesses and new discoveries in this field every day. Up till the mid 1800’s there was no speak of personality disorder, in fact there was only two type of mental illness recognized. Those two illnesses as defined by Dr. Sam Vaknin (2010), “”delirium” or “manial”- were depression (melancholy), psychoses, and delusions.” It was later in 1835 when J. C. Pritchard the British Physician working at Bristol Infirmary Hospital published his work titled “Treatise on Insanity and Other Disorder of the Mind” this opened the door to the world of personality disorder. There were many story and changes to his theories and mental illness and it was then when Henry Maudsley in 1885 put theses theories to work and applied to a patient. This form of mental illness has since grown into the many different types of personality disorder that we know today. Like the evolution of the illness itself there has been a significant change in the way this illness is diagnosed and treated.
The pursuit for happiness has been a quest for man throughout the ages. In his ethics, Aristotle argues that happiness is the only thing that the rational man desires for its own sake, thus, making it good and natural. Although he lists three types of life for man, enjoyment, statesman, and contemplative, it is the philosopher whom is happiest of all due to his understanding and appreciation of reason. Aristotle’s version of happiness is not perceived to include wealth, honor, or trivial
Great strides have been made in our understanding of abnormal behavior. For example, during the latter stages of the Middle Ages and early Renaissance, a spirit of scientific questioning reappeared in Europe, and several noted physicians spoke out against inhumane treatments. There was a general movement away from superstitions and “magic” toward reasoned,
Correction has now moved from that of retributive to rehabilitative and doing so has also implemented certain institutions to assist in the rehabilitation process. Such institutions involve offer two basic service called ‘probation and parole’. Probation and Parole are very similar in that they are both dealing with someone who has broken the law and is a substitute to incarceration; both systems are used by judges in dealing with offenders. Probation deals with offenders before they enter the prison system and it is called a suspension of sentence. This sentence is handed down to you by a judge (Abadinsky, 2012). Once a judge sanction your probation you are assigned a probation officer and you are now known as the probationer until you have successfully completed your requirements as ordered by the judge; then you will be released from your service.
My participation in the class exercise allowed me to have an experience of life through the eyes a lower class individual. Even though the real world is much more extreme than the class exercise, I was still able to understand society and its levels of inequality. After experiencing society from a different perspective, I realize that although society has changed from the days of extreme inequality, it still needs much attention to equalizing the privileges between the different levels of stratification.