Freud and Marx
Freud and Marx it can be argued were both, as individuals, dissatisfied
with their societies. Marx more plainly than Freud, but Freud can also be seen
as discontent in certain aspects such as his cynical view of human nature. Each
were great thinkers and philosophers, but both seemed unhappy. Perhaps the
social ills and trouble each perceived in the world about them were only the
reflections of what each of the thinkers held within themselves. Each person
observes the same world, but each of us interprets that information in a
different way. They both saw the world as being injust or base. Each understood
the disfunctions in society as being caused by some aspect of human greed or
other similar instinct. They did however, disagree on what the vehicle for these
instincts' corrupting influences are. Freud claimed that tension caused by the
stuggle to repress anti-social instincts eventually was released and caused the
social evils he observed. Marx also saw instincts at work but not the tensions
and Id that Freud saw, Marx simply credited man's greed and the subsequent
oppression of other men as the root to all that was wrong with civilization. It
is interesting to note that both Freud and Marx saw conflict but each traced it
back to sources each was respectively educated in.
Freud was a Psychoanalyst and his understanding of the mind was very
conflict oriented. He saw man as a kind of glorified animal who had the same
desires and needs as any other animal. The only true difference between the
human-animal and other animals was that the human-animal possessed an intellect.
Freud divided man's psyche into three parts, the Id, Ego, and SuperEgo. What
differed the human-animal from any other animal was the SuperEgo, which arose
from man's intellect. The Super-Ego as Freud theorised it is the values of one's
parents internalised. He went further to then explain that unhappiness in life
is caused by the conflict between the Id and the SuperEgo. As stated, all of
Frued's philosophy was very conflict oriented so it is not difficult to
understand then how Freud applied this view macrocosmically to society as a
whole.
Freud addressed this in his essay, "Civilization and It's Discontents".
In it, Freud claimed that civilizations are developed through the channeling of
anti-social erotic and aggressive urges into constructive outlets. He went
further and explained that social ills are caused by those members of society
who are not satisfied with the substitutes supplied by the channelling of anti-
social instincts into social creative energies. Such repression causes a certain
tension which after awhile cannot be repressed and is released in socially
A staunch abolitionist, Douglass would take the country by storm through the power of his words and writings. His narrative was unique in regards to how it was written and the content it holds. Unlike most biographies of freed slaves, Douglass would write his own story and with his own words. His narrative would attempt to understand the effects slavery was having on not just the slaves, but the slaveholders as well. The success of his biography, however, did not rest on the amount of horror in it but from the unmistakable authenticity it provided. His narrative would compel his readers to take action with graphic accounts of the lashes slaves would receive as punishment, “the loude...
Sigmund Freud first theorized the psychosexual theory after studying a patients mental health. The theory states that a human develops from underlying unconscious motives in order to achieve sensual satisfaction.
The tone established in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is unusual in that from the beginning to the end the focus has been shifted. In the beginning of the narrative Douglass seems to fulfill every stereotypical slavery theme. He is a young black slave who at first cannot read and is very naïve in understanding his situation. As a child put into slavery Douglass does not have the knowledge to know about his surroundings and the world outside of slavery. In Douglass’ narrative the tone is first set as that of an observer, however finishing with his own personal accounts.
During the 18th and 19th century slavery became a thriving concept in the United States, especially in the south due to the rapid expansion of the cotton industry. Many stories told through the grapevines that have all impacted those who listen to the trials and tribulations these slaves took on during this time in the United States. However there are certain individuals who have the ability to give you a perspective of slavery that some could not achieve. Frederick Douglass, a well knowledgeable freed African American gives the insight to slavery in his own narrative. In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick reveals the truths behind slaves’ lives, the culture of slavery, as well as the psychological struggles these American slaves endured during this time period.
Freud’s theory is based on the idea that ones personality is derived from conflicts that stem from both our conscious and unconscious mind. To better understand how these conflicts arise he divided the mind into theoretical categories which include the id, ego, and superego.
In the autobiography written by Frederick Douglass, it gives the reader details on the everyday life of past American slaves from both his eyes and from others that kept detailed record that they either witnessed or lived. Douglass describes firsthand of what he witnessed as well as his insight to personal experiences from being a slave to becoming a free man. Only when it came down to it he was never truly a free man, he was a runaway that risked everything he had worked for and if ever caught could be forced to return to his master or be killed for his action.
All in all, Frederick Douglass’s book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, was a story of slavery and freedom. He was fortunate that he was able to experience a better slave life than others. He was able to obtain knowledge about reading that he was not obtaining to be a slave for all his life. He, unlike other slaves, knew he was not supposed to be a slave for the rest of his life. He described the ways by which slaveholders justify themselves for their actions. He was one of the rare ones who did not lose their way to freedom; he discussed the many ways that slaves were kept from thinking about escaping and freedom. Once he was free, he wrote this Narrative and refutes many myths that many have said about slaves and slaveholders.
During the nineteenth century, Karl Marx and Max Weber were two of the most influential sociologists. Both of them tried to explain social change taking place in a society at that time. On the one hand, their views are very different, but on the other hand, they had many similarities.
Narrating these stories informs readers not familiar with slavery a clear idea on how slaves lived and were treated. The novel brings a strong political message to our society. If Douglass explains to people what slavery was about, they would be influenced to make a change. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is the story of Frederick Douglass from the time he was born a slave to the time of his escape to freedom. Through years of physical abuse and assault, Douglass overcame these obstacles to become an advocate against
I chose the topic of transgenderism. Transgender is when an individual tries to switch genders. Transgender comes from the Latin words trans, meaning “across.” Transgender literally means “across gender.” Many trans-individuals decided later on in their lives that they want to switch genders, and other people argue that they were born the wrong gender. Trans-people experience many difficulties throughout their lives. Switching genders makes their lives more challenging, because of many reasons. Their lives are more challenging because of their religion, whether or not they are accepted. The military is very strict, and will not accept trans individuals whatsoever. Insurance companies sometimes will not accept them as well. Trans people are not always accepted by certain occupations. Growing up in schools, trans people are all treated differently regarding to which bathroom/locker room to use. There is a huge debate whether or not trans students are even allowed to participate on sports teams, and if they are, which team to be on. Other obstacles such as birth certificates, passports, and driver’s licenses are all major issues as well. Trans people have to decide if they are willing to come forward, and say ‘This is who I am.’ But before trans-people can come out to other, they must come out to
In sum, all of these key arguments exist in “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” because of the institution of slavery and its resulting lack of freedom that was used to defend it. This text’s arguments could all be gathered together under the common element of inequality and how it affected the practical, social, and even spiritual lives of the slaves.
The Narrative of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass is written to have people place their feet in the shoes of Frederick Douglass and try to understand the experience he went through as a slave. Douglass writes this piece of literature with strong wording to get his point across. He is not trying to point out the unpleasant parts of history, but to make people face the truth. He wants readers to realize that slavery is brutalizing and dehumanizing, that a slave is able to become a man, and that some slaves, like himself, have intellectual ability. These points are commonly presented through the words of Douglass because of his diction.
The study of the development of children is a fairly new study, and psychologist are still finding out a variety of new information every year. Along with that, child neglect is an arising issue in today’s economy due to the long-term effects it has on a child’s physical and mental health. Neglect has been associated with impaired brain development, fatalities, inferior academic performance, emotional and behavioral problems, fatalities, and depression. Although psychiatrists have uncertainty on how to address neglected children, studies have been done and are taking place to figure out a solution. There are a variety of different factors that can lead to a neglected child, but the majority of these factors lead back to the parents of the
Sigmund Freud is psychology’s most famous figure. He is also the most controversial and influential thinkers of the twentieth century. Freud’s work and theories helped to shape out views of childhood, memory, personality, sexuality, and therapy. Time Magazine referred to him as one of the most important thinkers of the last century. While his theories have been the subject of debate and controversy, his impact on culture, psychology, and therapy is cannot be denied.
Sul, Juliana A. Ivar Do, and Monica F. Costa. "The Present and Future of Microplastic Pollution in the Marine Environment." Environmental Pollution (2013): n. pag. Print.