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“ The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success, “ as Bruce Feirstein would say. The insane are merely the ones who are not given their chance to change the world. They are, instead, locked away before society begins to take grip on the ravings of the mad man. Genius, on the other hand, is what is created when the insane are given their time to speak out. When Renfield began to address himself to the question he was confronted with, he did so with the utmost impartiality of the completest sanity. This leads the astute reader to wonder if renfield was, in fact, completely sane but driven to madness while being locked within the confines of an asylum. Even the sanest person may have insane tendencies when over tasked. This simply represents the imperfectness of humans. How do you know if you are truly sane when you do not know the attributes of the mad man from his point of view? Insanity is contagious and those that get it should be counted lucky to get it as it is a mark of genius. It gives us the other side of the sword used to lash out against conformity and discord.
When Jonathan began to pray “Great God! Merciful god, let me be calm, for out out of that way madness lies,” to preserve his sanity while he was in Dracula's castle, he was being overwhelmed with things not usually known to those who live in the relative safety of the status quo. He began to quote Hamlet (which contained it's own fair share of insanity) as he stated that keeping his journal will help keep him within the realm of sanity. “ My tablets! Quick, my tablets! 'tis meet that I put it down,”. His mind was over tasked with things that are normally set as plot elements in children's fables. Jonathan was tasked with choosing betwee...
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...is right and who is wrong requires careful consideration which is afforded by those who have a tinge of insanity within them.
Insanity is the mark of a genius, it just isn't always allowed to come to fruition. Dracula contains a myriad of insanity. We are presented with a patient who is considered to be mad, and we are also given regular men who are out to eradicate the vampire threat that is Dracula; questioning their own sanity in the matter. All things considered, Renfield and the men are very much alike. We have sane men questioning their sanity, and lunatics questioning their insanity. This shows just what a small amount of insanity can do to a person. The reader begins to question themselves in the matter of their own mental state. “ There is but an inch of difference between the cushioned chamber and the padded cell,” as Gilbert Keith Chesterton would say.
A series of strange occurrences take place at Bly causing the governess and the reader to question her sanity. Bly, located in Essex, England, can be looked upon as a reputable location for ghost sightings because their have been nearly 1,000 reports of ghost sightings in the UK just in the past 25 years. This gives insight that the governess could possibly be sane and does in fact see ghosts. The governess is complete sane because she experiences supernatural presences on the watchtower, at the lake, and in Miles’ room.
Insanity is being lost, is being incapable to decide between right and wrong. We are all insane. We are ignorant to believe we’re normal. No one is normal, and no one is perfect.
...ng this novel, I am certain that I am correct in that. For someone else to disregard your own free will due to perceived madness is madness in and of itself. Viewing clips of the popular movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, there were multiple scenes that made me cringe. On scene in particular, showing the horrendous effects of electro-shock therapy, or ECT, on Randle McMurphy's iconic personality, I realized that this is a practice still conducted today and one that I find extremely undesirable. It is said that ECT is "a relatively safe and effective procedure, providing relief from serious psychiatric symptoms;" however, how far is too far (Seiner, Morales, and Bolton)? While the story presents the optimistic view that people may not be as crazy as you think, it also raises startling questions regarding the unethical treatment of institutionalized individuals.
We, being members of society do not have the authority to judge whether people are sane or insane. Some may say that others are insane but we are all a little bit crazy. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a novel written by Ken Kesey deals with these topics and is a well-written piece of literature that will be enjoyed by generations to come. It will become a timeless classic simply because of the great combination of the setting and the characters and how they both support the themes found throughout the story. The setting of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a backdrop which makes it easy to see the wickedness of the world and people in general. The hospital, Dr. Spivey says, "is a little world inside that is a made-to-scale prototype of the big world outside." Most of the action in the novel takes place in a world that is indeed limited and specific. It is but one ward of one hospital in Oregon. The world of the Cuckoo's Nest is in many ways a cartoon world that is filled with colorful characters and laughs, in which good and evil are clearly defined. Far from being a place of healing, the hospital is a place of fear where patients do not laugh and fear the consequences of anything they speak of. The setting of this novel allows the characters to develop freely and they are even a little off the wall which is a good attribute that will be admired by future readers. McMurphy teaches the rest of the patients how to be sane. Above all, this sanity consists of the ability to laugh, to laugh both at your self and at the world that is often ludicrous and cruel. Chief Bromden says, " He knows you have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep yourself in balance, just to k...
What is madness? Is madness a brain disorder or a chemical imbalance? On the other hand, is it an expressed behavior that is far different from what society would believe is "normal"? Lawrence Durrell addresses these questions when he explores society's response to madness in his short story pair "Zero and Asylum in the Snow," which resembles the nearly incoherent ramblings of a madman. In these stories, Durrell portrays how sane, or lucid, people cannot grasp and understand the concept of madness. This inability to understand madness leads society to fear behavior that is different from "normal," and subsequently, this fear dictates how they deal with it. These responses include putting a name to what they fear and locking it up in an effort to control it. Underlying all, however, Durrell repeatedly raises the question: who should define what is mad?
Stoker chooses to lay some clues out for the readers in order to help them interpret Dracula. The distinct warning presented on the page before the introduction saying the narrators wrote to the best of their knowledge the facts that they witnessed. Next is the chapter where Jonathan Harker openly questions the group’s interpretations of the unsettling events that occur from meeting Dracula, and the sanity of the whole. Several characters could be considered emotionally unstable. Senf suggests that Stoker made the central normal characters hunting Dracula ill-equipped to judge the extraordinary events with which they were faced. The central characters were made two dimensional and had no distinguishing characteristics other then the...
To begin, it is important there be an established definition of insanity. Though the original work is set in the turn of the 17th century, and Branagh's in the late 19th, it is important that insanity be described based on current definitions. Antiquated understandings of the matter will provide very little as far as frames of argument. Thus, for this task, the paper will employ law.com's vast legal dictionary for a current definition of insanity. The dictionary tasks itself to such extent. It defines insanity as “mental illness of such a sever...
Renfield’s death starts with a promise, in order for the Count to get into the asylum he must be invited or have an open window with one of theses present he can not enter. Renfield is tasked with letting the Count in but his promise turns into something unwanted. Renfield says, “I wouldn’t ask him to come in at first, though I knew he wanted to, just as he had wanted all along. Then he began promising me things, not in words but by doing them” (Stoker 301). Dracula starts promising Renfield unwanted tasks causing Renfield to stop allowing the Count to enter which gets him attacked the first time as a warning. When the protagonists are close to finding out where the Count is hiding he decides to cut loose end and kills Renfield one of his loyal servants. Jonathan recalls this and states, “Renfield had called out loudly several times, ‘God! God! God!’ After that there was a sound of falling, and when he entered the room he found him lying on the floor, face down, just as the doctors had seen him” (312). Renfield is killed betrayed by his master, who he let work on his evil plan. Renfield’s death not only symbolizes betrayal it is symbolizes being ungrateful. Dracula had a faithful servant but a simple act of disobedience from Renfield leads to his ultimate demise. Renfield’s death was the most painful way to die, by the
How is that even possible? The dictionary definition of the word insanity is the state of being seriously, mentally ill (“Definition of the Word Insanity”). Insanity is also classified as a medical diagnosis. Insanity came from the Latin word insanitatem (“History of the Word Insanity”). People started using this word in the 1580’s. The Latins interpreted insanity as unhealthy Modern day society uses the word insanity too loosely. Although the dictionary definition of insanity is not wrong, several cases that prove having “insanity” does not always mean “being seriously mentally ill” has came to surface.
Former U.S president Ronald Reagan was shot by a man named John Hinckley in the year 1981. The president along with many of his entourage survived the shooting despite the heavy infliction of internal and external injuries. The Hinckley case is a classic example of the 'not guilty by reason of insanity' case (NGRI). The criminal justice system under which all men and women are tried holds a concept called mens rea, a Latin phrase that means "state of mind". According to this concept, Hinckley committed his crime oblivious of the wrongfulness of his action. A mentally challenged person, including one with mental retardation, who cannot distinguish between right and wrong is protected and exempted by the court of law from being unfairly punished for his/her crime. (1)
Renfield as well has qualities and characteristics of degenerates throughout the novel. Renfield was taken under the care of Dr.
When someone commits a crime, he or she may use mental illness as a defense. This is called an insanity plea or insanity defense. What the insanity defense does is try to give the alleged perpetrator a fair trial. At least in extreme cases, society agrees with this principle. The problem is where do we draw the line. Under what circumstances is a person considered insane, and when are they not? The trouble with the insanity defense in recent years is the assumption that virtually all criminals have some sort of mental problem. One important point is that the crime itself, no matter how appalling, does not demonstrate insanity. Today, the insanity defense has become a major issue within the legal system. If the defendant is clearly out of touch with reality, the police and district attorney ordinarily agree to bypass the trial and let the defendant enter a mental hospital.
Insanity is a legal, not a medical definition. This makes mental illness and insanity correlate with each other, only some mental illnesses are consider as inanity. Insanity includes not only the mental, illness but also mental deficiencies. There are major problems in exactly how to apply a medical theory to legal matters. Every crime involves a physical and mental act and the non-physical cause of behavior. The mens rea is the mental element that would be required for a crime, if it is absent it excuses the criminal from criminal responsibility...
In the novel Johnathan is the subject of the first four chapters and sets the foundation for later events. His words are taken seriously by the reader due to having no reason to belittle him. In contrast the film reduces Jonathan to an insignificant, childish character. Throughout the film Johnathan is seen wearing suits of a lighter color than the suits of the other characters. This choice in costume demonstrates the inferiority of Johnathan compared to the other men such as Van Helsing. Another such example is when Johnathan wears sporting clothes to the opera unlike the other characters who dress more formally and appropriately for the occasion. Also in the film Johnathan acts childishly when he makes empty threats. For example, when he becomes aware that Mina is in danger from Dracula, he commands Mina to promptly meet him in the library so they can leave for London; this occurs in spite of his being told that it is best that they stay with Van Helsing and Dr. Seward who can take care of Mina. Although Johnathan Harker is respected in the novel by the other characters, his diminished role in the film also diminishes the respect and importance given to him by
One of the most complex aspects, when it comes to automatism and insanity, is the similarity between them and, therefore outline a clear distinction might be difficult.