Zeitgeist
Its acquaintance is inevitable so good luck at trying to escape from
it. Zeitgeist is the spirit of the age, as the dictionary defines it
to be, but in my own terms it is the paranoia or 'scream' of a given
epoch. For instance, the international fads like high-speed Internet,
diminutive cell phones that miraculously slide and fit comfortably in
your jean pocket, and convenient photo-taking digital cameras reflect
the zeitgeist of many developed countries of the past decade. We see
these items all over place on expressway billboards and during the
two-minute commercial breaks that disrupt whatever televised program
happens to be on the screen. We even see them in the millions of ads
slammed into magazines. But this is just a single side of zeitgeist.
Yes, this two-faced creature is better known for the drama and fear it
infects a nation with. For example, in the recently released
documentary, Bowling for Columbine, creator Michael Moore remembers in
a small scene how the local news introduced the "killer bee" panic
attack across the country in 1990. Moore was reflecting the issue on
how the news is constantly trying to make the people of the nation
terrified. In the end, the killer bees never made their expected
appearance. Zeitgeist is indeed the ghost of a time that haunts the
entire population. However, it has been recognized in various ways. In
the following paragraphs, I shall describe four different zeitgeist
identifications as well as my own.
In the introduction of The Snarling Citizen by essayist Barbara
Ehrenreich, she characterizes zeitgeist in solid form. "Our
contemporary zeitgeist is a low, snarly creature ...
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...racteristic of any time period, has been characterized as good as a darling youthful aura to as bad as a monstrous blob stretch out over the living room floor. But no matter what personality you give it, take into consideration what Barbara Ehrenreich said. "No one can monitor the zeitgeist without being drawn ineluctably into it." (152) It's almost like your second shadow. However, people have chosen to have that second shadow. I have learned that people worldwide cannot survive without dramatic dilemmas. Injected with fear and boiled adrenaline, people have their supply of energy and reason. When one problem is born, an individual or group battles it and eventually reaches a solution. But when solved, we are then looking for an entirely new battle. Zeitgeist is inevitably going to be met and is impossible to get away from. Enjoy never living alone.
ubiquitous and constitutes the greatest psychical danger-situation known to the human organism...' (ibid.). Isabel Menzies Lyth argues that these anxieties are
This definition points to schizophrenic paranoia as the mental disorder of the narrator, and even possibly, Poe. This is further made apparent through symptoms which the narrator exhibits. The first symptom is delusion, which is that which may exists in the mind but does not exist in reality. The second symptom is catatonic behavior. The third symptom is hallucination, or the unreal sensory experience that occurs in the patient’s mind, which is made apparent through the auditory sense of the narrator. The narrator exaggerates evidences in the narrator deed are exaggerated. “And now a new anxiety seized me the sound would be heard by a neighbour!” – This is the quotation in the part where the narrator came into the old man’s room. He assured that he heard a strange sound considered as the heart beat of the old man and it was loud for him. He accused that the sound was too loud that even the neighbor might be able to hear it. He continues: “It grew louder - louder - louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! - no, no! They heard! - they suspected! - they knew! - they were making a mockery of my horror!-this I thought, and this I think.” This is the part when the narrator and the police were having chat in the room. The narrator heard the
She presents two contradictory images of society in most of her fiction: one in which the power and prevalence of evil seem so deeply embedded that only destruction may root it out, and another in which the community or even an aggregate of individuals, though radically flawed, may discover within itself the potential for regeneration. (34)
comes onto the screen, they are shown in a long shot, followed by a medium or close
The question “What makes us who we are?” has perplexed many scholars, scientists, and theorists over the years. This is a question that we still may have not found an answer to. There are theories that people are born “good”, “evil”, and as “blank slates”, but it is hard to prove any of these theories consistently. There have been countless cases of people who have grown up in “good” homes with loving parents, yet their destiny was to inflict destruction on others. On the other hand, there have been just as many cases of people who grew up on the streets without the guidance of a parental figure, but they chose to make a bad situation into a good one by growing up to do something worthwhile for mankind. For this reason, it is nearly impossible to determine what makes a human being choose the way he/she behaves. Mary Shelley (1797-1851) published a novel in 1818 to voice her opinions about determining personality and the consequences and repercussions of alienation. Shelley uses the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau to make her point. Rousseau proposed the idea that man is essentially "good" in the beginning of life, but civilization and education can corrupt and warp a human mind and soul. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (hereafter referred to as Frankenstein), Victor Frankenstein’s creature with human characteristics shows us that people are born with loving, caring, and moral feelings, but the creature demonstrates how the influence of society can change one’s outlook of others and life itself by his reactions to adversity at “birth”, and his actions after being alienated and rejected by humans several times.
“In silence, man and shadow met face to face and stopped. Aloud and clearly, breaking that old silence, Ged spoke the shadow’s name and in the same moment the shadow spoke without lips or tongue, saying the same word: ‘Ged.’ And the two voices were one voice. Ged reached out his hands, dropping his staff, and took hold of the shadow, of the black self that reached out to him. Light and darkness met, and joined, and were one...’Estarriol’, he said, ‘look, it is done. It is over...the wound is healed...I am whole, I am free.’” (LeGuin 179-180) On the condition that one succeeds in assimilating and integrating the conscious mind the lost and regained contents. Since they are not neutral, their assimilation will modify the personality, just as they themselves will have to make certain changes. “If we could see our shadow, we should be immune to any moral and mental infection and insinuation.” (Jung 79)
“I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself” (62). Edna tries explaining to Madame Ratignolle that this is something she is just beginning to understand from herself. She does not know why but she cannot bring herself to give up herself for her kids. The author Kate Chopin, who wrote the book The Awakening, explains through her novel societies’ demands and wishes for a woman, such as Edna, with a family. The book takes place in the late 19th century in New Orleans. In this time period however, Edna must become the obedient wife and stay home to take care of her kids and her husband. This however, is what Edna wants to do the least. The quote reveals right away Edna’s desire to become free of what society has placed upon her. Kate portrays the themes of freedom and independence by weaving throughout her novel the symbols of birds, such as the caged parrot, art, and the sea.
An example of this paranoia would be Ellen’s nightmare. The text during the scene said “her soul heard the call of the deathbird”. This is not only paranoia and anxiety, but it is also a foreshadowing of the finale of the film as Nosferatu arrives into town spreading death and later dies because of Ellen. Nosferatu’s one weakness in the entire film is described as “an innocent maiden” sacrificing her own
was to introduce the element of fear of the unknown by using a word that no one
...rprise, surprise -- is correlated with having less materialistic values,” (Gregoire 1). As these unethical reoccurrences remain in society, the world will continue to be a hopeless place as people search for success and happiness, just as Fitzgerald demonstrated through his social commentary.
The sexual revolution of the 1960’s made a big impact on society as a whole, changing and shaping it to much of what it has become today. Although this change has provided progress for the society it has also created new challenges that civilization must now face. Due to the new issues brought on by the previous sexual revolution it can be said that the sexual revolution is not yet over, as it is still revolutionizing society today. We are currently part of our own sexual revolution, one that deals with issues brought on by the previous one as well as issues that have never been tackled before, such as situations brought on by the relatively new media. This revolution seeks to change the opinions on women’s rights, sexuality and gender, and the social media. The sexual revolution is now, and it is affecting the North American society as a whole. It is widely known that society is ever-changing, so it is inevitable that new challenges will cause change; in a society that can never stay the same there can never be only one revolution. The sexual revolution of the 1960’s only served as a starting point for a plethora of sexual revolutions that are to come.
...ements. Yet, everyone in our society will result in developing their own perspectives on deviance and social control.
We as humans have developed a form of society in which everyone has a purpose and a job they must do. In some circumstances, we are unhappy with the path we have chosen or are given. We all wish to make a change, yet we never seem to stand up to our leaders and change this; we follow the cultural norms even if we don’t like or understand them. The basis of this idea is out of fear of the unknown. People tend to be afraid of that which they have not experienced; an oxymoronic device negating our obligation to discover and innovate.
Generally culture and self-identities are the first and by far one of the most important aspects that people consider in their lives as they bring meaning to them. People seek to know who they are, where they are coming from and also where they are going. However Huntington said that the very same cultural identities are the primary source of conflict within civilisations. He further says that within people’s journeys of seeking their cultural identities they encounter new but often old identities. In other words they are then marching under new but old flags which then eventually lead to war with their new but old enemies (Huntington, 1996).
Mankind’s foremost fallacy lies in its misconception of society. Mankind consistently treats “society” as an undeniable truth—a fixture of the species—and upholds the status quo. However, as Berger and Luckmann would agree, society has never been anything more than a man-made invention—a valiant attempt to establish stability within a chaotic world. Despite man’s initial beneficent intentions, society as an ideal has been tremendously bastardized due to humanity’s divisive socio-cultural influences—i.e., the B&L-ian notion of socio-cultural variability. In fact, some followers of Jung contend that the sociology of culture acts as any given individual’s first confrontation in the world. Additionally, such divisiveness propagates arbitrary projections resulting from the isolation of socio-cultural groups. Arguably, at least initially, man somewhat succeeded in creating stability in the face of chaos, only to continue on such a trajectory as to create a new form of chaos as a result of man’s self-interest and stupidity. As mankind sought to organize society in order to combat anarchic chaos, the decay of entropy crept in, dragging society back into the abyss. Hypothetically, society can transform and once again be made anew if the individuals within it collectively accept the chaos of reality and,