The Trials of Socrates, written by individuals on experiences of Socrates himself, are very interesting. They show different sides of Socrates with opinions of each writer. The text I found most intriguing is Clouds by Aristophanes. The setting is Athens in fifth century BCE. A key theme of the story is education, and symbols of this can be seen with the clouds, money, and quests. Clouds can represent Socrates argument. Handling money is a form of education. Finally, there is a quest for a quality education by Strepsiades to get out of his son, Pheidippides', debt.
The chorus of clouds are a symbol of information, similar to that of Socrates'. Socrates claims the clouds are pockets of water and energy, and they cause rain. The clouds contribute to the satire of the play because they represent the "fluff" that Socrates teaches to his pupils including Strepsiades and Pheidippides. Clouds are viewed as large and substantial in the sky, however they are nothing but thin vapor. This also relates to the unjust argument. This argument sounds very intellectual, however it is just pointless facts and has no specific use.
Money plays an important role in Clouds. Being in debt, Strepsiades is forced to find a way to repay it. This leads him to education and Socrates. Also, being educated with currency could have prevented Strepsiades from debt. If he didn't spoil Pheidippides with horses and spend money he did not have, Strepsiades wouldn't be in a bad position. The play is concerned with being current, relating to currency, and only spending money you have currently.
Quests are shown throughout Aristophanes' play. He first employs the "Thinkery" because it is the opposite of what he believes. Aristophanes himself is conservative and uses satire to get to his view of proper education. The quest to proper education stops at the Just Argument. This argument included both body and mind. The Just Argument provided a holistic experience and was respected, along with being well-rounded. However, Aristophanes doesn't totally end his quest at his ideal model. There are still problems with this argument, and he realizes this; he uses satire and makes the Just Argument a pedophile. Aristophanes understands that both the old and new ways of education should be criticized, allowing one to have a fair argument. The quest for proper education can always change, and a old system, left unseen, can lose its value when transferred to a new generation.
Socrates is described by Aristophanes as a scholar with a lot of tout in Clouds. His arguments are vague, yet learned by many. The importance of education can be seen in this play, supported by Aristophanes himself. Some symbols include the chorus of clouds, currency, and quests. The clouds, hence the title, are important in showing the fluff of the Unjust Argument. Currency and money education would have prevented Strepsiades from his problems with debt. Also, the quests, especially the one for proper education, is seen in the text by the different sets of arguments. Aristophanes presents Socrates as a educator and uses specific symbols to describe the concept of education.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Borderlands/La Frontera Gloria Anzaldua
Gloria Anzaldua presents her story in Borderlands/La Frontera. She is a lesbian Chicana trying to find her place, and be accepted, while traveling around the borderlands in Mexico and the United States. Anzaldua states, "borders are set up to define the places that are safe and unsafe, to distinguish us from them. A border is a dividing line, a narrow strip along a steep edge. A borderland is a vague and undetermined place created by the emotional residue of an unnatural boundary," (25). Through her description of borders and borderlands, the author explains them with her own experiences and ideas, such as the Aztecs, the serpent, and the Coatlicue state.
In the book there are two poems that connect to one another, that also describe the borderlands and what they can obtain/contain. "Somos una gente" translates to: "There are so many borders that divide people, but for every border there is also a bridge." (107). This poem explains that although the borders divide people, like Anzaldua states earlier in her definition, there is also a connector that brings the two sides together. Therefore, the two sides of a border can learn to live together and accept one another to live peacefully. In addition, there is a possibility of assimilating and becoming a new culture in the borderlands. This poem connects very well to the ongoing theme of acceptance of the author in new lands and borderlands.
The other poem that relates is "To live in the Borderlands means you." This poem goes on to describe the different experiences you would have living in the borderlands, and it contains how to survive and what you fight for, such as "To live in the Borderlands means to put chile in the borscht, eat whole weat tortillas, speak Tex-Mex with a Brooklyn accent; be stopped by la migra at the border checkpoints; Living in the Borderlands means you fight hard to resist the gold elixir beckoning from the bottle, the pull of the gun barrel, the rope crushing the hollow of your throat;" (216). I particularly thought these two stanzas brought out what it really meant to live in the borderlands, and how it relates to the United States. You are considered Mexican at border checkpoints, as Anzaldua claims, however you speak with a Brooklyn accent when using Spanish. In relation to "Somos una gente," this poem's last stanza states, "To survive the Borderlands you must live sin fronteras be a crossroads." (217). As with the previous poem, this means that when you do live between cultures you are a connector and a "crossroads" or "bridge" between them. These poems, one short, one long, propose the same theme of being an acceptor of both sides of the borderlands. One that lives in them does not have to choose one culture, as they can be part of both and a bridge of the two sides.
Gloria Anzaldua presents many difficulties of living in the Borderlands in her book, however she presents some ways one can overcome them. In the two poems, "Somos una gente" and "To live in the Borderlands means you," Anzaldua shows that by being a connector and bridge between two sides of the borderlands you can be accepted and live peacefully. The borderlands are a difficult place, but you can defeat the hardness by meeting at the crossroads.
In the book there are two poems that connect to one another, that also describe the borderlands and what they can obtain/contain. "Somos una gente" translates to: "There are so many borders that divide people, but for every border there is also a bridge." (107). This poem explains that although the borders divide people, like Anzaldua states earlier in her definition, there is also a connector that brings the two sides together. Therefore, the two sides of a border can learn to live together and accept one another to live peacefully. In addition, there is a possibility of assimilating and becoming a new culture in the borderlands. This poem connects very well to the ongoing theme of acceptance of the author in new lands and borderlands.
The other poem that relates is "To live in the Borderlands means you." This poem goes on to describe the different experiences you would have living in the borderlands, and it contains how to survive and what you fight for, such as "To live in the Borderlands means to put chile in the borscht, eat whole weat tortillas, speak Tex-Mex with a Brooklyn accent; be stopped by la migra at the border checkpoints; Living in the Borderlands means you fight hard to resist the gold elixir beckoning from the bottle, the pull of the gun barrel, the rope crushing the hollow of your throat;" (216). I particularly thought these two stanzas brought out what it really meant to live in the borderlands, and how it relates to the United States. You are considered Mexican at border checkpoints, as Anzaldua claims, however you speak with a Brooklyn accent when using Spanish. In relation to "Somos una gente," this poem's last stanza states, "To survive the Borderlands you must live sin fronteras be a crossroads." (217). As with the previous poem, this means that when you do live between cultures you are a connector and a "crossroads" or "bridge" between them. These poems, one short, one long, propose the same theme of being an acceptor of both sides of the borderlands. One that lives in them does not have to choose one culture, as they can be part of both and a bridge of the two sides.
Gloria Anzaldua presents many difficulties of living in the Borderlands in her book, however she presents some ways one can overcome them. In the two poems, "Somos una gente" and "To live in the Borderlands means you," Anzaldua shows that by being a connector and bridge between two sides of the borderlands you can be accepted and live peacefully. The borderlands are a difficult place, but you can defeat the hardness by meeting at the crossroads.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Freudian Slips - A Modern Topic
Sigmund Freud's work has been influential since the first day it was published. It has changed the way humans look at their own mind and how we study psychology. Today, many ideas from Freud are still being used and are still prevalent. We read Freud to understand the base of today's view of psychology and how this topic came to be.
One topic, that is widely seen today, studied by Freud is parapraxis, or Freudian slips. A Freudian slip is, "an error in speech, memory, or physical action that is interpreted as occurring due to the interference of some unconscious, subdued wish, conflict, or train of thought" (dictionary.com).
George H. W. Bush made a classic Freudian slip in a speech given referencing to Ronald Reagan. He said, "For seven and a half years I've worked alongside President Reagan, and I'm proud to have been his partner. We've had triumphs. We've made some mistakes. We've had some sex -- setbacks." When Bush said this, it was an error in his speech and probably not a subdued wish, but a mistake in letters that led to a wrong word. Freud would have called this deletion, which is omitting a word or part of a word. Although this mistake was psychologically meaningless, this is not always the case. Freud was interested in the cases where it was meaningful.This can be seen in the show "Friends" when Ross calls his soon to be wife, Emily, "Rachel." Freud would see this and claim that Ross is thinking about Rachel at his wedding with another woman, and he could say that Ross is regretting not marrying Rachel. Because they are at their wedding and not just a normal setting, this is very significant. Freud claims that the ideas that cause the "slips" are held in one's subconscious and come to the forefront of the mind because of a certain event, or even by coincidence. Ross using Rachel's name shows his thought of her in his subconscious during his wedding with Emily.Another interesting topic of modern day that relates to Freudian slips is autocorrect on cell phones (particularly iPhones). The autocorrect function on an iPhone has been known to create funny and embarrassing mistakes, after someone has made a mistake of their own. These mistakes can lead to bigger problems, and are modern day Freudian slips.One would argue that no Freudian slip is just an accident, and that everything that we say/write/text is a part of our mind for some reason. While some slips are not major, others can be crucial and can make or break someone. TV reporters can be fired for making a mistake on air, and political candidates are highly scrutinized if they say something wrong in public. Freud is very important to today's study of psychology. His ideas provided a backbone to modern day psychoanalysis, even if they were extreme. Although Freud was incorrect on various thoughts, he was the first to come out and share his beliefs on psychology and the human mind. Everyone should read Freud to have a basic understanding on what psychology is and have a perspective on looking at the human mind in a scientific way.
One topic, that is widely seen today, studied by Freud is parapraxis, or Freudian slips. A Freudian slip is, "an error in speech, memory, or physical action that is interpreted as occurring due to the interference of some unconscious, subdued wish, conflict, or train of thought" (dictionary.com).
George H. W. Bush made a classic Freudian slip in a speech given referencing to Ronald Reagan. He said, "For seven and a half years I've worked alongside President Reagan, and I'm proud to have been his partner. We've had triumphs. We've made some mistakes. We've had some sex -- setbacks." When Bush said this, it was an error in his speech and probably not a subdued wish, but a mistake in letters that led to a wrong word. Freud would have called this deletion, which is omitting a word or part of a word. Although this mistake was psychologically meaningless, this is not always the case. Freud was interested in the cases where it was meaningful.This can be seen in the show "Friends" when Ross calls his soon to be wife, Emily, "Rachel." Freud would see this and claim that Ross is thinking about Rachel at his wedding with another woman, and he could say that Ross is regretting not marrying Rachel. Because they are at their wedding and not just a normal setting, this is very significant. Freud claims that the ideas that cause the "slips" are held in one's subconscious and come to the forefront of the mind because of a certain event, or even by coincidence. Ross using Rachel's name shows his thought of her in his subconscious during his wedding with Emily.Another interesting topic of modern day that relates to Freudian slips is autocorrect on cell phones (particularly iPhones). The autocorrect function on an iPhone has been known to create funny and embarrassing mistakes, after someone has made a mistake of their own. These mistakes can lead to bigger problems, and are modern day Freudian slips.One would argue that no Freudian slip is just an accident, and that everything that we say/write/text is a part of our mind for some reason. While some slips are not major, others can be crucial and can make or break someone. TV reporters can be fired for making a mistake on air, and political candidates are highly scrutinized if they say something wrong in public. Freud is very important to today's study of psychology. His ideas provided a backbone to modern day psychoanalysis, even if they were extreme. Although Freud was incorrect on various thoughts, he was the first to come out and share his beliefs on psychology and the human mind. Everyone should read Freud to have a basic understanding on what psychology is and have a perspective on looking at the human mind in a scientific way.
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