Mondays tend to be the hardest day to wake up. Work was busy the night before, and Kat had not gotten home at a decent hour. Kitty is already meowing and kneading the comforter, making Kat realize she had probably slept through all of her alarms. The rest of the morning would be a rush: jump out of bed, feed kitty, brush teeth, do something with her appearance, throw on a hoodie, grab clothes for work and rush out the door. No time for coffee to be made means  hopefully she will have time to grab some on her way into class. Leaving the building, she takes a left and sees the street the same as always. Usual busy sidewalks, people hanging out, kids screaming on the playground at the school on the corner. She is always grateful even though she may hate her apartment (which is ridiculously expensive for no reason) that at least the Utica Ave 4 train is only 2 blocks away. Rushing down the stairs, she remembers her monthly metro is up and her new one would be at work later. Looking up she sees the 4 train is leaving in 1 minute and she cringes. She rushes to use the kiosk, and quickly gets a single ride. The train was packed with people luckily, so it took a few times before the door actually shut for good, and she hopped on just in time. No seats were available so she stood in front of the doors just happy thinking she would now have time for coffee. She puts her headphones in and loses herself in her morning music and commute. There are 10 stops before she will arrive at 14th Street-Union Square, where she will have to transfer to the local 6 train, so no rushing for a moment. At 14th street there is a 6 train arriving just as her 4 train comes in, she jumps off the 4 and jumps on the 6. The 6 only goes one stop and then she has arrived at 23rd Street her final destination. She exits the train, goes up the stairs to the left and into her usual coffee shop, grabs a coffee, gets a stamp on her card, and off she goes. One block to the building, crosses the street, walks in, shows her ID, and sees her fellow classmates in the elevator. This Monday could’ve been worse.

I was surprised with how much I agreed with Freud here in this discussion of the “Family Romances”. While some of his theories can be quite sensitive, and difficult to admit agreeing with, this one made a lot of sense to me when thinking of the developmental stage of “liberating yourself from your parents”. The main focus of this article is the on this phase of personal growth and development where an individual separates themselves from their parents, and how if it doesn’t go successfully the negative affects it can have on a child. Freud is suggesting that this is one of the most complex and important stages in ones development personally, socially, and sexually. Up until a certain point your parents are your entire existence.They are the “best people in the world”, who you may think are better than everyone and who can do no wrong. But at a certain age you start seeing other peoples parents who have different values, parenting tactics, or even adults who just treat you differently than your parents. These others may have more money, more privilege, they may be less strict, or can offer you something you aren’t receiving from your own parents. One problem with some of the statements throughout this study, is that it is coming from a point of view where both parents are involved. It seems more relevant probably for the time it was written. There are so many different upbringing situations and external factors that can occur during this stage that make your separation from your parents happen sooner or later than what is expected to be “normal”. Sometimes I have a hard time generalizing peoples personal development on a specific time line. So while I can agree with the general idea that this phase in ones life is extremely vital and will play a big role in ones healthy development, I don’t completely agree with the idea that ones “neurotic condition”can be determined solely on the failure to complete this phase “properly”.

Walt Whitmans “Song of Myself” is one of my favorite poems. While the poem is appreciating and giving thanks to the natural world around him, he introduces himself as the subject. He is celebrating not only the natural world, but his part and place within it. He is going out and absorbing all of which nature has to offer him. Connecting himself as one with the universe, through his senses, his body, his ancestors, all in the purest form possible. At the very basis of our existence we are constantly exchanging with the world around us; whether that be the air we breathe, the feelings we embrace, or the ideas and materials we possess.

When he goes on to say “I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable”, I think he is recognizing that even though he is one with the natural world, he is also the most unnatural. The hawk he spots is one with its environment, playing a very specific role, and living a very rigid existence amongst the circle of life. While humans may be just as animalistic and untamed as the wild hawk, we are also the hardest to understand. To explain human existence and purpose can sometimes seem untranslatable. Just as some words hold meanings amongst languages that cannot be translated to another, we as humans cannot be translated to other animals. Yet, we all may end up in the same place. We end up beneath ones feet into the dirt and “depart as air”, he suggests we never really die. We continue through future growth within the human race and within the world.

The “untranslatable self” isn’t easily defined. I think it is the idea of what humans really are. Everyone has different thoughts, feelings, perceptions and none of it is translatable to another in a perfectly understandable way.

When analyzing these poems and comparing them to Jane Eyre, I found that they all carry a very similar tone. Each one seems to confront a feeling of longing to escape and the want to experience something different and new. Yet, this isn’t the longing to travel or explore in a positive or exciting way, instead it is very melancholy and you can almost feel the restraint they are experiencing from society and the world they know. All they know and can identify with is hope, and the possibility life may bring them something great and new. Although in Jane’s case, it never seems to work out in her favor.

Dickinson’s “I dwell in Possibility” immediately resonated with the incessant desire Jane has throughout the text of wanting to experience the world in a way that constantly feels out of reach. In chapter 4 while still at Gateshead, she saw visitors come and go, yet none interested her, instead she found solace in the spectacles of wildlife. If Jane were to read this poem it would elucidate the relentless feelings of longing for knowledge and experience outside of her familiar realm. She wants to know more of the world, to grasp and understand more than her own reality, but is constantly bound by the limits society puts on her because of her circumstances. This behavior is repetitive and while it is all so close to observe, it’s also impossible for her to ever fully have. Even when she finally has a decent job, and a man who claims to love her, it all so quickly is taken away and ruined.

This piece discusses many truths that we as humans have struggled with and tried to cope with for centuries. With the main question being ‘What does it means to be human’? The Enlightenment was a time where we began questioning reason, religious control, and moved away from traditional standards. We began questioning and defining our relationships with ourselves, with others, and with the universe around us. If God is just the “watch-maker” it is us who has the power to make decisions, to think critically and skeptically in order to answer these truths. The conflict between old vs. new, the unwavering thirst for more; whether that be for power, wealth, knowledge,  or advancements in society is something people still struggle in our society.

For years people blindly followed conventions that were passed down and taught to them by the society in which they existed. At this time people began to break out of these conventions and their codes of behavior and began to embrace individualism. Instead of relying on the words of the priest, or the authority of the King, Enlightenment thinkers began to express ideals of relying on your own authority. Because of this, rebellions and revolutions began to take place in England and the Americas as the notion of divine right began to die out. As Thomas Hobbes stated, prior to the formation of societies life was “mean, brutish and short; and men and women banded together for the sake of preservation and progress”. We could move away from this standard of life and begin living a life more meaningful and progressive.

Once we realized we had more to offer than just to live, work and die, we had the power to harness free thought and express our emotions, giving us a better understanding of emotions in general. Inclusiveness amongst people from all genders, races, and classes would prove difficult and a long time coming. Yet, many thinkers focused on the idea that there are common aspects of humanity and by focusing on these commonalities rather than the cultural dissimilarities, the essay states “readers and writers alike could draw on this convention about universality”. This provided stable ground for works to be published that would hold truth throughout time by focusing on constant human nature. The Enlightenment period was a vital step away from the norms in which people assumed and into a new era of free thinking.