Author: j.zheng8

11:00 – 12:41

“He tore, he raved, he roared like some monster of the wood, calling on the loved name of Imoinda. A thousand times he turned the fatal knife that did the deed toward his own heart, with a resolution to go immediately after her; but dire revenge, which was now a thousand times more fierce in his soul than before, prevents him.”

— Chapter 5, Oroonoko’s Revenge

Love is a constant force and the will that support Oroonoko to disobey his unjust grandfather and society’s tradition to disobey the fate of being a slave forever for the rest of the life without resistance. He is an existence who obtained noble, pure love. Powerful revenge derived from hatred, but Oroonoko is a man revenge for his love and family. Therefore, when he kills his wife to prevent her and their unborn child from living a horrible life without dignity, his will to revenge and to live is gone. Oroonoko is a man who lives by honor codes, despite the overturning fate from noble to a slave, his ethics and values, autonomy, efficient perception of reality and resistance to enslaver show that he is self-actualized person who fulfills the purpose of life, sacrifice for love and esteem. Therefore, his end is more glorified than those who died without a life purpose.

The section of the video I selected delivered summary of the Oroonoko story with narrator’s emotion and understanding of the novel. Overall, I very much enjoy reading this great literature by Aphra Behn, who presented languages in aesthetic sensationalism, the words create the vivid scene within the minds of readers. The strong feelings of compassion and brutality are incite by the imaginary scenes.

The video I selected started from the quote read by a forensic psychotherapist, Dr. Gwen Adshead. “I have murdered the lovely and the helpless; I have strangled the innocent as they slept and grasped to death his throat who never injured me or any other living thing.” Her interpretation of this great literature from a psychological standpoint presents a very interesting view, the cruelty in each of us and not the monster himself.

 

As animals, the human has a unique defense mechanism, the monster in Mary Shelley’s book presented three types of defense mechanism; projection, displacement, and rationalization. The monster displays all three of defense mechanism and brings the aggression to the most radical form. He brings the distress and hatred out on other people, and there, we can’t say we aren’t like the monster. When we experience the constant rejection and disappointment by the “real society” which perceived to be different from the “ideal” ones, the unspeakable pain arose from the unconscious mind but pressed down by the conscious understandings of love and hope. Children rejected by the creator who is hostile and irresponsible grow up in the environment of hostility and fears are going to become the monster itself because there is no love, understanding, and appreciation.

 

The whole purpose of the literature is humanity and its meaning. Although Frankenstein, the scientist, is an intelligent creator his acts and irresponsible acts are criticized for being inhuman. The monster, despite his hideously ugly appearance and unforgivable, murderous actions, his desire to be accepted and loved is just as normal as ordinary human beings.

In the short story, “New Year’s Sacrifice,” Lu Xun reflected upon feudal oppression on lower class women, the cruelty of landowner due to traditional ethics and rites. Supposedly, the New Year’s sacrifice is to bring good fortune and blessing to people alive, all the people in the village or family will come together and prepare for this rite, however, it becomes sarcasm as used in the title.

I found similarity between this short story and U.S slavery history, Hsiang Lin’s Wife is the slave, and her mother-in-law is the slave dealer, selling her for money and treating her as a tool. As I look deeper into the story, I understand that all people besides the narrator are the slaves of feudalistic thoughts and opinions. The murder of Hsiang Lin’s Wife is the isolation and rejection from the aunt’s family because of her misfortune experience brings the “disgrace to sacrifice” in the feudal beliefs. Being able to help during New Year’s sacrifice means the acceptance to become a part of the family, no matter in what kind of position they are, the warmth could be felt. The abandonment of the Narrator’s uncle family blows off the living hope and warmth, and the society mentally and verbally oppresses a misfortunate woman to the end of life.

“Wrapped in this medley of sound, relaxed and at ease, the doubt which had preyed on me from dawn to early night was swept clean away by the atmosphere of celebration, and I felt only that the saints of heaven and earth had accepted the sacrifice and incense and were all reeling with intoxication in the sky, preparing to give the people of Luchen boundless good fortune.”

— “New Year’s Sacrifice”  by Lu Xun 

In this short story, the author, Lu Xun criticizes the traditional, feudal ideas, they are like the “intoxication” reel the people and becloud the humanity in the society. The “boundless good fortune” is sarcasm, people rather believe the unreal and abstract concept than caring about a real person, they start to forget a meaningful purpose of sacrifice, “unity” of family and Luzhen, a community.

0:30 – 2:54

The scrivener, Bartleby not only rises the astonishing turbulence in the mind of Lawyer, but also in the readers. “I would prefer not to” in the materialistic society, although we all have the rights to refuse the assigned tasks, there are more reasons for us to accept and complete the tasks rather than simply refusing. It seems like nothing matters to Bartleby, there is no attachment, bonds with human and the community as he is a melancholy, lonely existence. More and more of the short story reveal first-person inner struggle of the Lawyer.

The video I selected present the scenes resemble closely the envision of Bartleby, The Scrivener. What I found to be the irony of the story is the fact a “passive” existence, Bartleby, causes the billows in tranquility within lawyer’s conscious mind, while the impatient or anxious people do not.

From the social standpoint, unlike the Gregor in metamorphosis, who tried hard to conform the society and other’s expectation, Bartleby disobey the mainstream behaviors by expressing famous line “I would prefer not to.” On the opposing side, the lawyer, who is regarded as a kind and rational man tried to help Bartleby, still stands with social conformity and other’s expectation.

The point to which Lawyer decides to reallocate his office is when Bartleby’s existence start to influence his reputation and business in a weird, awkward way. And the point to which Lawyer feel responsible to Bartleby again is when people come to him and start complaining about Bartleby. His rationalization of the responsibility and destined tie are triggered by people’s expectation and his self-regard.

“The bond of a common humanity now drew me irresistibly to gloom. A fraternal melancholy! For both I and Bartleby were sons of Adam”

                          — Bartleby, The Scrivener

In the psychological standpoint, Bartleby’s behavior totally a disregard of Maslow’s hierarchy model, as if it seems like the society is so disappointing and nothing meaningful in life, not even the desire for food and shelter fulfill the meaning. His death might be a protest, a passive resistance.

“Nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance.”

                                                                                    — Bartleby, The Scrivener

 

 

 

0:21 – 2:53

The Metamorphosis is the story of absurdity about a salesman turned into a giant bug in his house and followed the radical changes of his family members. When I read this short novel, I couldn’t fully understand the suggested symbolism without knowing the author Franz Kafka and the industrialization period.

In the animated video created by TED-Ed, which brings the realization of the consistency in all Kafka’s literature work, introduces the term, “Kafkaesque,” to describe unnecessarily complicated and frustrating experiences for all the protagonists in Kafka’s stories. In Metamorphosis, Gregor has to experience the absurd physical transformation which entirely changes his life, his family attitudes toward him as a person are dramatically striking for me.

Why does family treat the once breadwinner of the family so horribly, considering the sacrifice Gregor has contributed to this family? After I watched this video, I realized that the psychological conflict for Gregor is the struggle between the collectivism and individualism. Meanwhile, he is also the prisoner of his ego, like the protagonist in “Poseidon,” believing all other family members were incapable of sharing the financial burden. Alternatively, perhaps, his ego is the motivation that kept him going from a mundane job in the system of arbitrary power.

“When it came to talking about this need to earn money, at first Gregor went away from the door and threw himself on the cool leather sofa beside the door, for he was quite hot from shame and sorrow.”

— The Metamorphosis (20)

Ironically, even without Gregor’s support, the Samsa family are quickly pulled from the desperate situation to busy and normal life in a month. However, all the frustration is taken on Gregor, the giant bug because of blame and stress they had to bear and cope with which they never had to deal with before. The Samsa family tried so hard to cope with the transformation of life that they don’t know to accept and positively deal with the problem understandingly. Therefore, when Gregor is gone, the family feel relief and hopeful again.

“Growing more silent and almost unconsciously understanding each other in their glances, they thought that the time was now at hand to seek out a good honest man for her. And it was something of a confirmation of their new dreams and good intentions when at the end of their journey the daughter first lifted herself up and stretched her young body.”

— The Metamorphosis (41)

Poverty itself is not fearful, but the poor thought can never bring success. Even though Samsa family think they have to get rid of the “burden” but their methodology when confronting a problem, the individualism resides within them can again bring the same burden over again and again. The word, metamorphosis is defined as the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages. I think Kafka named the book not only to reflect on the story’s context but also to make us realize the fundamental power that each of us can have should not be limited by the rules of the society and others expectations.

51

The past and present wilt—I have fill’d them, emptied them,

And proceed to fill my next fold of the future.

 

Listener up there! what have you to confide to me?

Look in my face while I snuff the sidle of evening,

(Talk honestly, no one else hears you, and I stay only a minute longer.)

 

Do I contradict myself?

Very well then I contradict myself,

(I am large, I contain multitudes.)

 

I concentrate toward them that are nigh, I wait on the door-slab.

Who has done his day’s work? who will soonest be through with his supper?

Who wishes to walk with me?

Will you speak before I am gone? will you prove already too late?

This section of the Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself expresses the idea that we must learn to cultivate the self-awareness and openness to contradict the self that existed in the past and present and accept or welcome the unheard future.

In the first two lines, he symbolized the “past and present” as wilt plant and book pages that are emptied and fold over. The once vital and fulfilling elements of life have emptied and proceed to fill the future. Whitman then images the future as “sidle of evening” and “door-slab”, which present the tranquility in the merge of presence and future, the ease of the unknown encounters.

Then he brings up the famous lines “Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I  am large, I contain multitudes.) Although Whitman uses “I” in the poem Song of Myself, he is speaking in the presence of the majority. We experience the constant changes, new people, new technology, new ideas, new objects regularly brought us to new experiences, in those, we might found conflicts and discrepancy within ourselves. However, opposing to the consistency that society has taught us to be, Whitman says it’s okay to contradict the past and the present to welcome the future.

Whitman presents us the transcendentalism aesthetics through his poem, fetches the individualism within a person through peaceful and elegant dialogue between himself and the readers. “Who wishes to walk with me? Will you speak before I am gone?” Whitman’s simple and effective invitation encourage the readers to speak to him while we are still able to.

The reason I choose this video, not merely because it helps me to understand this stanza of the poem better, but also due to the audio reading of the verse (0:28 – 1:24) I enjoy to listen over and over again. So for each time I listened to the audio, it helps to bring a deeper understanding of the words and the transmissional consciousness of Whitman.

 

1:07 – 2:22, 2:40-3:18

“For me alone Don Quixote was born and I for him. His was the power of action, mine of writing,” said by Cide Hamete Benengeli, a fictional Muslim historian in the book, he emphasizes his role as a simple writer of Don Quixote’s life and actions. This quote is one of the clues hints that Cervantes is not entirely responsible for creating this character, Don Quixote. However, through Cervantes’ great writing, the character Don Quixote comes alive.

In the hands of the famous ballet choreographer, Marius Petipa, and ballet music composer, Ludwig Minkus, this great work of Don Quixote is presented through delightful, classical ballet dances and music. The transformation from literature into visual and auditory art is fascinating and took around two hundred fifty years to form a famous ballet stage play of Don Quixote.

The Chinese ballet dancer, Gong Sir, explained in the video the attraction of Don Quixote ballet from a professional perspective. The ballet form of DQ created by Petipa and Minkus put more focus on the storyline between Kitri and Basilio. However, it preserves the idealistic characteristic of DQ through the scene of windmill and dreams. With the perfect combination of the Spanish dance, stage costume, music, and ballet techniques, the 1869’s DQ presented in the Imperial Bolshoi Theatre of Moscow comes to great success.

The aesthetic linkage between literature and ballet play bring the transmissional consciousness of character Don Quixote to the audience. Although Cervantes is not entirely the creator of DQ, neither Petipa and Minkus are the creators of DQ play, but the aesthetic experiences they bought to us is the consciousness of honest, dignified, proud, and idealistic characteristics, and there form a vivid entity through the great work of literature. I appreciate the professional ballet dancer’s perspective of this play, and he provides the individual elements that form the holistic, aesthetic watching experiences of 1869’s play.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I find to be so appealing about King Lear is his fragile vanity that only takes on idealized love and absolute obedience. King Lear seeks and demands the “pure attention” from his daughters but fail to assess the reverence behind the toxic and ostentatious expression of love, his process of bringing subconscious aesthetic appreciation to the consciousness is through verbal confirmation, which brings to the questions, how does King Lear express his paternal love toward his daughters and why?

In the video clip from the movie, “The Huntsman: Winter’s War,” Ravenna’s strange love toward her sister, Freya, is for her to be as powerful, ruthless and loveless as she is so that they can together conquer all kingdoms. This type of love may not bring the aesthetic appreciation to his sister, and it is twisted, selfish and inappropriate because the unconscious monster of fear, sense of betrayal, resides on the back of true aesthetic experience of love, like a switch, something might accidentally and easily trigger the off mode. King Lear’s expression of love toward his daughter is similar to Ravenna’s assertion of love toward her sister, share of power and authority, which are not being appreciated by their loved ones. In a sense, they are both narcissists; they maintain a false pride from the power they hold when such power is being taken or exploited, the “unexpressed emotions” will come in the uglier way, or maybe, the most authentic way. In the movie, Ravenna’s unconscious fear is virtualized into a magic mirror, brings the deepest, unexpressed thoughts and emotions to the surface, causing her to destroy her sister’s romance, and lead herself to destruction. On another side, when King Lear lost his power and authority, language becomes his only weapon to protect his dignity and deny the reality.

Beside Ravenna’s similarity to King Lear, Freya’s aesthetic experience with a nobleman, Andrew, also resembles King Lear’s desire to confirm Cordelia’s love toward him, which they both receive “betrayal.”  Both characters know their loved ones love them, and they desire actions. “For love blinds even the clearest eyes,” when misinterpretation and misunderstanding crush into the conscious mind, the switch is off, and the strong sense of betrayal takes the ownership.

I suppose the reason I choose this video is that there are some commons between King Lear and characters from the movie. Both express unique and food for thought idea of love and aesthetic experience.