September 8th 2010
An Unaltered Self
“Pause. Silence. “I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son-neither tell God, if he didn’t already know. So you set down while I fix us something to eat.”
In “Thank you Ma’am” by Langston Hughes, “who you are today is a reflection of who you were in the past” is not a prominent theme. It’s fairly concealed, weaved in gracefully within text and dialogue, peeking out intermittently in a subtle, almost indistinct manner. This theme mostly makes reference to the protagonist, Luella Bates Washington Jones. --------After seeing Roger attempt to steal her purse in order to acquire a new pair of shoes, Luella doesn’t shriek , pursue or inform the police about his delinquency. Instead, she drags the startled boy back to her modest kitchenette to educate him about a fundamental lesson of life. She then proceeds to make him clean up, prepare food for him and comprehend the rationale of his thieving ways . Luella then commences to refer back to the times when she found herself in homologous situations and committed acts she now regretted. Throughout the context of the dialogue between her and Roger, it becomes apparent that Luella has previously struggled with her past. Luella does not appear to recoil at the prospect of having to converse with Roger o about her past but still seems to be reluctant to expand upon the events individually. As someone who loves psychology and neuroscience, I can infer/conclude that her past was what formed her persona, and fabricated those impregnable values within her. Luella is still a reflection of who she used to be. Her current character is a manifestation of lessons learned and acquired wisdom. Being a reflection doesn’t signify being a duplicate of your previous self, unaltered and unaffected by life. A reflection is always disparate, never entirely congruent. A mirror image will never be you, its an intricate likeness of you with changes: whether it be rearward text on your clothes, unanticipated weight-gain or a possibly better-looking, seemingly preoccupied doppelganger. Luella has learned from her mistakes, her faux-pas as a younger being and has been able to use this to develop into a well-formed, grounded character.
The Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan and Barbara Pease, is all about behavioral psychology and analysis of an individuals movement forms and expressions. Physical and facial movements demonstrate that you are a likeness of who you were in the past. The book says that we humans, can make and recognize approximately 250,000 facial expressions and gesticulations. People convey their thoughts and emotions by displaying them physically, deliberately or instinctively. Whether someone is 90 years old or 15 years, a down-mouth appearance does not correspond with happiness and indicates a mood or state of negativity. Body Language applies to everyone. Throughout one’s existence it is reckoned that his or her experiences form them into a distinctive person, an individual who has learned from his past and acquired understanding and awareness. That is wrong. We don’t all end in a finalized state of enlightenment: in fact some of us end up shaped into unbalanced, world-hating, cantankerous people. Either way, there is a rationale behind this all, and it’s not that life has caused us to metamorphose into new people. Looking at an individual and scrutinizing constant facial expressions and movements, you can tell that what they were like before.
For example, take two adults: accidental strangers that have never met encountered each other before. They are made to sit down facing each other and a platter of iced cupcakes is delivered to them. Now, all they have to do is talk and eat until all the cupcakes are finished. When sharing the cupcakes, a pampered, only-child will almost always reflexively keep his/her hand in short proximity to the cupcake platter, to make sure they have a faster, more immediate access to the cupcakes once they are done. Also, they often eat significantly more rapidly so as to make sure they can take hold of a second one as soon as possible. Someone who has grown up with siblings will generally take his/her time to eat and keep his/her hands at a respectful distance so as to allow liberty for whoever wants the cupcake next to take it. A lot of only-children have grown up being cosseted and highly-esteemed by family members because of their singularity. As well as that, they are habitually raised getting more for just them and in turn, develop a certain innate sense of self-interest: knowingly or inadvertently. Children growing up with numerous siblings acquire a sense of selflessness and develop an inherent sense of magnanimity: they have learned to be tolerant and wait and distribute things equally whilst single-children have not. No matter how we think we have changed over years, and how much we believe that we have grown into a different, changed person: behavioral and facial movements and patterns ascertain that this “new and altered” person we are now, is just a simple reflection of what we were in the past.
Both “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes and The Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan and Barbary Pease have proven to us that somewhere, you are a reflection of who you were. The fact that people eventually change is irrefutable, I mean : Of course we do! To say that life has turning points and state that we never change is an inconsistency. We adjust, we adapt, we amend and transform. But deep down, there is an intrinsic commonality between who we are now and who we used to be. To say we are the same but different is in itself: paradoxical, yet it seems appropriate for this context. We undergo minute alterations, whether it be thought process, belief, ideology or our habitual view of things yet we prevail as a sole individual inside: the one that we always were.
“We endure as different beings but the heart persists as is, and never will it falter.” - Dakshina Chetti (2010)
In “Thank you Ma’am” by Langston Hughes, “who you are today is a reflection of who you were in the past” is not a prominent theme. It’s fairly concealed, weaved in gracefully within text and dialogue, peeking out intermittently in a subtle, almost indistinct manner. This theme mostly makes reference to the protagonist, Luella Bates Washington Jones. --------After seeing Roger attempt to steal her purse in order to acquire a new pair of shoes, Luella doesn’t shriek , pursue or inform the police about his delinquency. Instead, she drags the startled boy back to her modest kitchenette to educate him about a fundamental lesson of life. She then proceeds to make him clean up, prepare food for him and comprehend the rationale of his thieving ways . Luella then commences to refer back to the times when she found herself in homologous situations and committed acts she now regretted. Throughout the context of the dialogue between her and Roger, it becomes apparent that Luella has previously struggled with her past. Luella does not appear to recoil at the prospect of having to converse with Roger o about her past but still seems to be reluctant to expand upon the events individually. As someone who loves psychology and neuroscience, I can infer/conclude that her past was what formed her persona, and fabricated those impregnable values within her. Luella is still a reflection of who she used to be. Her current character is a manifestation of lessons learned and acquired wisdom. Being a reflection doesn’t signify being a duplicate of your previous self, unaltered and unaffected by life. A reflection is always disparate, never entirely congruent. A mirror image will never be you, its an intricate likeness of you with changes: whether it be rearward text on your clothes, unanticipated weight-gain or a possibly better-looking, seemingly preoccupied doppelganger. Luella has learned from her mistakes, her faux-pas as a younger being and has been able to use this to develop into a well-formed, grounded character.
The Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan and Barbara Pease, is all about behavioral psychology and analysis of an individuals movement forms and expressions. Physical and facial movements demonstrate that you are a likeness of who you were in the past. The book says that we humans, can make and recognize approximately 250,000 facial expressions and gesticulations. People convey their thoughts and emotions by displaying them physically, deliberately or instinctively. Whether someone is 90 years old or 15 years, a down-mouth appearance does not correspond with happiness and indicates a mood or state of negativity. Body Language applies to everyone. Throughout one’s existence it is reckoned that his or her experiences form them into a distinctive person, an individual who has learned from his past and acquired understanding and awareness. That is wrong. We don’t all end in a finalized state of enlightenment: in fact some of us end up shaped into unbalanced, world-hating, cantankerous people. Either way, there is a rationale behind this all, and it’s not that life has caused us to metamorphose into new people. Looking at an individual and scrutinizing constant facial expressions and movements, you can tell that what they were like before.
For example, take two adults: accidental strangers that have never met encountered each other before. They are made to sit down facing each other and a platter of iced cupcakes is delivered to them. Now, all they have to do is talk and eat until all the cupcakes are finished. When sharing the cupcakes, a pampered, only-child will almost always reflexively keep his/her hand in short proximity to the cupcake platter, to make sure they have a faster, more immediate access to the cupcakes once they are done. Also, they often eat significantly more rapidly so as to make sure they can take hold of a second one as soon as possible. Someone who has grown up with siblings will generally take his/her time to eat and keep his/her hands at a respectful distance so as to allow liberty for whoever wants the cupcake next to take it. A lot of only-children have grown up being cosseted and highly-esteemed by family members because of their singularity. As well as that, they are habitually raised getting more for just them and in turn, develop a certain innate sense of self-interest: knowingly or inadvertently. Children growing up with numerous siblings acquire a sense of selflessness and develop an inherent sense of magnanimity: they have learned to be tolerant and wait and distribute things equally whilst single-children have not. No matter how we think we have changed over years, and how much we believe that we have grown into a different, changed person: behavioral and facial movements and patterns ascertain that this “new and altered” person we are now, is just a simple reflection of what we were in the past.
Both “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes and The Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan and Barbary Pease have proven to us that somewhere, you are a reflection of who you were. The fact that people eventually change is irrefutable, I mean : Of course we do! To say that life has turning points and state that we never change is an inconsistency. We adjust, we adapt, we amend and transform. But deep down, there is an intrinsic commonality between who we are now and who we used to be. To say we are the same but different is in itself: paradoxical, yet it seems appropriate for this context. We undergo minute alterations, whether it be thought process, belief, ideology or our habitual view of things yet we prevail as a sole individual inside: the one that we always were.
“We endure as different beings but the heart persists as is, and never will it falter.” - Dakshina Chetti (2010)
pic: www.deviantart.com
August 16th 2010
August 16th 2010
(http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs51
/i/2009/299/7/c/Deconstructed
_by_lmwilliams.jpg)
One's identity is formed by societal expectations
An evident theme in Lamb to the Slaughter is that one’s individuality is shaped by the expectations that society holds. Mary Maloney portrays the typical, conventional American Housewife: ready to provide and cater for her family’s every requirements and desires. Mary has melted into the role of subservient wife: at the service of her husband and household. Civilization always has an undeniable social ranking and back then, women were below men and were expected to look up to and serve men. This was what the world required of Mary Maloney and that’s what she became. Being vexed or enervated with the man in her life was just about inconceivable, so when her husband indifferently declared that he would leave her, rage was not her first emotion. Society's expectations had turned her into an acquiescent, docile wife with no real opinion whatsoever. The clichéd American Housewife nirvana in which Mary lived was entirely devastated. At first she remained in her good-wife stupor but was soon awakened when her husband announced he wouldn't eat her supper and once more destroyed her cycle. That was when, against all odds, Mary Maloney bashed him on the head with a leg of lamb. It was an impromptu, scandalous move that was completely incongruous with her personality and character. Brutality, anger and well... cunning, was never part of what she was perceived as. This climatic point was when she deserted her prior personality and found her true identity. The self that had been formed by society wasn't genuine but it was prominent and entirely shadowed the true self and it was strong enough that it made Mary Maloney believe and accept that this was who she was.
In this article about anorexia, we can see the same theme reappearing. Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder (medical condition) where the patient/person abstains from eating and/or restrict their calorific intake drastically. Anorexic people also experience remorse and self-reproach whenever they do eat. So many teens are prone to getting this hazardous condition, as almost 80 percent of 13 year-old girls are not content with their body image or weight. Teens are easily impacted and influenced by what our civilization imposes upon them as “appealing.” Many people, even outside of the teen group, fall into this murky tunnel whilst in the quest in getting the ideal figure. Thin, light, lean, petite: all of the words we currently use (and have used) to describe a beautiful or alluring person. Society pressures us to be skinny or have a good body (which fundamentally means skinny); we are persuaded to think that being that way will render us good-looking and attractive. On occasion, we traverse the line and end up taking a dark path down the road of the other extreme. In the endeavor to conform to what society considers good-looking we end up hurting or cheating ourselves into believing we are someone we aren’t and accepting this fake persona. Anorexia Nervosa sucks out your individuality and replaces it with someone you aren’t. An irrational, compulsive, restricted person, ensnared in a world of food she is depriving herself of. Most of the people touched by anorexia nervosa don’t even really know who they are until they are cured from it. Take Elyssa Philips for example: as an actress, she felt pressured to lose weight and look good and developed anorexia nervosa after which she dropped down to a frightening 105 pounds. She wasn’t even fully aware of what was going on because she was so fixated by the notion of losing more weight. In this article, she quotes: "When I lost my period, that should have been a red flag, but I was excited, I kept getting thinner and thinner, and everyone was telling me how good I looked. I was even getting more parts.” She didn’t comprehend what was really going on and how it had been affecting her up until she had recovered. Anorexia has severe consequences and can alter someone in inconceivable ways. Anorexia makes its victims convinced that this is who they are they and have always been. It’s only the few who take a leap and recuperate that unearth their true identity.
Finding your true identity signifies having an absolute awareness about yourself: knowing your qualities, personality and conduct. Knowing who you truly are indicates that you have a thorough knowledge about yourself: the unadulterated, unchanged, unforced self. In Lamb to the Slaughter, Mary Maloney was the stereotypical American housewife who conformed to every possible expectation of a good wife that society held back in the 1950’s. She became this person that society pressured her to become and wasn’t even conscious of her genuine character traits up until she left this housewife likeness and slaughtered her husband. It was only then, when she ceased being this person she had been turned into that she uncovered her true identity. Elyssa Philips from the article fell into the trend of controlling what she ate until she developed anorexia nervosa and it was a downward spiral from then on. After seeking help and consulting professionals about her condition, she was able to convalesce and recognize that this wasn’t who she was. People occupied filling in the character of someone they aren’t just because society has made them, cannot honestly understand themselves. We can see this point in both "Lamb to the Slaughter" and the article about anorexia. We can see how the pressure in society to conform to the norm can affect our lives and behavior. The knowledge of you is essential in becoming a self-assured, confident individual. It is only by coming out of our fake society-created shells and exploring our authentic, unfeigned selves that we can become conscientious and mature beings and actually take a step towards knowing how to be ourselves and still survive in the world.
In this article about anorexia, we can see the same theme reappearing. Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder (medical condition) where the patient/person abstains from eating and/or restrict their calorific intake drastically. Anorexic people also experience remorse and self-reproach whenever they do eat. So many teens are prone to getting this hazardous condition, as almost 80 percent of 13 year-old girls are not content with their body image or weight. Teens are easily impacted and influenced by what our civilization imposes upon them as “appealing.” Many people, even outside of the teen group, fall into this murky tunnel whilst in the quest in getting the ideal figure. Thin, light, lean, petite: all of the words we currently use (and have used) to describe a beautiful or alluring person. Society pressures us to be skinny or have a good body (which fundamentally means skinny); we are persuaded to think that being that way will render us good-looking and attractive. On occasion, we traverse the line and end up taking a dark path down the road of the other extreme. In the endeavor to conform to what society considers good-looking we end up hurting or cheating ourselves into believing we are someone we aren’t and accepting this fake persona. Anorexia Nervosa sucks out your individuality and replaces it with someone you aren’t. An irrational, compulsive, restricted person, ensnared in a world of food she is depriving herself of. Most of the people touched by anorexia nervosa don’t even really know who they are until they are cured from it. Take Elyssa Philips for example: as an actress, she felt pressured to lose weight and look good and developed anorexia nervosa after which she dropped down to a frightening 105 pounds. She wasn’t even fully aware of what was going on because she was so fixated by the notion of losing more weight. In this article, she quotes: "When I lost my period, that should have been a red flag, but I was excited, I kept getting thinner and thinner, and everyone was telling me how good I looked. I was even getting more parts.” She didn’t comprehend what was really going on and how it had been affecting her up until she had recovered. Anorexia has severe consequences and can alter someone in inconceivable ways. Anorexia makes its victims convinced that this is who they are they and have always been. It’s only the few who take a leap and recuperate that unearth their true identity.
Finding your true identity signifies having an absolute awareness about yourself: knowing your qualities, personality and conduct. Knowing who you truly are indicates that you have a thorough knowledge about yourself: the unadulterated, unchanged, unforced self. In Lamb to the Slaughter, Mary Maloney was the stereotypical American housewife who conformed to every possible expectation of a good wife that society held back in the 1950’s. She became this person that society pressured her to become and wasn’t even conscious of her genuine character traits up until she left this housewife likeness and slaughtered her husband. It was only then, when she ceased being this person she had been turned into that she uncovered her true identity. Elyssa Philips from the article fell into the trend of controlling what she ate until she developed anorexia nervosa and it was a downward spiral from then on. After seeking help and consulting professionals about her condition, she was able to convalesce and recognize that this wasn’t who she was. People occupied filling in the character of someone they aren’t just because society has made them, cannot honestly understand themselves. We can see this point in both "Lamb to the Slaughter" and the article about anorexia. We can see how the pressure in society to conform to the norm can affect our lives and behavior. The knowledge of you is essential in becoming a self-assured, confident individual. It is only by coming out of our fake society-created shells and exploring our authentic, unfeigned selves that we can become conscientious and mature beings and actually take a step towards knowing how to be ourselves and still survive in the world.
