Writing is the time capsule of humanity. Burrowed from her heart, the author lays to rest past failures, dreams, and private stirrings deep in the earth. As the end of a chapter is drawn, her hauntings become hidden, detached in a piece of forgotten communal ground. Life works to form the next isolate shell while the rudiment, long forgotten, blossoms into a garden of undiscovered treasure. The jewels of understanding unearthed by society awaken a perpetual cycle of death and life that neither the author nor reader can escape.

A Downward Climb to up the Punx

During my senior year of high school I spent my mornings in a coffee race competing with my coworkers in ‘who could take the most espresso shots’ and ‘how much sleep did you get last night?’ to keep up with the fuming sedans in their morning rites. Everything moved too quickly to be understood but we knew the steps. Two medium coffees with light cream and sugar and two chocolate frosted, but before you begin, start the latte for the car moving up...he hates to wait…and find your center on your way out the door. You have ten seconds until the next beep comes in so remember to breathe.

But today was different, and I was too busy to notice. All I could see was an awkwardly skinny boy who didn’t know the steps and frankly, was in my way. Or so I thought because I didn’t know where I was going. Everything that reminded me of this was a hindrance. Another step I couldn’t fit in because I was living a perfectly timed musical underlay with a black comedic twist.

Annoyed with myself that he annoyed me, one morning when the rush had calmed I tried to get to know him. Overcome with a wave of energy after feeling accomplished by fulfilling my ritualistic chores, I jumped in front of him and wouldn’t let him pass until he answered my question, “What kind of music do you like?” He looked right at me and said, “Punk”, then kept walking as if nothing in the world mattered except what was occurring in his mind.

From that moment I was captivated. How did he make everything disappear? Why didn’t he care? There were the steps! Everyone noticed that he didn’t fit in…there’s no way he couldn’t have known they were talking about him. But I couldn’t look away. I didn’t understand why yet, but I knew there was a whole other realm inside of him that I wanted to be apart of.

As the days moved forward I secretly smiled at the realization that I couldn’t keep myself away from him. I took every opportunity to share a gripping story that might leave me remembered and when I left the coffee shop for the day I would try to relive what I didn’t understand. One afternoon when the surge of the morning had slowed he started to tell me about a time before life had brought him to this small city. He said he was a squatter and had returned from an adventure that had taken him from New Jersey to California. His story was filled with train hopping, fleeing from police, complete disregard for the law, and freedom. It was chosen homelessness. To me, it was determined autonomy.

My life before Troy was an upward climb that missed many surrounding details. His stare that looked through me and everything else had permanently left the ladder and I lying on the ground.

The Transforming Power of Self and Love

When we look upon a scene in nature, there’s a sense of harmony. All of these objects of beauty in one scene come together to impress upon us a feeling of calm and understanding. This is expressed in Wordsworth’s ‘Lines Composed a Few Miles From Tintern Abbey. Reflecting on his experience with nature, “Do I behold steep and lofty cliffs, that on a wild secluded scene impress thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect the landscape with the quiet on the sky.” In one picture we have a calm quiet sky as the backdrop behind steep and wild cliffs. These forms of beauty are so opposite and yet they connect with each other to produce a unified scene. It isn’t harsh on the eyes, but connected in its diversity. He goes on to say that this connected harmony in nature frees him from the bodily restrictions and allows him to actively pursue diversity, as it is expressed in nature. This realization occurs because nature lightens his mood to the extent that he becomes completely feeling. No longer bound to think about societal expectations, he “becomes a living soul.” Wordsworth is describing his ability to transform. The ability to let go of everything society has constructed allows you to be laid open. This desire to be open to all experiences suggests that everything in nature is positive. Wordsworth says, “neither evil tongues, rash judgments, nor the sneers of selfish men, nor greetings where no kindness is, nor all the dreary intercourse of daily life, shall e’er prevail against us, or disturb our cheerful faith, that all which we behold is full of blessing.” If everything in life is full of blessing then selfishness, judgment, and unkindness must be the opposite of nature. This might suggest that we create these elements ourselves. What makes them so opposite to the harmony in nature is that they all reflect restriction. Judgment and unkindness can prevent one from feeling open to any possible choice. They’re the expression of a person’s active selfishness.

Blake alludes to the danger of restricting nature in his poem, Earth’s Answer. In what I believe to be a religious reference, he says, “Selfish father of men, cruel, jealous, selfish fear!...Selfish! Vain! Eternal! Bane! That free Love with bondage bound.” Again we see the worth selfish. In this religious context, this selfishness is infused by fear. Those familiar with any of the popular monotheistic religions knows that the god is often a jealous god. His laws bind his followers to love him and turn away from anything that could make him less important. The followers could be so consumed with love, as Blake suggests, that they give up their active nature, their ability to experience diversity. He contrasts this mindset with what is found in nature: “Does spring hide its joy when buds and blossoms grow?” Nature supports and shows off its development. If one was to follow in the steps of nature as Wordsworth and Blake suggest, they would actively seek to develop. If religion is a contrast, then restriction is a form of passivity.

Is being passive always unproductive? Emily Dickinson suggests that our soul is both active and passive when she writes, “The Soul selects her own Society-then-shuts the door-to her divine majority-present no more.” In this line Dickinson acknowledges that we have a unique center often referred to as the soul. This contradicts the idea that we are merely mounds of clay to be transformed by nature as Wordsworth suggests. Not only do we have a soul, but its direction is so strong that among a society of a ‘divine majority’, she picks one. She goes on to say, “unmoved-she notes the Chariots-pausing at her low Gate- unmoved-an Emperor be kneeling upon her mat.” Her defense isn’t high, but a low gate. An emperor has come kneeling before her feet and she feels nothing because her soul is passive enough to where it can’t be completely transformed. Like Wordsworth and Blake, Dickinson notes the divinity in nature, but also suggests that humans have a center that keeps them uniquely focused. Finding truth is both active and passive. Dickinson makes it clear that the soul is strong, but also that it chooses it’s own society. Just as there is meaning in all beautiful forms of nature, there’s individual meaning in what we’re naturally drawn to.

Walt Whitman in the Song of Myself also acknowledges a uniqueness in individuals. He says, “Apart from the pulling and hauling stands what I am, stands amused, complacent, compassionating, idle, unitary…both in and out of the game and watching and wondering at it.” He says that he’s being pulled by different opinions and perspectives, but still stands unitary. It effects him to a point because he’s ‘in the game’, but also leaves him unchanged as he’s ‘wondering and watching at it.’ By watching, Whitman attempts to learn from the diverse opinions and maintains is active role to develop, but does so in an individual way. According to Whitman, our transformations are unique contributions to truth in nature. We’re ‘nature without check with original energy.’ He says, “I am the poet of the Body and I am the poet of the Soul…the first I graft and increase upon myself, the latter I translate into a new tongue.” He takes the earthly, ‘body’ experiences and adds them to himself and when he transforms he doesn’t just become the new experience, but an experience that has been altered by his unique perspective, or what Dickinson would call a soul.

Why is it important that we are both active and passive in our transformation? According to Whitman this answer is two-fold. As we’ve noted, nature is in perfect harmony. Harmony can also be thought of as understanding. This quality is needed if one is to unite all objects of diversity. Can we really be considered diverse if we’re only imitating others? Our passiveness that allows us to maintain our individuality combined with opening ourselves to the individuality of others creates a truly unique transformation. If this diversity promotes a need to develop understanding, then our willingness to be open also suggests a feeling of love for all forms of life. In this regard, our individuality and desire to develop our core through transformation unites us in love. Whitman writes, “Unscrew the lock from the doors! Unscrew the doors themselves from their jambs! Whoever degrades another degrades me, and whatever is done or said returns at last to me.” This expresses the idea that we should be open to each others differences because we all are the same in the way that we can all transform into anything. Diversity lies inside of us, and our interactions unique individuals helps us to learn more about ourselves. Following this idea, love is the most natural feeling we can express towards forms of life because we are the same.

If it’s important to keep the regard for human life as Whitman does, then we can further this regard by acknowledging our immortality. He extends this idea when he writes, “ Has anyone supposed it lucky to be born? I hasten to inform him or her it is just as lucky to die, and I know it. I pass death with the dying and birth with the new-washed babe, and am not contained between my hat and boots.” By making death and life equal, he suggests that both are irrelevant. Whitman shares with Wordsworth the importance of being open to all experiences. If this makes you a living soul, then you wouldn’t be ‘contained’ in any physical form. This idea suggests that life is immortal. Whitman can transform by relating to the experiences of death and birth, and thus surpass them. The activity, or use of his mind allows him to do this and not merely be restricted to his current state. He is opening himself up to all experiences and to develop himself, the elements that are already inside of him. Finally he says, “I am not the earth of the adjunct of an earth, I am the mate and companion of people, all just as immortal and fathomless as myself.” By keeping himself free from restrictions, he becomes ‘the companion of people.’ Understanding leads to a love for all people on earth, but believing you are no longer bound to physical restrictions suggests that your soul will live on forever. This is possible if we think about the harmony of nature. If everything is united, that includes our life force, our soul. The impression we leave on this earth never dies away, even if our body does. After all of the interactions we’ve had on earth, our impression has been made. This is why it’s important to open to development through transformation because it leads to a world united in love and understanding. Just as a positive impression can affect future life, so can a negative one.

If we think back to Blake’s fear of stagnation, that merely passive role through life can hurt not those in the present, but also hinder the development of future generations. He suggests in his poem ‘The Sick Rose’ that the all-consuming love, similar to the religious love expressed in ‘Earth’s Answer’ can kill individuality and the ability to transform, both passive and active parts of one’s being. As written, “O Rose, thou art sick. The invisible worm that flies in the night in the howling storm has found out thy bed of crimson joy and his dark secret love does thy life destroy.” A rose is often a symbol of protected beauty as the thorns protect it from being plucked. The invisible worm, a symbol for passionate love, doesn’t approach the rose from the ground where it’s protected, but flies above in a howling storm. This adversity only strengthens the passion behind the worm’s intent to consume the beautiful rose. This worm, often a sign of death, secretly destroys the flower. Because it’s invisible, it is unaware that it’s dying. When love is so passionate that it requires all of your time and leaves you selfless, there isn’t any time for oneself. You’ve given it over to your passionate love. You’ve been consumed and this takes away any chance for development. If this is true then loving in moderation so that understanding is attained can preserve oneself, but crossing the line into passionate love will end all development and result in death.

If excessive love kills development, than our individual journeys are supposed to be taken alone. This could explain why we have a unique center that can never be fully changed. Our focus is supposed to be individual. This allows us to develop without repeating another’s contribution. Life is naturally upward moving and developing. This would explain the lament in the Earth’s Answer. Whitman would agree when he said, “Not I, not any one else can travel that road for you, You must travel it for yourself.” Because the soul keeps one’s individuality in tact, every journey will and should be experienced differently. This passive transformation produces development.

Dickinson would likely agree that our individuality is important to maintain since she introduced the topic in this paper, but she doesn’t see passionate love as necessarily leading to a loss of self. First, finding the harmony in differences leads to a deeper understanding of truth. With our natural differences it’s not likely that one will never be shocked. Lessons can be difficult to learn, but the shock is something that’s remembered. She writes, “ There’s a certain slant of light…heavenly hurt, it gives us- we can find no scar, but internal difference where the meanings, are.” Messages that object to our individuality and shake our core to such an extent that it described as a type of divine pain is important source of truth if one believes that nature is in perfect harmony. The conflict isn’t necessarily bad, but it highlights a lack of understanding, and when the storm inside is settled one has uncovered a significant truth. This wouldn’t have happened without being exposed to diversity in an intimate way. Not only is the light painful, but it’s also slanted. The slant represents a unique perspective. Just as these four authors have established the uniqueness in all forms of life, so are conflicts likely to occur and they’ll improve our understanding. These painful interactions will challenge one’s core to understand how diversity can truly be connected by understanding. After attaining this understanding, is one truly able to love. This love leads to transformation.

This leads to the second point Dickinson makes about transforming through love. One can love passionately love without killing the soul, if it’s a decision that naturally comes from the soul. “The Soul selects her own Society- then-shuts the door.” Dickinson is saying that the soul naturally does what Blake and Whitman advise not to do: shuts the door. The soul isn’t just shutting a door though. It’s choosing ‘One’. The soul is doing the choosing and remaining active. It’s also following its natural desire where the unique perspective lies. Unlike Blake’s example of religion, the soul in Dickinson’s example is completely aware of the divinity around her and still feels drawn to a certain other. It selects its own society as if it can see itself in the other soul. This is an interesting association. This active decision of the passive self has committed to what some would call a soulmate. This is a very passionate love and as Dickinson said, excludes all others. Because she can see herself in the other, there’s a connection. This connection isn’t free from diversity but it unites to create the deepest kind of transformation: one formed between two free and open individuals who have been united by passionate love. All other forms of divinity won’t disappear, but they’ll become less important. The majority of the focus will be given to developing this new relationship: a relationship that makes both individuals selfless, thus truly creating a new self. In this relationship, diversity, like a slant of light, will merge together and create a transformation that will truly leave a unique impression among future generations. Uniting two souls by love that transforms into new individual is the most drastic and positive development one could hope to attain in a lifetime.

Hon 203 Kassie Markovich

Dr. Berg

12/05/11

I Am What I Feel: We Are, What I Feel.

Part 1

There’s something in the idea of defining ourselves by what we feel. According to Marcel Proust in Remembrance of Things Past, “This new sensation having the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me, it was me. I had ceased now to feel mediocre, contingent mortal.” In our conscious state, feeling and thoughts intertwine and the latter provides meaning for the former. Because our mind is influenced by so many external factors that are all created by other fallible humans, we have to wonder what perceptions we can trust. Proust’s answer to this question in Remembrance of Things Past is the subconscious memory. He notes that the confusion caused by this random and unpredictable sensation prevents our mind from skewing the meaning of that moment when he writes, “What an abyss of uncertainty, whenever the mind feels overtaken by itself; when it, the seeker, is at the same time the dark region through which it must go seeking and were all its equipment will avail it nothing.” The mind has taken over the mind and we can’t know why some memories choose to come back to life to speak with us, but we can look at the significance of separating feeling from the mind’s interpretation of feeling.

Before being able to know what feelings are pure, we should try to understand the human’s natural state. Nietzsche in The Genealogy of Morals says that it’s the man who’s never had to defend his existence, but has simply been allowed to fulfill his purpose to exist: “The well-born simply felt themselves to be the “happy”; they did not have to manufacture their happiness artificially through looking at their enemies, or in cases to talk and lie themselves into happiness.” The “well-born” are the ones in society who don’t have to question their purpose or existence because they’re seen as the standard. It’s when you have to defend who you are that bitterness, worry, and confusion become internalized. This brings us back to our original question: what is a pure emotion? If it correlates with Nietzsche’s view of human nature using happiness as a way to measure how true we are to ourselves, then any emotion that is negative isn’t natural. It can’t be natural because our purpose is to live. The disturbance in negative emotions comes from a feeling present in all things that can never be completely destroyed. That feeling is hope. Negative emotions wouldn’t be so disturbing to us. They wouldn’t even be negative if that will to live wasn’t present in every one of them. The negative ideas, ideas related to death and inactivity are a creation of our mind and sensations.

If this disturbance is a result of those who have to defend their purpose of existing, then being able to live undisturbed in our natural state is our real destiny. Anybody who’s lived even a short period on this earth knows that to completely escape the more negative reality is nearly impossible. Though some groups are forced to defend their existence more than others, most have felt this insecurity at some point. If it’s as common as this paper is making it seem, then it is important to look at how humans have reacted to this condition throughout history.

According to Simone De Beauvoir, a way humans express their insecurity is through social division. She writes in The Second Sex, “It is the existence of other men that tears each man out of his immanence and enables him to fulfill the truth of his being, to complete himself through transcendence, through escape toward some objective, through enterprise.” The man doesn’t realize his immanence until he’s compared to other men. This first shake in confidence is when people begin to create the imaginary divides so they have something to conquer and stand apart from in superiority: Conquer because they’ve symbolically overcome their insecurity; stand apart from so they can attempt to return to a world where they remain the standard. The problem is one can’t return home from a journey as if the journey never happened. These domineering attempts to fight against their new reality are fruitless because they miss the heart of the problem. De Beauvoir writes, “The more the male becomes individualized and lays claim to his individuality, the more certainly he will recognize also in his companion an individual and free being.” The person can reestablish his center when he accepts that not only he, but also every individual is necessary.

A reason this seems to continually fail is because as we’ve seen in Nietzsche’s undisturbed yet happy human complex and De Beauvoir’s disturbed and suffering human complex, individuals are affected deeply by direct experiences. Though one group may conquer another group, the conquered still feel pain the same way the former do. This causes a circular exchange of hate, furthering the social divide.

The Redstockings are an example of how two insecure groups fail to see each other as individuals, but rather further their division from each other. They state in the Redstocking Manifesto, “In fighting for our liberation we will always take the side of women against their oppressors. We will not ask what is "revolutionary" or "reformist," only what is good for women.” The Redstockings, a feminist group who fought the noble cause of elevating women’s social status, overlook the needs of humans for the class needs of women when they wrote they would always defend women over oppressive men. This seems logical but they openly admit their intent is for class liberation and not human equality. Regarding women as a class just as the men have done only circulates the problem based on a need to feel secure.

. Those who are hurt or made to feel inadequate internalize their pain to make sense of their problems. The irony is they spend their life trying to go back to their natural state of happiness, but because they spend so much time in their own mind worrying about false comparisons, their fear leaves them a fragment of whom they were when life had just begun.

Dickinson finds another solution to conquer our insecurity in poem 657 when she writes, “I dwell in Possibility- A fairer house than Prose.” The contrast she shows between possibility and prose could well represent the former solution and new one she presents. There’s comfort in thinking one’s life is laid out like in a story. Reality quickly teaches us that there’s so much we don’t know. For Nietzsche and De Beauvoir’s men, the fear of not being god-like drove them to commit abusive acts so they could hide from their new reality. Dickinson says, embrace it! Possibility is a fairer house than prose because one’s future isn’t laid out predestined and limited. Accepting your uncertainty is your chance to create your destiny in any way you can imagine. If our center is so easily shaken that everyone has at some point experienced this uncomfortable sensation, then maybe it’s for the sole purpose of realizing there is so much more in life to be explored. The key is, you’re in control. When Dickinson continues, “ The spreading wide of my narrow Hands to gather Paradise” she acknowledged her own godlessness by referencing her ‘narrow’ hands, but also her confidence in her ability to bring her dreams to life. In this solution we have to accept we’re not gods, but acknowledging our humanity means that our growth is never ending. There isn’t a laid out plan or predestined greatness inside of us. Instead we find waiting an endless amount of Possibility.

Acknowledging Dickinson’s point about accepting our humanity, Blake might suggest we not forget that the one who created the lamb also created the tiger. This suggests to paradoxical features of our nature. In his poem, The Tyger, he writes, “ In what distant deeps or skies Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand dare seize the fire?” The tiger is active and full of fire like Nietzsche’s ideal human. This pure fire that comes from an undisturbed soul brimming with self-confidence helps us to fearlessly explore everything we are. Though, according to Blake we aren’t just tigers. In his poem The Lamb he writes, “He is meek and his is mild, He became a little child: I a child and thou a lamb, We are called by his name.” Comparing a lamb to a child, both are often seen as meek and mild. Before a world of comparisons built on insecurity, a world of hierarchy created out of fear, the child has no reason limit his love to others because nothing threatens his purpose in life. This freedom is disposed on lamb and child because they are taken care of and free to follow wherever their impulses lead them, truly experiencing the fortunes of the Nietzsche’s aristocracy. Naturally, they would express their inner joy in positive emotions.

Comparing the two solutions presented, we can see that one recognizes the greatness in all individuals and the other struggles to see the greatness in itself. The Existentialist Sartre extends Dickinson’s argument in his book, Existentialism and Human Emotions, when he writes, “ I am creating a certain image of man of my own choosing. In choosing myself, I choose man.” By this statement Sartre, like Dickinson, is saying we create ourselves. He also takes a step back and realizes that if he creates himself, then the entire human race forms its own identity as well. If this is true, then we are all pioneers in creating human identity. Sartre recognizes the insecurity we inevitably feel when he says that one’s influence forms another’s image of himself. Accepting this responsibility towards creating an entire race’s identity limits our choices or ‘possibilities’ to only what we would be okay with an entire race choosing as well. One could disregard this responsibility, but if he does that then he also eliminates the solution of free choice altogether because he can’t hide from the fact that his decisions influence others. His disregard for other human beings will in turn limit his own freedom because they will perform his inconsideration back onto him and others in humanity. What Sartre is warning against is the very circular pattern of hate we previously described when individuals only focus on themselves to create their humanity and disregard others. The world he’s encouraging is the child’s perfect world where we are both the lion and the lamb. This natural state of happiness that comes from being oneself without fear of abuse promotes positive feelings towards others that in turn preserves their freedom.

Establishing our purpose to live, and then live for the other’s needs because they are our own, Darwin further extends our responsibility through the idea of natural selection in The Origin of Species: “ But man can and does select the variations given to him by nature, and thus accumulate them in any desired manner.” Whether the theory of evolution is real or not, Darwin presents an interesting concept by introducing the idea of reproduction to social responsibility. Following Sartre’s argument, the values chosen to impress on our families, in some cultures the most intimate of social circles, affect not only our temporal reality, but also the future carried out by our sons and daughters. Though Darwin introduces a scientific concept on how species were formed to fit their environment, the idea can extend to how we raise our children to fit their environment.

Through Nietzsche, Dickinson, Sartre, and Darwin, we can see that our responsibility to humanity extends all the way from ourselves to the future. Humanity, that of our own and others, should always be a concern when we realize that all of our decisions affect our happiness and the happiness of others. Noticing the constant feeling of hope to live another moment in all emotions, we have to acknowledge that we were to meant live. For what, is yet to be determined. But how, is to preserve the freedom of ourselves through a selfless love and concern and others so that our environment remains positive and inviting to whatever possibilities we may create.

Part 2

What the humanities sequence has done most for me is encouraged me to look for paradoxes in my daily experiences. What’s been the most interesting part of this sequence is the varied amount of theories and outlooks I’ve been exposed to and have taken the time to understand. A lot of these texts contradict each other and yet there are times where I can’t quite deny the logic of either of them. For example, when our class learned about Existentialism, I loved the idea that we are all part of a human race that influences each other and is responsible for our future. On the other hand, reading articles like White Privilege and The Redstockings Manifesto helped me realize that dividing into classes are just as important for identity formation if it’s where you feel most comfortable. I’m not sure how you can separate the two. Are divisions manmade or natural? Should we fight against them because they hurt the development of our humanity, or are they at times a natural part of our humanity? I have no clue. What I do know is that both truths can coexist. This is the most valuable lesson I’ve learned. When there are two ideas that both make sense but oppose each other, then there’s room for further exploration. It could very well be that the missing link just hasn’t been discovered yet. This class has given me the idea that maybe all things are connected. All ideas, forms of life, values, everything is connected to everything else. If two opposing truths can exist in the same universe then this is very possible, and I find that exciting. It reminds me of when I used to paint in realism. When you spend hours staring a picture you find the patterns that run through and connect the different parts of the scene together. You have to look for it, but everything is connected it nature. I don’t see why this couldn’t extend to ideas as well. Finding these connections and figuring out how things relate, in my opinion, is the starting point of understanding our reality.

One of the pieces we’ve read that affected me the most is De Beauvoir’s, The Second Sex. I never understood that the origins of male domination had been a giant mind game. It makes sense! People who are insecure have no business being in relationships because how can your intentions be pure if you can’t even see the good in yourself? I used to think that men and women were pretty equal in today’s modern world, but after reading that chapter I’ve started to see manifestations of insecurity everywhere. It’s in music when artists rap about their identity being based on women and cars. Apparently, a woman is the equivalent to a shiny object that is used to show your social status. I don’t hear a lot of objection to this though. I think it’s because media portrays hip-hop as flashy and attractive. For example, the latest Akon music video has dozens of women hanging on one guy who’s flashing his money and everybody couldn’t look happier. It looks a lot like the patriarchal society that De Beauvoir described where the men use their economic superiority to purchase the women as another object to live in his house. The only difference is I doubt the women were smiling so much. Even in that artificial example, there’s no way happiness could last more than that two minutes and thirty seconds because that is probably around the time the girls are remembering they have an identity.

I don’t think this is a man problem, but a problem for the conquerors. It’s not necessarily a blessing to be born into the ‘privileged’ class because there’s little to build your character. With the illusion that you’re the standard, you become blind to any type of development. For the groups that aren’t born into the aristocratic state, it may be more productive to realize the opportunities that come with challenges. For this to happen, one would need to be critically aware of the world around them. Tying back to my thesis in the first part of the paper, being able to think critically is why a humanities education is so important. We can’t make the best decisions for ourselves and others if we don’t understand why we think the way we do, and why the world acts the way it does. Everybody wants a world filled with peace and love but how many people understand the traps that cause us to at times accept ideas filled with hate? It’s a lot like the aristocratic class Nietzsche talked about. When we’re so removed from understanding the invisible lines that separate us from other humans, we’re able to regard them as not quiet as human. This is why understanding humanity is so important. Like I said earlier, we need to understand how we all connect to each other. Once we’re able to look at everyone as if they are a member of our family, we won’t be able to be desensitized to their needs. When we can move beyond the made up lines of division and work together as human race, we can develop ourselves to become so much more. Though, it seems for the last few thousand years we’ve been stuck as step one.

It’s mentioned several times during this sequence that what we learned in those classes won’t help us prepare for a certain career but will prepare us for every career. I think this is true depending on your priorities. If someone genuinely isn’t interested in the welfare of others or the future of society, I think that person could be perfectly content living a life that’s become a stereotypical part of American culture. The idea is to work hard enough so you can have a comfortable life. The problem with comfort is the same problem with privilege. It can leave us unaware of lives of everyone outside of our immediate circle. Most people don’t have that nine to five middle class lifestyle. That immediate circle is much more immediate than we realize. And when I think about taking a step back, I realize that everything America promotes about materialism is a waste of time. Not only does it not matter, it becomes even less significant when I realize all of the problems that surround those who aren’t so privileged. And finally, I realize that the greatest damage is done when I don’t take the time look around me and try to understand the thing I see.

This society’s importance put on comfort is what has led to ignorance of every aristocracy we’ve studied this semester. We’re absolutely no different from them. Our country still persists with racism, classism, sexism, homophobia etc. There are so many lines and divisions you can draw in our society and yet solving these problems isn’t the message that I’m getting every day. Maybe, the comfort is meant to desensitize me. It’s the easiest way to forget about someone’s else’s problem when you’ve been told that you deserve to be safe and warm at all times.

If materialism is what shapes the decisions we make in our lives then I have to think about what it could be replacing. When I mentioned earlier that humanities prepares us for everything in life, I think that’s true for those who put cultural development as their main priority. In contrast to a world that’s captured your mind because you’re to busy chasing a dollar, there’s a world where everyone is trying to be the lion and the lamb. It could be about what really makes us happy. It seems just as selfish, but when your focused on what you human instead of what makes you lethargic and inactive, I think you’ll create a world that will embody the active hope and livelihood that present in all of us. If we could work to preserve this for each other, we could create a world that truly is a human experience. We could move beyond where we’ve been stagnant for thousands of years: fear of the other.

For me, humanities are about learning to understand why we make the choices is do. Once we understand that, it’s about understanding how our humanity connects to others. Once we can value that, it’s about learning how to move forward together to truly grow as a person, and a Sartre would suggest, as a people. It doesn’t fit our culture, but our culture shows what we value. I believe that people really do value others more than comfort but their senses have been dulled from seeing what’s truly out there. It not only takes critical awareness, but forcing yourself to have experiences that make you understand the experiences of others. I think that’s a full humanities education, but it begins with trying to understand.

Race, Class, and a Journey Towards Identity: A Critical Analysis of Passing.

Eng 230 Kassie Markovich

Prof. Wolfe

04/26/11

Race Class, and a Journey Towards Identity: A Critical Analysis of Passing.

On three centuries removed

From the scenes his father loved,

Spicy grove, cinnamon tree,

What is Africa to me? -Countee Cullen

An introduction to the novel Passing by Nella Larsen, these four lines summarize what I propose the author was trying to convey in her psychological analysis of the Harlem Renaissance. All of the characters are united by their race yet they lack any agreement of what it means to be African. Carrying American at the end of their group identity, they have all become acculturated to an environment removed from their ancestors, leaving each to form his own ideas of how race fits into his identity. As we look at a character analysis of four representatives of this cultural time period portrayed in Passing, we will see that family values, class, and personality play integral roles into the life each individual pursues and how the social construction of race only unites the characters because of their shared oppression.

Clare Kendry, a young woman who physically passes for an upper class European American in a society discriminatory against African Americans, her true ethnic group, is sometimes seen as the novel’s main character because of her literal representation of the title. Critics such as Cheryl Wall believe she represents a stereotypical mulatto woman whose choices are an inevitability of the environment she was born. I think Wall’s interpretation on Clare’s psyche is enlightening in the fact that she makes apparent the influence our environment can have on our pursuit of happiness, or lack there of (362). Where I would differ from her interpretation is that she doesn’t take the freedom of choice Clare had far back enough. Though Clare may have been inhibited and at the same time compelled by her race to seek freedom, the events that lead her to this choice of life are a shocking insight into her character.

In the first part of the book, Clare’s relationship with her father resembles an anxious ambivalent type of attachment. According to developmental psychologists Bartholomew and Horowitz, this is a type of attachment develops when a parent shows inconsistent patterns of behavior, leaving the child with a negative and positive view of self and others. (226-244) Her father is said to have been abusive towards Clare, but also hard working and supportive. Her reaction to her father, as a result of mixed signs of care and rejection, is one of withdrawal and pursuit of love (Larsen, 5). Through her relationship with her father she has learned to never completely depend on someone else but also has seen the potential good nature one can posses. This leads her to seek and pull away from those she cares about. As attachment styles usually last throughout one’s life, Clare repeats this type of relationship all throughout the novel. She is described in childhood as catlike. Certainly that was the word which best described her. Sometimes she was hard and apparently without feeling at all; sometimes she was affectionate and rashly impulsive.” (Larsen, 6). When Clare’s father died she was sent to live with her white aunts who showed a similar type of acceptance of her by looking out for her future but also reflecting negative opinions of her based on her race. Acquiring a type of defensive survival, this leads her to seek a life that would be materialistically fulfilling (Larsen, 19). On the outside it seems like she had become indifferent to relationships, but a closer look reveals that the man she married in order to pursue her wealth resembles her past experiences with her father and aunts. Clare entered into a serious commitment with a man who would never fully accept her if he knew her true race. After her husband, Jack, declared he would leave her if he found out that she were black regardless of the relationship they had built over time, Clare decided to try to reconnect with Irene and her race, a place she might find real acceptance. After Clare shared this with her childhood friend, Irene, the latter envisioned, “Clare Kendry staring disdainfully down at the face of her father, and thought that is would be like that she would look at her husband if he lay dead before her” (Larsen, 47). Though, even this isn’t a source of genuine love because Irene recalls that Clare was never part of her group of friends growing up as a result of Clare’s lower social class (Larsen, 14). Even towards her daughter, she couldn’t completely commit herself as she relates to Irene in regards to Margery’s well being, “children aren’t everything” (Larsen, 58). From Clare’s passing to her attempt to rejoin her race, she has unsuccessfully looked for love and acceptance. It’s the desire to feel accepted that guides her decisions towards finding a group identity and her fear of rejection that keeps her from a full commitment. As Clare reflects on her impulsive lifestyle, “Well then, what does it matter? One risk more or less, if we’re not safe anyway, if even you’re not, it can’t make all the difference in the world to me. It can’t to me. Besides I’m used to risks. (Larsen, 48)

Irene Redfield, the other leading female character in the story is described as an upper middle class African American woman who tries to live up to the standards of her social status. She throws tea parties, judges her company on intelligence and dress, and finds the street life of Chicago to be draining as she aspires to the cooling and refined environment of upper class society (Larsen, 8-9). I propose that this fixation with class results from a combination of personality and upbringing. Irene grew up in a comfortable middle class environment with parents who not only cared for her, but also showed concern towards her less privileged friend, Clare (Larsen, 13). With a stable group of friends and family she made a comfortable transition into a stable marriage with a well off Manhattan doctor (Larsen, 14,15). This choice was natural and wanted by her because it would keep her in a sheltered life, content. Reflecting on her marriage, she thought, “ He was the husband and father to her sons. But was he anything more? Had she ever wanted or tried for more? In that hour she thought not” (Larsen). The desire for stability and comfort lies within her personality, carried down through her son Junior. Just like her mother, Junior is described as ‘practical and determined’ (Larsen, 44). What need is there to move beyond what is safe and comfortable, a practical Irene might reason?

Still, within a segregated society the negative connotations associated with her race compete with her attainment of a perfectly superficial life. She is reminded of this when she passes in the Drayton, fearing she might get caught and be humiliated in the high-end restaurant. Irene knows that no matter how much she tries to assimilate herself with mainstream middle class white standards, she will never be fully accepted because of the color of her skin (Larsen, 11). When she sees Clare for the first time, she becomes fascinated with her, “Negro eyes! mysterious and concealing. And set in that ivory face under that bright hair, there was about them something exotic.” (Larsen, 21) Irene’s interpretation of Clare’s bi-racial features might reflect her personal search towards a bi-cultural identity: her own racial background, and the one she’s adopted. As Clare represents the best of both worlds to Irene, she finds her appearance stunning and her opinion important, as elaborated by critic Youman, who notes that Irene dismisses another’s opinion based on her husband’s appearance resembling that of a butcher. She can’t dismiss Clare’s because she fits perfectly into her utopia of comfort within a minority identity (339).

Irene’s husband Brian, as stated earlier, is a doctor in Manhattan who lives a seemingly comfortable life in middle class society. Yet, his desire to move to South America for a better chance at equality leaves him continually restless and disturbed. It isn’t status or a need for love that fuels his desire, but his high intellect. When talking to Irene about race, Brian clearly understands that the whites who don’t understand the concept that race does not make one better or worse than another are the ones at a disadvantage because they will always be blinded from the truth (Larsen, 38). Just as Junior reflects Irene, the younger son Tim displays Brian’s speculative and withdrawn character (Larsen, 44). Looking at his reality from an objective standpoint Brian reasons that life abroad is the only solution to obtaining true equality. Finding dissatisfaction in a job he believes he is overqualified for, his desire to reach as high as he can achieve is his primary motivation (Larsen, 40). It is his race that keeps him from reaching his full potential through his mind and fuels his desire for a satisfying career that reflects his perceived worth.

The last character we will look at plays a small role on the surface of the narrative, but offers an excellent example of what could happen when a minority person doesn’t become afflicted by her race. This character is Gertrude. In high school she fell for a white man during a racially segregated time in history. As we’ve seen through the last three characters, the issue of race could have had a negative impact on her pursuit of happiness, yet the novel tells us that her and his parents were supportive of the relationship. Because of this familial acceptance during a critical time of identity formation, the two ended up getting married, much to their satisfaction (Larsen, 24). The positive effects of this are displayed through Gertrude’s countenance at the reunion with Clare and Irene. When Clare and Irene talk of opposing view of passing, Gertrude is able to understand both sides of the issue with an even temper. When Clare’s husband unknowingly releases painful racial insults onto the guests, Gertrude is able keep her cool while later showing her extreme distaste for the former to Irene in private (Larsen 26-27, 32). Her ability to relate and tolerate both racial classes with such logic and a cool head is a likely result of her exposure and acceptance within these two groups early in life. I think Gertrude is a crucial example in showing us the social construction of race and the effects that only result when one feels a need to defend himself because of it.

Because Gertrude doesn’t appear very much in the story I will limit the rest of this paper to focus on the interactions within the first three characters. Because this interpretation approaches this subject from a psychological stance, it is important to look at the relationships between the main characters to find the reason for the inevitable downfall of Irene Redfield.

The friendship between Clare and Irene is interesting because of the apparent attraction between the two who have led opposite lives. It may be the mysteriousness encapsulated by both to the other that sustained their friendship opposed ultimately by their desired ends: for Clare, to be truly accepted and Irene, to be safe. Irene notes the lives of her and Clare are completely different and being able to relate to each other would be almost impossible: “ Between them the barrier was just as high, just as broad, and just as firm as if in Clare did not run that strain of black blood.” (Larsen, 44) Further in the novel she goes on to say that the complete opposite of oneself can invoke an excitement because of its strange quality.

I think that what they feel is- well, a kind of emotional excitement. You know, the sort of thing you feel in the presence of something strange…something so different that it’s really at the opposite end of the pole from all your accustomed notions of beauty (Larsen, 55)

The unusual transformation of Clare’s social class into a beauty encapsulating two worlds Irene can’t assimilate or make sense of is what ultimately sustains their friendship for that short period of time. It contradicts her entire experience but as Deborah McDowell points out in her critical article Black Female Sexuality in Passing, though they may not live identical lives, Clare and Irene are both on a search for identity that allows them to recognize that weakness in each other. Each possessing what the other wants only adds to the ‘attraction’ of their pursuit for self-understanding (373).

The relationship between Brian and Irene is one of convenience for the latter. Because of Brian’s discontentment, he secretly resents Irene for his settled life that his spirit and intellect strongly oppose. Without any major disturbances everything remains calm. It isn’t until Irene’s and Brian’s most unsettled character enters that their settlement is violently shaken: “ No use pretending that he was happy, that things were the same as they had always been. He wasn’t and they weren’t. However, she assured herself, it needn’t be because of anything that involved Clare” (Larsen, 68).

Clare and Brian both try to upset the status quo of society in order to achieve a fuller acceptance of self, Brian through his career and Clare through a sense of belonging. Their dispositions highly contrast and upset that of Irene’s. When it was just Brian’s restlessness she had to keep under control it almost ended her marriage (Larsen, 40). With the introduction of Clare to his life, his old desires are reawakened by her reminder of the possibility to take risks for the pursuit of happiness. Seeing her adventurous life at the very least invoked a sense of motivation in him that had been somewhat suppressed by Irene. When Clare suspects that this dream could have been reawakened in him she becomes frantic, but can’t figure out why she had lost control. She assumes adultery, but with the lack of evidence to support this claim even in her own mind (Larsen, 68-69), I propose that this interpretation was only a temporary answer to her problem of how she had lost control. Underneath she knew Clare’s entrance had something to do with it, but she may have been to overwhelmed at the thought of losing her security in middle-class America to have realized just how it happened. Yet, she knew one thing: Clare Kendry had to go. Controlling Brian was almost too much and she knew that with Clare’s indirect support and influence she would very likely lose everything her life was based on. The conflict with racial acceptance and class represented in these characters is portrayed as beyond reconciliation. The class of Irene can’t permit the happiness of Brian, yet Clare reminds him that the importance of his own sense of identity will not fade away in Irene’s restricted society.

Through the interactions of the novel’s characters we see the conflict between class and identity formation. How one incorporates the meaning of race into their identity usually results from how it has oppressed them. African American studies professor Jennifer Brody suggests a similar idea by saying that Clare maintained her cultural heritage while Irene gave this up for class (396). Though race and class do conflict between all three characters, and more directly between these two, I argue that it’s not a definitive culture that Clare identified with, but a group that would accept her for the element she had been previously oppressed. As all three had very different beginnings, as well as being unique individuals, we see that race is not inborn, but the social construction of oppression based on ancestry unites these characters that have felt it’s undeserving weight on their pursuit of happiness. I believe Larsen was trying to show us that features or behavior couldn’t group African Americans, like anyone else, because we are all different people who deserve individual regard and respect. When this is taken away, the individual doesn’t disappear but will fight harder for his happiness.

Works Cited

Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. M. Attachment Styles Among Young Adults: A Test of a Four-Category Model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1991.

Brody, Jennifer. “Clare Kendry’s ‘True’ Colors: Race and Class Conflict in Nella Larsen’s Passing.” W.W. Norton and Company, 2007.

Cullen, Countee. “Heritage.” W.W. Norton and Company, 2007.

McDowell, Deborah. “Black Female Sexuality in Passing.” Passing: A Norton Critical Edition. W.W. Norton and Company, 2007.

Wall, Cheryl. “Passing for What? Aspects of Identity in Nella Larsen’s Novels.” W.W. Norton and Company, 2007.

Youman, Mary. “Nella Larsen’s Passing: A Study in Irony.” W.W. Norton and Company, 2007.

Cultural Beliefs Autobiography

EDMUL 205

Kassie Markovich

Dr. Burgess

02/23/11

Within the classroom there will numerous cultures interacting with each other. Our society has shown to be favorable of some, such as working class white culture, and less favorable others, like the lower class Southern culture. In 2000, Coon defined culture as “the totality of socially transmitted behavior, patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought characteristic of a community or population.” (68) By this definition we see the strong bonds that hold people to their way of life. To promote healthy development for every cultured child, respect for differences and appreciation of commonalties in the classroom will be promoted thorough the following values.

I value independence because it allows me the opportunity to pursue a life that’s most personally fulfilling. Because I’m not subservient to anyone, that will always be an option if I want to change my mind. Because the choices I make are mine, I can feel pride when I succeed. If I was doing everything because I had to, I don’t know if I would appreciate my life as much. In the same way I like that independence allows me to fail. I’m the type of person who learns through trial and error, so the ability to make my own decisions even when they’re wrong is imperative to my personal growth.

I believe this value is important to incorporate into the classroom to promote intrinsic motivation. I know that when I was in high school everything I was told to do seemed like more work than it really was because it wasn’t my choice to complete the assignments. When a class was student centered, almost everybody loved coming to class because they took what was important to them out of the experience, and so worked harder. This type of motivation is important in promoting a sense of identity and goal within the student. In my classroom I want to help my students find what is important to them so that they can give back to the community in a meaningful and personal way.

I also value romantic relationships. Though I understand not all partnerships are romantic, I find comfort in the fact that our society puts an emphasis on this type. In choosing someone you love that you want to share your life with, there is a deep bond that is keeping the two people together. This allows the relationships to be more personally meaningful than practical. I also think this type of relationship would be more fulfilling long term. To have someone who feels connected to you and is your constant support can be very beneficial to one’s mental and physical wellbeing. Also, the sense of using someone for survival isn’t present in this type of relationship. Relating back to the value of independence, this relationship allows you to make decisions based on the health of the relationship instead of the economy.

I think this value is becoming more imperative as we see bullying increase towards minority sexual preferences in schools. As I stated earlier, romantic relationships and independence are related. If someone chooses to be with another person solely because they find a personal value in that person then that should be respected regardless of gender. When bullying intervenes it can hurt the student’s sense of identity and self-worth. For this reason I will promote an environment where students show respect to everyone’s personal decisions, including matters of dating.

I value innovation because of its place in the arts. A progressive spirit influences the constant change found in music, visual art, technology, and so on. In the past sometimes styles would stay stagnant for hundreds of years but now artists are free to create in any way that moves them. Innovation also influences a developing future. This attitude to not settle is the reason we’re moving away from a linear society into a technologically spatial environment. To grow up with the old perspective and experience the new is very exciting. I also like the idea that it’s okay to hate what’s out there today. If someone doesn’t like the music that’s being written, it’s perfectly acceptable for him to pick up a guitar and change that. Innovation allows the opportunity for everyone to feel comfortable in society.

To promote this value I want to make my student’s classroom experience very hands on. Instead of immersing them in a primarily theoretical world of books I will give them assignments that allow them to turn the lesson into a real world experience. For example, I could give them a project that promotes communication skills to solve a current societal problem, but the way they solve it will be left to their creativity.

Stemming from innovation, I value rebellion. This value is what led to this society’s counterculture movements. Rejecting values of the past they spoke out against mainstream society and created subcultures entirely unique, such as the new wave, hippie, and punk movements. Not only does this spirit lead to developments that likely would have never happened if discontentment hadn’t been it’s guide, it does so in an authoritative way, establishing it’s presence. Rebellion also leads to progression in such extreme ways that it causes you to see things ‘up side down.’ Extremity can be good in pointing out the good and bad of a former system. Finally, rebellion is a medium used to stand against injustice. This outlet helped the recognize civil rights and make apparent the injustices of the Vietnam War. Having the option to stand in opposition is valuable when needed to preserve basic rights, such as equality and freedom of speech. Though rebellion doesn’t last forever, and I wouldn’t want it to, it is a temporary force that can be used for the betterment of society.

A way to make rebellion recognized as an option to students is to promote independent study. By this I mean making the students aware that not everything you read, even in the classroom, is necessarily the truth. Also, making sure the classroom environment is one where questions are always welcome and outside research is encouraged is necessary to the development of independent thought. Furthermore, helping the students value their basic rights will hopefully make them more protective of their freedom.

I value equality because through it women have been trying to find ultimate personal fulfillment in their place in society. This value has led to many progressions for women’s rights that continue to develop today. This value is also doing the same for the varied racial groups in this society. This is not only important because of the personal well being of every member of society but also because our society is and will continue to be so varied. Recognizing this fact is needed to establish a place of peace and unity. Finally, the adolescent period is gaining more attention because of a focus on equality. This age group is being recognized for it’s significance in human development and is starting to be treated with respect towards their need for independent choice and exploration.

In promoting equality in the classroom I know I can personally take this value only so far if I want to maintain equality between the students overall. Though, I would like my classroom to be a collaborative environment where we learn and share ideas together. This will not be teacher focused but student focused so they can realize their own capabilities in leadership and while respecting the positions of their peers. Also, having the students work together will help them see past stereotypes associated with their image because through dialogue they will likely share personal experiences that will help them to see each other as individuals.

All of these values are intended to show respect and encouragement for one another as we all try to develop into the person we desire to be. No one is exactly the same and to expect a universal attitude and behavior pattern is to expect the impossible. This will only lead to unnecessary stress that could have personal development. As an educator it’s my responsibility to make the classroom a safe environment for all of my students as they are trying to discover their self-identity.

Works Cited

Cushner, Kenneth and McClelland, Averil, and Safford, Philip. Human Diversity in Education, An Integrative Approach. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009.

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