Faulkner’s Exploration of the Human Spirit Essay -- Literary Analysis

William Faulkner accepted his Nobel Peace Prize in December 1950. During his acceptance speech, Faulkner proclaimed that the award was made not to him as a man, but to his life’s work, which was created, â€Å"out of the materials of the human spirit something which did not exist before† (PF ). He felt that the modern writer had lost connection to his spirit and that he must reconnect with the universal truths of the heart—â€Å"love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice† (PF ). Through his characters voice and exposure of their spirit, Faulkner solidified man’s immortality by â€Å"lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past† (PF ). Although some critics have characterized his work as violet, dealing with immoral themes and the miseries and brutality of life; it can be argued that even his most sad and dep raved characters express positive virtues and personal strengths. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the portrayal and manifestation of the human spirit in a select few of William Faulkner’s literary characters, showing that they possess both human strength and flaws. So what is the human spirit and why is it significant? It is a somewhat indefinable concept. According to Faulkner the human spirit is the connection to the universal truths of the heart—â€Å"love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice† (PF). But more than that, he was concerned with the idea that man had become oblivious to the problems of the spirit; that he lost his awareness of the inner struggle of heart in conflict with itself. The human spirit can also be described in terms of surviving adversity, adapting to c... ...lkner. Ed. Malcolm Cowley. New York: Penguin Books, 2003. Viking Press, 1946. Falkner, William. The Sound and the Fury. New York: Vintage Books, 1990. J. Cape & H. Smith, 1929. Gwynn, Frederick L. and Joseph L. Blotner, eds. Faulkner in the University: Class Conferences at the University of Virginia 1957-58. New York: Vintage Books, 1959. Howe, Irving. William Faulkner: A Critical Study. Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press, 1975.Orig. 1951. Vintage Books, 1962. Meriwether, James B. and Michael Millgate, eds. Lion in the Garden: Interviews with William Faulkner 1926-1962. New York: Random House, 1968. O’Donnell, George M. â€Å"Faulkner’s Mythology.† William Faulkner: Four Decades of Criticism. Linda W. Wagner, ed. East Lansing, MI: MSU Press, 1973. 83-93. Teske, John A. â€Å"The Social Construction of the Human Spirit.† http://users.etown.edu/t/teskeja/schs.html

Dostoevsky: Psychiatric Genius?

The book Crime and Punishment and its author, Fyodor Dostoevsky, both came many years before their time. In the book, Dostoevsky clearly describes the medical disorders we now know today as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and dissociative identity disorder which is also known as multiple personality disorder. The book was first published in 1866, however, schizophrenia was first described officially in 1887 by Dr.Emile Kraepelin and not given the name â€Å"schizophrenia† until Eugene Bleuler coined the term in 1911 (The History of Schizophrenia). And it was not until the late 19th and early 20th century that Pierre Janet coined the term dissociative identity (Pendergrast). Bipolar Disorder was also a relatively new disorder being that it was officially described in 1854 (â€Å"A Brief History of Bipolar Disorder†).The character of Raskolnikov is a good example of these three disorders because of the way he acts towards others or towards himself and then suddenly has a change of feelings or mindset. Schizophrenia is defined as a common type of psychosis, characterized by abnormalities in perception, content of thought, and thought processes (hallucinations and delusions) and by extensive withdrawal of interest from other people and the outside world, with excessive focusing on one's own mental life (WebMD LLC).In the beginning of the book, the narrator talks about how Raskolnikov has â€Å"become so completely absorbed in himself, and isolated from his fellows that he dreaded meeting, not only his landlady, but anyone at all† (Dostoevsky 1). This is the first sign of schizophrenia that Dostoevsky shows in Raskolnikov, it is obvious that Raskolnikov has become isolated and does not want to be around any other people. Next, Raskolnikov’s illness is almost completely caused by his hallucinations, delusions, and dreams.This is seen in part two, chapter one after Raskolnikov has committed the murders â€Å"He sat down on the sofa in exh austion and was at once shaken by another unbearable fit of shivering†¦he covered himself up with his winter coat and once more sank into drowsiness and delirium. † (92). This is also seen in chapter three after he returns to his room and has a dream about his landlady being beaten, â€Å"He was not completely unconscious, however, all the time he was ill; he was in a feverish state, sometimes delirious, sometimes half conscious. † (120).Raskolnikov continues to focus on his own mental state throughout the novel and he does not truly become well until the end of the story when he confesses, suffers, and becomes educated. Raskolnikov also has many symptoms of dissociative identity disorder, which is defined as a severe form of dissociation, a mental process, which produces a lack of connection in a person's thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity. Dissociative identity disorder is thought to stem from trauma experienced by the person with the dis order (WebMD LLC).Raskolnikov’s condition has obviously stemmed from the trauma Raskolnikov experienced after having committed the murders which is a major sign of dissociative identity disorder, and there are instances where Raskolnikov will do something and immediately completely regret his decision such as when he gives money to Marmeladov and then wants to go up to the room to take his money back â€Å"Raskolnikov had time to put his hand into his pocket, to snatch up the coppers he had received in exchange for his rouble in the tavern and to lay them unnoticed on the window.Afterwards, on the stairs he changed his mind and would have gone back† (Dostoevsky 26-27). Rakolnikov also has a form of dissociation because he gets into moods when he is thinking about certain things but disregarding other important details such as closing the door at the pawnbroker’s, locking his own door the night of the murder, and checking his clothes for blood. A third disorder t hat Dostoevsky describes through the character of Raskolnikov is bipolar disorder.Bipolar disorder is a major affective disorder, or mood disorder, characterized by dramatic mood swings. Bipolar disorder is a serious condition, when mania causes sleeplessness, sometimes for days, along with hallucinations, psychosis, grandiose delusions, and/or paranoid rage (WebMD LLC). Raskolnikov has many mood swings throughout the story. One of the first examples is when he is debating whether he should go talk to his friend Razumikhin, he changes his mind several times and then decides not to see him.Raskolnikov also switches moods about his â€Å"act† that he is planning to commit which we come to know is the murder of Alonya Ivanova. He switches his decision several times and finally commits to killing her when he finds out that she will be alone at seven o’ clock, â€Å"he felt suddenly in his whole being that he had no more freedom of thought, no will, and that everything was suddenly and irrevocable decided† (Dostoevsky 65). We also know that Raskolnikov suffered from hallucinations, delusions, and paranoid rage that he used to kill Alonya.These hallucinations included the dream of the horse getting beaten, the dream that his landlady was being beaten, and the nightmare when Raskolnikov is trying to kill the pawnbroker but she does not die, she only laughs. Dostoevsky helped to pave the way for other doctors and scientists to discover all of the symptoms of these mental illnesses we now know as schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder, and bipolar disorder. This shows how much Dostoevsky knew about human nature. He was able to pick out tendencies that many mentally ill people have.Not only did he describe these three, he also described alcoholism very accurately by using the character Marmeladov to show that alcoholism only leads to suffering and the more one continues to drink, the more suffering they endure, â€Å"â€Å"the more I drink, the more I feel it. That’s why I drink too. I try to find sympathy and feeling in drink†¦. I drink so that I may suffer twice as much! † And as though in despair he laid his head down on the table† (14). Dostoevsky was a very extraordinary man and he gave mankind many contributions.Psychology was an important part of Crime and Punishment, but it is also clear that Dostoevsky is a very intelligent writer and incorporates many different themes into his works. ? Works Cited â€Å"A Brief History of Bipolar Disorder. † Today’s Caregiver. 2009. http://www. caregiver. com/channels/bipolar/articles/brief_history. htm. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. Ed. Bantam Classic Reissue. New York: Bantam Dell, 2003. â€Å"The History of Schizophrenia. † Schizophrenia. com. 2004. http://www. schizophrenia. com/history. htm .Pendergrast, Mark. Victims of Memory. Upper Access Books, 1996. â€Å"Schizophrenia. † Dictionary. com. 2009. http:// dictionary. reference. com/browse/schizophrenia. WebMD LLC. â€Å"Bipolar Disorder. † WebMD. 2009. http://www. webmd. com/depression/guide/bipolar-disorder-manic-depression. WebMD LLC. â€Å"Dissociative Identity Disorder. † WebMD. 2009. http://www. webmd. com/mental-health/dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder. WebMD LLC. â€Å"Medical Dictionary: Schizophrenia. † WebMD. 2009. http://dictionary. webmd. com/terms/schizophrenia.

The Stress on Americas Equality Essay - 1176 Words

In America’s society, equality has always been a reoccurring issue. All the way from early slavery and the Holocaust to discrimination toward African Americans, females, and now same-sex marriages. As much as our world focuses on becoming equal, each culture deals with it’s own differences. In Michael Jackson’s song, â€Å"Black or White† compared with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ song, â€Å"Same Love,† they each approach the same topic encompassing equality. Songs from completely two different generations but each song is concentrating on the important issues of their time, racial discrimination and same-sex relationships. Both of the artists have the same dreams on fairness and each song is just the start of how people started to change their†¦show more content†¦Michael Jackson was a prominent role model of the 1980’s and 90’s. His songs influenced and left an impact on people in a way that no artist has every done b efore. He not only left his impact on music, but also left his impact on society. He is known as â€Å"The King Of Pop† due to many of his billboard topping songs and his talented singing voice and dance moves that no one could replicate. He started at a young age, beginning his singing career at the age of 5 years old. Here he joined his brothers and made The Jackson 5. By his teenage years he began to stand out and started his own solo career as an artist. One of Michael’s biggest problems he had to face was a horrible skin condition called Vitiligo. It is a chronic skin condition that causes loss of pigment. Irregular pale patches of skin are the outcome of this pigment loss and a lot of people refer to it as â€Å"turning from black to white.† Jackson’s doctor, Patrick Treacy, reported to the public, â€Å"It is well documented that in 1986, Michael was diagnosed with Vitiligo† (Treacy). This was the beginning of his transformation. 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