Psychoanalytical Filter

What is a critical or theoretical approach? Why would we use them? A critical or theoretical approach allows you, as a reader, to expand the way you look at a text. Instead of just reading a novel or poem, you can use a specific approach to get new information and expand on your analysis.

There are many of these "filters" that aid in this process. The one I want to talk about is Psychoanalytical. This specific "filter" is very fascinating. One of the main people that inspired this idea was Sigmund Fraud. He created his own "model of the psyche". It was mainly focused on a persons conscience. There was another person that also inspired and aided in psychoanalytical studies. His name was Jacques Lacan. He also had his own "model of the psyche". Whereas Fraud's was focused on a humans conscience, Lacan's was more focused on the development of a persons mind as they grow up. His model's three categories are imaginary, symbolic, and real. This can help us in studying literature.

There are many approaches within this one "filter'. One of the most fascinating for me is thinking about the writers psyche. I like the idea of stepping out of the text and looking at the background of why and how the writer went about writing their novel. This would allow you to see why specific detail, the setting of the poem, characters, and more were put in the text by the author.

Another approach within this "filter" is looking at the actual characters. The best question to ask is why. Why did the characters say this? Why would a character do that? Think of all the analyzes you could get from diving into a specific character. We are humans, but we are humans of many different natures. Thinking about being a different character, or human, is fascinating in and of itself. Thats one of the greatest things about literature. You get the opportunity to be a different person and think in the terms they do. This is perfect analysis.

Probably my favorite approach in this "filter", is thinking about the effect the text has on the reader. Why do we read? What makes a book your favorite book? Why do some people love one book or character, and hate others? Looking at your text this way allows an ocean full of analyzes to appear.

Lets look at The Great Gatsby. If we focus on F. Scott Fitzgerald, we know that he was a main staple in the twenties. He loved to party and have a good time which is very evident in the novel. Now what about the characters? Hows does Gatsby constant need to live in the past, or Daisy's want for money reflect their overall nature? How does this effect all the other characters in the novel? What makes this book one of my favorites? I know lots of people that did not enjoy this novel at all. But I also know a lot of people that it effected in a deep way. How does the text do this?

There is much to get from looking at a text through a psychoanalytical approach.

Hamlet as a Fantasy story. Act 3 Scene 4

"Now remember, you must be firm with him, Gertrude. We must find out why Hamlet has gone mad!"
"I know, Polonius. Now hide before he sees you!"
Polonius, rushed behind the drapes covering the windows, nearly knocking over the table of potions. The curtains were long enough to hide his whole body. They fell shut right as Hamlet crashed through the door.
"Mother, what do you want!" Hamlet yelled as the door slammed.
"Hamlet, you have offended your stepfather, and I.."
"I what? Mother, you have offended my real father for marrying such a sick man. Especially only after two months of him being dead! Who does something like that?" As Hamlet spoke, he slowly took out his wand from his cloak and started to shake.
Gertrude, started to worry. She couldn't die yet, not by the hand of her own son!
"Stop!" A voice from behind the curtain coughed.
"What do we have here? The evil wizard Claudius? The one who betrayed my father, the rightful leader of the wizard world!"
With that, Hamlet aimed his wand at the curtain. He stood upright and fired! Yelling the spell that would kill Claudius. Sparks crackled, and the spell flew straight from the wand, through the curtain, straight into Polonius' heart.
"You have done a bloody deed!" Gertrude yelled.
"Almost as bad as murdering a king, and marrying his brother."
"Murder? The King?"
"Of course!" Hamlet strode over to the curtain and pulled it back. There was Polonius, dead as ever on the ground. "This can't be. I thought I had him!" Still looking at the body he said, "He was a fool anyway. Mother, how could you marry someone so close to father, yet so below his rank! Its disgraceful. He's an awful thief. A stealing monster. A cheating dog! Its like he.."
Just then the air turned cold. Everything in the room turned blue and frozen. All except Hamlet. The ghost of his father appeared.
"Hamlet, I am powerful. You must remember your purpose and promise you made to me. Claudius still must die. You still have four stones to find to kill him. Your wand will not be strong enough. Just remember that you are a brave wizard!"
The ghost vanished.
"See Mother, I have a duty to father. He understands."
"What are you talking about?"
"Didn't you just see father speaking to me?"
"You truly have gone mad, Hamlet!"
"I am not mad mother. It is part of my plan and duty to father. I have to collect the five stones that hold the keys to the Master Potion. Once I have that, I can defeat Claudius. He is evil and must be stopped! Going mad, was all an act! Please, you can't tell Claudius. You have to help me bring him down."
Gertrude stared at her son. She was still shaking for fear that he would kill her. For this she agreed she wouldn't tell his secret.
"I am leaving now! I must keep looking for the stones." Hamlet turned on his toes and headed for the door when he remembered Polonius.
"Not today!" He rushed over, put an invisibility spell on the body, and picked it up. "Don't worry, I will dispose of this one!"

Poetry

Where can poetry be found? Can poetry be more than the written word? When first asked this question, the first thing that came to my mind is art. Art for me is poetry. The story behind the painting is poetic. The way the colors meet and create a story is poetic. When I look at a piece of art, I automatically want to know the treasure that is captured on canvas, but also the story of the artist and why he painted what he did.

So what is poetry? In the Merriam-Webster dictionary it says that one of the definitions of poetry is "something likened to poetry especially in beauty of expressions. Poetry is something that brings out a feeling. It causes you to feel inspired. This is exactly what art does for me. If we look at an actual poem you can't just read it. If you do that you will usually receive just the bareness of the words. But the second you dive into them and analyze what the author is saying and look at the time it was written, a whole world is opened up to you. If you just look at a piece of art, you sometimes don't get anything from it. The second you dive into the background of the piece, you make a connection with the painting and its story. One of my favorite paintings is called The Taking of Christ by Caravaggio. Its a dramatic painting of Christ being taken away right before he is to be nailed to the cross. By itself it is an incredibly moving and powerful painting. I read an entire book just about this one painting and finally got to see it in person this summer in Dublin. The second I saw it, my connection with the painting was heightened. I couldn't turn away from it. Was my reaction and connection the same as the 30 some people around me? Is it okay for me to find poetry in that one piece of art and not for someone else?

If Poetry is meant to inspire, everyone is going to feel different about it. Just like some people love a certain musician or book, and I absolutely do not, doesn't mean that we don't know what a good song or book is. Poetry is subjective just like most things in this world. Isn't that the beauty of it then? If you truly look at what you love and hate, thats what makes you you. You are poetry! You feel and inspire yourself and others around you!  You may not rhyme, or talk in verse, but everything about us is poetic. Just like art has a story, we have stories.

Now this just got deep, but truly everything around us is poetry. If you ask what makes something poetic, every single person is going to have a different answer and opinion. So if we look around us and find something that is "likened to poetry especially in beauty of expression", we can have thousands of little things that are poetic everyday. 

What Teaches and Delights?

What teaches and delights? Can reading both teach and delight? There is a special moment when a reader connects with a book. The words pour into not just your heart, but your brain. They stick with you not just a day but for years. For me reading is a true delight. If I could just sit and read forever I would be perfectly happy! One of the things I enjoy most about reading is the fact that it does teach us. I learn more about life, living vicariously through heroes, damsels, assassins, rulers, and even hobbits, then I sometimes do going to class. We get to experience, even if its through words, the world and how different people handle different events that can come upon them. Why is this?

There is a direct link to what delights us to what teaches us. If we love something we are more likely to watch, study, and learn everything about the thing that interests us. If you love a certain TV show, do you tend to know random facts about how it was made, or how the whole show came to be? I know I do! Another example is my love of art. I love art! Studying art history fascinates me and I have watched videos and read books about paintings that truly fascinate me. Just like reading, art can allow you to see the world as another person perceives it. No two people view the world the same way. By reading and viewing art pieces, we get to see, if just for a moment in time, how one persons see the world. This teaches us hands on.

There is another side to this. What about guilty pleasures? These are not necessarily educational  things like art or reading. They could be a TV show, cooking, even sleeping. Do these teach and delight? They sure do delight. Thats why they are guilty pleasures!  What about teaching? Does all teachings have to be about liberal arts, such as science, math, and english? What makes guilty pleasures, guilty pleasures? These things usually make us happy. I think discovering and engaging in our guilty pleasures teaches us something. Sure its not math, but it teaches you about you. You get to see what makes you happy and you get to analyze why it makes you happy.

So what teaches and delights? For me, the more we learn about who we are and this amazing world we live in, is what teaches the most and what makes us the most happy. I think sometimes, as humans, we focus so much on what doesn't matter. We are more connected to wi-fi and what celebrities are eating for dinner, then we are to who we are. Im not saying that social media is bad (trust me, its one of my guilty pleasures), but maybe we need to take a step back and truly look at what we can learn about the world we live in and our selves, instead of the everyone else around us. The more you do things that enlighten and teach you, the happier you will be.