As we discussed on the first few days of class, Carl Jung is one of the first to define the concept of archetypes, and Anthony Stevens refers to him throughout Ariadne's Clue, especially Jung's idea of the "transcendent function of symbols [...] part of the autonomous developmental principle operating throughout life, which he called individuation [... which] also imples becoming one's own self. We could, therefore, translate individuation as 'coming to selfhood' or 'self-realization'" (as cited on p. 77).
For this post, describe one symbol that has been a part of your process of individuation.
For example, one symbol that has been essential for me is that of the book, which symbolizes the idea of knowledge, expression, and freedom. I usually take a book with me wherever I go, and it functions as both a spark for my imagination and an extension of my self; one way I have of describing myself is to list the books that are most important to me or, conversely, the books I am currently reading.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Post for April 2-3
Hello All,
In our reading for Friday, Stevens argues that a primal motivating cause of our symbols and archteypes is fear:
"many of the symbolic rituals devised by our ancestors arose out of the anxieties that inevitably afflicted human beings living in the environmental circumstances in which our species evolved and lifed for most of its existence. Fears that the vegetative forces of regeneration might wear out and the crops fail gave rise to the fertility rituals, sacrifices of animals and the first fruits, etc., practised by human communities all over the world. Fears that the winter sostice might not mark the end of the sun's withdrawal over the horizon and the beginning of its return explain the ubiquitous existence of solstice rituals, saturnalisa, orgies, and so on. Omnipresent fears of predatory animals and hostile tribal neighbors generated teh surpernatural strength and magical powers of myriad heroes and hero-gods, enabling them to triumph over the monsters, snake-haired medusas, ogres, ghouls, and terrible chimeras which have horrified the imagination since the beginning of anthropological time. While the fear of sickness, spells, bad magic, demons, and jealous ancestral spirits generated the need for shamans, wizards, medicine men, white witches, adn wise women, with their amulets, masks, drums, ecstatic trances, and magic flights necessaery to counter the evils lying in constant wait for us. Our capacity to find symbolical means of dealing with these fears is one of the most striking characteristics of humankind." (42)
One medium for our modern exorcism of these fears is through film, so for this post, describe one film you find especially frightening.
For example, the last film to give me a scare was The Blair Witch Project. I used to go camping quite a bit with my friends, and this film reminded me of the fears of getting lost and of the noises one can't help but hear in the darkness: What was that? Is it getting closer?
In our reading for Friday, Stevens argues that a primal motivating cause of our symbols and archteypes is fear:
"many of the symbolic rituals devised by our ancestors arose out of the anxieties that inevitably afflicted human beings living in the environmental circumstances in which our species evolved and lifed for most of its existence. Fears that the vegetative forces of regeneration might wear out and the crops fail gave rise to the fertility rituals, sacrifices of animals and the first fruits, etc., practised by human communities all over the world. Fears that the winter sostice might not mark the end of the sun's withdrawal over the horizon and the beginning of its return explain the ubiquitous existence of solstice rituals, saturnalisa, orgies, and so on. Omnipresent fears of predatory animals and hostile tribal neighbors generated teh surpernatural strength and magical powers of myriad heroes and hero-gods, enabling them to triumph over the monsters, snake-haired medusas, ogres, ghouls, and terrible chimeras which have horrified the imagination since the beginning of anthropological time. While the fear of sickness, spells, bad magic, demons, and jealous ancestral spirits generated the need for shamans, wizards, medicine men, white witches, adn wise women, with their amulets, masks, drums, ecstatic trances, and magic flights necessaery to counter the evils lying in constant wait for us. Our capacity to find symbolical means of dealing with these fears is one of the most striking characteristics of humankind." (42)
One medium for our modern exorcism of these fears is through film, so for this post, describe one film you find especially frightening.
For example, the last film to give me a scare was The Blair Witch Project. I used to go camping quite a bit with my friends, and this film reminded me of the fears of getting lost and of the noises one can't help but hear in the darkness: What was that? Is it getting closer?
Monday, March 28, 2011
1st Post: Spring 2011
Hello All, In his section "The Logic of Symbols," Anthony Stevens describes a study Calvin Hall and Vernon Nordby conducted in which they collected and categorized over 50,000 dreams: "The typical dreams reported involved predatory animals, flying, falling, being pursued by hostile strangers, landscapes, sex, getting married and having children, taking examinations or undergoing some similar ordeal, travelling (whether on foot, horseback, car, aeroplane, or ship), swimming or being in the water, watching fires, and being confined in an underground space. They concluded: 'These typical dreams express the shared concerns, preoccupations and interests of all dreamers. They may be said to constitute the universal constants of the human psyche'" (as cited on p. 20).
For your first blog, describe one of these universal dreams you have experienced recently.
For example, I recently had the dream where I was swimming in the ocean on a starless night; the water was pitch black, and it felt like I was going to be swallowed by the sea, as if the water itself were some sort of monster. I kept anticipating something pulling me down, but nothing happened: I just kept swimming . . .
For your first blog, describe one of these universal dreams you have experienced recently.
For example, I recently had the dream where I was swimming in the ocean on a starless night; the water was pitch black, and it felt like I was going to be swallowed by the sea, as if the water itself were some sort of monster. I kept anticipating something pulling me down, but nothing happened: I just kept swimming . . .
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Post for March 4
For this post, just name the department, club, or instructor's homepage you plan on critiquing for your final essay.
In-class post: March 2
Hello All,
For this post, critique a webpage associated with an instructor, a program, a department, or a club. Explain the webpage's strengths and weaknesses, and be sure to address whether or not the site uses archetypes effectively.
For this post, critique a webpage associated with an instructor, a program, a department, or a club. Explain the webpage's strengths and weaknesses, and be sure to address whether or not the site uses archetypes effectively.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Feb 28
Hello All,
Mark and Pearson divide and classify archetypal figures into twelve categories:
The Innocent embodies the childlike characteristics of optimism and being naive ("Initially, the innocent has a child-like quality of naivete and a simple even unconscious dependence" 55);
The Explorer embodies the search for a better world that will fit and reflect one's inner hopes and desires and appears often in fairy tales ("The explorer is the simple desire to hit the open road and to be in the wild, wide-open spaces of nature to experience the joy of discovery" 72);
The Sage is one who uses intelligence to understand the world ("Their faith is in the capacity of humankind to learn and grow in ways that allow us to create a better world" 88);
The Hero saves the day and brings triumph for all ("The hero wants to make the world a better place" 106);
The Outlaw refuses to conform ("Finding their identity outside the current social structure, such outlaws are faithful to deeper, truer values than the prevailing ones. Such outlaws are romantic figures ready to disrupt society that has succumbed to tyranny, repression, conformity, or cynicism" 123);
The Magician uses 'magical' powers to influence others or to transform their surroundings to their advantage ("Most basic to the magician is the desire to search out the fundamental laws of how things work and to apply these principles to getting things done" 140);
The Regular Guy/Gal (Everyman/woman) has no outstanding noticeable characteristics; s/he blends in and is 'normal' like everyone else ("The regular guy/gal demonstrates the virtues of simply being an ordinary person just like others" 165);
The Lover is one who uses beauty to attract others ("The lover archetype governs all sorts of human love, from parental love to friendship to spiritual love, but it is most important to romantic love" 178);
The Jester (Trickster) is one who is cunning, mischievous, and playful ("The jester archetype includes the clown, the trickster, and anyone at all who loves to play or cut up" 196);
The Caregiver is one who tends to others who may not be able to care for themselves ("Throughout time, symbols of caregiving expressed mostly as a powerful maternal figure have been alternatively sentimentalized and demonized" 209);
The Creator is an inventor or someone or something that embodies a higher power of creation ("The creator is not about fitting in but about self-expression" 227);
The Ruler embodies power and control ("The ruler knows that the best thing to do to avoid chaos is to take control" 244).
For this post, analyze one print advertisement, and explain how it uses one or more of these archetypal figures.
Mark and Pearson divide and classify archetypal figures into twelve categories:
The Innocent embodies the childlike characteristics of optimism and being naive ("Initially, the innocent has a child-like quality of naivete and a simple even unconscious dependence" 55);
The Explorer embodies the search for a better world that will fit and reflect one's inner hopes and desires and appears often in fairy tales ("The explorer is the simple desire to hit the open road and to be in the wild, wide-open spaces of nature to experience the joy of discovery" 72);
The Sage is one who uses intelligence to understand the world ("Their faith is in the capacity of humankind to learn and grow in ways that allow us to create a better world" 88);
The Hero saves the day and brings triumph for all ("The hero wants to make the world a better place" 106);
The Outlaw refuses to conform ("Finding their identity outside the current social structure, such outlaws are faithful to deeper, truer values than the prevailing ones. Such outlaws are romantic figures ready to disrupt society that has succumbed to tyranny, repression, conformity, or cynicism" 123);
The Magician uses 'magical' powers to influence others or to transform their surroundings to their advantage ("Most basic to the magician is the desire to search out the fundamental laws of how things work and to apply these principles to getting things done" 140);
The Regular Guy/Gal (Everyman/woman) has no outstanding noticeable characteristics; s/he blends in and is 'normal' like everyone else ("The regular guy/gal demonstrates the virtues of simply being an ordinary person just like others" 165);
The Lover is one who uses beauty to attract others ("The lover archetype governs all sorts of human love, from parental love to friendship to spiritual love, but it is most important to romantic love" 178);
The Jester (Trickster) is one who is cunning, mischievous, and playful ("The jester archetype includes the clown, the trickster, and anyone at all who loves to play or cut up" 196);
The Caregiver is one who tends to others who may not be able to care for themselves ("Throughout time, symbols of caregiving expressed mostly as a powerful maternal figure have been alternatively sentimentalized and demonized" 209);
The Creator is an inventor or someone or something that embodies a higher power of creation ("The creator is not about fitting in but about self-expression" 227);
The Ruler embodies power and control ("The ruler knows that the best thing to do to avoid chaos is to take control" 244).
For this post, analyze one print advertisement, and explain how it uses one or more of these archetypal figures.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Post for Feb 28
Hello All,
I hope you're enjoying The Hero and the Outlaw; unlike Eliade's original theories in The Myth of the Eternal Return, Mark and Pearson have written this text to have direct application to the real (a.k.a., capitalist) world.
For this post, read pages 1-48, and choose one quote you find interesting or insightful. Post the quote (with the page number), and give a brief explanation as to why you chose this specific quote.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
I hope you're enjoying The Hero and the Outlaw; unlike Eliade's original theories in The Myth of the Eternal Return, Mark and Pearson have written this text to have direct application to the real (a.k.a., capitalist) world.
For this post, read pages 1-48, and choose one quote you find interesting or insightful. Post the quote (with the page number), and give a brief explanation as to why you chose this specific quote.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
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