Category: Consciousness

Religion is one of the emerging issues in the modern era and forms the backbone of most literary works. Religion as a theme is seen to influence the operation of those who believe in it. It forms the functional framework that predetermines ones actions and behavior. Philosophers have pondered the meaning of consciousness for a very long time. Consciousness includes all the mental sensations that are roaming through one’s mind at a given time; ideas, emotions and perceptions. It is the perception that passes in a person’s mind.

It is being aware of who you are (John Locke). Religion encompasses any belief in something or someone. Religion is what determines the habit of someone. It also has a direct influence on the thoughts of a person. There is a strong relationship between religion and conscience. These two are almost intertwined. They are complementary to each other with religion having a direct influence on one’s conscience. James Joyce’s Dubliner is a vivid collection that depicts conflicts that exist between the modern era and the early times of the 20^th century in terms of beliefs and cultural practices (Parrinder 27). Joyce advances the significance of Dubliners by providing readers with insights into the current transformed world (Parrinder 29).

According to Joyce, the current era is the type that compels people to know more about the world they live in and fully understand the potential that it possesses (Ellmann 127). The writer uses life in Dublin to forward his goal by indirectly criticizing its beliefs and exposing certain failures in their fundamental beliefs hence implying that not all beliefs are good. Beliefs can change one’s life either to the negative or to the positive depending on the circumstances. In the story of Dubliner, Joyce depicts Dublin to be a city where religious oppression is at optimum and intolerable to the citizens (Foster 36).

In his first story, ‘the sisters’, Joyce uses Dublin as a country whose citizens have a strong belief in religion that they have become slaves to it (Foster 35). In this story we are told of father Flynn who was always unhappy and usually looked disappointed. The answer to his disappointment is attributed to the time when he accidentally broke his chalice. Having been a father, he felt guilty of himself and he had to go to the church and hide himself in darkness just because he felt he had sinned against God. It is his strong belief in religion that directly dictates his conscience which then has a direct influence on his attitude towards life.

Also, in the same story, most characters seem to be deeply rooted in religion just from the way they express themselves. The phrase ‘may God have mercy upon him’ has been repeatedly said by a number of characters when referring to the late father Flynn. They all think that every word they utter is offensive to God in a way. The narrator in this story seems to be greatly affected by what he hears especially from his seniors. At some point in the story, he had a dream that was a result of over-meditating over certain things that were told to him by Cotter. The narrator seems to be greatly affected his emotions.

This is very evident when he accompanies his aunt to the late father Flynn’s home. As they pray over the dead corpse, the narrator seems troubled and tries to imagine that the corpse was smiling at him. As Mr. Cotter discusses with the narrator’s parents, he comments in a statement on the narrator’s relationship with the priest. He says that it is not good for such a young boy to relate with an elderly priest. He knew very well that father Flynn was a religious stereotype and it would be unfair if such beliefs were inculcated into the innocent mind of the young boy. I strongly believe that Mr. Cotter had seen how much the narrator’s conscience had been affected.

As the narrator contemplates over the priest’s demise, he finds himself thinking about his own death. It is as if there was some inner force that was governing the narrator’s mind because whenever he thought of anything, something just came in and sort of redirected his thinking. He was always filled with a feeling of guilt. Having been closer to someone whose belief was deeply rooted in the catholic religion, nothing else could be expected from the narrator other than the beliefs of the late father Lynn. It is something that the narrator cannot avoid since it comes automatically.

Now that the narrator had been exposed to strong beliefs at a relatively tender age, the effect on his mind was so significant that everyone could see it from his behavior. In this story, religion is vividly brought out as a major theme and it seems to have a stronger influence on how the people of Dublin carry out their activities. Generally, the writer wants to show how people are tied up by whatever they believe in and as a result how these beliefs affect their consciousness (Parrinder 21).

In the second story, the encounter, the theme of religion still has a stronger influence on the characters’ personal lives. As the narrator and his friend Mahony go out for an adventure, they meet an old man who, from the description, looks experienced just like the former late father Lynn who had a strong influence over the narrator’s consciousness. Their conversation instills a lot of fear in the young boys and makes them suspicious of the old man. The old man seems to impute some kind of belief in the young boys since at their age they seem innocent and tend to believe everything they hear especially from mature people like the old man.

It is this feeling of guilt that makes the narrator to devise way of evading from the old chap. The old man’s advice seemed to revive what father Flynn had told him initially. In the two, the sisters and the encounter, there is a great resemblance such that in the two cases the elderly men are conversing with the young innocent and gullible children in a convincing way. The description Joyce gives to the old man as being shabbily dressed only depicts that the man had a lot of wisdom and experience as far as life was concerned. The appearance of the old man alone invokes a feeling of insecurity in the minds of the young children as the narrator remembers of the experience he had with the late father Flynn during his days.

It is as if the narrator was not ready for such an experience again and that is why he tried as much as he could to run away from the old man. From his advice to the young boys, the old man was trying to impart his funny ideologies in to the innocent young children just like father Flynn had done before. It is because of what they believed in that was strongly influencing what came out of their mouth. Religion has a significant effect on the believers mind and even goes ahead to dictate the kind of life they live. The old man in the second story seems to be living a disappointed life just like father Flynn.

This is what worries Mr. Cotter because children tend to believe in what they see and are told and it becomes very hard to change them thereafter; they become incorrigible and stereotypic. The old man explains to the children of how much he loved what he believed in and says that it is the very best thing in the world that he would ever love. His belief which forms his religion had become part and parcel of him and influenced everything he did. He was too conservative and he could only influence others but not the vice versa. In the two stories, fear is seen to take center stage in the spread of religion and this interrupts with the conscience of people.

This is how father Flynn managed to influence the life of the narrator. The old man in the story ‘the encounter’ and the old priest in the first story ‘the sisters’ misused their societal position of giving good counsel to the young children but instead capitalized on such opportunities to spread negative influence into the minds of the children. They use enticing words in capturing the attention of the children. At the beginning of the story, the old man seems to be advising the young boys in the right direction but after winning their attention, he diverts and starts convincing them that talking to the girls was a bad thing and unacceptable (Segall 140).

Still in the same story, the encounter, Joe Dillon’s behaviour appeared at some point to be weird even as they played their childhood games. It later dawned on them that he had a calling to be a priest and he justified his behaviour. It is what he believed in that made him be different from the other children. In this story religion tends to have a stronger influence on the children (Sherry 71).

At school, they were only allowed to read the roman history and it was an offense reading other materials especially from the west. It is because of what the priests believed in that made them regard other literature other than the roman history as useless and commercial. Leo Dillon receives a stern warning when it is discovered that he was having a small book on the Wild West of which father Butler refers to as being rubbish.

The narrator also states that the open rebuke by father Butler stimulated some fear in him but at times when he was away from college, such feelings would still come and he would start developing an interest in what father Butler had warned them not to read. Dillon’s parents are also seen to be too religious and they used to go to church every evening for fellowship. Father Butler’s words seemed to instill a lot of fear in Leo Dillon’s life because he even never turned up for the adventure as they had planned but chose to go to school instead.

On their adventure as they walked along North strand road, some two boys started throwing stones at them since they thought that the narrator and his friend were Protestants. This clearly shows that this society was strongly catholic and no other religion was allowed. It is also surprising that such an early age, the two young boys who were throwing stones at the narrator and his friend had already been influenced and knew that protestants were not allowed in that community. They fought for what they believed in and could not allow anyone to change them (Parrinder 101).

In the story ‘Araby’, the narrator’s aunt was too religious and this is evident when she tells the narrator that he would have to cancel his visit to the bazaar that ‘night of the lord’. She alluded everything to God meaning that she had deep faith in the catholic religion till it was openly displayed without her notice. In another story ‘Eveline’, Joyce furthers the theme of religious oppression especially against women. This is a society that is built on catholic principles and everyone seems to abide by them. Ladies are ill treated as we see the way Eveline is treated by her father especially after her mother’s death. She says that her father never at any time went to pick her like he did for her brothers just because she was a girl and they were boys.

It is as a result of his strong belief in the catholic religion that did not acknowledge ladies as equivalent counterparts to men and deserved as much respect as the other members of the society. We are told that her father never used to provide for her pocket money. She had been isolated from the entire family. Her mother’s demise leaves her with a lot of responsibilities. Since then, she had to work so hard so as to take care of herself and the whole family. It is this kind of oppression that compels her to contemplate eloping with Frank. Even as she thinks over their elopement, there is still a feeling that makes her believe that she was better where she was and hence could not risk moving out with a stranger.

She rather prefers remaining behind and takes care of her siblings. After all the preparations for her elopement had been finalized, she still refuses to go and it is as if her mother’s last words tend to convict her mind. She is actually torn in between eloping and remaining behind and keep things in order just as she had promised her mother. In my opinion, she was used to being oppressed by her father and could not think otherwise. Since religion allowed it, she believed it was normal and that is why she really hesitated eloping and finally decided to remain in her oppression (Sultan 213).

She had been made to think that all men were oppressors’ and that is why she refuses to elope with frank due to the fear that he might also treat her the way her father was treating her. The narrator says that sometimes her father helped her just in honor of her late mother. This ends up oppressing the girl who then develops an inferiority complex and sees herself as an outcast. She submits to the circumstances and believes it in her conscience and that is why it becomes too hard for Frank to convince her that he would take good care of her (Sultan 119).

In the next story ‘the boarding house’, Joyce creates a cultural and religious conflict. The concept of divorce is highlighted when Mrs. Mooney divorces and separates with her husband. After Mr. Doran had fallen in love with Polly, Mrs. Mooney’s daughter, it is discovered and the priest is summoned. Doran was a committed member of the Catholic Church and had a strong belief in their doctrine. He says that he had lived an upright life for most part of his life except after he fell in love with Polly. He was described as quiet cool man who had respect for both himself and others. The priest instills a lot of fear in Doran and even magnifies his case to appear a great sin.

Being a strong believer in the catholic doctrine, Doran’s conscience is greatly disturbed and he seems to spend much of his time thereafter just thinking about his mistake. He is judged by what he believed in and this makes him feel guiltier of what he had done. Doran is forced by the circumstances to go against his will and accept to marry Polly. He had his own reasons of not marrying Polly but because the priest had imputed a lot of fear in him, he had to conform to what he had been told. He had been made to appear like the prodigal son who had been given another chance to live. From this story, it is very clear that religion has a significant influence over one’s decisions since it creates an unknown fear in those who believe in it and that is how it gains control over their conscience (Hart 79).

In the story ‘A little cloud’, we meet Chandler who seem to be dissatisfied with the life he was living. Initially, he had no feelings of regret and was happy with his family but all this changed to the opposite after meeting his old friend, Gallaher, who changes his attitude towards his family and the kind of life he was living. Mr. Chandler seemed to be a catholic believer and this was evident when he made a catholic sign on hearing of the immorality in the cities that Gallagher had visited. Mr. Gallaher’s ideas seemed to conflict with what Chandler believed in and that is why Chandler was greatly disturbed in his conscience after their conversation. He was struggling with conflicting values in his mind (Foster 36).

In the story, ‘clay’ the writer presents to us some religious conflicts. Maria confesses that she used to hate Protestants. In this city, catholic had taken root in almost everyone’s mind and anyone who seemed to embrace another religion was treated with a lot of contempt. Maria had a calling of being a nun and that is why she was never married in the first place. When she visited Joe’s family, children were playing games of which they also involved Maria.

Mrs. Donnelly seems uneasy and quickly instructs the child who was having a ring to throw it away. This is because she knew that Maria was a nun and would feel offended by anything that would mean contrary to her faith. She had a belief in singlehood and everyone knew it. Also, Joe seems to be a staunch believer in his doctrine. This is exposed when he openly swears that God would punish him if he talked to his brother Alphy. It is his religious belief that makes him swear to God unknowingly since religion has a direct influence on someone’s mind (Ellmann 129).

Joyce brings in yet another theme of religious transformation in the story ‘Grace’ where a drunkard man is helped by his friends to change from his evil life. They believed that the only way to change their friend’s habit is by making him believe in a religion that would direct his conscience to the positive. This means that religion influences ones character. Even though Mr. Kernan disliked candles, still they adjust circumstances to suit his demands with a view that by the end of the exercise he would be a changed person. It is what someone believes in that shapes his habit.

As discussed earlier, religion always has the effect of creating an unknown fear in those who believe in it and hence make them live according to their doctrine. In this story also, there are religious conflicts between Protestants and Catholics. Catholics believe that Protestants cannot be money lenders because of what they believe in and no one can convince them otherwise. They actually hate Protestants just because they have been made to believe it (Connolly 78).

In almost all his stories, Joyce clearly illustrates how modernity has changed religion and also exposes the conflicts modernity has brought as far as religion is concerned. The other short stories that talk of modernity include; After the race, two Gallants, Counterparts, A painful case, Ivy day in the Committee Room, Grace and The Dead. Dublin is depicted as city that was embedded in catholic as their main religion. The writer shows how religion has been a stronger towards change as most religious stereotypes would stick to their norms however oppressive they are. This belief has stuck in their minds till it has become their lifestyle. They do not accept anything contrary to their beliefs however good it may be (Backus 34).

In conclusion, Joyce’s view on religion and how it influences ones conscience is that it confounds and distorts. From most of his works, religion is seen to have destabilized individuals and destroyed the foundational base of the society. It is actually the responsibility of the society to preserve the good morals and prevent at all costs individualism. However, contrary to this, religion tends to promote individual conscience hence eliminating the entire concept of society. Furthermore, Joyce compares religion in the modern era and the ancient times.

He vividly exposes the wrangles between different religious groups and how modernity has changed religious practices. Religion therefore is seen to possess some force that governs and dictates one’s life either to the positive or to the negative. It is like a framework that guides and controls the life and character of those who believe on them. In my own opinion therefore, I see religion as a tool that can be used to change lives positively if done with the right motive. I believe that even though religion has had an adverse effect especially on people’s culture, it is still an important domain in the society and plays a significant role in shaping the society.

Works cited

Backus, Margot. Modern Ireland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Print.

Connolly, Thomas. Joyce’s Portrait Criticism and Critiques. New York: Appleton- Century-Crofts, 1962. Print.

Ellmann, Richard. James Joyce. New York: Oxford UP, 1965. Print.

Foster, James. The Gothic Family Romance. New York: Dover Publications, 2004. Print.

Hart, Clive. James Joyce’s Dubliners Critical Essays. London: Faber & Faber, 1969. Print.

Joyce, James. Dubliners. New York: Dover Publications, 1991. Print.

Joyce, James. Dubliners. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print.

Joyce, James. Epiphanies. Buffalo: Lockwood Memorial Library, 1956. Print.

Parrinder, Patrick. “Dubliners.” Modern Critical Views James Joyce. Ed. Harold Bloom.

New York, New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Print.

Segall, Jeffrey. Joyce in America: cultural politics and the trials of Ulysses. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993. Print.

Sherry, Vincent. James Joyce: Ulysses. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Print.

Sultan, Stanley. “Dublin Boy and Man in ‘The Dubliners’.” Joyce and the City the Significance of Place. Ed. Michael Begnal. Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press, 2002. Print.

The age of postmodernism has brought many privileges with it. Most of the things done around the world could not be done a century ago. This can be attributed to widespread computerization, civilization and modernization. However, this age is also characterized by many hindrances to the human race. In this age, people no longer make independent decisions. They have allowed others to do the thinking for them. This is what has ruined the social imagination of many.

In his book Taking it big: Developing sociological consciousness in postmodern times, Steven Dandaneau identifies the aspect of social imagination as the only way to prevent humans from being controlled by their surroundings. By using the term “Taking it big,” Dandaneau simply refers to the act of thinking in a broad manner without being under any influence.

This is a term that he repeatedly uses throughout the entire book to urge all right-minded individuals to break away from the negligence that has engulfed today’s postmodern world.

The author further perceives today’s world as one whose inhabitants have lost total control over their lives. Instead of relying on their own judgments, they let other influential people, and the media to decide the course of their actions. Dandaneau appears pessimistic in his perception of the current world. This is because he hardly makes any sense out of it. In fact, Dandaneau compares the life of today’s humans to that of fish, which are unaware of the happenings in the water around them.

Dandaneau believes that the development of sociological imagination in human beings is the only way to save humanity. This is attributed to the fact that it enables one to look at the world from a reasonable point of view. With this type of imagination, Dandaneau guarantees that every person will be in a position to acquire the necessary knowledge and put it into practice.

He purports that this particular imagination empowers everybody to act and think in a free manner by enabling them to acquire the myriad dimensions of cultural and social experience (Dandaneau, 2000).

Dandaneau further believes that social imagination is bound to bring a revolution to the whole universe upon its inception. It will do this by enlightening the people about what life actually has in store for them. Dandaneau believes that if all youths in the world were to be introduced to the concept of social imagination, then they can transform the world.

According to the author, Dandaneau is justified to view the current world the way he does. The writer fully concurs with him that the postmodern world has taken a delusional way of life that has ruined the intellectual capacity of many. It is apparent that today’s society hardly makes any significant society without the consideration of what other influential people or groups have to say about it. This has comprised the autonomy and freedom of choice of many.

From the foregoing discussion, it is justifiably right to argue that Dandaneau’s book exhaustively explores the elusive culture of today’s society. In addition to that, Dandaneau posits that social imagination is the only remedy to get the world out of this deep slumber. Dandaneau presents his concepts and ideas in a captivating manner which heralds that imagination. Finally, the writer of this essay fully agrees with Dandaneau that today’s world lies in tatters as far as its thinking capacity is concerned.

Reference List

Dandaneau, S. (2000). Taking it Big: Developing sociological consciousness in postmodern times. California: Pine Forge Press.

Background Information

Stream of consciousness is a linguistic premise, which accentuates individualistic thoughts and ideas that traverse the subconscious mind. It brings such thoughts to the fore in a discreet and subtle manner with a view to create stylistic and narrative impressions (Steinberg 21). Stream of consciousness seeks to recognize the vital role of innate thoughts and ideas with regard to actualization of literary narratives.

It offers opportunity for playwrights to highlight internal deliberations that characterize human action as articulated in various works of literature and art (Steinberg 21). The concept dates back to 19^th Century when philosopher William James referred to it in his works. In literary considerations, stream of consciousness embodies an array of stylistic avenues that espouse individual thoughts and deliberations in textual contexts (Steinberg 22).

In order to guarantee accurate representation of thoughts and ideas, playwrights use complementary stylistic devices such as monologue, dramatization, and soliloquy. Such devices involve recurrent application of third person to present accurate foray into internal thought processes (Steinberg 23).

Stream of consciousness takes a definite course that often relates to reflection of thoughts and ideas that characterize a character’s subconscious mind. In light of this reality, literary authors use of this device to strengthen general plot and theme in their work of art. In most cases, this literary device impresses on fiction and its application in supporting artistic ventures in contemporary society (Steinberg 25).

Devoid of such literary undertakings, it would be difficult for writers to offer accurate representation of ideas and thoughts that are usually invisible and incomprehensible. In most areas of interest, there is interchangeable definition in reference to stream of consciousness and internal monologue (Steinberg 27). On the contrary, there is definite distinction, both in literal and inferred application.

The relationship between stream of consciousness and internal monologue lies in their complementary roles as literary supportive mechanisms. In most cases, internal monologue creates literary transition for thought processes that ultimately manifest through stream of consciousness (Steinberg 32).

Use of Stream of Consciousness in Eliot’s Work

T.S Eliot was a dedicated, creative, and inspirational literary icon whose work continues to influence human thoughts and actions in contemporary social contexts. He is renowned for his accuracy and precision with regard to general presentation of ideas that are complex to decipher under normal circumstances (Abrams 43).

His prowess in literary undertakings gave him an opportunity to focus on pertinent thematic areas of engagement in society. Eliot’s literary career was long and decorated in many ways (Abrams 43). He garnered numerous awards in recognition of his efforts towards promoting literature.

For purposes of holistic coverage and presentation, this research paper shall focus on one of his famed works titled The Waste Land, a poem that offers ideas and thoughts regarding human action in society (Abrams 43). Despite its complex orientation, this literary gem creates inherent need for action towards exploring core ideas espoused in its main theme.

Evidently, it is impossible to have conclusive analysis of this work of art because it covers numerous areas of literary interest. Eliot uses an array of stylistic devices that play an important role in delivery of messages and thoughts (Abrams 46). Among these devices, stream of consciousness stands out as a recurrent feature in his literary works.

The playwright derives a spiritual angle with regard to human search for knowledge and understanding on issues that characterize existence in social contexts. He further uses stream of consciousness as a device to reconnect medieval and modernistic views on the role of innate thoughts in development of works of literature (Abrams 46).

As earlier mentioned, inner thoughts and ideas, reflect through characterization and dramatization. In absence of these aspects, it would be difficult for writers to relay and propagate thematic areas of interest in literature. Stream of consciousness is a core feature in works of Eliot, especially those that materialized during his early days as a dramatist, author, and poet (Abrams 48).

His work portends recurrent application of narrative and stylistic devices that often add spice to delivery of pertinent ideas. Its ambience promotes realization of inner qualities that augment overall orientation to central and thematic aspects of literary presentation (Abrams 49).

As earlier mentioned, stream of consciousness is an integral component in literary undertakings. It presents valid opportunities for interrogation and holistic introspection with regard to how audiences view artwork in various contexts. Eliot applies this stylistic device in a seasoned manner that gives credence to his literary foray (Abrams 53).

He exudes confidence and accuracy in defining thresholds that often bridge the gap between inner thoughts and inherent perceptions in social contexts. His understanding and application of style connects reality with fiction, thereby enhancing delivery of thoughts and ideas. Eliot’s literary and artistic demeanour speaks for itself in terms of style, diction, and tone.

He offers a rare chance for readers to savour artistic satisfaction and glory that emanates from superior and well-organized works of art. The textual relevance of his literature manifests through superior fusion of historical and religious themes. His direct reference to inner thoughts is commendable and at par with parametrical thresholds of literary presentation (Abrams 58).

Direct reference to inner thoughts and ideas also creates a serene environment for people to identify and decipher major themes in his literature. Evidently, Eliot is a master of literary devices that often spice and arouse desire for more among his audience (Abrams 63).

Use of Stream of Consciousness in Virginia Woolf’s Work

Virginia Woolf’s literary work continues to influence thought and opinion in contemporary society. Her approach to pertinent issues is commendable and monumental because she stimulates ideas through recurrent application of stylistic devices that are germane to delivery and actualization of literary thoughts (Abrams 76).

Devoid of such style and application, it would be difficult for the audience to understand her approach to complexities that characterize human existence in social contexts. For instance, use of stream of consciousness is prominent in her works of literature. Mrs Dalloway is an example of Woolf’s literary gems that accentuate the relevance and application of this stylistic premise (Abrams 76).

She brilliantly espouses inner thoughts and ideas in a manner that portends unprecedented foray into uncharted literary spheres. She understands how such style and orientation endears her to audiences that often have difficulty relating to complex aspects of literature. The interplay between tone and style is vital in development of literary plot and other facets that validate complex thought processes (Abrams 77).

It also enhances connection between ideas and efforts that validate overall meaning in works of literature. Woolf understands how stream of consciousness ignites interest and participation among the audience with regard to ascription of meaning and synchronization of ideas.

Woolf uses stream of consciousness as a bridge between fiction and realities that arise from human action and reaction to various issues in social contexts (Abrams 82). Her foray into literary style is commendable because it gives meaning to narratives that would otherwise hold little or none of it. Her literary style underscores relevance of art in demystifying complex issues and situations that manifest in society (Abrams 85).

It is important to note that stream of consciousness is a major contributor to excellent delivery of thoughts and ideas in literature. Its relevance in modern realms of literature continues to spur heated discourse among playwrights, critics, and enthusiasts of literary work (Abrams 86).

Stream of Consciousness and its Reflection in Early Twentieth Century

Although most observers attribute prevalent use of stream of consciousness to initial years of the 20^th Century, there is evidence with regard to its existence prior to this period. Several works of art conceived before this period bear affirmation to this assertion (Cohn 12). For instance, Laurence Stern applied stream of consciousness in Tristram Shandy, which materialized in the 18^th Century.

Another example is The Tell-Tale-Heart, an anthology authored by Edgar Allan Poe in the 19^th century. Despite prior application of this stylistic premise, it is important to note that most of its development and application occurred in the 20^th Century (Cohn 12). Marcel Proust is among authors acclaimed for playing a major role in development and propagation of this stylistic premise in the 20^th Century.

However, critics argue that most developers of this style preoccupied with superficial application that did not delve into its subject matter (Cohn 16). Their main concern was communication and passage of ideas without much interest on its development and preservation. They sought to demystify complex thought processes that were vital with regard to human existence in society.

Works Cited

Abrams, Meyer, ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. London: W. W. Norton & Company, 1993. Print.

Cohn, Dorrit. Transparent Minds: Narrative Modes for Presenting Consciousness in Fiction. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005. Print.

Steinberg, Erwin. The Stream of Consciousness Technique in the Modern Novel. Michigan: University of Michigan Press, 2001. Print.

Introduction

The poem of T.S. Eliot The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is picaresque due to the way it sounds and provides lines of changes appeared to the main character in the poem. The plot of the poem concerns the story of a man reasoning on his life and its peculiarities at the moment and supposed changes in the future. One should be able to designate the stream-of-consciousness technique by T. S. Eliot. This method is relevant to Modernism and the philosophy of Henry Bergson. Thus, the puppet film on this poem is possible to make up due to the vortex of different changes that a narrator experiences in his “love story.”

Main body

It is a peculiarity of genre that this poem comprises lots of events that are going around one person only. In this respect it is better to pay attention to the main characters of the would-be puppet film. The characters are as follows:

• J. Alfred Prufrock – He tries to understand his willingness to find out love when meeting a woman to please his expectations. He provides personal reasoning on this problem going far beyond triviality of the love issue.
• A woman – This character is supposed to be imaginary in most cases. She is allegedly flying in the dreams of the main character constantly talking of Michelangelo. This woman is desired by J. Alfred Prufrock. Hence, she constantly present in his imagination.
• Footman – he gives a coat to the main character in his imaginary wanderings down the street. It has an outlook of an old and respectful man in his field of activities.
• Crowd – These multiple characters are supposed to direct a sad man to what he is seeking for.
• Mermaids – These creatures are thought of pleasing the look of a sad man on the reality. They are signing satisfying inner world of J. Alfred Prufrock.

Once the main characters are done, it is about time to think of the decorations. It is a matter of the way the poem narrates. Thus, the narrative presupposes the essence of the street, first of all. In this respect one should prepare decorations in the form of several buildings, street lamps, and, perhaps, shades of other persons walking the street. The second is considered with the decorations for different weather on the street. It means that the fog and the dusk should be represented, as imitated drawn pictures. To lay more emphasis on the live performance of what is happening in the episode as for fog, it is better to provide decorations in motion. In the bellow mentioned episode they need to show different movements:

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes (Eliot 1)

The final major part of decorations represented in this puppet film should touch upon the sea. In this case representation of waves is at a focus. They also need to be in motion. It especially suitable for the following occasion, namely:

We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown (Eliot 1).

One more important and symbolic decoration is the window. J. Alfred Prufrock is constantly looking through the window. He wants to expand the reality of his love and life by what he sees outside. Thereupon, a director of the film should make this decoration as enormous window that might pay special attention of viewers to its symbolic coloring. The latter means the way to see the truth of life and its changeability or constant character supposed with people.

The next step is to define the way in which the whole performance should take place. As might be seen, there are several transformations of the main character who tries different images as related to him. In this respect the first image is supposed to look like an ordinary man, one of the single visitors of cafes. The next image which makes change is considered with prophet. Supposedly, it is better to use here well-known and recognizable image of Jesus Christ. It would make the audience follow the way of narrative in the poem. One more image is the image of Prince Hamlet. There should be medieval clothing on this image along with long hair, perhaps. Everything concerning the latter one should comprise peculiarities of Shakespearian epoch.

Conclusion

Finishing strokes touch upon the connectedness of the whole performance. In fact, while looking through the text of the poem, everything becomes clear. J. Alfred Prufrock is getting through the night surrounded by the thoughts related to time, destination, and use of him. He meets a woman but he just hears her voice talking of Michelangelo. The crowd is asking some rhetoric questions (their mouths should keep moving). A footman sneezes and gives a cloak. Finally, mermaids provide divine singing that makes the main character think of better times to come. All in all, after the performance is done, all puppets should come in front of the improvised stage and bow.

Works cited

Eliot, T. S. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (1917). Web.

Introduction

Literature is one of the art forms that human beings have created to express the objective reality and the emotions and feelings people experience due to or because of the latter. The feeling of patriotism is one of the feelings that people experience and reflect in their literary works. Another one is the feeling of ecological awareness in respect of one’s motherland. Australian literature is characterized by the numerous works dedicated to the topics of patriotism and ecological awareness. The works by such authors as Kiernan (1980) and Rose (2001) are brilliant examples of the research done in this direction of the Australian literature, and this paper will present the analysis of the main points of their works, Sydney or the Bush. Some Literary Images and Connecting with Ecological Futures respectively, to see how patriotism and ecological awareness are highlighted in the Australian literature.

Sydney or the Bush. Some Literary Images

Synopsis

The first reading under analysis is the article by Kiernan (1980) titled Sydney or the Bush. Some Literary Images and first published in the book Twentieth Century Sydney: Studies in Urban and Social History edited by Roe (1980). The major topic of this work is the ecological awareness of the Australian writers and poets as expressed in the paradoxical relations between the fast and comprehensive urbanization of Australia in the late 19^th century and the substantial attention that the Australian authors of the period paid to the consideration of rural scenes in their works:

It has frequently been observed, as something paradoxical, that although Australia from the 1890s was one of the most highly urbanized countries, its literature appeared to be preoccupied with the countryside. This ‘paradox’ was noted by contemporaries as well as by later commentators (Kiernan, 1980, p. 149).

Thus, being highly urbanized and modernized, Australian people preserved their loyalty to their native land and customs (Kiernan, 1980, p. 153). Literature could not be the only social phenomenon to focus on rural lives, landscapes, etc. The society was hesitating in their choices between the rural ways of living they were adjusted to and the modern urban lives embodied in the symbol of Sydney as the metropolitan area (Kiernan, 1980, p. 151). Thus, the concepts of Sydney and the bush, as contrasted against each other, reflect the nature of the Australian society and literature of the late 19^th century. To exemplify this point, Kiernan (1980) refers to a range of authors and their ideas on the “Sydney or the Bush” dilemma.

Lawson, Blake, Lane, and others are considered in their attitudes towards past rural life of Australia or towards “relocating that past within the city itself” (Kiernan, 1980, p. 149). Although depicting the rural, bush, life as a rather disorganized and uncomfortable phenomenon, these authors agree that it is a better alternative than a structured urban lifestyle, which makes the poor and unemployed feel “dirty and mean and degraded by contrast – and despised” (Lowson (1893) as quoted in Kiernan, 1980, p. 150). What this means is that loyalty to one’s land is more important in the outcome than the material goods and modern conveniences, especially if the latter does not ensure a better life for the people of Australia.

Based on the ideas of the paradoxical relations between the urbanization of life and the rural focus of literature, what can be regarded as the factor that finally shifted the social commitment from bush living to convenient urban life?

Connecting with Ecological Futures

Synopsis

The secondary reading offered for the analysis in this paper is the article compiled by Deborah Bird Rose (2001) for her participation in The National Humanities and Social Sciences Summit. The title of the article, Connecting with Ecological Futures, reflects directly its major topic. Rose (2001) is mainly concerned with the necessary shift in the public mind about the environmental issues of today. The current situation with ecological awareness and environmental protection is referred to as crisis by Rose (2001), and actions are demanded from mankind to overcome it:

The concept of crisis alerts us to the existence of the major changes which are running out of control. Most scholars assert that the driving forces in out of control processes are primarily social and cultural, although environmental processes have their internal dynamics that can turn into runaway systems. Major ecological change, much of it in crisis, is situated across the nature/culture divide. Our academic division between arts and sciences compounds the problems of that divide, inhibiting the work we need to be doing to address the crisis (Rose, 2001, p. 1).

Moreover, as contrasted to the article by Kiernan (1980), culture is viewed as a rather negative phenomenon in its impact upon the nature and environment. The reason for it is the so-called “Enlightenment thinking”, whose essence lies in the concepts of the supremacy of a human being over nature (Rose, 2001, p. 5). Accordingly, culture is viewed by Newton and others as a copy of nature which should be placed above nature itself:

The social and cultural implications of atomism constitute pillars of Enlightenment thinking: the transcendence of reason (mind over matter, culture over nature), the disembedded (and disembodied) subject, and faith in the existence of a site of objectivity which exists beyond historical and cultural contingency (Benhabib (1992) as quoted in Rose, 2001, p. 2).

Therefore, what Rose (2001) sees as the way out of the situation when human beings perceive nature as their resource is the shift of the thinking traditions. The very traditional educational system should be changed to include the so-called “earth science”, which does not separate human beings from the rest of nature but examines them as a single entity (Rose, 2001, p. 3).

Keeping in mind the current ecological crisis and the need for change, what can be the factor to shift the public attitude towards nature and increase the environmental awareness in the Australian people?

Conclusions

To conclude, Australian literature is characterized by numerous works dedicated to the topics of patriotism and ecological awareness. The works by such authors as Kiernan (1980) and Rose (2001) are brilliant examples of the research done in this direction of the Australian literature. While the former author considers culture and the art of literature as environment-friendly phenomena, Rose (2001) is more cautious about such ideas and considers culture as a rival of nature, which should be equaled to nature but not placed above it.

Reference List

Kiernan, B 1980, ‘Sydney or the Bush. Some Literary Images’, in J Roe (ed.), Twentieth Century Sydney: Studies in Urban and Social History, Hale & Iremonger in association with The Sydney History Group, pp. 148 – 165.

Rose, D 2001, ‘Connecting with Ecological Futures’, The National Humanities and Social Sciences Summit, pp. 1 – 14.

“In the flying underbelly of the city. Steaming hot, and summer on top, outside. Underground. The subway heaped in modern myth.” (Jones, 1964, prologue).

The above-provided metaphor represents Le Roi Jones’ view on the setting for the short play called “Dutchman”. This expression is indeed significant as it helps the common view of the play to understand the main concerns of the author, which led him to the writing of it. One should notice that the title of the play itself implies provocative hints and allusions that may appear because of the people’s associations of the title of this particular play with the legend which tells the story of “The Flying Dutchman”. Such author’s trick converts the “Dutchman” story into modern myth, which enables him to draw up and articulate the problem of double consciousness, and resolve this problem in the play.

In order to reveal the issue of the double consciousness in that time society, Le Roi Jones mixes the elements of realism, naturalism and non-realism. The main mediators which help in carrying out the author’s main idea are the play’s key characters Clay, a handsome Negro, who is twenty years old, and Lula, a white woman, who is thirty years old. Nevertheless, other characters of the play are also used by the author in order to recover the phenomenon of double consciousness in society.

The white and the black passengers of the subway train, the young black man and the conductor take a ride in the same train. However, the author of the play triggers viewers’ and readers’ imagination and intelligence by the fact that for those passengers this ride ends with the difference. The audience is instigated by Le Roi Jones to make their own conclusion tracing the course of the plot. This can be regarded as another attempt to reveal the author’s concern for the double consciousness to the viewers and readers of the play.

The double consciousness is also represented with the help of the non-realistic, realistic and naturalistic elements concerning the key theme of the play – racism, representing the own disillusioned style of Jones. The main features of the key characters of the play, which enable the author to share his concern regarding the issue of the double consciousness portrayal, are strongly affected by the theoretical conclusions and disillusionment in the issue under consideration of Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artaud.

With the view to resolve the problem of the double consciousness in the play “Dutchman”, the author addresses his views to the audience through the course of the play. Therefore the viewers and the readers of the play are enabled to draw up the conclusions independently and analyze and evaluate the issue of the double consciousness in accordance with their own moral values, views, and world outlook. This is a really skillful solution to the hard task intended to represent and explain to everybody the problem of the double consciousness, as each person makes his or her own conclusion on the play that he or she has read or seen, therefore, such opinion can not be criticized or considered the wrong or incorrect one.

The factors of realism and naturalism, which correspond to the social changes, involved in the play refer to the advancement of the technologies around the world: airplanes, railroads including subway, automobiles, and of the advancement of the communication devices, such as telephone and the telegraph, radio and television. The author uses the information about those technical and communication devices not by the chance; he considers it significant as the advancement in the speed and the amount of information which might be interchanged between the human beings affects the social aspects of the people’s lives, and thus defines the reasons of the double consciousness. can send. In accordance with the theatre critics’, Cameron Kenneth’s and Gillespie Patti’s opinion the factors of the realism and naturalism, “… arose in part as responses to those new social and philosophical conditions (Cameron and Gillespie, 1996, p. 335).”

One may suggest that striving to reveal and resolve the problem of the double consciousness in accordance with the contemporary social trends, Le Roi Jones follows a realistic style and uses the contemporary place, where, according to the plot of the play, the action takes place, – the subway. The first scene shows the audience a man sitting in a subway, reading a magazine and whistling by against the train’s glass window on the right side. The atmosphere created around him with the help of the darkness, the effects of the dim and flickering light, creates the aesthetic adornments. That is how the author creates the illusion of speed and rules of the social life in which it predominates, serving as a base for the double consciousness, associating these with subway travel.

In order to recover the problem of the double consciousness of contemporary society, Le Roi Jones relays on the main principle of art – he depicts contemporary life and its problems, including the problem under consideration, in realistic settings. I refer to Cameron and Gillespie it appears that: “Jones depicts racism and murder in a modern setting to remind us that racism and racially motivated murders are not issues only relegated to our nation’s past, nor is the issue of institutionalized racism” (Cameron and Gillespie, 1996, p. 304). And indeed, one can firmly state that in the example of racism, the author of the play shows that racism itself is only the tip of the iceberg, but the roots of the problem lay on the problem of the double consciousness in modern society.

The “Dutchman” is also full of the non-realistic elements, which Jones used under the influence of Bertolt Brecht. It might be mentioned that Brecht once wrote: “… to think, or write or produce a play also means to transform society, to transform the state, to subject ideologies to close scrutiny (Goosens, 1997, p. 4).” Therefore, it is seen that being affected by Brecht’s ideas, Jones implemented the revolutionary poetic style in his play which details regards ideologies of race, drawing up the conclusions concerning the social aspects of that ideology and their effect on the problem of the double consciousness.

In order to express the problem under consideration, Jones pays great attention to the circumstances in which the human beings, represented in the frameworks of the play’s characters, are placed. In this context, the murder of Clay can be explained by the social double consciousness and double vision of such socially and historically acceptable issues as segregation and perpetuated institutionalized racism. The play itself is not intended to resolve those issues and, and thus, the problem of the double consciousness in the society, but its plot and scenes should be addressed to the audience and serve as a jolt to provoke it into the idea of reforming social values and believes. Therefore, it is possible to state that this is the way of the double consciousness social problem’s resolution.

Le Roi Jones uses the dialogues between Lula and Clay to draw up the natural fury which follows from those dialogues and reveals the truth about the minds and inter feelings of black America in a sort of ‘nutshell’. The problem of the double consciousness reaches its apogee with the death of Clay, whom Lula violently and wildly kills, and other passengers of the subway train do not condemn her action. Lula tells those riding on the subway: “Get this man off me! … Open the door and throw his body out [she says this about Clay, whom she just killed] … and all of you get off at the next stop” (Jones, 1964, p. 37), and here it is possible to observe the vivid display of the social double consciousness, as this crowd of obeys Lula without any hesitancy or qualms.

After this terrible event, everyone gets off the subway train, acting such a way as if the murder has not just happened in their own eyes. At the end of the play “Dutchman” another black man, who happens to get on that disastrous subway train, sits near Lula. One may suggest that such way the author represents the phenomenon of cyclical pattern, which can not be overcome unless the double consciousness’ problem would be resolved. The play itself is not intended to resolve this problem, but it reveals and articulates the dry facts for the audience, which should be judged and evaluated by it. It may be proposed that the author expected that after such analysis is supposed to be made by the audience, the society would change its attitude to the crucial moral values and beliefs.

Works Cited

Cameron, Kenneth and Gillespie, Patti. Enjoyment of Theatre4th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1996.

Goosens, Shay. Bertolt Brecht: A Theatrical Genius. NY: Double Apple, 1997.

Jones, Le Roi. Dutchman. New York: William and Morrow, 1964.

Mary the Measurable woman

Stream of consciousness is a technique of narrating a short story via giving an impression of exhibiting a lot of concentration. The author maneuvers from one reflection, sensation or observation to another. All these elements are often expressed by the authors in a continuous flow of words.

These words are often used without any conventional transitions. However, the use of this technique has made people to associate it with nonsense. The use of stream of consciousness can make a narration extremely difficult to understand. Besides, it has some sense of flow. In most cases, the story ends with a topic that is not related to the initial one.

Body & background

With a lot of anger written all over her face, Miss Mary, in miniskirt and high heels and carrying a sharp knife, left her house to the nearby restaurant. Men and women of all shapes, sizes, class, filled the room as they danced to the sweet, sexy and lovely music. Then there came my husband’s mistress, looking very lovely. “Hallo madam. How is your husband doing? He is great.” You lucky to have a faithful husband. I envy you dear girlfriend.”

Hello Nancy you also hang out here. I felt lonely and decided to come and have some little fun before I go home. This is very nice place where you get to hook up with many people. You might be lucky and get yourself a perfect husband. “Oh honey how sweet of you.” I feel very desperate to have a faithful husband.” Help me secure one Nancy.” I am tired of feeling lonely. “What about Tony.” Does he not make you happy” Oh Nancy, Tony has mistresses who are sweeter than honey. He never cherishes me like his wife.”

The men and women in the dance hall continue to swing their hips to the rhythm of music. Laughter fills the room and everyone enjoys the dance moves and the music played.

Hey you. Why are you so interested with my husband? Don’t you understand that she has a wife? What is it that? You luck that you cannot have your own man. “Hey Mary come and let’s dance to the music. It is like food to my soul and heart. I have never felt like this before.” I feel rejuvenated. Oh no! don’t want this splendid night to end. Wish it were like this each and every day.

“Woman, stop pocking your nose into my affairs. If you cannot take care of your man, other women will take care of him for you. Just mind your own business and leave me alone. If you do not behave properly in my restaurant, You will get yourself outside. Hope I have made myself clear.”

Conclusion

Nancy, have you ever fallen in love. “I fell once and was betrayed. From then, I have never wished to fall in love again. I love being single. You have to understand that men are polygamous in nature and cannot be tamed like a bird in a cage. Whether he dogs around or not, you have to understand that.”

The music feds and the room is quite. Few people are still murmuring in the restaurant and doors are being closed. Girlfriend let me spend the night at your place. It was really an entertaining night. Hope will be having fun more often to avoid being stressed.

Writing is the act of organizing one’s thoughts on a paper or any other object. It is one of the biggest inventions of humanity dating back thousands of years. It has revolutionized the world in an uncountable number of ways. Since the days the writing was discovered, the man’s way of thinking has changed due to scholars like Plato and Socrates; the new world was beginning to take shape, namely, the world of literacy and knowledge.

Writing came about and altered the way people used to think. First of all, Ong explained that “writing has enabled our thought processes to grow” (79). Although our mind usually grows through oral processes, it is further enriched and broadened by writing. The writing has changed over time from the early writings of Plato to Shakespeare’s works till the modern times allowing us to trace and compare the way writers think and express their views.

According to Plato, writing destroys the memory (Ong 79). The logic consists in the fact that the more one becomes reliant on external sources, the more he or she becomes forgetful and undermines his or her internal resource which is the mind.

According to Ong ‘writing weakens the mind’ (79) and Hieronimo Squarcifaco also argued that ‘abundance of books makes men less studious’ (Ong 80) meaning that books enfeeble the mind. Ong further counterargues that books create a field where everyone can become wiser (80). Ong further explains that intelligence is reflexive in that fact that it can internalize the external tools that it uses (81).

The first known scripts were discovered dating back to 3500 B.C, and it was suggested that the writing on it was a record kept by Sumerians at the time. This shows that the Sumerians saw it important to keep records and transform their memory into writing to preserve the necessary information. This, in turn, has helped our generation to learn more about Sumerian culture hence broadening our minds.

According to Ong, writing was seen as an instrument of secret and magical powers in the early days (Goody 236) because of the permanence it had on the paper it was written, and the fact that it was perceived as magical amulets (Ong 93). Illiterate societies thought that writing was dangerous and that powerful intermediaries were required to decipher the information on the written texts.

Written texts like orders and receipts were viewed by the illiterates as magical pieces of writings that brought ships from the sea to their lands. Ong explained that it was only during Plato’s time that the Greek were able to get access to writings and internalized them to affect their thought processes (94).

The hopes and fears that surrounded writing are similar to those that surround modern technology today. The hope was that writing would revolutionize the world to form a new world with literate people; the fear was like that of Plato and Hieronimo Squarciafico’s that writing would weaken the mind.

So far, writing has indeed formed a new world and has strengthened the mind of most people contrary to the views of Plato and Hieronimo Squarciafico. On the other hand, writing has brought about the emergence of computers and the internet which others may argue has diminished the value of hard work in the society because everything nowadays seems to be only one click away.

Works Cited

Ong Walter J.”Writing restructures Consciousness.” Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word.Ed .Taylor and Francis Group. London and New York: Routledge, 2002. 76- 116. Print.

Introduction

One of the most distinctive traits of many literary masterpieces, published throughout the course of the early 20^th century, is that these literary works’ semantic content often reflects what used to be the era’s predominant socio-philosophical discourse. In its turn, this discourse was largely concerned with the fact that, due to the rise of psychology as a legitimate science, more and more people were beginning to realize that it is specifically their deep-seated unconscious anxieties, which define the essence of their rational choices (Kessen and Cahan 640). This explains why it was through the earlier mentioned historical period that the literary technique of ‘stream of consciousness’ attained a strong popularity with intellectually advanced writers – by exposing readers to the flow of seemingly random semi-conscious thoughts, on the part of the featured characters, writers were able to make the plot-developments thoroughly plausible.

According to Sang, stream of consciousness is “composed of the continual activity of the characters’ consciousness and shower of impressions” (173). Stream of consciousness is associated with direct and indirect interior monologue. Direct interior monologue includes the character’s unuttered thoughts presented in a way that they are unregulated by the author’s language. The indirect interior monologue consists of the character’s thoughts as presented by the omniscient narrator. Stream of consciousness may also be characterized by a continuous flow of words that violate grammatical order, although this is not always the case.

Abram & Harpham suggest that a stream of consciousness may be used as an alternative to the omniscient perspective. When the story is not being narrated by an all-knowing figure, it gives “the readers the illusion of experiencing events evolving before their own eyes” (274). In this case, the reader can realize the difference between thoughts and actual events.

In this paper, I will discuss how the ‘stream of consciousness’ technique is being deployed in the story The Dead by James Joyce and the novel The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, while pointing out to what appear to be differences and similarities about how both authors went about taking a practical advantage of this particular technique. Specifically, I will accentuate the fact that; whereas, The Dead is narrated from a third-person point of view, The Heart of Darkness is narrated from a first-person point of view. I will also argue that; whereas, in The Heart of Darkness, the narrator’s vivid descriptions of people and places are closely related to his personal views of them, this is not the case in The Dead, as in this story the stream of the narrator’s consciousness is only partially perceptual.

The Dead

The Dead is narrated by an omniscient character – that is, the narrator presents the thoughts of Gabriel in an indirect interior monologue. It differs from The Heart of Darkness’s direct interior monologue. The syntax is presented in correct grammar because it is an indirect interior monologue. Gabriel‘s stream of consciousness after the conversation with Miss Ivors states, “How cool it must be outside! How pleasant it would be to walk alone, first along the river and then through the park! The snow would be lying on the branches of trees and forming a bright cap on top of the Wellington Monument. How much more pleasant it would be there than at the supper table!” (Joyce 8). In this part, the stream of consciousness is used to tap the emotions of the reader about the tour to the western part of Ireland. In reality, the tour is unlikely to take place. The reader is able to capture some images even though the real event did not take place. The stream of consciousness is presented as what would have happened if the real event took place. The author uses exclamation marks to capture the wonder of visiting a new place. It may give the reader the suspense of wanting Gabriel to visit the place as the story progresses. Visiting the Western part of Ireland is used in other conversations. It is the author’s means of capturing the reader’s attention on further discussions about the tour.

Joyce uses stream of consciousness on Gabriel after a conversation with her wife. The conversation resulted in the necessity to bring forth childhood memories. Gretta uses teenage memories of Michael Furey, who died when he was only seventeen years old. This prompted Gabriel to form mental images of himself in the past, “He saw himself as a ludicrous figure, acting as a penny-boy for his aunts, a nervous, well-meaning sentimentalist, orating to vulgarians and idealizing his own clownish lusts, the pitiable fatuous fellow he had caught a glimpse of in the mirror” (Joyce 20). The author is able to intensify the level of sympathy of readers through Gabriel. Chatman discusses that reader has a tendency to “rehearse and comment upon past events” (194). Joyce uses the stream to make the reader reflect upon the moment when Gabriel was wondering what would make a woman listen attentively to distant music. The reader may concur with Gabriel that it was unusual.

The syntax for this part is formed from short statements that are separated with commas. It indicates their perpetual flow. The images are formed in Gabriel’s mind one after another, “He (Gabriel) wondered at his riot of emotions of an hour before. From what had it proceeded? From his aunt’s supper, from his own foolish speech, from the wine and dancing, the merry-making when saying good night in the hall, the pleasure of the walk along the river in the snow” (Joyce 22). In this stream of consciousness, Gabriel is alone and he tries to link his wife’s behavior to a cause. On this part, the character stream of images strays from the motif. Chatman discusses that the style has no “externally motivated organization of the character’s thoughts nor can the narrator make a selection among them” (194). He was linking events (possible causes) to the effect (Gretta’s behavior). When he reaches at the image of Aunt Julia, he shifts from causes to pitying Aunt Julia. It shows that the stream of consciousness is almost unconscious (Sang 176). The stream of consciousness is presented as a fantasy. It captures past events that the reader was unaware of. The narrator captures the moment of their courtship that otherwise would not fit into the context. Gabriel was taken into a reflection that “A heliotrope envelope was lying besides his breakfast-cup and he was caressing it with his hand. Birds twittering in the ivy and the sunny web of the curtain were shimmering along the floor: he could not eat for happiness. They were standing…” (Joyce 17 & 18).

From the statement “he could not eat for happiness”, it indicates the characteristic of an indirect interior monologue where the author tampers with the order of the flow of ideas. The author uses the moment to explain to the reader Gabriel’s behavior after the presentations in the hall. There is a contrast of thoughts. His wife thinks about the skinny boy she had in childhood. On the other hand, Gabriel is thinking about the best moments they had together. The reader may pity either Gabriel or the dead boy.

The Heart of Darkness

In The Death, the utilization of stream of consciousness technique serves primarily the function of emphasizing the plot’s plausibility. The application of the same technique in Conrad’s novel The Heart of Darkness appears to serve the function ensuring the structural validity of the narration.

The author uses stream of consciousness much the same as in The Dead. It is used to capture the wonders of the unknown. Marlow brainstorms that “Imagine him here – the very end of the world, a sea the color of lead, a sky the color of smoke, a kind of ship about as rigid as a concertina – and going up this river with stores, or orders, or what you like. Sand-banks, marshes, forests, savages, – precious little to eat fit for a civilized man…” (Conrad 8).

Conrad’s stream of consciousness technique is used more often than in The Dead. They are short statements separated by commas to indicate a free flow of images. They are presented from the direct interior monologue. In that case, the author has little influence on the outcome and arrangement of words (Sang 173).

Readers have a hard time shifting from descriptions and explanations given by Marlow to his stream of consciousness. The thoughts are derived from his past experience, which he uses to form his expectations of the new places he visits. The following quotation illustrates the statement’s legitimacy, “The broadening waters flowed through a mob of wooded islands; you lost your way on that river as you would in a desert, and butted all day long against shoals, trying to find the channel, till you thought yourself bewitched and cut off for ever from everything you had known once -somewhere – far away – in another existence perhaps…” (Conrad 67). Conrad’s use of stream of consciousness is similar to its use in The Dead where Gabriel gives a description of the western part of Ireland. It generates suspense because the reader develops a longing for the character to visit these places.

Conrad uses the narrator’s stream of consciousness to allow readers to gain knowledge about his past and the kind of person he is. Self-reflecting individuals appear as those who are overwhelmed by their deep-seated irrational fears. As a result of this, their expression of reality is distorted. Marlow expresses his uncertainty about reality by the statement, “The reality – the reality, I tell you – fades. The inner truth is hidden – luckily, luckily” (Conrad 11). From his massive self-reflections, he doubts what he sees from what actually exists.

The reader learns about the character of Kurtz even before they are introduced to him. This is because they have been provided with bits of information about the character from Marlow’s stream of consciousness. The use of the technique here is similar to its use in The Dead. It creates a longing for the reader to meet the character and the narrator to visit the places he describes. Readers become eager to see the narrator in the actual place.

Conrad uses the narrator’s stream of consciousness to tell the readers about his fondness with the sea. From the short stream, Marlow muses, “there it is before you – smiling, frowning, inviting, grand, mean, insipid, or savage, and always mute with an air of whispering, ‘Come and find out’ (Conrad 23). By showing that Marlow interprets what the wind says, the reader can see the character of a seaman. It would be less effective if the author would allow the narrator to describe himself. People rarely see themselves as other people would. The reader can recognize his familiarity with the sea when he interprets the wind.

In the middle part of the novel, Marlow engages in a prolonged stream of consciousness that tends to justify his behavior of reflection and flow of images. The reflection is almost a page long. The Dead uses stream of consciousness technique of shorter lengths.

Marlow starts his flow with a conviction about truth that, “the mind of man is capable of anything – because everything is in it, all the past as well as all the future” (Conrad 73). From this perspective, the author assures the reader that Marlow is not completely irrational. He has reasoning and justification. Marlow thinks that, “… Principles won’t do. Acquisitions, clothes, pretty rags – rags that would fly off at the first good shake. No; you want a deliberate belief. An appeal to me in this fiendish row – is there? Very well; I hear; I admit, but I have a voice, too, and for good or evil mine is the speech that cannot be silenced…” (Conrad 73).

Marlow seems to justify his reasons for someone within himself. Sang discusses the importance of the semicolon in ensuring the continuity of the stream in an ungrammatical order (175). The words are almost repetitive. For example, Marlow thinks, “I hear; I admit, but I have a voice, too” (Conrad 73). ‘I hear, I admit’ are almost related. They are short statements that can be mistaken for childish talk.

The technique using short related statements is also used in the narrators thought about the slaves. Marlow sympathizes that “… They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now – nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation…” (Conrad 31). From this illustration, ‘nothing’ is repeated almost immediately. Enemies and criminals are words that contrast. Following the two statements with “they were nothing earthly now” shows a shift from the motif of criminals or enemies. It is similar to Gabriel’s shift from Gretta’s cause of reflection to pitying Aunt Julia (Joyce 22).

Conclusion

Cahir discusses that the technique uses concepts, symbols and images, which are the center of the character’s contemplation or meditation (53). It is evident in Marlow’s stream of consciousness about natural environment and Gabriel’s obsession with Miss Ivor’s tour suggestions. Conrad uses short phrases more commonly than Joyce. Joyce almost uses complete sentences to form the technique. The technique is recognized through the flow of short phrases separated by commas or semi-colon. Cahir suggests that the stream of consciousness “assembles words through an association of images, ideas, and emotions rather the continuity of a story” (53). In most cases, ideas are initialized by past images or future expectations

Works Cited

Abram, Mabie & Geoffrey Harpham. A Glossary of Terms. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.

Cahir, Linda. Literature into Film: Theory and Practical Approaches. Jefferson: McFarland, 2006. Print.

Chatman, Seymour. Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film. New York: Cornell University Press, 1978. Print.

Conrad, Joseph 1899, Heart of Darkness. Web.

Joyce, James 1914, The Dead. Web.

Sang, Yanxia. “An Analysis of the Stream of Consciousness Technique in To The Lighthouse.” Asian Social Science. 6.9 (2010):173-179. Web.

Kessen, William and Emily Cahan. “A Century of Psychology: From Subject to Object to Agent.” American Scientist 74.6 (1986): 640-649. Print.

It goes without saying that the understanding of the psychological motives of people behavior can help to predict the actions of people and to influence their model of behavior. The knowledge of the people consciousness is crucial for prevention of crimes. The Criminology as a field of study is based upon the principles of the psychological analysis to the large extent.

“Hate crimes can be understood as criminal conduct motivated in whole or in part by a negative opinion or attitude toward a group of persons” (“The Psychology of Hate Crimes”, par. 2).

The hate crime is a violent action which the person makes toward another member of society. It is the action that reveals the absence of the right moral fiber and disregard to the fundamental rights of everyone, including the undeniable right to live and to be secured.

The consciousness of people, violating these basic rights, is, obviously, far from the adherence to the human ethics. “Hate crime is not really about hate, but about bias or prejudice” (Jacobs and Potter n.p.). The results of various studies show that hate crimes are made usually by people lacking the feeling of tolerance to others.

“According to evolutionary psychology, all human behavior, criminal or otherwise, is a product of psychological mechanisms (instantiated in the brain) combined with environmental input that activates them or inhibits their activation” (Buss 91). That is why, in order to examine the level of human consciousness that leads to hate crimes and to find the answer on the question of why people commit them, it is crucial to seek the motives in the environment. Sometimes, the surrounding reality itself facilitates the criminal in the society. On the one hand, stating that the social tension is the primary reason for crimes would be misleading and inadequate conclusion, because, obviously, not all people from problem neighborhood become offenders. On the other hand, the statistical data give us an indication that the number of hate crimes and violent cases as a whole is greater in such communities than in the socially and economically successful districts. That is why, the direct relation of the criminal cases to the influence of the external environment can be observed. However, the ability to withstand the influence of negative environment is the quality which some people possess, thanks to their good breeding, education and the realization of social responsibility, and the others lack making them liable to the social degradation.

Turning back to the interpretation of the hate crimes essence, we can say that the feeling of respect and tolerance should be encouraged in the society in order to prevent them. It is suggested to organize the charity activities in schools and colleges which will attract students to help other members of society and develop their feeling of compassion.

In conclusion, the examination of the level of psychological factors is important for hate crimes prevention. The regulation and control over the number of hate crimes should be accomplished by realization of social programmes aimed at the development, improvement and advancing of education among all social layers as well as propagation of ethical norms and standards.

Works Cited

Buss, David M. “The Evolutionary Psychology of Crime “. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical criminology Commentary Special edition 1.1 (2012): 37-56. Print.

Jacobs, James B. & K. Potter 2008, Hate Crimes. Criminal Law & Identity Politics.

The Psychology of Hate Crimes. PDF file. Web.