Lacan's Belief

The influential French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan would have much to say about the above clip. Fortunately for those concerned with Lacan's interpretation, I have applied his theories to this clip. On the most fundamental Lacanian level, the pilots who survived this terrible crash will never be able to overcome their trauma. Because, according to Lacan's theory on the unconscious, these pilot's unconsciouses will never be able to return to their previous selves. Severe trauma will always permanently negatively affect an individual, that is, according to Lacanian theory.

If Only Hamlet Had A Song...

Lyrics to Mc Lars' "Hey There Ophelia"
The name's Hamlet and I've got a tale
about madness, lust and a female.
Dad's a ghost and he roams the floors,
lurks at night in Elsinore.
Got a pale face just like Kiss paint,
normal you know this ain't.
Something is rotten up in Denmark, a sick mistake.
My uncle Claudius, his alibi is fishy,
suspicions of murder because he's acting hella shifty
Frailty - Thy name is woman, because my mom's on his D
A-N-I-S-H throne, my dad's ghost tells me:
"Swear (swear, swear), to revenge my regicide,
Claudius iced me one night, under my crown he tries to hide.
So Hamlet here's your mission:
Use your antic disposition
make them think you're crazy,
bring justice, fuse the fission."
Meanwhile my girl Ophelia is goth as hell
keeps a razor by her wrist, rocks out to Soft Cell.
This girl's got more issues than Amy Winehouse,
I'm like 'Get thee to a nunnery, I'm not trying to find a spouse...'
and she says:
"Screw that, forget about that,
I don't want to think about anything like that.
Screw that, forget about that,
I don't want to know about anything like that!"

[Chorus]
I've got nothing to do but hang around and get screwed up on you
(Forget it though)
I've got nothing to do but hang around and get screwed up on you
(Just let it go)

I'm an emo prince, non-committal as could be,
you'd be non-committal too if you were flawed like me.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are on my back and I've had it,
I've got these players down from Norway let them practice in the attic.
I'll have them reenact the murder, watch my uncle's expression,
the play's the thing to catch the king and teach him a lesson.
My uncle freaks out at the play
I know he did it just like OJ.
Can't 187 while he prays because Hamlet won't play that way (nope).
Confront my mom throw her down on the bed,
because this Oedipus complex has got me stressed in the head.
Then I killed my girlfriend's Dad, he was spying now he's dead,
I screamed at my Mom while the blood made the carpet turn red.
See kings lose crowns but princes stay intelligent,
R. Kelly has girl problems? This is drama, that's irrelevant.
Ophelia bursts in throwing columbines and daisies.
Singing songs about virginity gone, - she's honest but she's crazy.
And she says:
"Screw that, forget about that,
I don't want to think about anything like that.
Screw that, forget about that,
I don't want to know about anything like that!"

[Chorus]
I've got nothing to do but hang around and get screwed up on you
(You've got to see)
I've got nothing to do but hang around and get screwed up on you
(Not you it's me)

We've got clowns in the graveyard and I'm talking to skulls,
we've got murder and incest, who said Shakespeare was dull!?
My girlfriend took her life, and I'm like, "goodness gracious!"
Her brother wants to duel - Laertes is too pugnacious.
My uncle dipped the tip of the saber in poison (duel time)
then he poisoned the cup that mom started enjoyin' (tool time).
I got stabbed with the poison sword, then I stabbed my girlfriend's brother,
and then I stabbed my uncle and we've all killed each other.
To be or not to be? Well I guess that solves that one.
And I would have stayed in Whittgenberg if I'd known that this would happen.
If you're ever up in Denmark on a moonlit night,
you'll hear Ophelia's sad song when the full moon's bright.
Baby I'm sorry I messed up, goodnight my sweet princess,
may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest...
and they sing:

[Chorus]
I've got nothing to do but hang around and get screwed up on you
(Forget it though)
I've got nothing to do but hang around and get screwed up on you
(Just let it go)
I've got nothing to do but hang around and get screwed up on you
(You've got to see)
I've got nothing to do but hang around and get screwed up on you
(Not you it's me)

Analysis: This song by MC Lars is an accurate summation of the troubles of Hamlet's subconscious/conscious life. As the song states, Hamlet is as "non-committal" as he could have been throughout Hamlet. Because of his Oedipus Complex, a reinforced theme throughout the play, Hamlet has "got nothing to do" but "get screwed up" on his romantic emotions for his mother. Last, as the song states, Hamlet's oppression is based out of his own longings ("Not you it's me").

The Man in the Mirror

A glimpse into one man's fractured life:

Look at me. Pathetic. O, how my eyes droop, my skin sags. It is hard to believe, but I was once full of life. I had everything...Everything! A beautiful wife, two wonderful children, and yes, even a cute little dog. What happened to me? Where did I go and who is this sickly skeleton of a man I must now call my reflection?

It is because of my sins that I must now suffer. Alcohol, how I hate you! How I wish you were human so I could strangle your sinister neck. How you have ensnared me, O, how you have tricked me. "Come," you said, "I will make your world right. I will take away your pain". I believed you! I believed you, you snare, you trap, you devil! How was I to know you would consume my life? Why didn't you tell me I would loose my wife?

Look at me. Disgusting. O, how tangled my beard is, how revolting I look. Is there chance for redepetion? Only time will tell. For now, I sit and stare at my dead reflection in the mirror.

Formalist Analysis:

"The Man in the Mirror" analysis stemmed from a formalist reading of the picture above. Based off the frazzled hair and beard, one could surmise this man is so lost in his internal world, so consumed by this thoughts that aesthetic value has no bearing on his mind. A clean, sharp haircut would have conveyed the opposite message of the current image. On top of this, the man has very large bags under his eyes. These dreary accents on his face could have been caused by lack of sleep or stress. Either way, the bags indicate trouble in this picture. The far-off gaze is the final element to this formalist reading. The gaze indicates forlorn or remorse. All in all, this man paints a classic picture of pain and agony.

Disney's Alice in Wonderland: Bakhtin's Dream

Disney’s Alice in Wonderland reflects the epitome of the carnivalesque genre. The topsy-turvy, bizarre world of the Mad Hatter and the March Hare throw social rules, traditions, and regulations out the door. Mikhail Bakhtin’s carnivalesque literary mode subverts the hierarchy in society by making all equal through humor and chaos. The leveling comedy in carnivalesque literature harkens back to carnivals themselves. Bakhtin thoroughly believed that through all the “jolly relativity” of carnivals and festivities, that true equality is reached. The tea party scene in Alice in Wonderland serve as a visual representation of the carnivalesque. For example, Alice is constantly jostled around and confused by the Mad Hatter and March Hare’s flat rejection of all social rules.

Through this chaos, logic and reason fall victim to spontaneity and bewilderment. Through Disney’s carnivalesque Alice in Wonderland, the very fabric of society is tested to its very core.

Plato's Cave in Wizard of Oz

What does little Toto have in common with the Platonic prisoner from “The Allegory of the Cave?” Everything. Toto’s reveal of the wizard’s true identity and the resulting aftermath is clearly comparable to the prisoner’s startling revelation of reality. In three specific ways, The Wizard of Oz serves as a metaphor for “The Allegory of the Cave”: The wizard acts as the puppeteer creating an alternate reality, Toto gets privy to the true reality, and Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and the Tin Man choose to accept this true reality. It may not have been Victor Fleming’s envisioning when he directed The Wizard of Oz, but this 1939 film serves as a modern allegorical cave.

Upon entering the vast wizard’s residence, the Flamboyant Four (Dorothy, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Tin Man) feel prey to the wizard’s illusion of reality. Like the prisoners chained in the “underground den”, the flamboyant four are limited “and can only see before them” (Plato 1). The blinders that cover the group’s eyes make them oblivious to the fluttering curtain on the left; just as the chained prisoners cannot see the “low wall” which hides the “marionette players” (Plato 1, Fleming). Based on the pre-set location and trapped responses, the wizard’s hall mirrors Plato’s Allegorical Cave.

The Flamboyant Four would have continued to operate under their illusion of their reality if it were not for the insight of Toto. Unlike Plato’s unwilling prisoner, Toto chose to reveal the true reality. Toto’s reveal of the wizard did not, as Plato claimed, make Toto “suffer sharp pains” nor become “perplexed” (Plato 2, Fleming). This separation from Plato’s prediction could be explained if Toto never fully accepted the false reality the wizard tried desperately to make real. Indeed, this explanation would explain the Flamboyant Four’s response to the stunning truth. It is worth noting that the perplexity and pains were endured by the wizard, the creator of the false reality.

After the great reveal of reality, only the wizard seemed to have issue with the change. This flips Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” on its metaphorical mind as it is the “puppeteer” who could not face the truth, not the “prisoners”. In fact, instead of confusion, Dorothy simply, strongly condemns the wizard, “Shame on you” (Fleming)! In an alternate reality, where Victor Fleming could collaborate with Plato, it is very possible “The Allegory of the Cave” would have an alternate ending. Instead of a prisoner who is mocked by his new knowledge of truth, the prisoners would rise up against the oppressive puppeteers (Plato 3).

All in all, the reveal of the wizard on The Wizard of Oz serves as a modern-day “Allegory of the Cave”; that is, with a new take on the classic metaphor. The Wizard of Oz allows viewers to feel acceptance with facing and discovering truth, not fear or perplexity.

Works Cited

"The Allegory of the Cave". The Republic. Plato. Accessed 30 January 2010. http://websapce.ship.edu/cgboer/platoscave.html

The Wizard of Oz. Dir. Victor Fleming. Perf. Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bogler, Bert Lahr, and Jack Haley. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. 1939.