An Analysis of George Batailles The Story of the Eye Essay -- Story E

An Analysis of George Bataille's The Story of the Eye ...awareness of the impossibility opens consciousness to all that is possible for it to think. In this gathering place, where violence is rife, at the boundary of that which escapes cohesion, he who reflects within cohesion realizes that there is no longer any room for him (Theory of Religion 10). When Georges Bataille first published The Story of the Eye in 1928, anonymously and "in a limited edition of 134 copies" (Lechte 118), he had been at the Bibliothà ¨que Nationale in the department of numismatics for nearly six years. Bataille was thirty-one at the time of publication, and it was not his first or the most violent piece. "The Solar Anus" which preceded it actually looks ahead to the serious ethnographic articles, albeit often of a scatological nature, which Bataille wrote for Documents, a short-lived journal which he edited and founded in 1929. Active in surrealist and avant-garde circles, Bataille courted the radical left of the political and aesthetic arenas, although his professional work compelled him to function within rigid systems. While The Story of the Eye is often dismissed as adolescent writing (Bataille himself calling it juvenile in a preface to a later edition), I offer here a reading of The Story of the Eye in the context of his profession as a librarian and of his work as editor and writer for Documents, a journal that consolidates his reflections as antiquarian, literary artist, and amateur ethnographer. To read Bataille's fiction in concert with his sociological and critical writing elevates the radical negativity of its violent transgression to a positive value. The text of this novel contains, in an embryonic stage, the basic theories which... ...F. Bouchard. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1977. 29-52. Gill, Carolyn Bailey. Bataille: Writing the Sacred. New York: Routledge, 1995. Hollier, Denis. "The Use-Value of the Impossible." Bataille: Writing the Sacred. 133-53. Lechte, John. "Surrealism and the practice of writing, or The 'case' of Bataille." 117-32. Nietzsche, Friedrich. On the Genealogy of Morals. Trans. Walter Kaufmann and R. J. Hollingdale. Ed. Walter Kaufmann. New York: Vintage, c1967, 1989. Richardson, Michael. Georges Bataille. New York: Routledge, 1994. Stoekl, Allan. Introduction. Visions of Excess: Selected Writings, 1927-1939. Georges Bataille. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1985. ix-xxv. Suleiman, Susan Rubin. "Transgression and the Avant-Garde: Bataille's Histoire de l'oeil." On Bataille: Critical Essays. Ed. and trans. Leslie Anne Boldt-Irons. Albany: SUNY P, 1995. 313-33.

Holden Caulfield Literary Psychoanalysis

Holden uses dissociation as a defensive mechanisms, to avoid his self-inflicted emotional distress, by separating his own feelings to suit that of a situation. For example, when Holden learns that Stradlater will be going on a date with Jane Gallagher, he represses his obvious feelings for her and, simply tells Stradlater to â€Å"give her my regards†, saying that he is â€Å"not in the moos right now† (Salinger 42-43). Though he is encouraged to do down and greet Jane, he blatantly ignores it and instead continues to only talk about Jane and his what he can remember about her.This is an example of how Holden repressed his own emotions and did contrary to what he wanted to do. While Holden is out all night, drinking, dancing, and clubbing, he meets Lillian Simmons and dances with her, they are both uninterested and pay no attention to one another, and he realizes that â€Å"she wasn’t listening though. So [he] ignored her† (93). Holden seems to have cast h is antisocial and misanthropic nature aside as he pretends to be interested in things that he clearly dislikes.Holden seems to see himself as a suave popular playboy, but he hints at the loneliness that he is truly feeling, and his desperate want for company when he tries to nonchalantly pass off that he â€Å"tried to get them to stick around for a while but they wouldn’t† (98). He seems unwilling to admit his great yearn to be with other people. As he indifferently describes all the times that his offers were rejected. Holden’s control over his own true emotions conflicts with the actions and words that he expresses.

Thoreau Civil Disobedience Analysis - 812 Words

Henry David Thoreau’s â€Å"Civil Disobedience† and Martin Luther King’s â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† both present similar ideas, as the latter was inspired by the first. This set of principles and ideas is still in being carried out in our nation today, however it is necessary for more people to adopt this way of thinking. Thoreau explains throughout how an individual must conduct civil disobedience to begin a change that is morally correct. He talks a lot about the government and heavily criticizes it as the main cause to incite civil disobedience. It is mostly political and governmental reasons that Thoreau believes should be opposed. Thoreau directly states this, â€Å"All men recognize the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse†¦show more content†¦Dr. King takes a lot of inspiration in the principles that Thoreau presents in Civil Disobedience and applies them to his own situation. He applies the idea that morally wrong laws should be disobeyed to his own argument of the purpose of the protesting. Martin Luther King Jr. says that, â€Å"one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws† (King 93). With this statement he is using on of Thoreau’s main points in civil disobedience, that of not following laws based on the right or wrong. Another way Dr. King appl ies the principles of Thoreau is belief that laws voted by majority are never just. This applied through the argument that segregation laws were made by the majority and have kept the community oppressed, â€Å"a law is unjust if it is inflicted on a minority that, as a result of being denied the right to vote, had no part in enacting or devising the law† (King 95). He is throughout the entire letter attempting to justify the civil disobedience to those who do not agree with this method saying it is, â€Å"†¦activities unwisely and untimely† (King 85). But Martin Luther King Jr. uses the same points Thoreau does successfully. In our country today, we continue to see civil disobedience being carried out in the same manner as Thoreau and Dr. King. Recently we hear about more and more protests on the news of people taking the initiative to create a change which would probably be commended by Thoreau if he were to see. Laws that discriminate others, opposing political Show MoreRelatedThoreau Civil Disobedience Analysis963 Words   |  4 PagesThoreau’s philosophy regarding civil disobedience. In Thoreaus work, â€Å"Civil Disobedience,† Thoreau makes points that clearly justify Antigone’s actions. One such case is when Antigone goes to give her brother a proper burial. Another one of these cases occurs when Antigone is put into jail for being honorable. Finally, an example of Thoreau’s idea of civil disobedience is epitomized when Antigone refuses allegiance to a government that she views as unjust. According to Thoreau, Antigone’s actions wereRead MoreThoreau On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience Rhetorical Analysis1250 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the duration of the Mexican American war, beginning in 1846, many attempts were made to gather support for the conflict. One citizen, who resided in Connecticut, showed much more drastic distest to this war than many others. Henry David Thoreau took both passive and active efforts to voice his antagonism to the conflict by refusing to pay a tax that he believed supported the ideology behind the war that the United States was partaking in at the time. Later, he contrived an essay that outlinedRead MoreAnalysis Of Civil Disobedience By Henry David Thoreau1886 Words   |  8 PagesAfrican slave trade that culminated in the American Civil War, the loss of one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history, Abraham Lincoln, and, more fittingly for this paper, the emergence of American transcendentalist writers. One writer in particular was Henry David Thoreau, who many historians consider to be the inventor of nonviolent protest as a means of reforming a government. This concept is explained in detail in his piece, Civil Disobedience, where he excellently argues that governments areRead MoreAnalysis Of Civil Disobedience, By Henry David Thoreau713 Words   |  3 PagesHenry David Thoreau, author of â€Å"Civil Disobedience† and Walden, has bec ome one of the most influential authors of all time in the eyes of many. Though some might be led to believe his essays and writings, including â€Å"Where I Lived, and What I lived For†, make him a down to earth and even rugged author, as he spent some of his life in the forest. However, his life in the woods was not one of heavy duty work and he often was supported with objects and material possessions, contrary to what many of hisRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Civil Disobedience By Henry David Thoreau1219 Words   |  5 Pagesignorant to the problems others faced. In the essay â€Å"Civil Disobedience† by Henry David Thoreau, Thoreau spent a night in jail for refusing to pay his taxes. After his night in jail, the author has a perspective change about the people around him (his â€Å"neighbors†) and the state. Before he went to jail he thought of his neighbors as friends who were civil when it did not cost them anything and he believed they shared common be liefs. But after Thoreau was imprisoned he says â€Å"that they did not greatlyRead MoreHenry David Thoreau Resistance To Civil Disobedience Analysis1508 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the era of the civil disobedience, individuals took stand and fight for their rights. the government took actions that violated the rights of others or took restrictions that angered residence. Resistance to civil government by Henry David Thoreau is an essay written about his opinion on opposing the government that was taking control of people’s rights, motivating his disagreement of slavery and the Mexican-American war. Mahatma Gandhi, a leader who fought for the Indians independent movementRead MoreLessons in Civil Disobedience828 Words   |  4 Pagesto its effectiveness, individualism, and past history of the world that has made immense progress. It is important to notice that if civil disobedience was not effective, then it would not be continually used to disobey the law. In The Role of Civil Disobedience in Democracy† by Kayla Starr, she explains why we have the right to participate in civil disobedience. â€Å"The U.S. Bill of Rights asserts that the authority of a government is derived from the consent of the governed, and whenever any formRead MoreHenry David Thoreau s Civil Disobedience1013 Words   |  5 PagesIn Henry David Thoreau’s â€Å"Civil Disobedience†, Thoreau makes the claim that the best form of government is a government that doesn’t govern at all. Thoreau’s paper pushes for the people to begin following the will of their conscience rather than blindly and foolishly follow the unjust idea of â€Å"majority rule†. Throughout the paper Thoreau makes a point of stating that â€Å"majority rule† is simply the will of the upper-class being forced into action o ver the rights and wills of the poorer minority. ThisRead MoreThe Effect Of Transcendentalism : Henry David Thoreau1654 Words   |  7 PagesThe Effect of Transcendentalism: Henry David Thoreau Transcendentalism is the American literary, political, and philosophical movement of the early nineteenth century that was rooted in the pure Romanticism of the English and the German (Goodman). Ralph Waldo Emerson is considered the father of Transcendentalism because his literature is the first to praise the notable spirituality of nature. The basic belief of the movement is to live authentically; being true to oneself (Day). The movement itselfRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Henry David Thoreaus Civil Disobedience984 Words   |  4 PagesHenry David Thoreau (1817–1862) was an introspective who desired only a simple life and wandered the woods of Concord, Massachusetts journaling. How, then, did he influence such political icons as Mohandas Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy, and Martin Luther King Jr.? The answer lies in â€Å"Civil Disobedience† (1849). â€Å"Civil Disobedience† is an analysis of the individual’s relationship to the state and focuses mainly on why men obey laws even when they violate their own conscience. It is not an essay of abstract