While I initially doubted my ability to work through the assigned reading, I found that I was able to steadily progress throughout the material, grapple with the concepts presented, and identify overarching themes that connect to previous texts. I began by creating a list of concepts that we've worked with throughout the semester such as autonomy, agency, and the overall theory that our identity is constantly being influenced by outside factors.
As I worked through the readings it became increasingly apparent that they all reflected the self- fashioning process to an extent. In Metamorphoses, Ovid explains two theories regarding man's creation; the first being that the creator of the world crafted humans out of himself and the second being that Prometheus created man in the shape of the gods out of earth and water. Both of these theories reflect Foucault’s argument in Renaissance Self-Fashioning that identity is "called into being and shaped by the institution that [claims] only to police [it]." Ovid continues to explain that "even though all other animals lean forward and look down toward the ground, he gave to man a face that is uplifted, and ordered him to stand erect and look directly up into the vaulted heavens and turn his countenance to meet the stars" (8). I believe that humans looking up reflects that they are constantly being influenced by the gods, while the animals beneath them show that they have agency without autonomy. This theme of agency without autonomy continued as I moved into On the Nature of Things by Titus Lucretius, where he explains that humans are similar to the sun because "[they] can move some of [their] bodily members while the rest remain in quietude." Furthermore, I think that this theory that humans still maintain control connects to Greenblatt's claim that we still have agency and should view the process of self-fashioning as hopeful and optimistic as opposed to something that leaves us feeling powerless. As I continued reading On the Nature of Things I was reminded of Geertz's claim that "there is is no such thing as human nature independent of culture" and the overall idea that everything is connected. Lucretius explains that the earth is an integral part of the universe and relates it to how we view our limbs and organs. He says that "When the earth shutters at cataclysm the atmosphere above is also shaken, and this could not ensue unless the earth were somehow fastened and bound to air and sky. They are joined, they cling together by common roots, they have always been so joined and so united… of our bodies, however heavy they may be, they have always been so joined and united." Lucretius ends by questioning if "our own mind joined with our physical natures." I found this to be strikingly similar to Greenblatt's thought process regarding "the extent to which [his] identity and the words [he] utter[s] coincide." I then transitioned to Paradise Lost, where it became obvious that the relationship between God and Satan mirrors the relationship between the authority and alien. While I experienced a significant amount of confusion throughout the reading, I believe that Satan's self-doubt in Book 4 shows that he is the distorted image of God and that while it may seem that Satan is ruining humans, Raphael's discussion with Adam makes it clear that Satan's eventual destruction will lead to the strengthening of humankind. While I feel somewhat comfortable with the reading, I know that I'll continue to extend these speculations in class and certainly progress in my understanding. I predict that we'll continue to extend the same themes that have been apparent throughout the year, while also introducing new ones. I'm excited to go through the rewarding process of grappling with the text as a class and am confident that this foundation has prepared me well.
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When I first heard that we were going to primarily focus on the summer texts throughout first semester, I was worried that this process would become frustrating, repetitive, and tedious. However, these feelings quickly went away when I realized the impact this close reading has had on my understanding. I recently read through my CPB from this summer and was surprised at how limited my understanding was on many topics; I certainly was making intelligent conclusions, but I've since extended these greatly.
This has been most prominent in Stephen Greenblatt's Renaissance Self-Fashioning. Out of the three texts we've worked with, this one has undoubtedly been the most complex, confusing, and rewarding. Despite repeatedly rereading it this summer, I came to school with the understanding that I still have parts of myself that are authentic despite having been influenced by society throughout my life. A major source of this confusion was the concept of authorities and aliens; How could I have possibly been unaware that I was submitting to and destruction these major institutions? I've since become increasingly confident about my understanding of the text and have made numerous revelations. Rereading the preface has made it clear that I was wrong in believing that there are authentic parts of me where I'm autonomous. In the preface, Greenblatt explains that "What [he] found particularly compelling about the seminar [he] chanced to attend was Foucalt's argument that the innermost experiences of the individual- the feelings that lurk in the darkness- were not a kind of raw material subsequently worked on by social forces. Rather, they were called into being and shaped by the institution that claimed only to police them" (14 and 15). I realized that I too had fallen victim to the dream of autonomous agency and avoided the alarming reality that my identity was called into existence by these institutions. Despite coming to this conclusion, I was still troubled by the fact that I had never realized that I was submitting to these seemingly huge institutions. The epilogue was an essential help in easing these concerns. Here, Greenblatt recounts the time that he refused his seatmate's request to repeat the phrase, "I want to die" because of his fear that these words will influence his actions and identity. This story taught me that self-fashioning can occur in everyday life; it doesn't mean that you're constantly submitting to an intimidating institution. Simultaneously, Greenblatt's fear helped me realize that acknowledging your lack of autonomy can be frightening regardless of age or expertise. I'm certain that I never would have reached these powerful conclusions without the close-reading, class discussions, and lots of thinking that could feel challenging and frustrating at times. My progress in understanding these texts has given me the trust and confidence necessary to commit to this process for the rest of the year, as I know that it will be essential to my success in AP Lit. While I will undoubtedly feel vulnerable or confused at times, I will remember putting effort into my work will lead to understanding. This understanding will all be worth it in the end, and I'm excited to see what exploring new texts will bring. In his novel, “Renaissance Self Fashioning”, Stephan Greenblatt boldly proclaims that we are in fact not the principal makers of our own identity (257). While this radical declaration leaves the reader feeling powerless and confused as to who, or what, has primary control over their identity, Greenblatt certainly has all of the answers and goes onto explain the concepts of identity, autonomy, and self-fashioning. Furthermore, he examines the development of self-fashioning throughout the course of history, how it can be seen in modern-day, and its overall power on society.
In order to do all of this, one must understand what exactly self-fashioning even is, which Greenblatt defines as the process of constructing one’s identity, or at least their public persona, according to social norms and standards. However, society is constantly changing, meaning that our self-fashioned identities are too. For example, a typical Renaissance man would have strived to fit the social norm of being powerful and strong, while woman wanted to be beautiful, modest and pure. Nowadays, society is accepting the idea that men can have more of an emotional side, while the new ideal woman is strong, powerful, and doesn’t necessarily conform to beauty standards. After reading about this concept of self-fashioning, I began to question its dominance in my life and the lives of people around me. After some examination, I began to realize that both myself and most of my friends have been self-fashioned, but that the social norms that we have fashioned ourselves to all vary based on how we were raised, where we grew up, and multiple other factors. For example, most of my Atlanta friends see education as the only way to find success and plan on attending a prestigious college and graduate school regardless of if they know what to study. However, this is likely because most of our parents took this exact path and are successful in their respective employments. Meanwhile, in a small town where I spend my summers in Michigan, college is certainly not the norm. As I enter my senior year, this has become increasingly noticeable in even the way adults phrase questions regarding my future. For example, Atlantan adults always ask “where do you plan to attend college?” while Michiganders tend to ask “what are your plans after graduation?” While these questions may seem awfully similar, their small difference reflects the huge discrepency in the idols various groups of people choose to fashion themselves to. Essentially, Greenblatt’s piece taught me that we all self-fashion ourselves to an extent, whether that be to a religious figure, our parents, or just society’s vision of an ideal person. This radical idea has made me much more aware of my own identity, what aspects of it are in control, and what social norms I adhere to. I believe that this reading was helping in preparing me for AP Lit because of its challenging and the impactful points it made in connecting literature to self-fashioning. Now when examining texts in class, we can pose questions relating to what form self-fashioning was taking at the time and how it has evolved. In Chapter two of “A More Beautiful Question”, Warren Berger walks the reader through the journey of questioning in a typical adolescent’s life, explaining questioning begins at age two, reaches its prime at ages four and five, and then slowly dwindles upon the start of grade school. As I progressed in the chapter, it became increasingly difficult to stop comparing myself to this standard model and wonder if I had also been robbed of my natural instinct to question, whether or not the school system should take the blame, and most importantly, explore the possibility or reteaching this skill to myself.
When examining my early childhood, it’s evident that my life followed the typical path that Berger described. I was an incredibly chatty toddler who was always questioning, but this certainly started to slow once I began elementary school. While I doubt the school system is entirely at fault for this, I do agree that the increase of testing, pressure, and rigid structure directly thwart a student’s automatic desire to question, and the evidence Berger presents proves the fact that as grades increase, questioning decreases. For me, it’s not exactly that I never have questions while sitting in class, however, there’s an unspoken understanding that questions mean time wasted, and time wasted means that we may not get through the required material that will be on the test. Essentially from middle school and up, it seems that all learning is catered to tests, whether that be the class test, standardized tests, or major exams. I certainly am interested in learning other stuff, but I know that it won’t directly benefit my grades in school because I only need to know exactly what is on the test. As Berger perfectly puts it, “Somehow we’ve defined the goal of schooling as enabling you to have more ‘right answers’ than the person next to you. And we penalize incorrect answers. And we do this at a pace- especially now, in this highly focused test prep universe- where we don’t have time for extraneous questions” (46). Still, not all of my classes are like this, and I know that I am definitely privileged from going to a progressive school with small class sizes and fairly open teachers. Most of my classes have little busy work, projects instead of exams, and flexible schedules. For example, my World History teacher always says that he grades holistically, doesn’t try to trick us on tests, and provides different mediums so that every student can make a final project they feel proud of, whether that be an essay or an art form. My French teacher also tries to always assign projects instead of tests, as they allow students to express themselves and their knowledge in a less stressful environment. While I understand that other teachers are instructed to teach specific curriculum, I think that teachers like these prove that there are ways to open up a classroom, stray away from the test environment, and eventually encourage questioning. I think that we’re likely reading this to see the full value in questioning and understand how it can be beneficial to not only AP Lit, but all areas of life. Questioning helps us to see the bigger picture, gather new ideas, and do so many other things, so it’s certainly a skill worth having. Throughout his novel, "Better Living Through Criticism", A.O. Scott explores the complexities of taste, beauty, and criticism. Early on, Scott asserts that "If [we] know anything, surely [we] know what [we] like" (43). However, as I progressed in the reading, I became less sure of this simple fact and began to question if my likes, or dislikes, truly represent my character, leading me to explore the effects of individuality on my generation in my commonplace book.
I find this question to be heavily related to my age and generation. As Scott puts it, "Our age does not feel comfortable with the idea of subjective universality" (54). This idea is rampant in the social circles I observe; it is almost as if the desire to be different overpowers one's true likes. We all strive to wear the most alternative band tee-shirts, like the most obscure movies, and simply make others feel out of the loop. From my perspective, the yearn for individuality has surpassed the age-old desire to fit in that ruled the social lives of generations before us. Should we congratulate ourselves for living in a time where we primarily value diversity or mourn the times where there were universal likes and standards? While I consider myself to be a large supporter of diversity, I mean, anyone who isn’t to a certain degree would surely be criticized in this current time of acceptance, we must notice how this yearn for individuality is dangerous in a sense. Each time we search for something new and different, we make it even harder to unite with people over common interests. In the future, will this translate to overarching social and political struggles? Will we fail to reach common ground and make reform? These are all fair questions to ask, and it’s crucial to consider whether or not our drive for extreme individuality is worth the potential struggles that could lay ahead. However, this drive for individuality could also be a good thing. While it certainly skews our likes, dislikes, and overall tastes, it simultaneously pushes us to have more fulfilling life paths, careers, and futures if we don’t fully subject ourselves to criticism. When encouraging us to essentially soul search, Scott affirms that “Going into yourself and finding the deepest sources of your life may not resemble what the rest of the world thinks of as work or education. It looks more like idleness and solipsism, but such accusations fuel the sense of specialness” (74-75). I feel like many young people feel as if they have a calling, but they fail to pursue it because of fear of failure and judgment. However, Scott is refuting this and basically encouraging us to go out and accomplish whatever we want regardless of how different it makes us. I think that these passages from “Better Living Through Criticism” will guide us to become critics, deep readers, and philosophers of texts throughout our senior year. While this text was challenging to understand, it certainly caused me to grow as a reader, see beyond the literal meaning, and truly immerse myself in something powerful. |
AuthorHi, my name is Perrin Kendall and I'm a senior at The Galloway School. This is my AP Lit blog where I will be conceptualizing, synthesizing, and sharing my own thoughts about various readings. Archives
December 2019
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