Jacques Lacan On Masochism Philosophy Essay

Jacques Lacan On Masochism Philosophy Essay A consideration of Lacans interpretation of the Oedipal complex will provide further support for the contention that homoeroticism is both internal to and disruptive of masculine identity. Lacan follows Freud in assigning a central role to the Oedipal complex and its relation to castration, but he articulates the phenomenon in terms of his understanding of the relationship between subject and signification. In Lacans account the subject finds his way to selfhood through the work of the signifying system. The subject does not employ the cultures signifying elements to construct an identity but finds itself in signification, spoken by the signifier. Given this relationship to signification, the subjects self, meaning and desire are articulated from the site of the Other. The externalised reference point for the subjects self-identity creates a gap, a loss, a lack, a sense of alienation at the heart of subjectivity. Forever trying to close the gap of subjectivity the subject is constant ly substituting objects for the phallus in an attempt to restore a fantastic wholeness that may never have been there in the first place. Although Lacan insists that the phallus is a pure and transcendent signifier, that it is neither an object nor an organ, but only a fantasy and an ideal he often describes the phallus using terms that evoke the penis. Also, his description of how the subject realises and overcomes the castrating, alienating loss that accompanies its entry into language establishes a strong equivocation, if not an identification, between the phallus and the penis. Although all subjects experience the alienation attending the entry into language and thus all subjects seek the phallus and its fantastic substitutes, the subject comes to realise something about where the phallus and is not, given that the Other is the source and site of desire. Given the desire of the Other for the subject, the subject comes to an awareness that the Other does not possess the phallus, but is searching for it; the desire of the Other creates a longing on the part of the subject to become the phallus for the Other. Although the structural terms of Lacans description are subject and Other, implying that any desiring other could come to be understood as lacking the phallus and requiring completion by and through the subject. Lacan exclusively describes the lacking Other as the lower-case other, or more precisely, the mother. Whereas neither the subject nor the Other have an official gendered identity when discussed in the most general terms, Lacans description of the symbolic order requires that desiring others be positioned in specific gendered roles so that the subject can imaginatively overcome its alienation. In fact, in order for the symbolic structure to operate on Lacans understanding the only answer to the ever-circulating lack generated by the self-alienation of signification that can serve to cover the gap in subjectivity is the Name-of- the-Father; there is no maternal or feminine equivalent. The actual father in a relation akin to that of the penis and the phallus is, of course, always a stand-in for the symbolic Father, a vague approximation of the figure that secures the Law and halts the flow of the chain of signification initiated by the desire and language of the Other. At the same time in an account similar to the admission that the phallus is the image of the penis where the actual father does not sufficiently approximate the symbolic Father, the subject is likely to succumb to psychosis, unable to find its moorings in the ever-flowing tide of language, unable to structure a stable self. Lacan identifies a number of ways in which the actual father can fail to resemble sufficiently or successfully the symbolic father. First, if the actual mother fails to treat the actual father as an authority figure, as a figure who could instantiate and enforce the Law, then the relationship to the symbolic Father will be marred. Second, if the actual fathers life is riven with failures to attain the achievements and successes culturally assigned to male subjects, then he will also falter in resembling the symbolic Father. Third, if the actual father is so overwhelmingly successful, establishes himself as such a close approximation to the symbolic Father, then he also presents a problem for the subject because the actual fathers inevitable weaknesses and flaws will appear that much more glaring and hypocritical in relation to the symbolic Father he almost exactly approximates. Given the multiple ways in which the actual father can fail to resemble the symbolic Father, given Lacans a dmission that the actual father is always an imposter for the symbolic Father, given his admission that even the symbolic Father is only a fantastic substitute for the phallus which is itself only an imaginary object, are we compelled to conclude that virtually all subjects must be psychotic to some degree or another? Regardless of how we answer this question, Lacans theoretical discourse reveals, at the very least, an attempt to secure a privileged function for paternal authority, a longing for the (f/F)ather to rescue the subject from the chaos, lack and loss that the (m)Others desire generates. In this way, although not explicitly acknowledged in these terms, Lacans theory of the subject betrays a desire for the father that Freudian discourse willingly admits. What is missing from this account of alienation, desire and the phallus is any explicit recognition that the subject could experience the father as the desiring other. The logic of the Lacanian structural order demonstrates why this must be ruled out as a possibility. On the one hand, if the father could be the other who desires the subject, then the father would be recognised as lacking the phallus in the same way that the mother does. In Lacans system, desire signals lack; if the father is (also) a site of lack then the symbolic order will collapse because the Name-of-the-Father exists precisely as an answer to the ever-present, ever circulating lack signified by the phallus. On the other hand, if the father is either the source of a homoerotic desire for the son or the object of the sons homoerotic desire, then, given the sexual order that Lacan assumes and the dominant fiction presupposes, the actual father is distanced from the symbolic Father because of the kind of sexual desir e circling around him. Insofar as homoerotic desire flows between the father and son, psychosis inevitably results i.e., homoeroticism makes the subjects achievement of a self impossible. At the same time, the subjects quest for an un-alienated sense of self is fuelled by a desire to rest secure in relation to the Father and the Fathers Law. The longing for selfhood is discursively represented by Lacan as a captivation with the (F/f)ather that both is and cannot be homoerotic. Freuds representation of normative masculinity can keep homoerotic desire discursively alive because it strives to make the objective facts of biology that institute the heterosexual and patriarchal organisation of desire and identity appear natural and inevitable. The boy will always choose the penis; the penis signifies maleness and implies heterosexual desire. Because Lacans account of subjectivity does not take anatomy as its foundation, it cannot admit the possibility of homoerotic desire into the realm of masculine identity without revealing the arbitrary resolution of the alienating effects of signification in favour of the heterosexual and patriarchal status quo. If the boy finds himself in a universe comprised solely of others, lack and desire, then there must be some mechanism for fixing the relationship between some others, some lacks and some desires, if the gendered and sexualised division of power is to be maintained. Taking Freuds thoughts on mourning and melancholia as her primary texts, Judith Butler argues in Gender Trouble that the lost, repressed, perpetually unacknowledged, eternally mourned object of homosexual desire is necessary to the consolidation of masculinity and that a strong sense of oppositionally defined gender identity serves to maintain the lost homosexual object through a constant gesture of disavowal. Butler also demonstrates through a close reading of Freud and Lacan on the Oedipal complex that the social prohibition on homosexuality is transformed by their texts into a heterosexual disposition that provides heterosexual desire with a natural rather than cultural origin. More importantly, however, Butler concludes her discussion of the relationship between heterosexual desire and the lost homosexual object with a consideration of the relationship between disavowed homoerotic desire and the construction of the female subject. The woman-as-object must be the sign that [the masculine subject] not only never felt homosexual desire, but never felt the grief over its loss. Indeed, the woman-as-sign must effectively displace and conceal that preheterosexual history in favour of one that consecrates a seamless heterosexuality. Butler contends that the construction of the woman as a sexual object and the repression of the homosexual substratum of masculinity are implicated. Given this mutual implication, it seems that tracing the figuration of homoerotic desire in representations of normative masculinity has the potential to alter the construction of womens relationship to sexuality and subjectivity. This section began with the suspicion that there might be sites in psychoanalytic theory, in addition to discussions of masochism, where the dominant fiction regarding masculine subjectivity could be unsettled. Through a discussion of both Freuds and Lacans understandings of the masochism and the Oedipal complex, I have sought to map one of these sites, to trace the presence of homoeroticism in psychoanalytic representations of masculinity, even where it is absent from the explicit terms of the discourse. Attending to this homoerotic substratum of normative masculinity provides three critical insights for the larger questions motivating the dissertation. First, based on this account of the relationship between normative masculinity and homoerotic desire, we can understand why masculinity resists being the object rather than the agent of the gaze. Where the masculine subject is exposed to the gaze, erotic desire is never far behind. When erotic desire envelops the male body, it often renders that body capable of homoerotic contemplation or at least suggests the possibility of homoerotic contemplation of the male body generally. Such a presentation of the male body brings to conscious attention the thin, if not discernible, line between normative and homoerotic masculinity. Castration, loss, lack, otherness, visibility; these are the characteristics that the dominant fiction attempts to exclude from its articulation of masculine subjectivity. What makes this task of exclusion, repression and displacement nearly impossible is the conjunction of masculinitys dependence on display for securing its privileged position and spectacles tendency for exposing the lack inherent in masculinity as well as the dependency of masculinity on the other to retain its ascendant position. Masochistic fantasies help to secure the venerable and desirable status of the paternal figure, but they do this at the cost of demonstrating the dependence of masculine subjectivity on the ever-receding, unattainable love of a masculine other. Phallic visual displays often serve to align the penis with the phallus, but they also function to expose the insufficient and paltry nature of the organ when placed alongside the imaginary ground of its significance. Narratives of womans nature as irredeemably and essentially castrated, as naturally and inevitably passive in relation to male (heterosexual) desire certainly constrict the cultural possibilities available to female subjects, but they often reveal the desperate anxiety to disavow the narcissistic, homoerotic dimensions of masculine subjectivity. Representation poses a dilemma for masculinity: the display of its power is both necessary for the justification of its privileges and an essential feature of its demise. Freud and Lacan have attempted to cover up the cracks inimical to their own enunciative function in order to secure an authoritative position for masculine subjectivity; like even the most masterful artists, however, the discursive elements exceed their progenitors; the device is, more often than not, in many ways laid bare. The dominant fiction of masculine power, privilege and plenitude is both more resilient and more vulnerable than it might at first appear. This can make a political project that depends on hermeneutic intervention as its primary strategy, like the one pursued here, seem astonishingly naÃÆ'Â ¯ve and refreshingly incisive in turn. As such a hermeneutically grounded vision of political change assumes, revelation of the dominant fictions fictional and political character can be accomplished only by a close examination of the fictions terms and structures. To state this claim in the terms of the material under consideration, perversion is intelligible and identifiable only in relation to the Oedipal drama; subversion is accomplished primarily through a diagnostic, symptomatic and internal critique of the dominant fiction. This is not an empirical claim about the veracity or universality of the Oedipal structure, but rather a methodological claim about how best to do the work of transfor ming the dominant fictions regarding masculinity, femininity, and subjectivity. The structuring and definitional terms of the prevailing discourse must often be taken as the starting points for any oppositional discourse, for the sake of intelligibility, legitimacy, credibility, authority. This strategy of close, but subversive, reading will continue to guide my interpretation of other representations of masculinity and the male body. The political work of reconfiguring cultural fantasies about the meaning of masculinity will depend, at least initially, on the ability to re-signify the features of the relevant hegemonic discourses. Without expecting a completely new narrative outside the reigning signifying practices, this perspective is informed by a belief in the possibility of variable narratives using the terms of the dominant signification system to disturb the hegemonic understanding of masculine identity. Whether such hope is fantastic or delusional will be demonstrated in pa rt by the analysis of the next chapter, but can ultimately be confirmed only by the fantasies and practices that such interpretive interventions instigate. 2,447 words

The Future of America :: Free Essay Writer

The Future of America A hungry boy stole food from a market, was caught, and his right hand was chopped off. The next week the same boy, stole fruit from an orchard, again was spotted, and his left hand was chopped off. A few weeks later, leaving the back door to a bakery open, his mouth full and eyes no less vibrant, the boy was caught once again. The men of the town were stumped, what was to be chopped off next? The men of the town did not know what to do, until someone offered giving the boy a job. The boy never stole again. As difficult as it may be to remain open-minded when addressing a situation, sometimes the alternative solutions are better than that of the extreme. Throughout American history, there is evidence of over-coming close mindedness. This evidence is seen in women's voting rights and African American's freedom. With the increasing youth violence present in America, we are once again given a task. This task, like that of Women's Suffrage and Civil Rights, is not going to have a simpl e solution. If the men in the story above had not come up with an alternative solution, what would be chopped off next? Arms? Feet? After reading about this topic and all its perspectives, I believe that severe punishment will always fail to deter youth crime. Rehabilitation and prevention, as difficult as they may be to accept, deserve attention. Arguments have resulted from examining the increase of convicted youth criminals and the severity of crimes committed. The youth crime rate has reached a twenty year high, says Patricia Cohen in her article entitled, "Punishment." Equally staggering she says, is the fact that "from 1988-1991 the youth murder-arrest rate climbed 80 percent(518)." Terrible crimes committed by youth are sometimes as serious as those of their adult counterparts. As a result, the term ‘youth' is no longer synonymous with innocence. With this sudden "madness," as coined by Males and Docuyanan in "Crackdown on Kids: Giving Up on the Young," juveniles are being deferred into court at lower and lower ages(519). This can be seen in Wisconsin where ten-year-old children can be tried as adults for murder(519). Does imprisonment deter youth crime? Some people believe it is the only way to go, others disagree. Males and Docuyanan are among those who disagree, bringing up the point that, "If more prisons a nd surer sentences were the solutions to crime and delinquency, California should be a haven where citizens leave doors unlocked and stroll midnight streets unmenaced(521). The Future of America :: Free Essay Writer The Future of America A hungry boy stole food from a market, was caught, and his right hand was chopped off. The next week the same boy, stole fruit from an orchard, again was spotted, and his left hand was chopped off. A few weeks later, leaving the back door to a bakery open, his mouth full and eyes no less vibrant, the boy was caught once again. The men of the town were stumped, what was to be chopped off next? The men of the town did not know what to do, until someone offered giving the boy a job. The boy never stole again. As difficult as it may be to remain open-minded when addressing a situation, sometimes the alternative solutions are better than that of the extreme. Throughout American history, there is evidence of over-coming close mindedness. This evidence is seen in women's voting rights and African American's freedom. With the increasing youth violence present in America, we are once again given a task. This task, like that of Women's Suffrage and Civil Rights, is not going to have a simpl e solution. If the men in the story above had not come up with an alternative solution, what would be chopped off next? Arms? Feet? After reading about this topic and all its perspectives, I believe that severe punishment will always fail to deter youth crime. Rehabilitation and prevention, as difficult as they may be to accept, deserve attention. Arguments have resulted from examining the increase of convicted youth criminals and the severity of crimes committed. The youth crime rate has reached a twenty year high, says Patricia Cohen in her article entitled, "Punishment." Equally staggering she says, is the fact that "from 1988-1991 the youth murder-arrest rate climbed 80 percent(518)." Terrible crimes committed by youth are sometimes as serious as those of their adult counterparts. As a result, the term ‘youth' is no longer synonymous with innocence. With this sudden "madness," as coined by Males and Docuyanan in "Crackdown on Kids: Giving Up on the Young," juveniles are being deferred into court at lower and lower ages(519). This can be seen in Wisconsin where ten-year-old children can be tried as adults for murder(519). Does imprisonment deter youth crime? Some people believe it is the only way to go, others disagree. Males and Docuyanan are among those who disagree, bringing up the point that, "If more prisons a nd surer sentences were the solutions to crime and delinquency, California should be a haven where citizens leave doors unlocked and stroll midnight streets unmenaced(521).

The textbook was a very interesting and colorfully descriptive history text

I read approximately 350-400 pages in the text A History of Western Society, 8th Ed.   Ã‚  I didn’t read in a continuous style instead flipping through the book stopping at something interesting reading then reading several pages of that chapter, moving on to others gaining knowledge of several chapters of the book rather than focusing on one.It is a historical text on western civilization from Mesopotamia to the present, with focus on social history with chapters on Greece, Rome, religious wars, political revolutions, evolutions in energy and industry, expansion, urbanism, nationalism, dictatorship and the Second World War, even the Cold War.   I thought of it as a sociological perspective on history.The textbook was a very interesting and colorfully descriptive history text.   I liked that the theme of politics and culture were balanced giving the reader a chance to see it from a broader perspective.   It balanced the socio-economical structures during different peri ods in time that was very intriguing.The way the book was presented the reader with tools to help with self-educating and useful study guides for students to truly understand what it must have been like in the past, socially.   I felt the questions were really helpful in stimulating my own critical thinking.   Features all through the text gave interesting accounts of everything from groups to major historical events that put the reader right into history.I felt that the pictures were chosen well to present the material written.   I like that everything from resent news, art and European countries were given a fair introduction to western history.   I felt the authors were able to give a broader perspective to foreign countries that were much unbiased.   Islamic regions were also introduced to the reader in very stimulating terms. And I am glad to see that the expansion of history to include women and gender issues that has occurred in western society.   The section on w itch hunts and the Athenian women balanced the book nicely.I really enjoyed flipping through and reading the text and felt that it would be a very good tool to use for undergraduate study as an introductory class.   It gives the student a really good start on terms and concepts of sociology and history.   I felt that this would also be a good book for the use in Art History.The color photos clearly show the artistic beauty of many cultures and society.   The three authors John P. McKay, Bennett D. Hill, and Buckler are well respected and each is very proficient in history; which gave the book a solid scholarly mark for it to be a must reading.The book should be on any good historian’s book shelf.   The use of Blackboard I really liked because of the apparent growing use of that learning tool.   This text was full of teaching tools to use with that program that will help the first year student to become acquainted with something they will increasing begin to use on t heir trek towards their college degrees.Reference:McKay, J.P., Hill, B.D., & Buckler, J. (2006) A History of Western Society, 8th. Ed.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Boston: Houghton Mifflin.   

Eats, Shoots Leaves Why, Commas Really Do Make A Difference!

When British author Lynne Trusss book for adults Eats, Shoots Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation was published, it became a bestseller, an unusual occurrence for a book that is all about punctuation. Now Lynne Truss has a delightful new childrens picture book that is based on her bestseller. Eats, Shoots Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make A Difference! takes a humorous look at how the placement of commas can totally change the meaning of a sentence. The Focus of Eats, Shoots Leaves As Lynne Truss points out in the Introduction, Commas can create havoc when they are left out or are put in the wrong spot, and the results of misuse can be hilarious. With humor, Truss emphasizes the importance of punctuation marks, specifically commas. Children who are learning how to punctuate their sentences will get a kick out of seeing what can go wrong when a comma is misused and how important it is to the meaning of a sentence to place commas correctly. The Layout of Eats, Shoots Leaves Each set of facing pages contains the same sentence. One of the sentences is punctuated properly; in the other, the commas are in the wrong place, with hilarious results. Each sentence is printed in black ink, except for the commas, which are red, making them stand out in the sentence. Each sentence is illustrated with very funny, full-page pen and watercolor sketches by Bonnie Timmons. For example, the sentence Look at that huge hot dog! shows a picnic scene with a man grilling a hot dog that is three times bigger than he is. The sentence Look at that huge, hot dog! shows a large, hot-looking dog slobbering over a kiddy pool as the little girl in it splashes him. Learning with Eats, Shoots Leaves At the end of the book, there is a two-page, illustrated spread titled Why These Commas Really Do Make A Difference. For each set of sentences, there are thumbnails of the illustrations and an explanation of the function of the comma(s) in the sentences. For example, in the Look at that huge hot dog! sentence, the author points out that Without a comma, huge modifies hot dog. Teachers will enjoy using the book because it illustrates the importance of punctuation in a way that will engage students interest. When I was a kid, I didnt see why punctuation, other than a period at the end of a sentence, mattered, and I suspect that many kids feel that way today. This book will change their minds. The funny sentences and illustrations will also help them to remember the points the author makes about commas. The Author and Illustrator of Eats, Shoots Leaves Author Lynne Truss has a background as a literary editor, novelist, television critic, and newspaper columnist. She is also the author of a number of radio comedy dramas. According to her publisher, Lynne Truss also hosted Cutting a Dash, a popular BBC Radio 4 series about punctuation. She now reviews books for the Sunday Times of London and is a familiar voice on BBC Radio 4. An outgrowth of Lynn Trusss radio series about punctuation, Eats, Shoots Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation became a bestseller in England. In the United States, it has also become a major bestseller. The childrens picture book version, Eats, Shoots Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make A Difference!, has also proven popular. By September 2006, it had already been on the New York Times list of bestselling childrens books for five weeks. If the illustrations by Bonnie Timmons look somewhat familiar to you, it may be because you watched the TV series Caroline in the City. Timmons drew all of the cartoons for the NBC series. She has also done a lot of work on national advertising campaigns and has illustrated several other books. Eats, Shoots Leaves: My Recommendation I recommend Eats, Shoots Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make A Difference! for children 8-12. The book would also make an excellent gift for teachers, including home-schooling parents. (G.P. Putnams Sons, A Division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 2006. ISBN: 0399244913)