A young man poses in front of a camera while a stranger snaps a picture. Six months ago, he left his home in Indiana, headed for California. He told his parents he was just going for a drive. Now he stands in the front yard of Ken Kesey’s ranch in La Honda. He’s shoved a letter from his mother into his back pocket. She begs for him to return home because his father’s very angry and demands to know what he thinks he’s doing. He sucks in smoke from his joint and tries to picture the look on his father’s face as he opens the envelope.
In “Course in General Linguistics,” Saussure introduces the reader to his ground-breaking new science called “Semiology”(Saussure 60). Semiology explores the complex inter-relationship between the “signified and the signifier” (Ibid 62). Essentially, Semiotics illuminates the fact that language is tantamount to an endless dialogue in which ideas (the signified) and sound-images (signifiers) are paradoxically and inextricably linked. Saussure’s insight helps explain why the above image of Jim Morrison (the signifier) invokes the concept of rebellion (the signified) in most people. According to Saussure, Morrison signifies rebellion as a result of his “relative position” (Ibid 68) to a multitude of other signifiers. Consequently, the image of Morrison derives its connotative meaning (the signified) according to his relative position to another antipodean signifier, such as a police officer.
Works Cited Saussure, Ferdinand de. "Literary Theory: An Anthology." Eds. Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. Blackwell Publishing. Maldon, Ma, 2004. (60-71).
"Happiness In Slavery" slave screams he thinks he knows what he wants slave screams thinks he has something to say slave screams he hears but doesn't want to listen slave screams he's being beat into submission don't open your eyes you won't like what you see the devils of truth steal the souls of the free don't open your eyes take it from me I have foundyou can find happiness in slavery slave screams he spends his life learning conformity slave screams he claims he has his own identity slave screams he's going to cause the system to fall slave screams but he's glad to be chained to that wall don't open your eyes you won't like what you see the blind have been blessed with security don't open your eyes take it from me I have found you can find happiness in slavery I don't know what I am I don't know where I've been human junk just words and so much skin stick my hands through the cage of this endless routine just some flesh caught in this big broken machine
Justice? The Republic of Plato explores a plethora of themes, but ultimately, it amounts to rumination about the meaning of justice and the political ramifications therein. Some controversy surrounds the correct interpretation of the text; the exoteric notion that the Republic represents Socrates’/Plato’s sincere utopian blueprint has been attacked by Straussian scholars, who suggest that the book should be considered an ironic, metaphoric warning from Plato to his contemporaries. Both schools of thought offer insight into the ancient text, which remains highly relevant to modernity despite its antiquity.
In Books 2 and 3, Plato depicts Socrates discussing the education of the guardians, the military class within his ideal polis. The life of a guardian parallels that of the nameless slave narrator in Trent Reznor’s song, “Happiness in Slavery.” The song begins with the line, “Slave screams! He thinks he knows what he wants,” which reflects Socrates’ conviction that the guardians needs to be told lies, “…From their earliest childhood, if they are to honor the gods and their parents, and to value their friendship with each other”(Plato 24). Essentially, Socrates feels the guardians must be brainwashed in order to fulfill their purpose for the city, hence why the slave only thinks he knows what he wants. In reality, his innermost desires are nothing but a carefully constructed byproduct of the “nobles lies”(Plato 54) he’s been spoon-fed since birth.
The noble lies are a necessary evil because the guardians pose a perpetual threat to the polis’ safety; as such, Socrates states that their natures must be akin to that of dogs: “You know, of course, that by nature the disposition of noble dogs is to be gentle as can be with their familiars and people they know and the opposite with those they don’t know”(Ibid 53). The guardians must be trained so as to systematically eliminate any sense of individuality, which is why the nameless slave, “Spends his life learning conformity,” and merely, “Claims he has his own identity.”Indeed, Socrates creates an elaborate arrangement designed to psychologically condition the guardians that goes beyond simple obedience; he realizes that, in order to be truly effective, the guardians must masochistically love their oppressors, just as a dog loves its abusive master. The nameless slave articulates this co-dependent relationship, analogous to Stockholm syndrome, when he insists that, “He’s gonna cause the system to fall,” yet in the next line, he admits that, “He’s glad to be chained to that wall.”
Works Cited
Bloom, Allan ed. The Republic of Plato. New York: Basic Books, 1968. Murray, Penelope and T.S. Dorsch. Classical Literary Criticism. New York: Penguin, 2004.
Reznor, Trent. Happiness in Slavery. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/nineinchnails/happinessinslavery.html
". . .Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Saftey and Happiness. . ." -Thomas Jefferson, O.G. Founding Father
The Sum of All Political Theory
"Justice is the end of government."- James Madison
