After studying Lacan’s Mirror theory in class, we brainstormed a list of questions to ask of our memoirs in order to apply the mirror & gaze lenses to them. Share your top two questions. Make sure to read through all of the comments before you post so that you do not repeat questions. For your 2 comments, your job is to help each other refine the questions we plan to ask of our memoirs.
Examples:
- Which behaviors of the characters are conscious ones? Which are unconscious?
- What conscious or unconscious conflicts exist between the characters?
- Are the theories of Lacan applicable to this work? To what degree?
Lacan's Theory states that, as babies we develop egos, before we go through social determination to see where we fit in society. The definition of an ego is "a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance". I agree that we can develop egos from the infant stage, because babies notice, who takes care of them, who's nice to them, who plays with them or if they are always left alone. For example, according to my boyfriend, his uncle plays and talks of Natalie more than his aunt does and because of that Natalie tends to push away from her mother when she picks her up or she’ll stay very quiet until her father comes home. I don’t know what type of person she’ll will grow up to be, but I can tell the influence her mother has on her is affecting her and may affect how she sees herself later on. However according to Freud’s Theory he believes we forget our oldest memories, to make room for new ones so maybe Natalie won’t remember how her mother used to watch her as a child but not socially interact with her, unless her mother did that throughout her life.
ReplyDelete-Alexandria J.
How does the characters persception of herself change when he/she comes in contact with other characters?
ReplyDeleteDoes the main character conform to society's norm? Are these confromities caused by other characters or external features?
- Diya Patel
Does the main character change his or herself to be accepted ?
DeleteDoes the character ever step back to reflect on societies view on him/her?
DeleteHow does the authors relation to other characters reflect to his or hers personality ?
ReplyDeleteHow does the author reflect herself or himself to other characters when they are opened to society?
-Tiffany Da Silva
How does the author show herself when she is open to society?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteDoes the authors personality effect other characters?
DeleteHow does religion play a role in how the characters interact?
ReplyDeleteIs the character able to ignore the views of society and live the way he/she wants to?
You could also say "How does religion play a role in the way a certain person views others not of the same sect"
DeleteReligion is definitely a huge factor when it comes to questioning the extremity of our autonomy. It really differs from person to person as some individuals have a deeper faith while others tend not to be so religious.
DeleteTo refine the question (I forgot, sorry), you could say this: Does one's faith influence the way one chooses to portray one's religion in the general public?
DeleteDo other characters of the book change who the author really is?
DeleteHow does religion change the way a character views herself?
DeleteYou could say how does religion transform a person's own religious beliefs and do they include it as part of their "social identity?"
DeleteIn Fun home, the dad belives society should be perfect and have an order.
DeleteWhy does the character allow religion to influence him/her?
DeleteWhat really defines the character? Was it based off of their own perspective or others perspective?
ReplyDeleteDoes the characters mood/feeling change when open to society?
You could also ask: "How do we decide if society, or we ourselves give us definition?"
DeleteIs there a "standard" definition of a human being and his or her characteristics and appearance? Should there be?
DeleteDoes the character's behavior change when presented in front of others?
DeleteAlso for second question you could ask " Why does the characters mood change when open to society? Is there certain way the person suppose act?
DeleteDo we often criticize others because we see reflections of our worst traits in them?
ReplyDeleteDo you believe in the "just one look tells everything" theory?
Do your preconceptions about someone tell you everything about them?
DeleteDo we always believe the first thing we see about somebody?
DeleteDo you change due to others worse traits?
DeleteDo you ever find yourself changing the way you would normally act because it just doesn't seem to follow what a major of society finds acceptable?
ReplyDeleteMost say that people are unique in their own way but to what extent is that true?
I believe that as human beings, we all have a natural inclination towards disguising ourselves around the general public. Also, it is important to note that with every step, we are discovering who we are. The way we choose to disguise ourselves can in itself reveal a detail about us.
DeleteSorry I forgot we had to refine the question, but you could say this: Can we uncover something about ourselves when we alter the way we act to meet society's standards?
Delete1) How true is the story when an author aggrandizes the extremity of a struggle just to gain more sympathy?
ReplyDelete2) Is it possible to ever know our own selves to the fullest?
Do we take in consideration what others say when we look at ourselves?
DeleteHow much can we learn about ourselves to help understand other's perspectives of ourselves?
Delete1. Does the character's experiences alter the way they view themselves?
ReplyDelete2. Why do character's change in a different setting?
As the setting changes does the character gain a new personality trait?
Delete1. Among all the thousands of mirrors the character encounters throughout the story, which one is truly his or her own reflection?
ReplyDelete2. How much do we actually reveal of ourselves when all we are doing is "showing" not "telling" to the rest of the world about ourselves?
Do we only allow others to see certain traits because we are too afraid to show our other ones?
DeleteThe question is, which one do they really want to be? Because our aspirations come from inside us, they can't always be taken away, even when society disagrees.
Delete-Alexandria J.
1) How does what others think about us, shape who we are as individuals?
ReplyDelete2) Do we really know ourselves? or do we let what others say define us?
Are we really just a mirror?
Delete-Alexandria J.
How do our memories and experiences shape how we live?
Delete1. Where is the line drawn between, who we are, and who we aspire to be?
ReplyDelete2. Does our how our family treat us, already give us our own identity?
-Alexandria J.
In fun home, the dad gets angry when something doesn't fit his image so he disconnects from his family and can't be what he aspires to be.
Delete1. Do we really know how to decide our own choices? or do we make choices based other people experience?
ReplyDelete2. In a memoir does author make change his past give people a understanding what he truly means?
1) Do you agree In real life society how guys are always judge on what shoes there where makes them who they are?
ReplyDelete2) does the character get influence by the judgements on what people think who he/she is?
Has anyone influenced to character to see themselves in a different light?
ReplyDeleteHas the character ever felt like they questioned who they are?
- Mariama jaiteh
Do you think the main character will start to believe other's perceptions of herself?
ReplyDeleteDoes the character create different personalities when he/she is around different people?
Does the characters race/ethnicity play a role in their life experience?
ReplyDeleteIf so what does the character learn or over come as a result?
-Awais Rahman
The Year of Living Biblically-A.J. Jacobs
ReplyDeleteHow does the lens of religious devotion affect the memoirists actions as his faith intersects with his own view of morality?
How do things such as gender, sexuality, and the laws of the modern world affect his experiment?
How does the character change as he undergoes his experiment?
-Henry Prince
Does the character try to fight social norms?
ReplyDeleteDoes the character attempt to start his/her own new social norm?
How does the main character identify themselves in their enviroment?
ReplyDeleteKnowing that the atmosphere is never constant is the main character constantly evolving?
How do other characters act as a mirror for the main character?
ReplyDeleteHow do the judgements of other characters on her affect her actions and worry her?