A cooling summer breeze is washing away the heat from the sun that is pouring over the deck of the beach house. There is a party this evening in just a few hours, but the humidity of mid-afternoon in late June and bustling of getting ready has caused a need for a moments rest. This girl is dressed for a night out but has not put on her undergarments, maybe to wait until the last minute or maybe because she is hoping to skip the event all together. A soft music flows out of the house with the breeze and mingles with the dreams that accompany the closing of her eyes. She rests comfortably with the folds of her dress becoming a thin blanket around her otherwise nude body. In the distance, waves lap against the shore and trees make a music of their own. Summers here are relaxed and seamlessly move between day and night. There is no need to rush and no desire to leave such a calm home. The girl’s beau is dressing inside, singing along with the music from the stereo. She sleeps peacefully knowing that even if it is just for a few moments, she will be woken by her smiling man. She feels her body molding with the chair covering and the chair itself and then with the earth around her, she floats in and out of dreams about the party and the day’s activities and then about a different place. She is floating amid clouds that are plump with rain yet warm and soothing to the touch. The sun is hidden below the clouds and she has no need to open her eyes. She enjoys the dream like a child who plays in a world of imagination.
Analysis: According to Bakhtin, every interaction is a dialogue and every utterance is a response to an “other”. Although the girl is sleeping, there are several dialogues going on in this scene. The girl and nature are interacting while at the same time there is someone in the background who also is taking a part in dialogue, even if at this moment it is a silent one. Two worlds are colliding in the scene, the dream world and the natural world of reality. Time stands still for just a moment while the girl rests. Shklovsky’s idea of defamiliarization can be seen in this painting as well as the narrative. The girl is dressed and ready to go out yet she has on no undergarments. She is resting despite the hustling and bustling that is moving around her. The shift from real time and the natural world into the dream world carries the reader from the scene to where the girl is. In a shift from Formalist criticism to Enlightenment criticism, this scene can be viewed through Hegel’s eyes in which romantic ideals are viewed. The girl is real as is her content sleeping state. There is no pretense or reference to the Gods, there is no symbolism; it is just one beautiful girl at rest.
Works Cited
Bakhtin, Mikhail. "Discourse in the Novel." The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Second Edition. 1076-1106.
Cain, Finke, Johnson, Leitch, McGowan, Sharpley-Witing, Williams, eds. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Second Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2010. Print.
The guidelines set forth by Longinus in “On Sublimity” describe the delivery of a message that is out of the ordinary, that inspires strong emotion, and that, upon completion, leaves the audience with a moved spirit. Longinus details five main sources for this delivery, “the power to conceive great thoughts… strong inspired emotion…certain kinds of figures…noble diction…and dignified and elevated word arrangement” (138-39). These characteristics are exemplified in the inspirational messages delivered by Nick Vujicic which are bookended with humor and touching images and video that further carries his message. Nick Vujicic’s appearance is a direct contradiction to his messages of hope, thankfulness, and happiness. He has neither arms nor legs and moves around on his torso with only a small “chicken drumstick” in the place of his left leg. To find Nick anything less than awe inspiring and tear producing would be a great task and he successfully portrays the sublimity expressed by Longinus, “Real sublimity contains much food for reflection, is difficult or rather impossible to resist, and makes a strong and ineffaceable impression on the memory. In a word, reckon those things which please everybody all the time as genuinely and finely sublime” (138). To fit the criteria of sublimity, a message must reach each person that it is delivered to in a way that expands their hearts and minds and the deliverer must be easily and immediately liked. It also must be explained in noble diction, wherein word choice is of utmost importance for best delivery of the message. In the YouTube clip that is viewed for criticism, the messages the Nick speaks are simple, understandable, and touch on the basic desires of all mankind to be content with life. The shock of Nick’s appearance makes his words especially effective because despite his clearly visible handicaps he is always smiling and he professes his thankfulness for what he has. Throughout the clip, there are images and short videos of Nick playing sports, doing water activities, and receiving hugs and thanks from people who are visibly moved. These images of people crying and giving Nick hugs help to convince future audiences that Nick’s messages are important and should be regarded thoughtfully. In “On Sublimity” Longinus subdivides the categories that comprise that which is sublime to easily define something as such. One of these categories is “Digression: Genius versus Mediocrity”. If any one man were to have an excuse for being mediocre or travelling the easy road in life, Nick Vujicic would be that man. His disabilities would overwhelm some of the strongest men, who cannot overlook their obstacles and resort to self pity. More often than not, men with arms and legs and a “normal” body stay safe and take no risks, living a mediocre life rather than striving to make a difference in the world. But, Nick views his abnormal body as a tool that can move people and can change perspectives despite the risk that he may be laughed at or pitied. Longinus states, “It may also be inevitable that low or mediocre abilities should maintain themselves generally at a correct and safe level, simply because they take no risks and do not aim at the heights, whereas greatness, just because it is greatness, incurs danger”(149). Nick Vujicic not only acts in greatness by speaking to people about the importance of thankfulness and a positive outlook but he also defies all odds by doing things that one may think are impossible for a man with no arms and legs. In this, he epitomizes a characterization of the sublime. Longinus continues, “I do, however, think that the greater good qualities, even if not consistently maintained, are always more likely to win the prize-if for no other reason, because of the greatness of spirit they reveal” (149). If greatness of spirit is sublime, the definition should be accompanied by a picture of Nick Vujicic. The last few minutes of the YouTube clip reveal the purpose of the clip, a promotion for a DVD featuring Nick and his inspirational message. Although the message of the short clip is inspiration enough for anyone who watches, the purpose is to intrigue watchers enough to make them buy the DVD. In the end, despite the purely sublime message that Nick delivers, he still uses his disability and his message to earn a living and in a sense, he sells himself to his audience.
Works Cited
Cain, Finke, Johnson, Leitch, McGowan, Sharpley-Witing, Williams, eds. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Second Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2010. Print.
Longinus. “On Sublimity.” The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Second Edition. 136-54.
Nick Vujicic Inspirational Talk-Life Without Limbs 1 of 4. 18 June 2008. YouTube. Web. 11 July 2010.
Summer Session 2010: English 436 in five weeks sounds overwhelming and intimidating but with diligence and dedication comes confidence in one's abilities. A blog format will allow for creativity in the analysis of works through the view points depicted in each theory. Although theories are discussed in classes outside of English 436, this class covers them directly. The theories covered in the upcoming weeks are not new but the in depth study of each one will bring them into new light. Here we go!
