Bridgette Strand
Dr. Quentin
English Special Topics
May 6, 2014
Dreams
Why are dreams so essential to humanity? One way to investigate this question is through the graphic novel Sandman Preludes and Nocturnes. How does Dream’s journey teach us about the nature of dreams? One would tend not to over think our dream process, when yet according to Sandman; dreams are complicated and very involved with the reality world. Dream’s journey through the human existence brings out the desires and fears mortals display. Some people see dreams and the comic as simple but what they fail to understand is that our dreams are much more intense and involved as Neil Gaiman demonstrates with Morpheus. Through Morpheus’s experiences, he will show us the different manifestations our dreams provide for our very continued survival.
Morpheus deals with the matter of addiction in our dreams; as they can cause very adverse effects on the human mind. In the chapter “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” where Rachel has become addicted to dreams and the pouch of sand is the only thing keeping her alive. Morpheus says in regards to Rachel, “She will die soon. Painfully, I would imagine.” He speaks about the addiction to the dream state the sand provides. That pouch of sand has taken control of Rachel’s house. Everyone who lives there has become dream addicts. The sand pouch was the nutrients they needed to stay afloat in life. Morpheus too has an addiction to power, as his main quest is to locate the items that provide him with the powers he once had. His pride is as equally as great as his powers he has in hand. As one observes addiction in dreams can vary from person to person as they are binding your mind and soul to what is in control of you.
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...as never meant to be in his procession.
This brings us back to the simple question “Why are dreams so essential to humanity?” To others dreams are nothing more than just meaningless stories, but through the analysis of Morpheus, we learn that there is evidence that our dreams provide our lives with worth and substance. At the very end of novel in the chapter,” The Sound of Her Wings,” we see Morpheus start to display some emotion. In the beginning Morpheus portrays an unmoved, responsible and justly character with no regard for human life. After Dream over powers John Dee we see him show mercy and instead of killing John he just sends him home. As he meets his sister, Death we see him intimidated by his sister. Character change and the web of sleep we need in our daily lives have evolved from dreams and that is the sole purpose why they are so important.
There is no doubt that the presence of dreams and dreaming are prominent in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. The analysis of these dreams reveal that they are extremely important in the role of connecting characters, revealing characters’ traits, and helping emphasize the symbolic power of words.
Dreams are often thought of as unreal and as viable modes for escaping reality; however, for John Grady dreams are an extension of his reality. Dreams extend his life through different roles: dreams as ambition, as fantasies and as an unconscious act during sleep. His dreams enable the reader to understand John Grady character as his expresses openly his aspirations in his dreams. A person’s aspirations are frequently in conflict with their reality. Likewise dreams can be in conflict with ones destiny. Nonetheless, there is blurred difference between the nature of dreams and reality. The complexity of life transforms itself into our dreams, thus dreams enable the dreamer to re-evaluate life his or life destiny.
What are dreams? Dreams are a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep. They could be thoughts someone has during the day. Maybe they help a person achieve their goals in life. For example, maybe you dream to become an astronomer so that one day you can go to the International Space Station. Dreams have many significant meanings behind them. Ernest Buckler, a very talented author, uses text to develop a great idea about pursuing one's dream. Buckler uses the symbolism of a penny, the theme of a father-son relationship, and he uses motivation to uncover hidden fantasies to develop an idea about pursuing one's dreams'. In "Penny in the Dust" by Ernest Buckler, it is important to understand that sometimes in life meaningless and insignificant objects could be worth more than a treasure for a person. Treasure that could change a relationship between two people.
To truly fathom how integral and dependent the dreams are in the novels, a few definitions are in order. Dreams are defined, not only as "images passing through a sleeping person's mind" (Neufeldt 132). Dreams also include the mystical events or dream-like occurrences within each novel. Dreams are a way for each character to connect to the past and, perhaps reveal the future. The otherworldly experiences or dreams of Tony and Lena help guide them down the road of ambivalence, and eventually lead to an awakening or the attainment of 'voice.'
Dreams are not just empty ideas, they give people ambition, and it is the pursuit of that ambition, which shapes a person. However, society instils an illusion about what can be achieved. Dreams can be tied to identity, but they can be good or bad. The Great Gatsby [F. Scott Fitzgerald] and Shattered Glass [Teresa Toten] share the similes in which both main characters dream of finding themselves and reach their end goals, through pressure and love. Both authors imply that dreams should be verified that they are possible before you start following them, otherwise they can ended up deadly.
There is a theory that dream and myth are related which is conveyed through the writing of Douglas Angus’ Kafka's Metamorphosis and "The Beauty and the Beast" Tale and supported by Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis. The stories are very symbolic when conveying the metamorphosis of a human being. Unlike Beauty and the Beast, in the Metamorphosis some suggest love is received through acts of cruelty yet in actuality it appears that cruelty results in heartache. Due to being a beast, the repulsiveness requires genuine love which can achieve the “magical transformation.” This “magical transformation” is not achieved and creates a twist in the plot derived from the concepts in the “Beauty and the Beast.”
In Selby's 1978 novel Requiem for a Dream each character succumbs to self-gratification, which eventually and inevitably leads to self-destruction. The four main characters, Harry Goldfarb, Sara Goldfarb, Marion, and Tyrone C. Love each suffer from individual addictions, be it their dreams, illegal/legal narcotics, or even television. "Ultimately not only their bodies and minds, but their very souls are destroyed by their addictions" (Giles 104).
Ranging from caged parrots to the meadow in Kentucky, symbols and settings in The Awakening are prominent and provide a deeper meaning than the text does alone. Throughout The Awakening by Kate Chopin, symbols and setting recur representing Edna’s current progress in her awakening. The reader can interpret these and see a timeline of Edna’s changes and turmoil as she undergoes her changes and awakening.
"Morpheus." Greek God of Dreams | Mythology. Aaron J. Atsma, n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
The fantastic tale “Was It a Dream?” by Guy de Maupassant is a story narrated from the first point of view, in which the main character, who remains anonymous, describes his desperation and overwhelming grief since the loss of his loved one. He also relates a supernatural event he experienced, while in the cemetery, in which he finds out the truth about his significant other’s feelings but refuses to accept it, or at least tries to ignore it. Maupassant’s readers may feel sympathy towards the narrator as they perceive throughout the story his tone of desperation, and are able to get to the conclusion that he was living a one-sided relationship. Maupassant achieves these effects in the readers through the use of figures of speech, like anonymity, symbolism and imagery, and the structured he employed in the story.
Addiction has many forms; this is evident in Requiem for a Dream, Darren Aronofsky’s critically renowned film, centered on the effects of drug use and misuse. The film conveys how quickly an individual can transition from recreational use to a drug addictive lifestyle.
« The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind ».1 While Freud already used hypnosis and free association with his patients, he soon felt the need to include the interpretation of dreams in psychoanalysis as well. Freud decided he would developped his 'theory of dreams' to go further in his analysis. According to Freud, dreams allow unconscious desires, fears or emotions to express themselves in a disguised way. Dreams are an expression of wish fulfilment communicating through symbols.
Oprah Winfrey once said, “The best thing about dreams is that fleeting moment, when you are between asleep and awake, when you don't know the difference between reality and fantasy, when for just that one moment you feel with your entire soul that the dream is reality, and it really happened.” But, what actually is a dream and what do dreams really have to do with one’s everyday life? In essence, a dream is a series of mental images and emotions occurring during a slumber. Dreams can also deal with one’s personal aspirations, goals, ambitions, and even one’s emotions, such as love and hardship. However, dreams can also give rise to uneasy and terrible emotions; these dreams are essentially known as nightmares.
What is a dream? Why do we have dreams? Do dreams have deeper meaning in our lives? The answers to these questions have eluded and intrigued many psychologists throughout history and have sparked my interest as well. As an avid and vivid dreamer I have often found myself wondering what the true meanings to my dreams were. So what are dreams? “Strictly speaking, dreams are images and imagery, thoughts, sounds and voices, and subjective sensations experienced when we sleep.”1 Even after thousands of years of research, psychologists have still not come to an agreed answer on why we dream. There are as many opinions out there as there are individual dreams. Some psychologists believe dreaming is simply the minds way of distracting itself from outside information during sleep to allow people to get deep rest. Others such as Dr. Eric Hartman suggest dreams serve almost as a psychotherapy in which the brain can make connections between different emotions and thoughts in a safe protected environment. Do dreams have any direct correlation to everyday events and experiences? Are they meant to aid individuals in understanding and interpreting their world around them?
There are many perceptions of what a dream actually is. Some view dreams as the subconscious trying to speak to people, and others see it as religious visions of the future. Over the years, physicians and psychologists have collected countless amounts of research and evidence to support their viewpoints on dreams. I have always believed that dreaming is a time when the brain develops and analyzes important information (Bernstein 149). Dreams do not mean anything specific, and everyone has their own cultural perspectives of dreams. In reality, no one has the power to analyze and tell people the meanings of their dreams. According to Bernstein’s psychology book, dreaming is a time when the brain experiences story-like perceptions and sensations.