Gulliver and Obsession

"They spend the greatest part of their lives in observing the celestial bodies, which they do by the assistance of glasses, far excelling ours in goodness." (Swift 3)

It is interesting that Swift quotes this about outsiders in the scene when Gulliver is at the same time, obsessing over his own project. He is so interested in the math and science aspects of figuring out the philosophical aspects of the island. He has specific measurements that could have been impossible to figure out back then. His preciseness based upon all of these details is immaculate and it is riveting to think that someone could be so encapsulated with the thought of one thing.

"Haunted by the fear of a purposeless existence, they pledge their lives to a plan, a project, or a person who becomes their sole raison d'être." (Van Zuylen 2)

This quote from Monomania really delves into the idea of what Gulliver is going through. He has these maps and diagrams and ideas to figure out what is happening with this island. He has so many ideas and focuses and it truly is driving his existence in that moment. The obsession is real and those thoughts seem to be taking over his mind. It is also interesting in the respect of absorption because it is amazing how his mind can hold all of that information.

Along with that, it is such a ridiculous idea that certain people cannot leave the island otherwise it will be thrown off balance. And to think that he figured that out with all of his measurements and philosophical thoughts on such a scientific and specific idea. I suppose that this is the idea that obsession can be formulated through so many aspects of the world and these thoughts only evolve with the addition of different and thought provoking ideas even if it is from such a wide range as art and science.

Curiosity and Crusoe Thesis

THESIS "Curiosity is a dangerous yet thought provoking state of mind which is driven by ideas of enlightenment. These ideas can lead to erratic decisions as shown within the journeys of Robinson Crusoe and described within eighteenth century literature in both a positive and a negative light."

OUTLINE

Introductory Paragraph

• Touch on the pieces that will be described in the essay. Utilize pieces from Robinson Crusoe, Benedict and Kant. 
• Thesis

Body Paragraph 1

•  Discuss ideas upon Crusoe's ultimate sin and how curiosity affected that decision. 
• "Curiosity creates a monster in a monstrous society and a hero in a moral society." (Benedict 2)
•  Curiosity and greed has taken a negative term based upon Crusoe's actions.
• Touching upon the motives of Crusoe stealing the money from ships.
• Taking Friday as his own and justifying his actions upon killing the foreigners on the island. 
• Curiosity has transformed the relationships that he has had with his family.
• These focuses are mostly negative ideas.

Body Paragraph 2

• Discuss ideas upon Enlightenment and include pieces from Kant.
• The idea that curiosity is good for breaking social constructs.
• Being a rule breaker can be both good and bad.
• Find new ideas and break traditional roles in society but can also challenge political ideals in these societies.
• Crusoe broke the rules of finding a career in England and defied his father.
• Positive part was finding a way with God and becoming one with his thoughts.
• Also learned a wealth of information upon farming and surviving on his own.

Body Paragraph 3

• Round out by comparing the ideas between the positives and negatives of curiosity.
• Utilize the ideas of political defiance that was shown by Benedict.
• Compare that with the ideas of Enlightenment from Kant. 
• Prove that laziness and cowardice are things that need to be broken in order to gain curiosity.
• Challenge the stereotypes and open up new ideas.

POSSIBLE BODY PARAGRAPH 1

    

      "But I was not content with this discovery; but having more courage and consequently more Curiosity, I took my Man Friday with me..." (Defoe 150) Curiosity is one of the most prominent mind sets that is shown throughout Robinson Crusoe. Crusoe is an adventurer who aptly defies all advice to stop with his travels and settle down on land in order to create a life for himself. Despite all of the advice, Crusoe still travels and partakes in many dangerous situations. Ultimately, this is all driven by his curiosity for something more. It is something that the idea of curiosity can conjure up within someone. Once an individual has a taste of something interesting or thought provoking, they only desire more. Therefore, Crusoe continuously tries to discover something new. Within Kant's writing upon Enlightenment, he states, "For any single individual to work out of the life under tutelage which has become almost his nature is very difficult. He has become fond of this state." (Kant 2) Crusoe has tasted the curiosity upon his first journey. When leaving for his second journey, he did not realize the consequences that he would have to ultimately face. As his time on the island progresses, he realizes that his ultimate sin was that he was never happy. He quotes, " and yet so deep had the Mistake taken root in my Temper, that I could not satisfy my self in my Station, but was continually poring upon the Means, and Possibility of my Escape from this Place;" (Defoe 141) Curiosity is quite interesting in the fact that the human mind can never have enough. Individuals are always searching for more and more to work with. Ultimately, Benedict shares in his piece about curiosity that, "Curiosity creates a monster in a monstrous society and a hero in a moral society." There is fine line that humans toe between obsession and madness and curiosity. It's all a matter of opinion and reflection. Crusoe's reflection brings him to the thought that his ultimate sin was monstrous and curiosity brought that about. 

               

Curiosity Controlling Desire

"Their violation of social roles was depicted as a violation of the order of their being: their ambition to know, to know the hidden, and/or to know more than they were told condemned them as traitors to their own species. The curiosity of these social challengers made them curiosities themselves." (Benedict 2)

Does having curiosity paint an individual as rebellious?

The quote above really forced me to think about the negative connotations that could be associated with curiosity. From my viewpoint, curiosity is always a positive thing. I think of it as a medium for driving creativity, discovering new ideas and forcing the brain to formulate different relationships and connections between pieces of information that are already known. To contradict these ideas, I found Benedict's "Inspecting and Spectating: Monsters, Rarities and Investigators" quite interesting.

Throughout the early 18th and 19th centuries, curiosity was considered a violation of society. Through discovering new ideas and formulating different social norms, these curious people were looked down upon. I especially love the part of the quote that says, " The curiosity of these social challengers made them curiosities themselves." (Benedict 2) These innovators were considered rarities that changed society. I suppose that everyone is afraid of change and when it comes to societal norms, that cannot be touched. Despite this, I don't believe that people should be looked down upon simply because they have a hankering for inquiring about foreign ideas.

"He who is deemed a monster in a monstrous society, however, may be a hero in a moral one." (Benedict 5)

It is quite interesting to contemplate this quote because individuals may think that this is not accurate. In reality, when putting it into the terms of the political tides that our country is run by, our society forms unanimous opinions upon the leaders within our world. When the country is in turmoil or at war or troubled in any way shape or form, we become irate when any major decision is made by the President or a senator or any political figure that could be governing the public. Monstrosities become larger because they are powered by the conformity of society. Therefore, by exploring a new option or declaring a different option, the curious are considered dangerous and harmful. It is all fueled by popular opinion.

Ultimately, our society would be benefitted by the drive that the curious have. We need more individuals who aren't afraid to break the mold and challenge morals and drive rebellions in a positive format. Hopefully, one day these ideas will be fulfilled, even after over three hundred years.

Crusoe and Sin

Did Robinson Crusoe truly commit the ultimate sin?

Throughout this last passage of reading, Crusoe seems to really contemplate why he was placed on the island and why he was able to survive for so long. There is one line that truly drops the bomb on the entirety of his journey thus far. 

"for not to look back upon my primitive Condition, and the excellent Advice of my Father, the Opposition to which, was, as I may call it, my ORIGINAL SIN; my subsequent mistakes of the same kind had been the Means of my coming into this miserable Condition." (141)

Throughout the book he had been talking about how he had been so productive and had created this wonderful life for himself on the island but now it seems that his psychological falsities are coming to life. He is realizing that he might be struggling mentally and doesn't really know what is morally correct or even what is correct within his life. He is realizing that his state of mind was not stable and now he knows that he must plan an escape.

Not only are these thoughts mentally driven, but he also feels as though God is somehow playing with him. He focuses so much on the idea of his own "original sin" because he did not listen to his father or his friend. He continued on with his travels and disregarded any advice that was given to him. Crusoe plays this off as, "the Fate of Young Heads." (141) This being the idea that he was young and rebellious and was compelled to prove that he was able to make his own decisions. Because he had chosen to prove himself in that fashion, he had sealed his fate through this idea. 

Francis Bacon touches upon this point that there is the fighting of psychological issues or the presence of God in a way. "There is no soundness in our notions whether logical or psychological." (Bacon 40) Logically, a religious being would feel that God is controlling their fate and deciding what will become of one's being because of a simple decision or sin. Psychologically, Crusoe is feeling strange about the island because he has mentally been sucked into the life on the island. He has created this strange world for himself and nobody else was let into that. He might be going a little bit mentally crazy because of his poor decision making some twenty-three years ago. 

Although I don't believe that everything that has happened to Crusoe was because of this one sin that he may have committed, he definitely did seal his fate by taking a risk and adventure.