How Narcissistic Is It Of Humanity

In the 1989 classic Disney film, The Little Mermaid, Ariel’s story can be easily misconstrued that it is okay to abandon your family, drastically change your body, and give up your strongest talent all to get your man. Once he sees your pretty face only a witches spell could draw his eyes away from you. These” teachings” may not be intended but are definitely present and although this movie is a favorite amongst many, it can send a bad

When the little mermaid went to the sea witch to be changed into a human, she told her, “How stupid of you! Still, you shall have your way, and it’ll bring you into misfortune, my lovely Princess” (Anderson 226). The sea witch had already warned the little mermaid even before she made the potion that it would not go as she planned. The little mermaid, being young and foolish about love, did what she believed was right. The tone here spoken by the sea witch gives caution towards the mermaid. Anderson uses the witch as a way to portray to the reader how it is easy to make mistakes in the matter of love. This example is given when the witch informs her that, “… and if you don’t win the Prince’s love, so that he forgets father and mother for you and always has you in his thoughts and lets the priest join your hands together to be man and wife, they you won’t get an immortal soul” (Anderson 226). The author uses a reproving tone to demonstrate to the reader how the little mermaid is foolish, carried away in her childish dreams. Anderson characterizes the sea witch in such a way that her dialogues warn women to be careful when it comes to sacrificing themselves for anyone.

There are many other short stories that show this, like “Cinderella”. The male figure in “The Little Mermaid” gets to be the handsome prince that the little mermaid is so in love with. The little mermaid sees him from the ocean when he is attending his own birthday party at a ship. Later on, a storm destroys the ship completely, which leads the prince seeking for help, and the little mermaid gladly saves him. As we all know, the little mermaid is in love with the prince and she also wants to become a human for that immortal soul she desires so deeply. The sea-witch gives her the poison, and tells her that she can only acquire this immortal soul only if she gets the prince to fall in love with her. Likewise, she must make the prince marry her. Even with all the side effects the poison gives her, like the feeling of walking on knives she will get when she steps, she puts them aside just to be with the prince and get what she wants: the prince himself and immortal soul. We can infer that here the prince (being a male) has become the sole dominant figure of the story, and that the little mermaid has become the sole victim, with everything against her. The little mermaid absolutely depends on the prince to get what she wants, and that represents that the prince is her only salvation. Her only hope to become what she really wants has become the prince himself. If analyzed this part of the short story shows that women depend on men to get what they want. In addition, Hans Christian Anderson makes the prince all rich, powerful, and handsome just to make him look like a dominant man. Hidden messages like these blind little girl’s view of the correct society that we should have, making them think that the man is always the most powerful, the most independent, and the most important compared to

Disney directly exposes the idea that young girls should make their main goal in life to find their prince charming, fall madly in love, and live happily ever after. Making young girls’ aspiration in life revolve around finding a man of their dreams “transfix[es the] audience and divert[s] their potential utopian dreams and hopes through the false promises of the images [Disney] cast[s] upon the screen” (22). Disney tells the audience that women need a man to be happy. Disney presents the idea that women are dependent on me. Just like in The Little Mermaid, Ariel goes as far as surrendering her voice, to a witch named Ursula, and abandoning her family in order to be with her prince. Ariel also trades in her life as a mermaid, drastically changes her body, and sacrifices her greatest talent all in order to win her prince. Disney sends the message that girls need to give up their talents and lives in order to be with a man. Disney suggests that a woman’s main priority is her lover, no one or nothing else. Disney effectively portrays women in a negative way, depicting them as weak and needy. No attempt to break the stereotypical gender roles of women are evident however, these stereotypes are growing as Disney instills this image of women in the minds of viewers.

Each person reacts differently to a mirror. Some prefer to primp and tidy their face while others take a quick glance and carry on. However, there are others who continuously stare into the eyes of their alternate-self. These people wonder, “What do I see?” They are the kind of people who desperately seek answers for their existence, and will not rest until their questions are resolved. The alternate-self is the true being. Although it remains as a reflection of the physical body it is also who we see on the inside. What one sees in his or her reflection equals the truth of their nature. For some we see an innate good, but for others it is the innate evil and horror of humanity. Victor Frankenstein may claim to be such a

After watching the podcast that featured a discussion with Jean Twenge, a researcher and author, I learned that our society is in the midst of a full-blown narcissism epidemic. Twenge mentions that famous individuals (Donald Trump, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian) represent narcissism and she found that when looking at baby boomers in the 60’s in comparison to millennials, millennials are more likely to say that they think they are above average. Twenge states that the feature that the discussion always comes back to is that we are a more individualistic culture now, compared to the 50’s. Society is more focused on self and less focused on social rules.

The culture of narcissism was widely recognised as a socio-cultural critique of American society when published in 1979. Written by Christopher Lasch, the book analyzes a social phenomenon identified by Christopher Lasch as ‘cultural narcissism’, a process by which certain attributes of the pathological branch of narcissism (Bocock, 2002) become societal characteristics (Lasch, 1991). This review will be analyzing the relevance of the book within wider sociological debate. I will argue that although the book identifies a recognisable social trend it fails to deomonstrate a specific cause or reason for that trend. The

I admit that in the past, I've been a nasty. They weren't kidding when they called me, well, a witch, but I promise all I wanted to do was help Ariel when she came to me. Her story begins when she discovers a cavern filled with trinkets from the human world. Over time, Ariel becomes fascinated with life on earth. She eventually starts disobeying her father by visiting the surface to watch the humans go about their days. One day, on one of her visits to the surface, a Prince celebrating his birthday on his vessel caught Ariel’s attention. He was breathtaking; the little mermaid couldn't keep her eyes off him. She knew they were destined to be together.

The Little Mermaid is a perfect depiction of the typical teenage heroine who is striving to find happiness in her own life, but is restricted by the wicked femme fatale who attempts to destroy all that is good, and sabotage the heroine’s happy ending. Our teenage heroine in this case would be Ariel, the 16-year-old daughter of Triton, the king of the ocean. While Ariel comes from royalty and is praised for her beauty, youth, and innocence, her bright and independent self undergoes a physical transformation that leads her to become a mute doll who is focused on seizing a kiss from the prince, and winning his heart. On the other hand we have Ursula, who was exiled by Triton to live a lonely and miserable life. Ursula undergoes her own transformation where her evil ways allow her to steal Ariel’s voice for herself, and use it to seduce the prince to marry her in order to demonstrate power and control. Although Ariel and Ursula both desire their own form of happiness and success, Ariel’s desire and the lengths she’ll go to acquire love represents a stereotypical society of powerless women who depend on men for their survival. As opposed to Ursula, who seeks revenge and the crown of Triton but ultimately fails; her failure demonstrates the power of men that will always dominate over women in the end, but her attempt represents the ambitious women out there that want more than just love.

The flaws of human nature are many, but one of the biggest is the gullibility, especially in the presence of the supernatural. It is often easy to think that the thoughts or actions of an individual are of their own doing. It is even easier to assume that the range of the mind falls between good and evil. But society is not quite clear and even in fiction, there is always something motivating an action that lingers in the back of the mind of any character. The supernatural in particular is known for its ability to push people to extremes and alter their perception drastically. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, it is easy to assume the blind ambition that brews within Macbeth and his wife or the guilt that plagues them following their actions is the biggest motivator. But that is just the surface of the complexity interlaced into this tragedy. Dig further, and it becomes clear that these emotions were not always prevalent in the characters, but were instead prompted by a force so powerful, it toyed with fate and provoked deception until the end; it was the supernatural that fueled the emotions and actions that take up much of the play.

She then travels to the surface of the water where she first sees Eric and instantly falls in love. Ariel creates this separation between her dad by going behind his back. This message is for the adults because with an oppressive relationship children are likely to rebel. Since mostly young girls watch “The Little Mermaid” this message comes off as they should go behind their parents back to get something that they want.

I was in the best of settings when I realized that Shakespeare was indeed great. My freshman year in high school, I had English class with an esteemed teacher, Mr. Broza—hailed as the Paul D. Schreiber High School Shakespeare aficionado, founder of Schreiber’s Annual Shakespeare Day, and, perhaps most heart-warming of all, a self-proclaimed Shakespeare lover whose posters of The Bard could be found as wallpaper in his small office. How lucky I thought I was. Indeed, if I wanted to appreciate Hamlet, I was in the right hands.

As children, people grow up watching Disney movies wishing that one day they could be the beautiful princess that is saved by the ultimate fairytale prince or the town hero that slays the mighty dragon. The power Disney has on the public is unmatched by almost any other corporation as they have the power to influence the minds of young children. Disney movies have central ideas that are being put into the minds of kids and conveying the wrong messages about society today. Disney’s portrayal of Andersen’s short story ultimately destorys the story for what it is. In Disney’s Sub/Version of Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, the idea that Disney is selling the concept of love short is brought up multiple times by Roberta Trites. Disney presents

For most people, love is a powerful feeling, but love it has its limits. In “The Little Mermaid,” by Hans Christian Andersen, a young mermaid goes through so much pain because of the love she feels. She gives up her home, voice, tail, and life to be with the Prince. The message Hans Christian Andersen is trying to convey about love is that it can be painful.

Shakespeare, much like Prospero, needed more than just his art to accomplish the productions that he completed. Just as Shakespeare needed other contributors, Prospero too needed his servants. Caliban is much like the stagehand as he is not a significant part of Prospero’s works, but he is used to complete laborious task for Prospero who commands him with complete control. Caliban is referred to by Prospero as his slave, “thou poisonous slave” (I.ii.322), and is used to fetch wood. Much like a stagehand would covet the position of the playwright Caliban desires to replace Prospero as lord of the island. Though Caliban begrudgingly obeys Prospero he is eager to be rid of him and his commands. This resentful relationship is contrasted to the relationship between Prospero and Ariel. Ariel is a spirit who upon being rescued by Prospero became is his diligent servant, until such time when Prospero decides to release him. Ariel is playing the role of the actors in the figurative interpretation of the play. Prospero’s treatment of Ariel is far nicer than his treatment of Caliban, he responds in a much kinder manner, “My brave spirit” (I.ii.207). This difference in treatment can be attributed to Ariel’s importance to Prospero; Prospero needs Ariel for his plans to function. If it were not for Ariel Prospero would not be able to perform his plan, correspondingly, if there were no actors