Michael Foucault Panopticism

Panopticism is a social theory named after the Panopticon, according to Foucault, his describes a watch tower in a prison and he thinks Panopticism is how people act different when they’re being watched. Rayner perspective on Panopticism is how we can use social media to our advantage. In this essay, I will analyze both Foucault and Rayner perspective on Panopticism and will determine the rhetorical appeals of both writings.

Escaping the jaundiced eye: Foucauldian Panopiticism: There were several benefits of the Panopticon in prisons, wards, and factories. A nice environment would be provided and the warden would be provided with

Foucault in a few short words does not like the implementation of the panopticon or the idea of

As the Panopticon is established, a system of normalizing judgements is also at play. With this system, power does not need to actively enslave its people anymore. Instead, social norms are all subjected upon society passively. This is achievable through “micro-penalties” that Panoptic institutions -military, schools, and hospitals- construct (Foucault 178). All of these disciplines affect the “politeness...behavior...and speech” of society (Foucault 178). It is a system of punishment that makes everyone accountable, while rewarding and punishing individuals as a whole. This equality creates a minimum of how people should actively behave. Through the creation of this behavior minimum people become normalized and those who are

“The Panopticon functions as a kind of laboratory of power,” Foucault declares; indeed, much knowledge can be ascertained by “penetra[ting] into men’s behavior” (379).

Foucault's "Panopticism" (1979) is a careful piece that talks about how a panoptic framework would impact culture, society, the political, and individuals. Foucault describes panopticon is to “induce the inmate a state of conscious and visibility that assures the automatic function of power.” Foucault mentions, surveillance has a lasting effects, regardless of the fact that it is discontinuous in its activity; that the perfection of power ought to render its real unneeded practice. The Inmates are in a dominating circumstance that they are them-selves the bearers. Foucault (201, 202–3) also mentions that "He who is subjected to a field of visibility, and knows it, expect responsibility regardless of the constrains of power; he makes them play spontaneously upon

Panopticism is a social theory named after the “panopticon”, which was originally developed by the French philosopher, Michel Foucault. Panopticon was first mentioned in his book, Discipline and Punish. In his book, he refers "panopticon" to “an experimental laboratory of power in which behaviour could be modified.” Foucault considered panopticon as a symbol of the “disciplinary society of surveillance” (Panopticism). In the two novels, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Frankenstein, panopticism is an element shown greatly. Though these two novels have many differences, this similarity shared between the two is equally important.

The author of the essay “Panopticism”, Michel Foucault gives his opinion on power and discipline in Panopticism. He describes Jeremy Bentham’s “Panopticon”, a tower in the centre of a room which has vision to every cell, generalized for prisoners. In simple words, it functioned in maintaining discipline throughout the jail. It’s most distinctive feature was that; prisoners could be seen without ever seeing. Prisoners would never really know when they are watched and when not. They are always under the impression that someone is keeping an eye on them continuously and if anything goes wrong, or they make mistake, they would be punished severely. Since, a prisoner would never know when he/she is watched, they have to be at their best. In a

     The Panopticon, a prison described by Foucault, “is a machine for dissociating the see/being seen dyad: in the peripheric ring, one is totally seen, without ever seeing” (321, Foucault). This literally means that in the formation of the panopticon those who are being seen can not see one another and the one who sees everything can never be seen. That is the most important tool of the panopticon. Foucault makes this assumption about today’s society by saying that we are always being watched whether we know it or not. One always keeps an eye over their shoulder as a

Prisons were created with the intention of correcting and reforming those who have committed wrongful acts but this article implies that the prison system is not living up to its original purpose. Foucault was a big believer in understanding the intent behind an individual’s criminal acts. He was also in favour of training individuals to become disciplined people by manipulating the circumstances around them. A good example of this would be his opinion on the panopticon. He believed that a panopticon would benefit the people inside prisons because it would teach them discipline.

Ruman begins by defining some key terms, such as “gaze” and “panopticon”. He looks at ‘gaze’ in the cultural sense, not only defining it as “the desire of one person that constructs the identity of another who is gazed”, he explains through which means the gaze is implied and employed, in films, posters, school, literature, media, newsreels, newspaper reports, consumer goods, advertising, and pop culture. After defining the term ‘gaze’, Ruman explains the concept of the panopticon, created by Michel Foucault. The panopticon is a type of model for a prison, in which the prison guard or overseer is in the center of an array of open yards and prison cells. From any angle, the guard can see, ‘gaze’, or ‘look at’ any of the prisoners. Whether or not the guard is actually judging each move of the prisoners matters less than the fact that they are completely and constantly under watch, with every move the possibility of scrutiny. This idea of a panopticon creates a “persistent self-monitoring and self-regulation”, causing the prisoners to internalize the disciplinary regime that they are under. The idea behind the gaze and panopticon is that through the both of them, they create an overwhelmingly

In “Discipline and Punish” of Michel Foucault, the author mentions the Panopticon in order to make the world better by partitioning and controlling each small group or individual, force them to behave morally. This concept turns out to be one of the most popular theory which is represent in The Hunger Games – a famous novel of Suzanne Collins, through how the Capitol televises and directs all 12 Districts as a whole and the tributes in arena during the Hunger Games. Panopticon, or social media in the modern society, is also emphasizing its isolating power to the youth at the present.

Michel Foucault is a very famous French intellectual who practiced the knowledge of sociology. Foucault analyzed how knowledge related to social structures, in particular the concept of punishment within the penal system. His theory through, Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, is a detailed outline of the disciplinary society; in which organizes populations, their relations to power formations, and the corresponding conceptions of the subjects themselves. Previously, this type of punishment focused on torture and dismemberment, in which was applied directly to bodies. Foucault mentions through his literary piece, “the soul is the effect and instrument of a political anatomy: the soul is the prison of the body (p.30). However, today, the notion of punishment involves public appearances in a court and much more humane sentences. However, it is important to note and to understand the idea of power and knowledge; it is fundamental to understand the social system as a whole.

In “Panopticism”, Foucalt describes the architecture of a Panopticon, and how it makes it so unique and efficient. A person in the middle is watching at all times, yet the people can never know if they are being watched or not. Also, the prisoners cannot communicate with one another, which prevents the threat

Foucault is the author behind Panopticism. While reading his article, for starters it was very hard to comprehend what he was trying to say, I found this article very confusing and irritating! However, this article does provide different types of elements that can be used to agree to his theory. In this article, he uses Ethos to persuade people that he knows what he’s talking about. He used Logos to persuade other about the effects discipline. He uses Kairos, to address different points about discipline. He lastly uses Pathos to connect to the audience emotionally to prove his theory about discipline.