Seminar Reflection
_What was the most interesting idea discussed in your seminar yesterday? Explain and develop it in detail.
_
Yesterday in seminar, my group discussed the idea that happiness is a
part of all three areas of your brain: the id, the ego, and the superego. In
one way, happiness thrives on the basic, animalistic desires of the id. We get
a sort of satisfaction when our wants are fulfilled. This sort of happiness is
not a part of our conscious mind. On the other hand, the id is unconscious, and
there is a part of happiness that you are aware of. When you do something you
love, or work hard for an accomplishment, happiness can come from that success
or achievement, which is not necessarily stemming from the longings and needs
of the id. In still another way, happiness exists in the superego. The
superego, or moral guardian, has been conditioned by society to make us think
that our own happiness is what’s right. In today’s society, it’s almost
considered wrong to be unhappy, so our superego works to make sure that contentment
is always available. Another element of this discussion was that there are different
types of happiness. Some are deep, and come after long struggles or hardships.
Some joys are easy, obtained when a desire of the id is fulfilled. But no
matter what sort of happiness there is, pain is necessary to truly appreciate
those moments of being content.
_Quote one quotation from the novel you wished you would have included in the discussion, and explain why you wish you could include it.
_ "The gods are just. No
doubt. But their code of conduct is dictated, in the last resort, by the people
who organize society; Providence takes its cue from men.”
_I wish that we could have discussed the idea of God in Brave New World,
and how religion is a part of their society. I think that it would have been
interesting to talk about what religion means to us, versus what a deity would
mean to a character in Brave New World. A higher power being present in the
novel could have made the story completely different. Also, we never talked
about how God was washed out of society and why those decisions were made. It
appears in the novel that the Controllers feel that belief in God would result
in weakness and instability, and yet they worship Ford as if he is a god.
_What were you most proud of about your seminar performance yesterday?
_I am most proud of willingness to go deeper into the content and the
ideas of the discussion. I tried to make it so that we spent as much time as we
needed on a topic to really understand it, and ask questions that pushed our
thinking deeper.