Artists Expressing Their Feelings Through Objects English Literature Essay

Artists express their feelings and what is in their minds through objects. Further, objects may also be used to express artist’s spirit or religion or orientation they have on various issues existing in their environment. Basic idea behind objects is maintained by strong symbolism incident on objects. Most of the times when a piece of art is displayed, people focus on the meaning the object is projecting rather than the description and the accuracy of the object. It is symbolism that makes work produced by artists to be interpreted in many ways. Even if everybody looks at the same piece of work, they will have varying ideas in their minds. It is only the creator of the piece of art who has the ultimate meaning of it. It is the inventor who understands his or her invention better than any other person. This implies that a mere observer of a piece of art will always have a different idea about that piece of art. Often the understanding is shallow and devoid of depth in meaning. Sometimes it requires one to study the background of the artist in order to get insight and deeper understanding of his work. Some artist may tell orally or in writing the meaning behind their work. By doing so, they allow people to have a better view of their world of thought and what their work stands for or represents. However many symbolists do not do so. They leave their work of art open giving room to varying interpretations. Such open interpretation technique also applies in dreams. No one person can understand another person’s dream. Just like a piece of art, building blocks of dreams are experiences, feelings and emotions that human go through when they are awake replayed in their state of sleep. Such experiences are not universal. They are unique and experienced at different times under different circumstances. It is the wearer of the shoe who knows where it pinches. Likewise it is the owner of the dream who knows its origin and probable implications in his or her life.

Symbolists may also use a piece of art or a painting to express their emotions or feelings at a particular time. Art an expression of what one has seen, experienced, tasted and felt. It is important to note that artist do not exist in a vacuum. They live in spaces in the world where lives are shaped by what people go through. These experiences allocate deep meanings on a piece a carving, a sculpture or a painting. Over time, mood, maturity and circumstances of the artist May change. These changes will have an effect on interpretation of the piece of creation in general.

It is not easy to comprehend what dreams are and why people dream. Existence of dreams and their meaning has been and continues to be a curious subject within the scientific community. Sigmund Freud work attempts to classify sub conscious mind into three parts. Id, ego and the superego. He asserts that these sections are the inner desires that constitutes and complete the dreaming process. In his work, he defines ego as that part of the brain that is responsible for self awareness. He explains that this sections aids functionality of individuals. This is because it is aware of senses and perceptions of the world and how the world works. On the other hand, he considers the Id as the section inhabited by desires that are more often primal and primitive. Such cravings according to Freud include uncontrolled pursuit of pleasure and sexual desires. Finally, the superego functions as a censor of the Id.It suppresses evil desires and acts that are considered immoral by the wider society. It also turns desires of the Id into symbolic images or figures inside dreams(Sigmund,pg 67).

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Incontestable fact is; materials that constitute a dream can be traced back to experience the dreamer has gone through. These materials are then remembered or reproduced in the dream. However, in making assumption that connection between reality and dream content is obvious deliberate and careful effort should be applied before lying claim that connection between the two exists. Certain peculiarities within the memory faculty have so far defied explanation. Being fully aware of such peculiarities will make it easy for dreams to be understood.

In a dream context, certain materials exist and cannot be traced as part of experience and knowledge in a wake state. Most of the times, an individual is able to remember having dreamt of the things but cannot recall actual experience or moment of its happenings in the dream. The source of such experience and knowledge in the dream remains elusive and one is tempted to believe in a separate independent activity. The truth is dreams can be mysterious as well as baffling. The same way people wonder what a piece of art means or represents, so is with the process of interpreting dreams. It is quite intriguing what a specific dream means to an individual. Largely, dreams still remain mysterious not only to the dreamer but also to scholars who have dedicated time and resources to study them. In spite of tremendous progress made in the field of science, a lot of ground is yet to be covered.

Sigmund Freud has referred to a dream as “royal road….to the unconscious”. This is a timeless statement that will remain relevant in psychology for a long time. He says that each and every dream is a fulfillment of hidden wishes. This is a theory he held on until he died. The idea that “secret” wishes are hidden in a dream is a central and very classical Freudian psychoanalysis. Other ideas on dreams exist besides Freudian theory. There are people who believe that dreams contain static or fixed meanings. “If you dream about onions, it means hard work.”. Others believe that. “If you dream about death, death will occur in your family”.

Some modern scientists claim that dreams are images originating from uneven electrical activities in the human brain as it “housecleans” itself during sleep. Others who include Freud believe in unconscious relevance of dreams and view them as fulfillment of human wishes. The truth of the matter is, dreams are a valuable hint on how to better human lives. In psychotherapy-dream itself cannot be used. When narrating a dream to another person, dream is put into words. This is an unrealistic representation of images and symbols observed in the dream. Words can only paint a picture on somebody else mind through description. But they cannot completely be an alternative to the object or image seen during the dream. Talking about dream only gives the text of perception about it.

Significance of imagery and symbolism in dreams.

Since the beginning of time, dreams have been objects of mystery and fascination. A clear and vivid image during sleep seems to originate from sources outside our conscious mind. Every dream seems to be a clear message from the unconscious part of human beings that points to the conscious part and then expressed in a language that needs to be understood. Dreams have been referred to as the loyal path or road to human souls. They are composed of varying elements of human identity .According to Dreyer, “On the most superficial level we can look at the dream as a commentary on some or ordinary everyday experience or situation that the dreamer is dealing with. On a deeper level we can explore the dream taking place in the dream with each image and symbol in the dream representing some psychological aspect of the dreamer”.

The conscious mind is always slow in allowing us to have full recollection of dreams. Since dreams deliver messages to humans in images and symbols, human conscious preconceptions are frequently disturbed and make one to wonder who people are and who they are about. Like a play with sub-plots and plots so is a dream. Numerous actions take place in a dream. Though dreams often exaggerate feelings and images in bizarre and grotesque way, these images and symbols are not to be taken lightly. Comprehending dreams is like exploring a piece of poem or a prose. They open up to a whole world of fantasy and imaginations which reveals to human the various aspects of self that are long kept secret like a hidden treasure awaiting discovery(Nicky,pg 32).

Every dream is unique. Possessions and personal experiences of the dreamer are many and are different from one dream to another. Images that are also similar in a dream might possess different meaning for different people. This is because context in which dreams occur, individual experiences and lives are completely different. Rightness or correctness of a particular symbol or image is only known to the dreamer when it comes to interpretation of the dreams. However, there are some universal symbols and images that occur in a dream. Exploring possibilities the images represent can help to deepen and enrich the significance of a dream and open it up to deeper layers of meaning. Things that are dreamed about possess emotions as well as deeper psychological significance. This is more than what might appear apparent if one can consider a dream about a home or a house. You cannot escape from the fact that it may be a setting of a specific house one is aware about. A place one has dwelt in, seen or visited. A strong connection exists between the context of the dream and the reality of the house. What is happens in the mind or in the body in a waking state is invoked in the dream about the house or the home. One might be reminded about his or her experiences when young and living in the house. Feelings of alienation and belonging, harmony and conflict, insecurity and security during our stay there might appear in the dream. The house psychologically becomes an extension of the physical being and identity in the world. Some unfamiliar rooms or places in the house may stand for unexplained sections of potential resident in ones personality. Trying to explore unfamiliar house may indeed turn out to be a representation of somebody’s effort or journey to dwell or interrogate further his or her own personality. This may as well have an extended meaning of effort made in exploring the psychological issues that resides in a person’s emotional space. When one dreams of going back to a room in a house he or she knew when young, it may stand for a known or familiar situation but possessing different possibilities (Zygmunt, pg 38). Reactions and feelings to inhabitants and the house or its context is important in comprehending the importance or significance of the rooms or the entire house in the dream. This may as well stand for a wish to go back to a time of innocence during childhood or a desire to go on and leave the house by getting on with some unconcluded business in life. A unique view of ourselves as presented to us by dreams is always a factor that cannot be ignored. This more often than not originates from wiser and deeper sections of our psyche. It behaves in a way to moderate and counterbalance our perceptions. Sometimes, dreams comment on a wider worldwide and cultural issues. However it must be constellated within the confines of the entire community and our psyche.

Conclusion.

In psychology, wish fulfillment means realization of desires through thought process that includes neurotic symptoms, daydreams and dreams. Freudian psychoanalysis observes wish fulfillment as something which happens when superego and ego rejects cravings of the unconscious. This often happen due to guilt and fear as a result of constraints imposed on people by the society and the culture. He observes that origin of dreams is an attempt by the unconscious to deal with inner and outer conflicts that emanate from present or past occurrences. He suggests “that bad dream let the brain learn to gain control over emotions resulting from distressing experiences” (Sigmund, pg 117). Another scientist by the name Ferenczi observes in his work that “dream, when told, may communicate something that is not being said outright”. Hartmann on the subject of the dream says “dreams may function like psychotherapy, by making connections in a safe place and allowing the dreamer to integrate thoughts that may be dissociated during waking life.”. This observations made from Scholars of the authority on the subject do not point to specific danger caused by dreams. It is quite clear human will have to contend with dreams and study around the subject will continue to attract attention.