The word “insanity” from Dictionary.com is described as “the condition of being insane; a derangement of the mind”. Although this definition gives us a clear meaning of the word, it leaves out what “insane” is considered. Is it biological, mental, or just based on personality? Insanity can have different meanings for everyone, so the definition is just a base of what it could mean and not what it is. For example, my friend thinks of someone as insane if they are out of control physically, but for me, someone who is insane isn’t necessarily dealing with the physical body, it is more of a mental disorder that has been there since birth.
As a Mexican- American, I know that some of our Mexican cultural ideas of sanity do not make sense to others, but seem perfectly normal to us. A big cultural idea of sanity can be found within our superstitious beliefs. For instance, if a baby is looked at, but not held, we believe that the baby could become sick due to a belief known as “El Mal de Ojo”, which means the evil eye. However, in our ideas of sanity, this can be avoided by wearing a red bracelet made from yarn and an eye charm. Another cultural belief that seems normal to us, is to never leave your purse on the floor because it brings bad luck and can cause economic problems. These beliefs, as odd as they may seem to other cultures, make great sense to us and we practice them regularly.
Just as sanity can, in truth, be insane, insanity can also be sane. We see this in the play, “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams. At the end, Blanche, who is one of the main characters, ends up being taken away by doctors, implying that she might have went to a mental hospital. Throughout the play, Blanche seems to be an innocent well- rounded person, until Stanley tells Stella all the lies Blanche has been telling her. We soon realize that Blanche has, in fact, not been telling the truth and has been imagining what she would like to be and not what she is. At first, this makes her seem like a crazy person, but once you consider her past, her response to the world is rational and reasonable because she has been through many tragedies, starting at an early age. Her difficulties began with the death of her young husband, the loss of some family members, and then the loss of her and Stella’s inherited house. These circumstances all contributed to making her a person that preferred to hide from reality instead of telling the truth. Which, after all, would not make her insane because she was not born crazy, her life just shaped her to live this unrealistic way. As we can see, the dictionary definition of “insanity” has a very vague meaning that can lead to misinterpreting certain circumstances, such as Blanche’s response to the world.
I like your analysis on dictionary.com’s lack of specification on the definition of insanity. The definition fails to incorporate one’s personal experiences and point of view before explicitly labeling one as insane. Differing cultural identities lead to mental borders separate one viewpoints from another, thus creating separate views of insanity. In Blanche’s case, her unique experiences define her eccentric actions while others without the same experience may sneer at her actions. Overall, your writing clearly communicates these point, but there may be some additional analysis and evidence that could help strengthen your argument. What do you think could be an improvement to the definition of insanity?
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job of picking apart the definition of the word “insanity” as well as addressing what it lacked. I loved how you brought in your own cultural experiences to the topic. I had heard about not putting your purse on the floor, and it is something I do believe in despite my not being Mexican-American, and rather Asian American. It makes me wonder what beliefs cross multiple cultural boundaries; are there any similarities between cultures that others view as “insane”? In addition, you did a great job of relating this argument of insanity to Williams’ piece. You used multiple examples from the story to support your argument, and you did so in a concise, easy-to-understand manner.
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