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| LCortina | Response Part 2: the continuation | 0 | Aug 20 2009, 4:16 AM EDT by LCortina | ||
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Thread started: Aug 20 2009, 4:16 AM EDT
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In something as simple as a curfew, Ennet is remodeling the human body: “After curfew Staff doesn’t have to unlock the door. Many bad-news residents get effectively bounced this way” (Wallace 601). By imposing childlike restrictions on these addicts, Ennet House aims to dismantle the societal outsider and create a normal member of society. This is achieved by merely reverting the body to that of an adolescent. By treating these residents like children, the residents, in turn, become desperate to live up to expectations.
Finally, we have Enfield. You have said a lot about this already. However, prep school, tennis academies, etc. are obvious examples of places where docile bodies are created. The juniors are isolated and hopefully molded into top notch players. Schtitt’s philosophical view is geared toward creating a new person in each player: “this world inside is the same, always, if you stay there. This is what we are making, no? New type citizen. Not of cold and wind outside. Citizens of this sheltering second world we are working to show you every dawn, no?” (Wallace 459). The fact that he defines the players at “new type citizens” holds amazing weight. They are building people from the ground up. Even building a new society. While Schtitt camouflages this as a player’s natural growth, it is, in reality, his own creation. He parades his method as spiritual, but it is no different than a form of brainwashing that we see in the other organizations. Brainwashing holds a negative connotation. While some of these methods of transformation may in fact be beneficial, it does not change the fact that they are imposed upon the body. Each organization aims to subjugate, transform, and even control despite their message of self-help and individual growth. |
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| LCortina | Response Part 1 | 0 | Aug 20 2009, 4:13 AM EDT by LCortina | ||
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Thread started: Aug 20 2009, 4:13 AM EDT
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Scott,
Your comparison between the two entities makes absolute sense. I would even stretch that Ennet House itself mirrors A.A. and E.T.A. Primarily, I was interested in how these individual organizations aim to recreate their members. With this in mind, I could not help but think of Michel Foucault. In Discipline and Punish, he argues simply that “a body is docile that may be subjected, used, transformed and improved” ( 136). I cannot think of a series of better descriptions for the aims of all three organizations. As Avery pointed out in her visit, it seems like Wallace’s work seems to punish anybody who breaks away from some type of normalcy. I suggest that Wallace is trying to echo the politics of power in certain establishments rather than condoning them. AA aims to reform the members through indoctrination. Furthermore, as one becomes a member, they in turn are responsible to help others. AA requires complete submission to achieve an end. In this case: salvation of the body. Giving one’s self away is a central rule of the organization: “Giving It Away is a cardinal Boston AA principle….sobriety in Boston is regarded as less a gift than a sort of cosmic loan. You can’t pay the loan back, but you can pay it forward, by spreading the message that despite all appearances AA works” (Wallace 344). Rather than merely being an organization to aid in getting clean, AA requires steadfast dedication and missionary work. Each member becomes an agent for the organization. They are transformed into a recruiter. The Alligators are the best example of this. Even after years of service they demonstrate steadfast dedication to the organization. They are good soldiers carrying on the mission of the group. In regards to Ennet, it seems more subtle. The residents are treated more like children than grown adults with serious issues. Ennet functions on the principle that one is allowed to do as they like, but be prepared to face the consequences. (Continued) |
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