- What does it mean to be sane and insane?
- Who determines these definitions?
- What effect does the presentation of case work materials have on you as the reader? Why does the author present that info?
- How does information presented in the text affect your perception of the author's mental health? Give examples and analyze at least one quote to this affect.
- Analyze one quote you found interesting or significant and expain its importance.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Girl, Interrupted Online Discussion 1
One of the overarching themes of the novel and a primary aspect of our first discussion of GI is the nature of sanity. I'd like you to consider the following questions in 5 well thought out posts of at least 6 sentences each.:
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Girl, Interrupted is a novel that deals with the mentally ill. Characters in two different worlds, both insane and sane. Sane is to be living life ready for anything that comes at you. Its having knowledge of your surroundings and being able to make rational judgements. Insane is opposite, it's like blanking out of reality because it was uncontrollable. Perhaps even to stressful, a continuous debate that plays with your head.
ReplyDelete2. These definitions are really not determined by anyone but the patient. For instance, Susanna Kaysen dont seem to be mentally ill. She was "court ordered" to enter a facility but signed herself in regardless of that order. During her stay she doesnt show signs of depression and does show that she regrets her attempt of suicide.
ReplyDeleteInsanity is the girl who burned herself. She had no reason to and when she realizes it she shows that the results do take a toll in her heart.
3. I feel that the case work the author presents is important. On page ten it shows information on Susanna Kaysen and the reasons to why she is mentally ill; for instance, depression, suicidal etc. It sets us up as readers for events that may occur involving those topics. Like her suicide attempts was covered after the first piece of case work.
ReplyDelete1.Two words whose meaning is very far from being the same. Sane is being one thing as insane is being another. To be sane is to be at a normal state of mind. Meaning being reasonable and completely being mental healthy. Insane would be the complete opposite of the word sane. Insane is to be crazy, out of order, and irresponsible.
ReplyDelete2.The person determines these words. It is their actions that will categorize them as either being sane or insane. You just don’t criticize of someone being either one without fully understanding the concept of their reasoning for it. To be sane might be for everyone but too be insane there is less of a percentage than being sane in this world. Even though it is easily to distinguish the difference in them, it is still hard to criticize them of the way they are.
ReplyDelete4. The case work on page ten say that she suffers from depression and is suicidal. However, in my opinion i dont see any signs of depression and ignore that fact that she did attempt to commit suicide. The novel tells us that she had attempted it but also tells us that she was remorseful towards it.
ReplyDelete"I was performing a kind of self-abortion with those aspirin. It worked for a while. Then it stopped, but i had no heart to try it again."
--She shows regret by saying that she didnt have the heart to do it again. Perhaps, once was enough for her to learn her lesson.
5. " Anything i thought or did was immediately drawn into the debate. Made a stupid remark-why not kill myself? Missed the bus- better put an end to it all."
ReplyDeleteThis goes on in everyday life, some think it, some mean it, some do it and some just say to say it. When something bad occurs to us as humans it natural to show that it effected us. If some are hurt from the occuring event they react to it, all in different ways.
3.The case work materials provide information as to why Kaysen has been put in a nuthouse. It also includes information about herself, for instance, date of birth, full name, and current residence. We also get an idea of what kind of application was used back in the sixties. The author might present this information to better understand what is going on. We also collect information on her case files one after another to see how she progresses.
ReplyDelete1. To be sane is to be mentally healthy. To be insane means to have some kind of mental defect. It doesn’t necessarily means that the person is crazy or dumb. In the story Susanna was placed in a psychiatric hospital for being insane. She doesn’t know if she is perfectly fine or if there is where she belongs in.
ReplyDelete1. Well to be sane you are technically normal and to be insane is to be not normal. In this case who decides is normal is a doctor that is shown a way to decipher these things. Is this technique truly correct in the way it is done or even explained? No one can really know who is crazy or not, but we all have our own perception on who is. I think Susanna isn’t crazy or have a mental illness but does have problems like people in everyday life do.
ReplyDelete4.”Maybe she’s got dysentery”. It is one of the many statements Kaysen makes. She is very observant on everything that surrounds her. Even though she doesn’t takes notes about it she very well knows on who, what, when, how, and why it happened. For anything she might have a remark towards it or may as well be judgmental about it.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1.To be sane and insane are two different things, but these are both terms that have to do with a mental aspect but both different at the same time. Sane is free from mental derangement, healthy mind, good sense and good judgment. Insane is not sane, mentally deranged, utterly senseless and not having normal senses or judgment. Those are the definitions of insane and sane, see they have different meaning but has to do with the same aspect.
ReplyDelete1. Sane is what we call a person in all their right senses. When we say we are sayne, we are saying we know what we are doing and havent lost our inhibitions. As we all know, inhibition is the ability to make a decision. When a person is drunk, they loose their inhibitions. This is why they do not know what they are doing and cant drive, or do crazy things. An insane person has lost all their inhibitions, not because they are drunk or under the effect of drugs, but because they have completely lost their mind. A person who is insane is out of their mind. This is the reason they kill themselfes, kill others, etc..
ReplyDelete2.In actuality no one can really determine the definitions unless you look them up to define in a dictionary. Like a person with power that studies in that field of psychology, or medicine can determine for example a doctor. No one else could really determine that because everyone is unique or shall I say sane or insane in their own way. Some people are normal in the sense of sane and some people have a short fuse and react over exaggerated, so that would be considered in the category of insane. No one other than a doctor can tell you that your sane or insane because no one has the right to judge you on how you act. So in conclusion of this determining factor of who can define whose sane or insane no one can real determine unless you’re a doctor cause they study in that.
ReplyDelete1. In the story Girl, interrupted we really can’t define whether yet she is insane or sane. Some people may view an insane or a sane person in completely different terms. While the real definition of an insane person is someone who could be mentally ill, or simply just has a spilt or unstable personality, and views or sees things that are not quite there. Meanwhile a sane person is considered to be someone who is stable and steady.
ReplyDelete2. Just because someone is mentally ill doesn’t mean they’re insane. They just have trouble doing things that’s all; no one can categorize someone as being insane except for the person that is ill. The person must feel like they are losing their mind and can’t control what they do or how they react towards situations.
ReplyDelete3. In the novel a number of case files are shown. It is kind of a visual of what is going on. In reading it shows me a better understanding of what’s going on. I think the author presents this info to show how real and serious Susanna is taking this illness. Sometimes you doubt whether she is sick or not but the visual material makes me feel like I’m in the book and I’m going through the confusion.
ReplyDelete5.”I got something you want.”This quote is very significant to me because of the way Lisa manages to work things. It usually goes by if Lisa wants something she’ll get it. No matter what she has to go through, she’ll manage to go on and get what she wants. For example, Lisa wanted to find out what was going on in Daisy’s room. So she bring s with her something Daisy would actually want, and she knows this because it has been discussed before from Daisy herself. Towards the end Lisa tells Daisy to open the door and she’ll give her something she would want and in fact Daisy does open the door for Lisa and it goes to show Lisa does what she has to do to get what she wants. Which was finding out what was going on in Daisy’s room
ReplyDelete2. Doctors, family members, friends, neightbors, who ever is around us or examinates us can determine this decision. A person who lives with you or is close to you all the time has a chance to see and analize your behavior. An opportunity to share time with you, have conversations with you, etc.. A doctor also conversates with you. A doctor gives you a medical examination to see what is going on with your brain. This will determine wether there is a problem, or if every thing is normally functioning.
ReplyDelete3. The effect of the presentation of case work materials have on me the reader is that the author real got into the story and showed the basic information of Susanna. Like for example when the story begins with her Case Record Folder before the story begins with her and her psychologist. Then when she enters McLean Hospital they should her inquiry concerning admission and the inter office memorandum. After that it shows like a abstract from voluntary application. The author just really in this, that’s what I enjoy most, it shows the actually files of her.
ReplyDelete4. “Another odd feature this parallel universe is that although it is invisible from this side, once you are in it you can easily see the world you came from.” This quote makes me wonder if she is really sick because she can see both sides of life, the ill and the normal. As we discussed in class the ill are not dumb and I agree but I still feel that if you can see the other side of life then it could be considered as a choice of being in their position. This is what makes me doubt that she is not sick!
ReplyDelete5. “We might get out sometime, but she was locked up forever in that body.” This shows that if Susanna is sick she believes she can overcome her situation. However, in Polly’s position she had to be stuck in a body forever that was going to make her remember constantly what she did to herself and she is trapped in that for life.
ReplyDelete1.What does it mean to be sane and insane?
ReplyDeleteInsane of a person who is mentally deranged-insane actions and asylum. Sane is a sound mind free from mental disturbance. Susanna Kaysen in the story is a insane and sane person.
2.Who determines these definitions?
Susanna Kaysen After attempting suicide, commits herself and is assigned to a medium-security psychiatric ward. Over the next eighteen months, she receives drugs, therapy, and analysis. During her period of commitment, she meets several other young women, who are also receiving various forms of treatment for disparate mental illnesses.
3.What effect does the presentation of case work materials have on you as the reader? Why does the author present that info?what the nurses, who regularly
check on all the patients, are doingwhen all the young women patientsdisappear off the ward for long periods at night; what medications are used for besides sedation and the relief of constipation;and what is and is not aboundary violation.
4.Have you ever confused a dream with life? Or stolen something when you have the cash? Have you ever been blue? Or thought your train was moving while sitting still? Maybe I was just crazy. Maybe it was the '60's. Or maybe I was just a girl interrupted
5.Analyze one quote you found interesting or significant and expain its importance.
I've wasted a year of my life here. Maybe everyone out there is a liar. And maybe the whole world is stupid and ignorant. But I'd rather be in it. I'd rather be fucking in it, than down here with you. She’s feel everyone is liar and the whole world is full of ingmorant people. Sometimes things don’t work out the way you want to come out to be.
1.In my opinion Sanity is just a label of society. If you show any signs of emotions, or think outside of society you are insane...or at least on the near of it. Thats why so many people or seeing therapist or other head doctors.
ReplyDelete2.No one really can determine the definitions but the person itself. When a person shows craziness you can already define it but in the other hand when a person has a mental problem no one will know it till they show it so really no one can determine the definition unless its the person itself.
3. The case work the author presents is very important in the case that it gives important information. During the novel many sections shows information on the characters and thier reasons to why they were in that facility.As the readers those events occured involving illness that any person can end up having.
4.Another odd feature this parallel universe is that although it is invisible from this side, once you are in it you can easily see the world you came from.”This quote simply states and makes the reader wonder if the main character is sick or isnt because she seems perfectly fine but she sees the normal and also the life shes living as a ill person at the facility.
5.We might get out sometime, but she was locked up forever in that body.” This qoute states that the main character in the story believes there is a good and bad in each situation and if you dont see the situation in a good positive way you can stay the way you are forever. Without a step of wanting to change for the better nothing will start improving.
To be Sane means you are mentally intact, in control of your thoughts and mind. To be insane means you are not able to control your thoughts and mind. Insane is your not mentally intact. Insane is known as madness like mental disorder. We all know that Doctors consider that word as mental illness.
ReplyDeleteSociety determines these definitions but society is so Judgmental that they have nothing better to do. Medical Professions consider insane as mental illness. We all find words in a big book call Dictionary and if it weren't for these books we wouldn't be able to understand a word. But everyone uses that book and helps us find the real meaning to every word.
ReplyDelete3. The effect that the case work materials presents to me as the reader helps me understand who Susana is in this book. It helps me comprehend that anyone can end up getting whatever sickness and end up in a place she is in. The author presents these kind of information to help us visualize what is going on and the character itself.
ReplyDelete1) Sane or insane?
ReplyDeleteSane is a person ina normal state of mind whis knows whats going on between themselves and are very aware of what your doing. Insane is a person with a mental illness amd the persln nlt knowing whats going on with them. Its like a blackout and cant be controlled. It plays with your consciousness.
2)I really cant say anyone determines these definitions but the actual patient. Susanna entered the facility seeming normal with no signs of her commiting suicide or any signs of depression. Despite what anyone thinks the only people who can determine these definitions are the patients.
3) The case work materials are documents as to why Susanna and the other patients are in the facility. It provides information so we knlw a bit more about the patients and the author presents the info so we have a better understanding of whats going on.
4) "Another odd feature this parallel universe is that although it is invisible from this side, once you are in it you can easily see the world you came from." This quote makes it kind of confusing for the readef because Susanna seems very normal and doesnt seem sick but shes presumed sick and is in the hospitl.
5)"Anything i thought or did was immediately drawn into a debate. Made a stupid remark-why not kill myself? Missed the bus better put an end to it all".
In life we go through obstacles and try to overcome them. This is a everyday life cycle that goes with people whether to do it or not. When were hurt or something bad happens there reactions and we make the choices of hurting ourselves.
The information presented in the text affects my perception of the author;s mental health as it seems she is writing an autobiography about herself. There is evidence in case work that her doctor did how she is in depression and has suicidal ideas. “Another odd feature this parallel universe is that although it is invisible from this side, once you are in it you can easily see the world you came from.” Susana makes it clear that she is in between two worlds. She might be in the sane and the insane world. We wouldn't know, but she makes it clear that the other world opens her up to understand easily.
ReplyDelete1. In the novel girl interrupted deals with a lot of mentally ill people. The characters are in too different worlds and both insane and sane. Sane people are living life ready for anything and whatever comes to them. Insane people are the opposite, it’s like they are blanking out of reality because they don’t know things are times. At times they are stressful and their head play with them and causes problems.
ReplyDeleteI think no one can determine these definitions in the novel. You can’t judge anyone without know who they are or anything. If you study like field of insane and sane then you can determine it and tell what they are. In a way everyone is insane or sane in their own way and that’s what they are in life. so in the end I can say no one can tell in if your insane or sane unless you are a doctor they know what’s best in that field.
ReplyDelete3. I feel that the case work that the author presents is important to me. When you start to ready you can notice on page ten its shows information on Susanna Kaysen and the reasons why she is there in that place. Me as the reader it sets up the events that happen and that occurs and it involving those topics. When the suicide attempts part was cover I was like think about that part a lot and it was on my mind. It brought a lot of things to me about the book and what’s going to happen.
ReplyDelete4. The information perception to me about the author’s mental health is something that seems she went through a lot. In page 10 it says that she suffers from depression and is tried suicidal. From my opinion I didn’t see that any signs of depression and ignore. The novel did show that she tried to attempt to commit suicide and should ignore that part because it didn’t show any signs that she suffers from depression. It seems that in her life wasn’t that easy and things were different.
ReplyDelete"Another odd feature this parallel universe is that although it is invisible from this side, once you are in it you can easily see the world you came from."
To me the quote simply stands and can see that the main character did have problems in her life and is going through a lot.
5. " Anything I thought or did was immediately drawn into the debate. Made a stupid remark-why not kill myself? Missed the bus- better put an end to it all."
ReplyDeleteIn my point the quote means that in life this always happens every day a lot of people mean it some same to do it and just say it at the time. Like when something bad occurs or get hurt we take it normal. If what had happen to me and it occur to someone else they would react different ways.
1 To be SANE is to be free from mental derangement; having a sound, healthy mind: A normal person of society ! Having or showing reason, sound judgment, or good sense
ReplyDeleteTo be INSANE not sane; not of sound mind; mentally deranged.
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a person who is mentally deranged
I believe we Determine these definitions by our own Actions. The way we think, What we do, what we say, all can be signs of being insane or sane, some of us our born with these mental illness’s , and some tend to grab these dieses as we get older ! But, its definitely determined by our actions, if not Doctors !
3. The effect that the case work has on me Is that, it kind of gives you a little more of a background from a sane perspective to show you what’s these insane peoples actions and problems are, from the normal eye.
ReplyDeleteI believe the author presents this information to give you a direct look into the patients charts from the nurse or doctors view of things!
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ReplyDeleteThe authors mental health is somewhat weird, we all know she has a problem, swallowing 50 aspirins , is a problem, Has she Woke up and smelt the coffee? Is the authors case not as sever as to be submitted into a mental hospital., After all it’s a Hospital , Some may use the Help, Some cant be HELPED at all. But in Susanna’s case, Her problem is curable, to an extent!
ReplyDelete“We might get out sometime” the importance is that she knows she has a problem, and she knows there might be a chance in healing, if only she does get better she can be free , Starting with acknowledging there is a problem, is the first step to get getting better!
ReplyDelete1. To be sane is to be normal while insane categorizes you as crazy. Showing your inner emotions in a less behavioral way as in screaming would classify you as insane. Handling a situation in a more calm way would place you as sane. The only difference between sane and insane is the way you present yourself when you're in a certain situation it's either your calm or your loud.
ReplyDelete2. The only person that can categorize you as either sane or insane is a doctor. But in our society people are always constantly judging people and classifying them without any medical experience. Doctors are the only people who can prescribe you medicine to help your mental state while the outside world worsens your condition by making fun of you.
3. The presentation of the different case works in the mental hospital makes it more interesting for us the readers. The author shows us how the patients got to the extremedy of being closed up in a mental institute. Reading all the struggles the patients went through makes it more interesting to keep reading the novel. The author gives delivers us all the info he does to keep the readers informed of everything that has happened to the patients before being classified as insane.
4. Kaysen acts different from all the patients she seems to be normal but she to has had suicidal thoughts as all the other patients. Kaysen is the youngest and acts the most mature out of all the patients. I enjoy this quote very much and it stands out from everything she has said and even though it seems as shes normal we all know she isn't. "Another odd feature this parallel universe is that although it is invisible from this side, once you are in it you can easily see the world you came from."
5. "Anything i thought or did was immediately drawn into the debate. Made a stupid remark-why not kill myself? Missed the bus- better put an end to it all." In life people always endure horrible situations but we must always be prepared to handle them in a more thought out way than to think suicidal. People in a mental hospital are in constant look out because their more vulnerable to suicidal thoughts that's why the patients feel as if anything goes wrong the nurses and doctors will assume their going to hurt themselves. The patients are under care so if they decide to say, "I'm depressed" doctors will take immediate procedures to get those thoughts off their minds so they don't inflict physical pain towards themselves.
3. The case files help out throughout the, because it helps the readers understand the story a little bit better. After some chapters the case files appear and it is there to show us a bit more information of the story of Susanna. The fact that they are there helps a lot to see it from another person’s view point of what she is doing and reacting to stuff other than we reading it from her perspective.
ReplyDelete1)I feel that being sane would mean to take good care of yourself. Living for yourself and the ones you love. Insane would be to always feel that you are interupting yourself and can't figure out the real. If you do act insane it's because you lost yourself and don't know what to do to your thoughts.
ReplyDelete2) I think that the patient is the one who determines what is sane or insane. Maybe the brain does have some fault, but the thoughts of the person can be controlled by what kind of life you live. An example would be that if you do drugs the brain of the person would not function normally anymore. The environment you put yourself in is what you will know.
ReplyDelete3)I think right away that the documents seem to label the person. I almost had the thought in my head that they would not come and be normal again. In fact it was sad to see, and I felt that only God could help. It also had an impact on me that it was as if they were prisoners. The author presents it because of the point she is making. They need to learn the language of the patients.
ReplyDelete4)I feel as though the author is not ill at all. She does know and has knowlege about what mental health is. Maybe she knows somone who does have problems. Then again she was ill and wanted to share this with the world. A quote on page ten says she is suicidal. She really wanted to interupt our head.
ReplyDelete5)Anything I thought or did was immediately drawn into the debate. Made a stupid remark-why not kill myself? This quote meant to me that she was making a reason up to end it all. That type of thinking was just really crazy. She wanted to really debate herself about how or what reason was good to kill her.
ReplyDelete5)Anything I thought or did was immediately drawn into the debate. Made a stupid remark-why not kill myself? She was trying to come up with a debate to end her life. I think that getting close to finding ways more and more to commit suicide is really immature or evil. She thought she was stupid if she could not have that.
ReplyDelete1) the word sane and insane probably me something different to me then it does for anybody else. I believe that a person is as sane or as they belive they are. What I might find crazy someone else might find normal. Just like what I find normal others may find insane. So who am I to judge people and to say who's sane and who's not.
ReplyDelete2) The people who define the word sane and insane is society itself. Society has give this imge of how the world is suppose to be. Although some people to not agree most of the people do. Therefore anybody who follows society and is just like everybody else they are considered normal and anybody who goes against their way of life is werid or insane.
ReplyDelete3)It allows the reader to know what society has labled the author. The authoer put it in the book so the reader can know what they labled her. I think its better for the reader because it gives them a better understanding of what the author was goin through at the time.
ReplyDelete4)The author claims to be one of the normal ones in the group. Although my personal opoinion is that she lives in her own little world. You can tell by the way she speaks and her out look on life and the other patients.
ReplyDelete