The first term, structured, comes from order. The reading that I attached this to was Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography. In this reading Franklin creates a planner (or schedule) for his every day routine so that he may become more ordered and optimize all of the time he has in a single day. While working through this schedule he wrote, "but, on the whole, tho' I never arrived at perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavour, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it" (cr, p. 6). By this he means that by ordering his life (through the use of a schedule) he had bettered himself as a person, and found happiness as well. This is one way in which order, although not fully achieved, can have positive effects on a person's life.
The second term, confusion, comes from chaos. The reading I will use to explain this term is Oliver Sack's, "The Lost Mariner." This reading recollects a psychoanalyst's time with Jimmie. G, a man who has lost his ability to retain his short term memory. Sack's points out that, "if a man has lost a leg or an eye, he knows he has lost a leg or an eye; but if he has lost a self--- himself--- he cannot know it, because he is no longer there to know it" (cr, p. 35 - 36). This statement causes great distress and confusion for Jimmie. G. It shows the chaos that surrounds him, and all of the people that he comes into contact with. One of the main issues is that Jimmie. G has no way of knowing that he has lost himself, and so, is confused when people tell him that they have met him before.
The third term is command. This term comes from order, and can be most seen in government. The reading that attaches the most meaning to this term is 1984, by George Orwell. In this novel the future is shown as being under absolute control of the government to that point that even thinking something negative about their leaders could end in catastrophe for the people. You may wonder why I placed this term under order. One instance in which the order can be seen is when Winston Smith (the main character) is performing his daily government enforced exercising duties and is suddenly yelled at through his telescreen by the instructor. "6079 Smith W! Yes, you! Bend lower, please! You can do better than that. You're not trying. Lower, please! That's better, comrade" (Orwell, p. 34). This is just one example of the many commands that are made by the government throughout the novel. This can be considered order, because if the government controls everything that its people do, then they will never have to worry about their people stepping out of line. It is in this case that we remember that order is not always considered a good thing for everybody.
The fourth term I picked was fear, and it is best demonstrated by the absolute need for protection that is seen in Nadine Gordimer's "Once Upon a Time." The aforementioned need for protection practically drives the family in "Once Upon a Time" insane. They come to a point where they are surrounded by electronic walls, razor wire, and barred windows. As Gordimer described, "they no longer paused to admire the show of roses or [their] perfect lawn; these were hidden behind an array of different varieties of security fences, walls, and devices" (cr, p. 120). This quote shows the extent to which chaos can ensue when people allow fear to overwhelm them and control their lives.
The final term is "free-for-all." I chose this term, because it has a very chaotic sounding nature about it, and sure enough I found instances of it in Night, by Elie Wiesel. I relate this term to a phrase, "every man for himself," when writing this. In the Nazi concentration camps there is definitely a relevance to this phrase. It is especially shown nearing the end as food becomes more scarce. One old man calls out to his son, "Meir, my little Meir! Don't you recognize me... You're killing your father..." (Wiesel, p. 101). This quote speaks for itself in demonstrating the horrors that can come about when people are left to fend for themselves with very little resources.
One other thing I learned in Order and Chaos, was that chaos can lead to order, and vice versa. This is especially seen in the creation stories Genesis and The Creation. In Genesis Adam and Eve are put on in the Garden and all is ordered, however due to curiosity and temptation Eve eats a fruit from the forbidden tree and suddenly the world is chaotic. In The Creation the opposite effect is witnessed. It begins chaotically when the mother of the Good and Evil Spirits is pushed down a hole to the Lower World from the Land of Happy Spirits. In the end she births the Good and Evil Spirit, who through antagonism towards each other create all of Earth and its order.
(This one's for you Mackenzie! :] )
- Tia Lambert '13
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