Preview

Nietzsche's Dichotomy 'Always A Woman'

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
947 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Nietzsche's Dichotomy 'Always A Woman'
In this essay I will relate my self-portrait called "Always a Woman" to Nietzsche's philosophy of the poles of "Apollonian and Dionysian”, the philosophical dichotomy between free will and primal nature. In relation to Nietzsche, Wikipedia describes Apollonian and Dionysian as:
"Apollo (Apollonian): the dream state or the wish to create order, principium individuationis (principle of individuation), plastic (visual) arts, beauty, clarity, stint to formed boundaries, individuality, celebration of appearance/illusion, human beings as artists (or media of art's manifestation), self-control, perfection, exhaustion of possibilities, creation.

Dionysus (Dionysian): chaos, intoxication, celebration of nature, instinctual, intuitive, pertaining
…show more content…
Even though 90% of the time it's restrained, it's still there and occasionally comes out. When we lived near my sons’ father, he visited him every other weekend, and I was free to be less restrained. I was free to go out with friends, party, skydive, stay out late, wake up late, date, and be completely free. Now, I get to go out a handful of times a year, when my son is at his fathers or when my mother comes for a visit. I have also had relationships in the past but none locally since the move. I always seem to date people thousands of miles away and take them out of the shoebox when I am ready for them. Depending on who I am with, and as in this painting, when I let myself be in that moment, I feel completely at ease, free and uninhibited, when I am living my everyday life I am also at ease, and find it easy to exercise the self restraint needed to accomplish the daily tasks in life. Nietzsche’s thought that we need both to be balanced fits in this situation and is exemplified in this painting. What the painting should show is my contentment. Although I am alone in it, it is not meant to be lonely. It's meant to be me being seen by a lover, someone with me that I have let my walls down for, that sees me for who I am and accepts me as I am. Very much in but near the end of the Dionysian moment, I am unguarded in …show more content…
My life hasn't gone according to plan, and I made choices in it to achieve what I wanted, settling for less thinking it would get me to my goal quicker. The only thing I have always known is that I wanted to be a mother. I rushed into marriage not once but twice. First marrying a man that ultimately decided he didn’t want a family at all. Within a few months of that marriage ending, I met my sons father and eventually married him despite the emotional and physical abuse, because I knew that I could be what I always wanted, a mother. Both of those choices had tragic results. I am wiser from the experiences and this painting is meant to be a reflection of a woman who has experienced a lot, felt a lot, has been hurt a lot, but is now fine, content, happy with who she is and is ready for someone to see her at her rawest. I have been a very shy person my whole life and only a few people have seen me in my unreserved way. Outside of one or two people, even in the most intimate of relationships, I never let my hair down. This painting portrays the rise of the Dionysian side of my personality. Always a woman, no matter where I am, what I am doing, or who I am with, at the heart of things is a woman exercising restraint and self-control to get through life, but having the Dionysian heart beneath it giving me the strength to accomplish it all. I hope that that is seen in my

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The painting tells the story of Beauty and the Beast in one image. It reminds me that love comes in all shapes and sizes and that you shouldn’t judge a person by their appearances. Not everyone is who you think they are at first glance. I love…

    • 408 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What overall impression of these two people and their relationship to each other does this painting suggest?…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The three portraits that are being exhibited at the Dunham Bible Museum are breathtaking, these paintings touched my heart and were the reasons why I chose to write about these paintings: The Messiah, the detailed portrait of Jesus crucified, it shows the love that God has for us, to send Jesus, his only son to save us, to save me, and that his death has given humanity a chance to redeem ourselves, as well the words "Father forgive them" are so powerful as it shows how pure Jesus heart was that he forgave us and died for our sins. He is truly our best example to follow. What are you doing for me? When I see this painting, somehow I can transport myself into many moments in my life when I didn't have God as a priority in my life but He is a…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Quiz on Leonardo da Vinci

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages

    -Traits demonstrated in Renaissance art- observed of natural world and light, rebirth of Greek and roman ideas, and interest in human anatomy and idealized beauty…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Relic 12

    • 321 Words
    • 2 Pages

    This painting is one in a series to honor women and comment on their "place" in pre-revolutionary China. As courtesans and prostitutes they are elevated in the artist's hands, isolated in a field of paint, accompanied by emblems and images from classic Chinese paintings. Characters for Nu Wa, a Chinese creation goddess are painted over her groin. Nu-Wa was the inventor of marriage and made humans by slinging a rope. The hand made meant that it was noble, and made with rope stood for poor. The multiple circles around the painting means Pi in the Chinese language, which translated means universe and it’s surrounding the women in the painting. The thing that stands out the most is the red square in the middle of the painting. This means female in Chinese and makes sense since its on the women’s groin I think this painting means uniformity and creation of people. The giant butterfly in the painting can stand for multiple things such as change, joy, and love. Also can show a feminist side to the women in the painting make her look innocent.…

    • 321 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Initially Princesse does not know much about art’ but as she learns more she wishes to leave something beautiful behind for when she is no longer here. “ it struck Princesse that this is why she wanted to make pictures, to have something that showed what she had observed in a way no one else had…”(pg.140). it is inspiring that even in a hard life were violence such as daily cock fights that happen around her, however she finds beauty in a cruel world and wishes to share it with the world. “The cock fight had just begun. Princesse heard the shouting from the school yard as she came out of class. The roster that crowed the loudest usually received the first blow. It was often the first to die” (pg.125). Despite the violence in her life you admire the beauty she finds surrounding her. “Standing there, Princesse wished she could paint that. That all the night skies that she had seen, that the full moon and the stars peeking down like tiny gods acting out their will… Princesse thought that she could paint that”(pg.137). The character’s way of finding beauty in a drack world creates a feeling of hopefulness that the world has light even in the darkest of places. This happens in having her find beauty in the cruel world she finds herself in and her want to share that beauty with the rest of the…

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There was a young women name Mary. She had a vision for her life. But what happens to her takes her on a journey. The choices we make in life can better the future or leave it with a lot of pain as Mary finds out. It seems like Mary’s life was a rollercoaster ride at six flags, so many adjustments. Moreover, going through the pain, love, and success of finally being content within herself. In addition, enjoying the happiness that is put upon her, allowing God to direct her path in life to reach success. Believing that these steps were not motivated by her but it was the force of god.…

    • 112 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What is the correct meaning of the powerful word “feminist?” Today, feminism is usually referred to as a woman who supports her rights. Hawthorne represents feminism through his character Hester, in “The Scarlet Letter” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Although people view women as weak, Hester was a strong female character that stood up for herself by raising her daughter alone, protecting her secret lover, and even experiencing the pain of wearing the shameful letter “A.” Usually, men view women as weak by saying that they are not able to do certain things that men can, which is irrelevant. Hester raised her daughter Pearl all on her own without any help. even though raising a child on your own is very challenging at times. While constantly…

    • 146 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    ‘What writers tend to demonstrate in texts which explore relationships between men and women, is that women have always been relatively powerless and the victims of society’s double standards’ Compare and contrast the extent to which this interpretation applies to your chosen three texts.…

    • 3734 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Perhaps the most visible example is that of Dionysus as the ‘stranger’ who visibly is feminine in appearance. Pentheus’ reaction to the stranger seems to be a conflict of hyper-masculinity against – his very first words to the strange are “you are attractive” (Euripides 172.453) followed by a series of complimentary jabs at his masculinity. Pentheus’ seemingly contradictory response to the stranger – part compliment and part disgust – could be seen as a paradox of hyper-masculinity – whilst he denotes the stranger for his effeminate features such as his “fair skin” (456), he does so in a way that could be viewed as sensual as could be inferred from his reference to Aphrodite . In fact, his frequent reverting to concepts of sexuality (especially when relating to the Theban Bacchae) could be argued to indicate a contrast between the supposedly ‘rational’ men and the lustful woman being somewhat inverted to highlight the dangers of attempting to remove the feminine. The cross-dressing chorus may also have served to juxtapose gendered values and the “problematic relationship between the exclusively male community of Athenian citizens and the ‘tribe of women’ who are simultaneously insiders and outsiders”…

    • 1845 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Greek art is said to be humanistic not only because it observes fundamental laws derived from the human physique, but because it focus so consistently on the actions of human beings. Greek art is fundamentally realistic, that is, faithful to nature; but it refines nature in a process of idealization, that is, the effort to achieve a perfection that surpasses nature. Humanism, realism, and idealism are hallmarks of Greek art” (Fiero, 2006).…

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    olympic gods

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Apollo - Beautiful god of the light, medicine and music. Apollo represents order, harmony, and civilization…

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What is America? This question is posed all throughout history and even in books. In the average history book America is depicted as this place where everything is “happy go lucky”. But there are many underlying factors such as racism and sexism. Racism is defined as prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior. Sexism is defined as prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex. The three books that will be talked about throughout this paper will be The Awakening, Black Boy and The House on Mango Street.…

    • 1019 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nietzsche and the Apollonian/ Dionysian Aspects of the World Amongst the numerous great gods of the Greek mythology were two outstanding antagonists; Apollo and Dionysus. Just as any other divinity, these were studied and compared by many. This subject being centered on the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, Mark Anderson’ in his journal said Nietzsche described them as “artistic energies which burst forth from nature herself” (Anderson, p.20), whereas Apollonian energy is being most manifested in “the image of dreams” and the Dionysian one in “intoxication and mystical self-abnegation” (p.20).…

    • 1213 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    During Adolph Hitler’s speech to thousands of German women at the National Socialist Women’s Organization in Nuremberg in 1934, Hitler’s speech highlights how the Nazi vision was to mobilize support amongst Protestant and Catholic German women to have many children to grow army and protect German homeland and suppress the urge to embrace new roles. This was done by convincing them that there is a real danger that Jews caused which eeded to be addressed. Moreover, a strong push for traditional patriarchal views of women as child bearers was assigned as their duty. Furthermore, the desire to grow the population to solve Germany’s problems and raise soldiers for the army was proposed as Germany’s solution. A main center point of this speech was…

    • 1896 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays