“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely
players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages …”
And all the men and women merely
players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages …”
- Shakespeare 1623. As You Like It Act 2 Scene 7
I enjoyed this week's topic quite a lot! Particularly because I'm very fond of 'Drama' and acting, as I've performed for the past ten years! I also relate to the quote above.. every time I hear it, I remember performing in my high school's adaption of Shakespeare's 'As You Like It'.
But more importantly, this topic sparks thoughts in each and every one of us, making us question how we perform and act in day to day interaction. A lot of us might not think about our impressions on other people, and vice versa. Do intentionally give off certain attitudes and, essentially, impressions? Do we think about how our attitudes and behaviours affect others and their opinions of us?
Goffman, and the lecture, basically reflect Shakespeare's notion of social interaction in the real world... He highlights the idea that social interaction occurs exactly like that upon a stage. The world is a stage, and the actors act in response and depending on a time, place and audience. This may not occur all the time and for every individual, but there comes a point where we perform, but it might not be our true selves. Perhaps we've put on a front (or in other words, we're acting), so we can maintain our image and basically "fit in".
I like what Goffman is trying to say, particularly because I can relate to the idea of acting and performing. In other words, Goffman is saying we're not ourselves all of the time. We react based on a social setting and any pressures we might feel in upholding our image. In other words, it's acting and putting on a mask. And I know exactly how that feels. You become someone else, except in this situation.. it's real life, and we act depending on whether we think other's are going to judge us or not. I'm loving Goffman's readings, even though they're way too long!
Goffman, and the lecture, basically reflect Shakespeare's notion of social interaction in the real world... He highlights the idea that social interaction occurs exactly like that upon a stage. The world is a stage, and the actors act in response and depending on a time, place and audience. This may not occur all the time and for every individual, but there comes a point where we perform, but it might not be our true selves. Perhaps we've put on a front (or in other words, we're acting), so we can maintain our image and basically "fit in".
I like what Goffman is trying to say, particularly because I can relate to the idea of acting and performing. In other words, Goffman is saying we're not ourselves all of the time. We react based on a social setting and any pressures we might feel in upholding our image. In other words, it's acting and putting on a mask. And I know exactly how that feels. You become someone else, except in this situation.. it's real life, and we act depending on whether we think other's are going to judge us or not. I'm loving Goffman's readings, even though they're way too long!
I agree with Goffman’s argument that we perform a role everyday and we perform in front of an audience. I thought about how the simple tasks we do everyday could be considered performing for an audience. We adjust our behaviour to meet social norms and social and cultural expectations. For example, walking down the street would be considered a performance because we adjust our behaviour to meet social and cultural norms, so we know to walk on the left side of the sidewalk and to not take up the whole pathway.
ReplyDeleteAs Goffman argues, we act and dress differently depending on the situation and what role you are performing and who you are performing for. I believe that we act differently with different people because of our different presentations of ourselves. I like your point that “perhaps we've put on a front (or in other words, we're acting), so we can maintain our image and basically "fit in". This can be seen in the celebrity culture. Celebrities have to constantly maintain a good and perfect image of themselves to ensure that the public still like them. For example, a few weeks after Prince Harry’s naked photo was released, he was being photographed with sick children to fix up his image and ensure the public’s approval.
At times, I believe that we do intentionally “give off” certain attitudes. For example, at job interviews, you may purposely try to control your body language and dress for the position. However, in everyday life (e.g. at a party, meeting new people, waiting for a bus), you may not think about the impressions you give off. You may not be aware that you were crossing your arms and that is why someone did not want to talk to you.