Stress & Mutability

"Man's yesterday may ne'er be like his morrow;
Nought may endure but Mutability" (ll.15-16).
P. B. Shelley's "Mutability" (1814-15; 1816)

Points for Reflection

Course's Topical Focus: Apocalypse & Dystopia

1. most of us have encountered dystopic narratives in one way or another, either through modern classics like George Orwells 1984, or more recent fare like Ready Player One and BladeRunner 2049. Identify some other popular dystopic tales in our time, whatever the media.
2. why are these kinds of dystopic narratives so ubiquitous in our culture?
3. the word "apocalypse" has come to denote a large-scale cataclysm which wreaks devastation and doom, but its Greek root also suggests "revelation." What do dystopic narratives reveal about humanity--about our institutions, our relationships, our deepest impulses, and our most profound needs?
4. are the large-scale catastrophes faced by human societies throughout history more often a function of our own actions, or of forces outside our control?
5. how often do dystopia and utopia intersect, or even cohabitate?
6. in your experience, what types of stressors prove the most difficult to deal with, and to which do you adapt relatively rapidly?
7. how does intense stress affect your perception of reality?
8. in what physical environment do you feel the most comfortable? The least comfortable?
9. what type of alteration to your body do you fear the most, and why?
10. how does humanity redeploy buildings in the midst of a crisis? What about a lasting dystopia?
11. what types of relational dynamics prove most resilient amidst large-scale catastrophes? Marital? Parental? Sibling? Neighborly? Civil?
12. upon which of the following institutions do modern peace and prosperity rely the most? Law enforcement, the justice system, the education system, religious organizations?

P. Shelley's "Mutability" (1814-15; 1816), PDF

1. what do the visual and aural similes used by the poet across the first two stanzas share in common? They work together to suggest what about the human condition?
2. does the poetic form of these initial stanzas reflect/reemphasize their thematic content?
3. does the narrator claim that mutability affects the individual human's mind as well as her/his heart?
4. what is the tone of this poem? Is Percy Bysshe Shelley's narrator joyful, depressed, or something else?

William Wordsworth's "Mutability" (1820), PDF

1. what does Wordsworth intend to demarcate by this ambiguous range? Is he thinking of all of Nature, both bird and beast? Is he considering all of humanity, both rich and poor? Is he encompassing both moral and immoral individuals?
2. how can musical notes be simultaneously “awful” (which suggests unpleasant cacophonous discord or perhaps ear-splitting volume) and “concord[ant],” or aurally pleasant?
3. what does Wordsworth mean by “concord”? Is he referring to unity of sound only, or is this a metaphor for social harmony, spiritual clarity, or something else?
4. do you agree with Wordsworth that those who are virtuous, selfless, and free from anxiety somehow have a keener ability to discern the “concord” (l.3) in life?
5. can the Truth be hidden so that it is never known? What kinds of truths does modern humanity rely upon, and are these the most valuable types of truth?
6. why combine architectural and sartorial (clothing-related) images (ll.10-12), given their radical differences in size and use?
7. why use the word “weeds” instead of “clothes” or some other synonym (l.12)? Does Wordsworth intend to evoke the notion of death and mourning, or is he using “weeds” in its most archaic—and more general—sense?
8. why a “casual” shout, as opposed to a vehement and loud one, or even the roar of a multitude?
   
   
   
   "London" (1809)
   J. M. W. Turner
   

Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu