Lecture #1 Perception

Perhaps one of my favorite lectures in Professor Brady's class was the discussion about perception. This lecture was in relation to "A Streetcar Named Desire" written by Tennessee Williams. Perception is the way you view yourself and see things. There is such thing as living outside of reality and in your own fantasy and this was very well portrayed by Stella in the story. Towards the end of the play, Blanche is raped by her sister Stella's husband. Stella chooses not to believe this because she doesn't want to destroy her fantasy and belief of having the perfect husband and family. Stella sends her own sister Blanche off to a mental asylum in order to continue living in her fantasy without any bumps in the road. Stella knows deep inside that Blanche was indeed raped by her husband but she is not willing to accept this reality. Stella is not ready to let go and realize she does not have the perfect husband and life. This lecture has taught me that the way you perceive yourself is very important. Whatever comes at you in life, no matter how bad, not accepting what has happened and creating your own fantasy will ultimately get you nowhere. The only way to proceed from there is to accept what has happened and learn from it.