Pleasure And Aggression Essay, Research Paper

Based on Freud concepts of pleasure and aggression, discuses Hay

Ibn Yaqzan and The Island of Animals

It is said to be that seeking pleasure and aggression are a part of our

human Instinct. We seek pleasure to shorten the time of our unhappiness.

We live in a constant struggle to be always happy, and we use all the ways

that take us to happiness. Aggression, on the otherhand, is a part of our

human nature, which can be hidden deep down in our subconcousnes and

explodes in certain situations, or it can be on the surface of our behavior and

inconstant use. Sources of happiness may differ from one person to another,

but the one source of our human gratification that we all agree upon, is the

happiness derived from sexual pleasure. Our souls strive for sexual pleasure

to be elevated from one degree of human happiness to another. Freud said

that ?what we call happiness in the strictest sense comes from the …

satisfaction of needs which have been dammed up to a high degree, and it

is from its nature only possible as an episodic phenomenon.? (25). At the

sametime, we explore those human instincts in the presence of civilization

which set some rules and regulation that are surpassingly acting as guidelines

for the survival of humanity. Hay Ibn Yaqzan and The Island of animals, are

two different human experiences that discover our two core human instincts,

pleasure and aggression. In Hay, we will find that his journey with his own

instincts is different from our own human instincts, but it is the same when it

comes to the roll of civilization with dealing with them. On the otherhand,

The Island of Animals tends to dig in our human aggression, and shows how

humanity uses civilization as a curtain to hide behind it.

Freud concept of pleasure and happiness is related to Hay in only one way. It

is not in the kind of happiness itself , whether if is sexual or spiritual, but it

is similar in the procedure and the definitions of happiness or pleasure. In

other words, pleasure to Freud is basically in sexual terms, ?Sexual

gratification is the prototype of all forms of individual happiness…?. On

the otherhand, Hay Ibn Yaqzan?s happiness or his pleasure is found in totally

different kind of human instinct, which is the substitute gratification for

sexual pleasure, because religion and science are included in Freud?s lists for

intellectual replacements for the lost sexual happiness. So Hay, according to

Freud, is someone who favored the substitutes of sexual happiness. But, did

not experience sexual pleasure in the first place. Therefor, we cannot say that

Hay is someone who escaped the sexual pleasure to the intellectual

replacements, because of civilization. The concepts of Freud equation does

not suit Hay?s case. At the sametime, we can make the link between Hay

and Freud?s concept from the civilization point of view. According to Freud,

our sexual instincts are operates by civilization, and it does not serve the

requirements of civilization. In Hayy?s case civilization oppressed his

spiritual happiness where he found it on the island. In this sense civilization

stood against his human instinct, as civilization is standing against our

human desires represented in the sexual form. Opposite, Hay escaped from

civilization in search for his basic human desires. This escape was

confirmed by his reinhabiting the Island with Absal. Hayy found that

civilization grab his desires from him, actually from his fellow man. Hayy

knew that ?what misery moreburdeing than recounting all you do from the

time you get up to the time you go to bed without finding a singal action

that did not amount to seeking one of these vile, sensory aims:…pleasure

seeking…venting rage…?(71) As we can see pleasure for Salaman and his

friends is totally different from Hay?s pleasure. The difference between

Freud?s concept and Hay, is that in reality we do not fight or even escape to

reach our basic human instinct, but rather we create substitute gratification?s.

According to Freud ?Civilization compensates the individual by redirecting

his libidinal energies into socially acceptable forms of amusement and

diversion.? But as we see those acceptable forms are substitutes for the real

thing, instinctual happiness. But, they are not a substitute for Hayy, they are

his core source of happiness. So he did not stay with Salaman and create for

himself substitute kind of pleasure, instead, he left civilization for its seekers

and he went back in search for his higher degree of happiness. On the

otherhand, civilization for us, becomes the constant attempt to divert the

individual from sexual gratification into socially productive and acceptable

activities. We on the contrary, do not have any place to escape to, so we

surrender to the quest of our civilization, and we use the intellectual

replacements for the lost sexual happiness.

On the otherhand of this discussion, comes the other concept of Freud

which is human aggression, and once more we will relate this core human

instinct to civilization and its impacts on human aggression. The Island of

Animals question the aggression that lies deep in human nature. It also

impasses the role of civilization in creating such violence within our

behavior. As we know, surpassingly, civilization came to modify our

aggressive nature, but it failed to do so because of too many restrictions,

such as social pressure that govern us and particularly governs our behavior

(lecture). It is an irony to say that the people who landed on the Island are

civilized men, ?They were…men of every sort of profession, trade and

craft…..doctors and lawyers and builders…..?(5), and according to Freud,

social order is one of the requirements for civilization, but the first thing that

those civilized men did is something completely against civilization. It is

once you feel that no one is watching you begin doing what brings you

happiness. In other words, aggression is another human instinct that brings

us joy and happiness. But, because civilization refuses any act of violence, it

oppresses this need of aggression deep in our consciousness, and thus the

first thing we do when no body is watching is anything that civilization

refuses us to do. In this case, civilization oppressed the aggression instinct in

the men who landed on the Island. This sense of aggression was clearly felt

by the animals who protested and asked for help, as any one who is being

used aggressively. The point that The Island of Animals emphasized is that

aggression is purely a human instinct, as there were men from all kinds of

religion, ?These men came from different parts of t world and were from

different religions; they included Muslims, Christians, jews and

others.?(5). This means that where ever you came from, whatever your

culture is, you are aggressive by nature. From that sense civilization steps in

with a beneficial propose, as it tame the human nature. But, civilization

creates human source of worry and distress, and also oppresses our basic

human instinct. As we looked for substitute for our sexual desire, we also

sacrifice our aggressive nature for the benefit of civilization.

Finally, it is clear that civilization has its discontents, but how can we

solve such a problem. It is impossible to look back and say that the

permissive man was happier because he had no restrictions. We can never go

back, or even look to the permissive world. Once we reach a higher degree

of civilization we tend to look and analyze the next step. We ignore our

human desires for better standards of living, we sacrifice them with what we

see better. Or even because we know that what we want from sexual and

aggressive desires is impossible to happen, then we subconsciously live in the

discontents of the civilization and pretend to be happy with the substitutes we

created for ourselves. Hayy and The Island of Animals are two stories that

question the roll of civilization in our life, each looked at civilization from

different perspective. At the sametime, what we all see refutable is the

solution that Hayy choose for himself, because no one can escape the

discontents that he originally created. Hayy was a special case because he

was raised away from civilization, so he didn?t live in it. The question that

we have to ask ourselves is, what was Hayy going to do if he was exposed

to a sexual experience on the land of Absal and Salaman? was he going

to escape from civilization like he did, or was he going to live in civilization

and accept its discontent.

Seminar 200

section (31)

Name: Mohamed Fakhry A.Wahab

ID: 930110001

SECOND ESSAY

18.12.1996

Based on Freud concepts of pleasure and aggression, discuses Hay

Ibn Yaqzan and The Island of Animals

It is said to be that seeking pleasure and aggression are a part of our

human Instinct. We seek pleasure to shorten the time of our unhappiness.

We live in a constant struggle to be always happy, and we use all the ways

that take us to happiness. Aggression, on the otherhand, is a part of our

human nature, which can be hidden deep down in our subconcousnes and

explodes in certain situations, or it can be on the surface of our behavior and

inconstant use. Sources of happiness may differ from one person to another,

but the one source of our human gratification that we all agree upon, is the

happiness derived from sexual pleasure. Our souls strive for sexual pleasure

to be elevated from one degree of human happiness to another. Freud said

that ?what we call happiness in the strictest sense comes from the …

satisfaction of needs which have been dammed up to a high degree, and it

is from its nature only possible as an episodic phenomenon.? (25). At the

sametime, we explore those human instincts in the presence of civilization

which set some rules and regulation that are surpassingly acting as guidelines

for the survival of humanity. Hay Ibn Yaqzan and The Island of animals, are

two different human experiences that discover our two core human instincts,

pleasure and aggression. In Hay, we will find that his journey with his own

instincts is different from our own human instincts, but it is the same when it

comes to the roll of civilization with dealing with them. On the otherhand,

The Island of Animals tends to dig in our human aggression, and shows how

humanity uses civilization as a curtain to hide behind it.

Freud concept of pleasure and happiness is related to Hay in only one way. It

is not in the kind of happiness itself , whether if is sexual or spiritual, but it

is similar in the procedure and the definitions of happiness or pleasure. In

other words, pleasure to Freud is basically in sexual terms, ?Sexual

gratification is the prototype of all forms of individual happiness…?. On

the otherhand, Hay Ibn Yaqzan?s happiness or his pleasure is found in totally

different kind of human instinct, which is the substitute gratification for

sexual pleasure, because religion and science are included in Freud?s lists for

intellectual replacements for the lost sexual happiness. So Hay, according to

Freud, is someone who favored the substitutes of sexual happiness. But, did

not experience sexual pleasure in the first place. Therefor, we cannot say that

Hay is someone who escaped the sexual pleasure to the intellectual

replacements, because of civilization. The concepts of Freud equation does

not suit Hay?s case. At the sametime, we can make the link between Hay

and Freud?s concept from the civilization point of view. According to Freud,

our sexual instincts are operates by civilization, and it does not serve the

requirements of civilization. In Hayy?s case civilization oppressed his

spiritual happiness where he found it on the island. In this sense civilization

stood against his human instinct, as civilization is standing against our

human desires represented in the sexual form. Opposite, Hay escaped from

civilization in search for his basic human desires. This escape was

confirmed by his reinhabiting the Island with Absal. Hayy found that

civilization grab his desires from him, actually from his fellow man. Hayy

knew that ?what misery moreburdeing than recounting all you do from the

time you get up to the time you go to bed without finding a singal action

that did not amount to seeking one of these vile, sensory aims:…pleasure

seeking…venting rage…?(71) As we can see pleasure for Salaman and his

friends is totally different from Hay?s pleasure. The difference between

Freud?s concept and Hay, is that in reality we do not fight or even escape to

reach our basic human instinct, but rather we create substitute gratification?s.

According to Freud ?Civilization compensates the individual by redirecting

his libidinal energies into socially acceptable forms of amusement and

diversion.? But as we see those acceptable forms are substitutes for the real

thing, instinctual happiness. But, they are not a substitute for Hayy, they are

his core source of happiness. So he did not stay with Salaman and create for

himself substitute kind of pleasure, instead, he left civilization for its seekers

and he went back in search for his higher degree of happiness. On the

otherhand, civilization for us, becomes the constant attempt to divert the

individual from sexual gratification into socially productive and acceptable

activities. We on the contrary, do not have any place to escape to, so we

surrender to the quest of our civilization, and we use the intellectual

replacements for the lost sexual happiness.

On the otherhand of this discussion, comes the other concept of Freud

which is human aggression, and once more we will relate this core human

instinct to civilization and its impacts on human aggression. The Island of

Animals question the aggression that lies deep in human nature. It also

impasses the role of civilization in creating such violence within our

behavior. As we know, surpassingly, civilization came to modify our

aggressive nature, but it failed to do so because of too many restrictions,

such as social pressure that govern us and particularly governs our behavior

(lecture). It is an irony to say that the people who landed on the Island are

civilized men, ?They were…men of every sort of profession, trade and

craft…..doctors and lawyers and builders…..?(5), and according to Freud,

social order is one of the requirements for civilization, but the first thing that

those civilized men did is something completely against civilization. It is

once you feel that no one is watching you begin doing what brings you

happiness. In other words, aggression is another human instinct that brings

us joy and happiness. But, because civilization refuses any act of violence, it

oppresses this need of aggression deep in our consciousness, and thus the

first thing we do when no body is watching is anything that civilization

refuses us to do. In this case, civilization oppressed the aggression instinct in

the men who landed on the Island. This sense of aggression was clearly felt

by the animals who protested and asked for help, as any one who is being

used aggressively. The point that The Island of Animals emphasized is that

aggression is purely a human instinct, as there were men from all kinds of

religion, ?These men came from different parts of t world and were from

different religions; they included Muslims, Christians, jews and

others.?(5). This means that where ever you came from, whatever your

culture is, you are aggressive by nature. From that sense civilization steps in

with a beneficial propose, as it tame the human nature. But, civilization

creates human source of worry and distress, and also oppresses our basic

human instinct. As we looked for substitute for our sexual desire, we also

sacrifice our aggressive nature for the benefit of civilization.

Finally, it is clear that civilization has its discontents, but how can we

solve such a problem. It is impossible to look back and say that the

permissive man was happier because he had no restrictions. We can never go

back, or even look to the permissive world. Once we reach a higher degree

of civilization we tend to look and analyze the next step. We ignore our

human desires for better standards of living, we sacrifice them with what we

see better. Or even because we know that what we want from sexual and

aggressive desires is impossible to happen, then we subconsciously live in the

discontents of the civilization and pretend to be happy with the substitutes we

created for ourselves. Hayy and The Island of Animals are two stories that

question the roll of civilization in our life, each looked at civilization from

different perspective. At the sametime, what we all see refutable is the

solution that Hayy choose for himself, because no one can escape the

discontents that he originally created. Hayy was a special case because he

was raised away from civilization, so he didn?t live in it. The question that

we have to ask ourselves is, what was Hayy going to do if he was exposed

to a sexual experience on the land of Absal and Salaman? was he going

to escape from civilization like he did, or was he going to live in civilization

and accept its discontent.

Seminar 200

section (31)

Name: Mohamed Fakhry A.Wahab

ID: 930110001

SECOND ESSAY

18.12.1996

Based on Freud concepts of pleasure and aggression, discuses Hay

Ibn Yaqzan and The Island of Animals

It is said to be that seeking pleasure and aggression are a part of our

human Instinct. We seek pleasure to shorten the time of our unhappiness.

We live in a constant struggle to be always happy, and we use all the ways

that take us to happiness. Aggression, on the otherhand, is a part of our

human nature, which can be hidden deep down in our subconcousnes and

explodes in certain situations, or it can be on the surface of our behavior and

inconstant use. Sources of happiness may differ from one person to another,

but the one source of our human gratification that we all agree upon, is the

happiness derived from sexual pleasure. Our souls strive for sexual pleasure

to be elevated from one degree of human happiness to another. Freud said

that ?what we call happiness in the strictest sense comes from the …

satisfaction of needs which have been dammed up to a high degree, and it

is from its nature only possible as an episodic phenomenon.? (25). At the

sametime, we explore those human instincts in the presence of civilization

which set some rules and regulation that are surpassingly acting as guidelines

for the survival of humanity. Hay Ibn Yaqzan and The Island of animals, are

two different human experiences that discover our two core human instincts,

pleasure and aggression. In Hay, we will find that his journey with his own

instincts is different from our own human instincts, but it is the same when it

comes to the roll of civilization with dealing with them. On the otherhand,

The Island of Animals tends to dig in our human aggression, and shows how

humanity uses civilization as a curtain to hide behind it.

Freud concept of pleasure and happiness is related to Hay in only one way. It

is not in the kind of happiness itself , whether if is sexual or spiritual, but it

is similar in the procedure and the definitions of happiness or pleasure. In

other words, pleasure to Freud is basically in sexual terms, ?Sexual

gratification is the prototype of all forms of individual happiness…?. On

the otherhand, Hay Ibn Yaqzan?s happiness or his pleasure is found in totally

different kind of human instinct, which is the substitute gratification for

sexual pleasure, because religion and science are included in Freud?s lists for

intellectual replacements for the lost sexual happiness. So Hay, according to

Freud, is someone who favored the substitutes of sexual happiness. But, did

not experience sexual pleasure in the first place. Therefor, we cannot say that

Hay is someone who escaped the sexual pleasure to the intellectual

replacements, because of civilization. The concepts of Freud equation does

not suit Hay?s case. At the sametime, we can make the link between Hay

and Freud?s concept from the civilization point of view. According to Freud,

our sexual instincts are operates by civilization, and it does not serve the

requirements of civilization. In Hayy?s case civilization oppressed his

spiritual happiness where he found it on the island. In this sense civilization

stood against his human instinct, as civilization is standing against our

human desires represented in the sexual form. Opposite, Hay escaped from

civilization in search for his basic human desires. This escape was

confirmed by his reinhabiting the Island with Absal. Hayy found that

civilization grab his desires from him, actually from his fellow man. Hayy

knew that ?what misery moreburdeing than recounting all you do from the

time you get up to the time you go to bed without finding a singal action

that did not amount to seeking one of these vile, sensory aims:…pleasure

seeking…venting rage…?(71) As we can see pleasure for Salaman and his

friends is totally different from Hay?s pleasure. The difference between

Freud?s concept and Hay, is that in reality we do not fight or even escape to

reach our basic human instinct, but rather we create substitute gratification?s.

According to Freud ?Civilization compensates the individual by redirecting

his libidinal energies into socially acceptable forms of amusement and

diversion.? But as we see those acceptable forms are substitutes for the real

thing, instinctual happiness. But, they are not a substitute for Hayy, they are

his core source of happiness. So he did not stay with Salaman and create for

himself substitute kind of pleasure, instead, he left civilization for its seekers

and he went back in search for his higher degree of happiness. On the

otherhand, civilization for us, becomes the constant attempt to divert the

individual from sexual gratification into socially productive and acceptable

activities. We on the contrary, do not have any place to escape to, so we

surrender to the quest of our civilization, and we use the intellectual

replacements for the lost sexual happiness.

On the otherhand of this discussion, comes the other concept of Freud

which is human aggression, and once more we will relate this core human

instinct to civilization and its impacts on human aggression. The Island of

Animals question the aggression that lies deep in human nature. It also

impasses the role of civilization in creating such violence within our

behavior. As we know, surpassingly, civilization came to modify our

aggressive nature, but it failed to do so because of too many restrictions,

such as social pressure that govern us and particularly governs our behavior

(lecture). It is an irony to say that the people who landed on the Island are

civilized men, ?They were…men of every sort of profession, trade and

craft…..doctors and lawyers and builders…..?(5), and according to Freud,

social order is one of the requirements for civilization, but the first thing that

those civilized men did is something completely against civilization. It is

once you feel that no one is watching you begin doing what brings you

happiness. In other words, aggression is another human instinct that brings

us joy and happiness. But, because civilization refuses any act of violence, it

oppresses this need of aggression deep in our consciousness, and thus the

first thing we do when no body is watching is anything that civilization

refuses us to do. In this case, civilization oppressed the aggression instinct in

the men who landed on the Island. This sense of aggression was clearly felt

by the animals who protested and asked for help, as any one who is being

used aggressively. The point that The Island of Animals emphasized is that

aggression is purely a human instinct, as there were men from all kinds of

religion, ?These men came from different parts of t world and were from

different religions; they included Muslims, Christians, jews and

others.?(5). This means that where ever you came from, whatever your

culture is, you are aggressive by nature. From that sense civilization steps in

with a beneficial propose, as it tame the human nature. But, civilization

creates human source of worry and distress, and also oppresses our basic

human instinct. As we looked for substitute for our sexual desire, we also

sacrifice our aggressive nature for the benefit of civilization.

Finally, it is clear that civilization has its discontents, but how can we

solve such a problem. It is impossible to look back and say that the

permissive man was happier because he had no restrictions. We can never go

back, or even look to the permissive world. Once we reach a higher degree

of civilization we tend to look and analyze the next step. We ignore our

human desires for better standards of living, we sacrifice them with what we

see better. Or even because we know that what we want from sexual and

aggressive desires is impossible to happen, then we subconsciously live in the

discontents of the civilization and pretend to be happy with the substitutes we

created for ourselves. Hayy and The Island of Animals are two stories that

question the roll of civilization in our life, each looked at civilization from

different perspective. At the sametime, what we all see refutable is the

solution that Hayy choose for himself, because no one can escape the

discontents that he originally created. Hayy was a special case because he

was raised away from civilization, so he didn?t live in it. The question that

we have to ask ourselves is, what was Hayy going to do if he was exposed

to a sexual experience on the land of Absal and Salaman? was he going

to escape from civilization like he did, or was he going to live in civilization

and accept its discontent.

Seminar 200

section (31)

Name: Mohamed Fakhry A.Wahab

ID: 930110001

SECOND ESSAY

Based on Freud concepts of pleasure and aggression, discuses Hay

Ibn Yaqzan and The Island of Animals

It is said to be that seeking pleasure and aggression are a part of our

human Instinct. We seek pleasure to shorten the time of our unhappiness.

We live in a constant struggle to be always happy, and we use all the ways

that take us to happiness. Aggression, on the otherhand, is a part of our

human nature, which can be hidden deep down in our subconcousnes and

explodes in certain situations, or it can be on th