Visions from Within

L14

Eng IV

# 27 Rebecca Louise G. Paiso                                                                        September 8, 2015

IVA                                                                                                                    Definition Essay

“Visions from Within”

                Dreams are a series of subconscious images and feelings that a person experiences while sleeping. These have caused many speculations in the fields of science, philosophy and religion because there is no certain explanation as to why humans dream. Dreams are also seen as an escape from reality; a fantasy world where a person can escape from conflicts and responsibilities. However, dreams may be seen as something that can help a person be more in touch with reality.  Dreams inspire individuals to be the best that they can be because dreams reflect people’s innermost desires, reveal their true selves and help them discover their purpose in life.

Dreams can unravel a person’s wishes. In Li Po’s “Letter to His Two Small Children”, the father in the poem dreams of returning home and reuniting with his family. It shows that even though the father is willing to be away from his family in order to earn money, what he really wants is to be with them. However, one’s innermost desires cannot always be achieved because, depending on his circumstances, he may lack the things needed in order to do so. In the case of the father, he needs to support his family financially in order for them to have a comfortable life. This causes him to aim for a new dream where his family is happy and in order to do so he has to travel around to sell silk. What one dreams of may hint of what that person strongly desires. Such wants may not be expressed verbally because they may be inappropriate or impractical. Thus, these wishes find their way in the unconscious where the rules of reality may be suspended. Sigmund Freud, a psychoanalyst considers a dream as a disguised fulfillment of a wish. For example, a person might have recurring dreams of being able to fly. This dream may not mean that the person literally wants to fly. The flight might be symbolic of a wish to be free from whatever is stopping him from actualizing his potential.

Dreams may also be considered as a mirror to one’s soul. When one knows himself thoroughly , he is aware of his thoughts, memories and habits. In the same poem, the father is a devoted provider who is willing to sacrifice his own happiness for the sake of his family. Still, he cannot deny to himself his longing for the company and affection of his loved ones. This yearning desire to be with his family manifests itself in his dream. If he acknowledges this longing, then he will learn the more intimate aspects of himself. According to Carl Jung, dreams are a way of communicating with one’s unconscious. For him, there must be a healthy balance between a person’s wakeful self and his unconscious self. By tapping what the unconscious is trying to reveal, a person may be able to hurdle challenges that he encounters in his waking life. Furthermore, he can achieve a sense of wholeness in the sense that he is able to address what his unconscious suggests as needs.