Introduction
By comparing and contrasting various views, theories or ideas, one is able to understand any relationship between them and thus make a right choice, ruling or conclusion. It requires a good understanding of what are supposed to be compared and contrasted otherwise knowing any relationship between them might not be possible. In this piece of work, there are three theories to be compared and contrasted and they are; ‘Dream Symbolism’, ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’ and ‘Sigmund Freud’.
Main body
Considering any similarity among the three given theories, it is can be seen that ‘Dream Symbolism’ and ‘Sigmund Freud’ are very similar in the sense that in both of them the main subject is ‘dream’. In ‘Dream Symbolism’, flight is viewed as a very exciting experience by someone who is dreaming (Cranefield, 113). Some images which are seen in dreams are highlighted in these theories, for example, an image of a very short woman who kept on dreaming that she was floating some few feet above the ground and another image is that of a person who was preparing for a sleigh ride in a dream (Riegler, 78). In the theory of ‘Sigmund Freud’, there is a classification of dream images in to five processes which are; displacement (occurs when something or someone is represented by something or someone else), projection, symbolization, condensation and rationalization.
In these two theories, imagery is used to symbolize male and female reproductive organs (Cranefield, 127). For example, in the theory of ‘Dream Symbolism’, it is said that Freud used several example dreams in which hats were used to symbolize female genitalia. In ‘Sigmund Freud’, narrow or long objects such as knives were used to symbolize male organs while any cavity symbolized female organ. Another notable similarity between ‘Sigmund Freud’ and ‘Dream Symbolism’ is that both of them revolve around sex. Freud believed that everything that was happening in a dream had its roots from sex. He also believed that sex dreams are memories of childhood when being naked was not really a big issue.
The difference between ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’ and the other two theories that have already been discussed is that while the other two talk about dream, ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’ talks about a ruler who lived very many years ago (Mitchell, 209). It is believed that the original tablets which contained literature about Gilgamesh cannot be traced but versions of the epic are spread in most parts of the world (Kovacs, 109). This epic is like a myth and there is no individual who has come up with a concrete evidence to show that King Gilgamesh actually existed even though some people claim that there is some little evidence to show that this ruler actually existed. The notion that King Gilgamesh was superhuman and that he possessed tragic law makes it to be more of a fiction than a reality.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be seen that although all the three theories are different in terms of characters, contents and context, they possess a common theme of ‘Fiction Vs Fact’. The characters of Gilgamesh of being immortal and superhuman cannot be real but some people claim that this king actually existed. The other two theories of dreams are fiction even though it sometimes happens by coincidence that our dreams come to be true in real life.
Works Cited
Cranefield, Paul. Fact and Fantasy in the Seduction Theory of Freud. New York: Charles Scribner’s sons, 1970.
Kovacs, Maureen. Fact or Fiction- The Epic of Gilgamesh. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1989.
Mitchell, Stephen. A New English Version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. New York: Free Press, 2004.
Riegler, Robinson. Cognitive Psychology: Applying the Science of the Mind. Boston: Pearson Education, 2008.