Scarlet Pimpernel

I wake up in my bed suddenly, unable to regain my breath. The feeling of loneliness instantly grabs me as I realize that my sister is no longer in the bed next to mine. Unable to see her through the darkness of the room, I slowly leave the bed and search for her. I search under the bed, in the closet, and in all the dark areas of the room. Moving into the next room, which belonged to my parents, I realize that they are not there either. I climb into their abandoned bed, and hide under the blankets, afraid to be alone in the darkness of the deserted apartment.

Suddenly, I feel a presence in the room with me. I peek my head out from underneath the cover, and notice the silhouette of a tall man entering the room from my abandoned bedroom. He glides across the room and exits through the opposite door, which leads to the front door of the apartment. I leave my parents bed, and go to the front door. I feel that I have to follow him, so I unbolt the door and proceed toward the staircase. Unable to see the man in the darkness, I begin to descend the stairs. Tripping on one of the steps, I begin to tumble down the stairs without hitting them. Before I hit the landing, my body becomes tense, anticipating the pain of colliding with the landing. However, the pain never comes, as I always wake up before I hit the floor.

The first class was very interesting and enjoyable. I thought that the group work on Freud was particularly helpful. Reading Freud on your own is difficult at times, and being able to discuss small sections with other people was a good way to really understand what he is saying in the work. It was also a good idea to have us practice what we read in Freud on a particular dream. Dissecting a dream using newly learned material was a helpful way to ingrain the skill in our minds; now when I look at other dreams people post (and my own), I will be able to think back to the exercise and apply what I have learned to the dream.

Listening to the music was also enjoyable. Having a set of lyrics to pick apart was something I have never done before, and it was fascinating to see how various artists use certain sounds and words to evoke the feeling of dreaming. Understanding the idea and background of dreaming is probably particularly useful to an artist who is trying to produce a certain effect on the listener. Even without being told that the piece is about a dream, the listener is able to realize what the artist is doing because of the universality of the dream experience. Searching for dream elements in the music allowed me to better understand the usage of dreams in other mediums.

Overall, the class seems as if it is going to be both fun and thoughtful. The topic allows for a wide variety of thought and consideration, so I am greatly looking forward to better understanding dreams as a whole, as well as my own limited collection.