Friday, April 12, 2013
Words Misunderstood
Part 3 is called Words Misunderstood. It is almost like a dictionary of concepts that cause some sort of miscommunication between Sabina and Franz. I think this is a very progressive/modern way in which Kundera chooses to write. I
believe that this section says that sometimes, through the miscommunications
that people have, it allows them to communicate on a different level, in a way. It
also might distort the way they view themselves or other people. This ambiguity
of language, such as words or sayings that people interpret to mean different
things, lead to misunderstandings and arguments between people because they see things interpreted in different ways. It, for
example, leads to the break up between Franz and Sabina. Words do not have concrete meaning. In an abstract, ever-changing society, the definitions of words are also abstract and ever-changing.
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6 comments:
I believe the bowler hat is mentioned in the same section, and it is compared to music. We mentioned that music/works of art are created by an author and put out for the world to see. The author may have a certain intention in mind for the piece; however, it will be interpreted the way that people choose to interpret it since sounds and words are objective. This loss in communication is very similar to the difference in words misunderstood that you have mentioned Ian. I think that Franz and Sabina are somewhat similar, but the their "opposites" are created by the loss in communication that they face.
I agree with this. I believe that this is Kundera's whole reasoning for writing his novel the way that he did. Each section is a repeat of the story from a different view point. He ties all the characters different ways of thinking about stuff and compares them to each other to give the reader a different understanding of how to view it. It makes the novel flow and helps Kundera establish the point he tries to get across through writing ULOB.
Austin makes a very good point. Kundera poses so many different views of the same event to show how different people feel about the same situations. Sabina, Teresa, and Tomas all feel different about identical situations. Kundera does this to portray to the reader how the human mind works differently for each individual. One person may react and think differently about the same situation than another person might. Kundera shows how words are ambiguous and subjective.
On the words topic, I think it's interesting how language is supposed to help people communicate, but when we look at the section of Misunderstood Words, language could be considered a hindrance for Sabina and Franz's relationship. They both have difference feelings and experiences connected to these words and because of that why cannot understand the other person's connection to the word. In some ways, language is a barrier to forming human relationships.
I find it strange that an author would seem to hold so low a view of language. Kundera seems to attribute many of the misunderstandings between characters to conflicting understandings of language. I although thought it was interesting when either Franz or Tomas (don't remember which) said that they wanted to stay as they were, with Sabina, and never have to say another word again. It just seems odd that a novelist would hold so high an opinion of music while devaluing the use of language.
This is another concept we've dealt with in class before: the subjectivity of reality. Reality is a social construct. There is no objective reality or universal truth. This extends to the meaning of words. Even though we have dictionaries, each person has their own definition for each word, depending on their own unique aquired experience. Based on this subjectivity of definitions, Kundera suggests that there is no real ability for humans to communicate. Words in ULOB are misunderstood and will continue to be misunderstood. I feel that this is an accurate and unique description of society and communication.
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