Week 7_2/23/16_Imagination

Imagination

“Savage beliefs are thought to be the spontaneous response of a human group to its environment, a response made principally by the imagination.”

“For the student of culture in a narrower sense-that is, of thought, sentiment, and imagination-the barbarian elements may be less important.”

“But if by calling them characteristic we mean that the sort of imagination they embody was the principal, or even the very frequent, occupation of medieval men, we shall be mistaken.”

“It takes over from the total Model only what is intelligible to a layman and only what makes some appeal to imagination and emotion.”

Lewis, C. S. The Discarded Image. London: Bentley House, 1964. Web.

Throughout his text, Lewis repeats the word imagination and uses it to further his argument. The Oxford English Dictionary defines “imagination” as the power or capacity to form internal images or ideas of objects and situations not actually present to the senses, including remembered objects and situations, and those constructed by mentally combining or projecting images of previously experienced qualities, objects, and situations. However, Lewis uses its connotation to mean something a little different. In the book, C. S. Lewis uses the term imagination to mean dreaming or dreamer, as opposed to the literal definition of being able to think of things that you cannot necessarily see. He uses it in this way to show sympathy for the medieval people, and to show that it is wrong to judge someone without knowing them or without being in their situation. The frequency of the word in the assigned reading happens a couple times, but it is mentioned many times throughout the entire text. This goes to show that Lewis is emphasizing the mind of the people in the Middle Ages to show the way that they used to think, and how it is similar to how we think and learn in todays era.

Lewis uses this specific word, because it has a different connotation from its denotation. The dictionary shows that the word literally means to be able to mentally think and combine images, where most people think of it as being creative or inventive. For instance, the first time the word is mentioned, it is in the same sentence as the word savage. Similar to our discussion in class, Lewis is showing the audience that he is sympathetic towards the Medieval people, and shows that most people think that their beliefs are due to only imagination and not fact. Here he is using it as a demeaning term to show the audience his alliance with the people of the Middle Ages. The next time he uses the word, it is in the same sentence as the word barbaric. He implies that students who are less cultured, think in terms of thought, sentiment and imagination. In this sense he is also diminishing the word and making it seem that people assume that the Medieval people are lesser compared to modern day thinkers who have had more exposure to the world. He also uses the word again when he says that imagination was the occupation of Medieval men, showing that they had no other skills but so wonder at the world all day instead of contributing to society. The last time he uses the word he compares imagination to emotion, and puts a negative association with emotion as to then put a negative connotation to imagination as well.

Although Lewis portrays the Medieval men and women as emotional beings who are barbaric and cannot think clearly for themselves, he uses the associations with the word “imagination” to show that they use the same thought processes that we use in modern day, and creates a sympathetic tone toward the people of the Middle Ages to show the importance of giving others the benefit of the doubt, and to be able to appreciate the lifestyle and arguments of someone else, even if they are different from your own to be able to better understand other’s point of views.