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Amanda Rohrer Comparative Essay Cooper Nov. 19, 2013 Foucault verses Bordo Foucault and Bordo present essays that show societys gaze towards a group of people whether many or a few. This gaze can be a form of power that is coerced or chosen by the subject. Also this gaze in society provides an authoritative position over the select group and upholds or views what that normal may be. The gaze in a panopticon mainly comes from the few authoritative figures over the many. Foucault represents this in his essay with three solid examples, the plague, the prison, and the menagerie (Foucault). The plague outbreak in a community presents a situation where everyone must be securely isolated in segments/districts for fear of the contagion. This is the opposite of what would happen to a leper, which is complete separation (Panopticon). In the prison, all the cells are transparent from the inside and face a tower. Those authoritative few in this tower have the power to see all, but those being seen are not aware if they are actually being watched or not (Foucault). These inmates assume at all times and act accordingly to the gaze. The menagerie has the same concept of design as the prison. All the animals are positioned around a central lookout tower for opportune security. Foucault believed that incorporating this physically ongoing gaze into the discipline system that the community would default to judging their own actions and act accordingly (Panopticon). For example, when a parent, the authoritative figure, is in the kitchen the child, the beggar/mad men/criminals, are not going to steal a cookie (Elden).

However, if the parent leaves, the child will jump right to the act of stealing that cookie. To avoid this, Foucault explains how societys gaze controls moral intentions. Bordo also provides a viewpoint on societys gaze on the community. However, Bordo believes that the gaze is not in discipline, but in pressuring towards what one says is the norm. This mainly comes through advertisements and targets a specific group (Bordo). In her essay she specifically talked about homosexuality in the advertisements and how it affects people in the community. This gaze is not as physical as the gaze Foucault examined. Effects can be conscious but also if not more of the time happen subconsciously. In a way, the mode that society affects viewers of an advertisement is similar to the panopticon tower. Both the tower and the advertisements have the few observing the many in a sense. Normal means something different to each person or group. Foucault believes that normal can be one of two things or even possibly some of both. He thinks to be normal that the community must be pure and be of a disciplined society. With the leper, to keep the community clean he was cast out, separated from everyone for safety (Panopticon). With a plague, it takes careful procedures to carry out the cleansing of the town (Panopticon). A plague causes much confusion and chaos to control the epidemic and that it why Foucault is firm about a disciplinary procedure for everything to stay in order and perfect, Utopia in a sense (Elden). Bordo emphasized on the gaze of society making the normal that people followed. The normal started out emphasizing how men had to be men of masculinity and not feminine at all for it showed weakness and similarly for women but more lenient. This norm slowly grew to be slightly more tolerant of men showing some femininity for this type of advertising appealed to both genders (Bordo). Women wanted a sweet, sensitive, and sexy man for themselves and men

wanted to be that man in order to have the women, a well-worn circle. So as the advertisements were appealing to the significant people, celebrities, the gaze starts sinking into the general public and they feel as if they must change to fit some status quo. The power of society in Foucaults essay has a coerced nature about it. The main power source is the government over the community, the control tower. The government must run everything and oversee all that takes place. The government can be portrayed like the panopticon tower centered around everything (Panopticism). It observes the community and maintains order in a strict law-based fashion. On the other hand, Bordos essay represents the power of the society being a decision. The community can decide whether it as a whole wants to view a particular group a certain way or not. Its personally a choice that cannot be thrust upon you. However, the choice can be influenced by society and its gaze. Everyone falls prey to the influential nature of the gaze. Foucault and Bordo have fairly similar views of how the society runs by default. Whether it be an unseen power or degrading someone to get them to where they should be. I believe that Foucault has a good point in the central power controlling the discipline actions of others just by an all-seeing eye. This is almost how a moral driven person strives to be perfect in Gods eyes.

Works Cited Bordo, Susan. Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. By David Bartholomae and Tony Petrosky. 9th ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 189-233. Print. Elden, Stuart. "Plague, Panopticon, Police." (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. Foucault, Michel. "Panopticism" Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. By David Bartholomae and Tony Petrosky. 9th ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 281309. Print. "Panopticon." The Dictionary of Human Geography. Oxford: Blackwell, 2009. Credo Reference. 3 Aug. 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. <http://ezproxy.gardner-

webb.edu/login?qurl=http://www.credoreference.com/entry/bkhumgeo/panopticon>.