criticalreview范文

1、精品文档IntroductionInMan s SearchforMeaning,ViktorE. Frankltellsthe verypersonal story of his experienceasaprisonerinaconcentrationcampduringtheHolocaust.Hepresentsthisstoryintheformofanessayinwhichheshareshisargumentsandanalysisasadoctorandpsychologistaswellasaformerprisoner.This paper will review Fra

2、nkl sstoryas wellashismainarguments,andwillevaluatethequalityof Frankl s writingandfocusonanyareasofweaknesswithinthestory.SummaryThissectioncontainsasummaryofMan'sSearch.Franklbeginshisbook bystatingthathispurposeinwritingthebookisnottopresentfactsand detailsoftheHolocaust,butto provideapersona

3、l accountoftheeverydaylifeofaprisonerlivinginaconcentrationcamp.He states, “Thistaleisnotconcernedwiththegreathorrors, whichhavealreadybeendescribedoften enough(thoughless oftenbelieved),but itwilltryto answer thisquestion:Howwaseverydaylifeinaconcentrationcampreflectedinthemindof theaverageprisoner

4、?” (21).Franklthengoesontodescribethethreestagesofaprisonerspsychologicalreactionstobeingheldcaptiveinaconcentrationcamp.Thefirstphase,whichoccursjustaftertheprisonerisadmittedtothecamp,isshock.Thesecondphase,occurringoncetheprisonerhasfallenintoaroutinewithinthecamp,isoneofapathy,or“ the blunting o

5、f the emotions and the feeling that one could notanymore” (42).The thirdphase, whichoccursaftertheprisonerhas beenliberatedfromthecamp,is a periodof“depersonalization”,inwhich“everythingappearsunreal,unlikely,as inadream” (110).Inthis phase,releasedprisonersalsofeelasenseof“bitternessanddisillusionm

6、ent” whenreturningtotheirformerlives (113).Frankldescribeseachofthesephasesusingpsychologicaltheoryandprovidespersonalexperiences to exemplifyeach of thestages.AuthorsArguments.精品文档Asdescribedabove,Frankl smainpurposeforwritingthisbookistopresentandanalyzetheaverageprisonerspsychologicalreactionstot

7、heeverydaylifeofaconcentrationcamp.Histhreemainargumentsarehispresentationandanalysisofeachofthepsychologicalstagesthattheaverageconcentrationcampprisonerexperiences:shock,apathyanddepersonalization.Hebaseshisanalysesofeachofthesestagesontheactionsoftheprisonersandhisownpersonalthoughtsandreactionsa

8、s heexperiencedlifein aconcentrationcamp.Forexample,Franklarguesthatthesecondphase ofapathyforces“theprisoners lifedowntoaprimitivelevel ” (47)inwhich“ alleffortsandallemotionswerecenteredononetask:preservingone sownlifeandthatoftheotherfellow” (47).Hebasesthistheoryoneventshewitnessedwhilelivingint

9、hecamphimself,andstates,“Itwasnaturalthatthedesireforfoodwasthemajorprimitiveinstinctaroundwhichmentallifecentered.Letusobservethemajorityofprisonerswhentheyhappenedtoworkneareachotherand were, for once, notcloselywatched.Theywouldimmediatelystartdiscussingfood” (48).Franklcontinuouslyusesexamplesfr

10、omhisexperiencesintheconcentrationcamptoillustrateandstrengthenhispsychologicalargumentsthroughoutthetext.EvaluationThissectioncontainsanevaluationofFrankl sbook.Firstly,theauthorisasurvivoroftheHolocaustandwas a prisonerofaconcentrationcamphimself, which gives him thepersonalinsighttobeabletocommen

11、tonthepsychologicalconditionsofanaverageprisoner.However,thisalsocreatesabiasandbecauseofhispersonalexperience,heisunabletobeentirelyobjectiveinwritinghisanalysis.Franklacknowledgesthisbiasinthebeginningofhisbook,bystating,“ Onlythemaninsideknows.Hisjudgmentsmaynotbeobjective,hisevaluationsmaybeouto

12、fproportion.Thisisinevitable.Anattemptmustbemadetoavoidanypersonalbias,andthatistherealdifficultyofabookofthiskind ” (24-25).Althoughheisawareofthisbias,itcreatesapartialitythatwillswaythereadersthroughouthisstoryanditservesasaminorweaknessinhiswritingstyle.A secondweaknessinFranklswritingisintheass

13、umptionshesometimesmakestoprovehispoint.Hemakesoverarchinggeneralizationsseveraltimesinhisbook,makingstatementsthat,althoughmayhavebeentrueforhimselfandthosearoundhim,mightnothavebeentrueforeveryprisonerineveryconcentrationcampduringtheHolocaust.Forexample,inoneinstance,hesays,“TheprisonerofAuschwit

14、z,inthefirstphaseofshock,didnotfe.精品文档ar death ” (37).Itisveryboldtosay thatnoprisonerof Auschwitz,oneof themostwell-knownanddeadlyconcentrationcampsoftheHolocaust,didnotfeardeath,asdeathwasallaroundthemandwas averyrealthreatintheirdailylives.Althoughhemighthavenotfeareddeathduringhisphaseofshock,it

15、isimpossibleforhimtoguaranteethatnoprisonerwas atallfearfulofdeathinthisfirstpsychologicalphase,and for him to make overarchingassumptionslikethisisaweaknesstotheoverallqualityofhis book.Finally,Franklsometimesbecomestootechnicalandverbosein hiswritingstyle,whichmakesitveryhardfortheaveragereadertou

16、nderstand.Oneexampleofthisisasfollows.Franklstates,“ Irememberanincidentwhentherewasan occasionforpsychotherapeuticworkontheinmatesofa wholehut,duetoanintensificationoftheirreceptivenessbecauseofacertainexternalsituation” (102).Thissentence,whichis overlywordyandcomplicated,makesitdifficultfortheaveragereadertounderstandexactlywhatheissaying.Areadercaneasilygetfrustratedwhentryingtodeciphertheauthorsmeaningduetooverlycomplicatedlanguage,andthisisathirdweaknessofFrankl swriting.ConclusionThiscriticalreviewhasevaluatedthebookMan s SearchforMeaningbyViktorE. Frankl.Thepsycholog