Adaptation’s Versatile Influence on Perception When one adapts to a new environment or lifestyle, one gains a new perspective, thus leaving the old one behind. In Susan Faludi’s text, “The Naked Citadel,” soldiers willingly adapting to a sexist and violent way of living. These soldiers are trained to act and think a certain way, as a result leaving their old perspective behind. The idea that adaptation leads to a loss of perspective, can be related to Oliver Sack’s text, “The Mind’s Eye”, when he speaks of how a person who adapts to blindness must willingly let go of their old way of living for a more limiting perspective on life.
Departing from a previous perspective can be troubling because it results in a one-sided point of view that may be burdensome. Comparatively, It is important to note that adaptation can be beneficial to a person’s perspective when the person is moving on from a harmful perspective. This is evident in Sack’s story when he speaks of blind people who move on from their hopeless point of views and embrace their blindness to do good. Like Sacks, Faludi also displays a way that a person can move on from a burdensome perspective.
In her text she speaks of Shannon, who grew up with a family that is not sexist, thus enabling her to adapt to the thought that women could be just as strong as men. Therefore, adapting to an environment or a life situation might leave a person with a burdensome biased perspective due to the fact that they have become dependent on their perspective leaving them unable to accept other perspectives. Despite that, one can adapt beneficially, by purging a burdening perspective that could result in a more beneficial outcome.
When a person adapts to a new environment or lifestyle, they may develop a biased perspective and lose sight of other perspectives. This is significant because at times a person can have a burdening perspective, but they are unable to accept any other way of living, even if it is beneficial to them. Faludi presents this notion that someone who adapts becomes prejudiced through a former cadet at The Citadel named Watts. Watts states, “You cannot put a male and a female on the same playing field though he couldn’t say exactly why… I’ve not the foggiest notion if it would have been different”(78).
Watts adapts to the idea that women are incapable of being on the same level as men. When Faludi says “though [Watts] couldn’t say exactly why,” she implies that Watts’ perspective on women is so prejudiced that he does not even know why he thinks this way. Even if a woman could be beneficial to The Citadel, Watts has succumbed to his biased perspective and is unable to see grasp the fact that his view could be different. Henceforth, Watts’ adaptation resulted in a biased perspective that inhibited him from seeing women in any other way, but his own way.
Sacks, similarly, displays how a person may not be able to see any other perspective but their own when upon adapting, through the case of Arlene Gordon. When Arlene becomes blind she views blindness a certain way, but when another person presents a different point of view she is stunned that there could be other perspectives. Arlene Gordon writes, “I was stunned when I read [Hull’s book]. His experiences are so unlike mine”(336). When Arlene Gordon became blind, she had a biased perspective on the way she viewed blindness.
When she read Hull’s book she was shocked that another person could have a different perspective from her own. Arlene’s biased perspective is a barrier that is hindering her from seeing any other opinion but her own. A different perspective, like Hull’s, might give her a better outlook on blindness that could positively affect her ability to function with her disability. Arlene will never know about this unless she breaks free from her restrained way of viewing things. The inability to “see” after adapting is burdening because makes it difficult for someone to adapt to a life that could better benefit them.
Sacks’ and Faludi’s text both display cases where people’s adaptation made them develop a point of view that limits them from seeing any other perspective but their own burdening point of view. Adaptation influences perspective because when a person adapts, they are unable to accept any other point of view but their own, even if a different perspective may be the most suitable for them. When a person adapts to a biased perspective they may lose their ability to change that point of view, making them dependent on their new perspective.
Under those circumstances, a person’s desire to cling to their biased perspective can conquer the ability to face a burdening reality. Faludi speaks of the military men who rely on their view of The Citadel to ensure they succeed in life. Faludi speaks of the dependence to their biased perspective of The Citadel, when a teacher at The Citadel exclaims, “the one thing these young men felt they could count on was that when things got hard they could always go into the military”(80). In this quote, the teacher makes a point to note that the soldiers have adapted to the idea that The Citadel will save them if life does not go their way.
By saying “they could always go to the military,” implies that the soldiers rely on their perspective of The Citadel to guide them. This is burdensome because their dependency prevents them from accepting a reality that may scare them. They believe that if they depend on The Citadel that they will be safe from the burdens of reality, but clinging to their perspective blinds them from seeing the truth, thus making it difficult for them to accept any other perspective. Sacks, similarly, displays a case where a person clings to their biased perspective through Zoltan Torey, who struggles with adapting to blindness.
Zoltan Torey has, “the passionate desire to hold on to light and sight, to maintain, if only in memory and imagination, a vivid and living visual world”(333). Torey struggles with adaptation because he was used to his old ways and had troubles adapting to blindness. Torey struggled with seeing any other perspective because he was so accustomed to his old way. Torey desired to “hold on” and cling to his previous lifestyle stems from his fear of facing looming troubles that may arise from blindness. Torey does not know that accepting his disability might be more beneficial to him instead of clinging to the past.
By saying “the passionate desire to hold on to light and sight,” Torey paints a picture of his desperation to return to the way things were, and his incompetence to live any other way. His dependence to his biased perspective makes it difficult for him to see any other reality but the one he had relied on. Sacks and Faludi, similarly, expand on the idea of biased perspective but proving that biased perspectives can make a person dependent on their perspective, making it so that they cannot acquire a perspective that is favorable.
Adaptation takes a toll on perspective due to the fact that one might become attached to their biased perspective upon adapting and be shielded by the burdens of reality. Even though, a person adapting to a new environment or lifestyle can lead to biased perspectives, moving on from old perspectives can be beneficial to a person to better their lives from their old, burdensome way of thinking or living. This is important because when a person has a biased perspective it can prevent them from moving on or surviving.
Faludi displays an example of this when she presents the case of Shannon Faulkner, who was the epitome of a strong person because her and her family adapted to an advantageous perspective. Faludi states, “And you could certainly credit the study backbone and outspokenness of both her mother and her maternal grandmother; this is a family where the women talk and the men keep a low profile”(91). This is an example where gender roles are reversed and the women have the power in the family. The women did not succumb to the archetype that women are cowardly and weak.
The use of the words, “sturdy backbone” symbolizes the strength these women have to distance themselves from the common biased perspective, which is that women are inferior to men. These women’s lack of a biased perspective permits them to move on, unconfined from their predestined and burdensome fate. Additionally, Sacks also speaks of how adaptation can influence perception positively. When woman named Sabriye Tenberken becomes blind, she immediately travels to Tibet to better the life of others who are blind.
Tenberken “has transformed their situation over the past decade or so, devising a form of Tibetan Braille, establishing the first schools for the blind there, and integrating the graduates of these schools into their communities”(333). Tenberken was able to maneuver around her disability and create a new lifestyle which could be beneficial not only to her, but to anyone who struggles with blindness. Tenberken became successful by avoiding a biased perspective and immediately moving on to a perspective that allows her to make a difference in the way other people perceive blindness also.
By having a lack of biased perspective, Tenberken was able to move on to “transform” the perception of blindness. This shows the ambition that Tenberken gains from not clinging to a point of view that could negatively impact her. Tenberken’s lack of dependence to a point of view allows her to progress with ease instead of struggling to break free from a biased perspective. Sacks and Faludi similarly display how the lack of biased opinions leads to a positive way that adaptation can influence perception.
When a person adapts, without developing a biased perspective, they can easily move on to develop a more beneficial point of view because they are not confined to a certain fate. Sacks and Faludi both illustrate the negative outcomes that evolve from adapting to a biased perspective. When a person adapts to a situation they might not be able to go back to their old way of living or of viewing, making their perspectives biased. A biased perspective can be harmful because the person might not be able to distance themselves from their biased point of view.
Although this may be true, adapting to a new life or environment can be beneficial because it means moving on from their troubled past. Adaptation is versatile because it can influence a person’s perspective for the better and adaptation can also influence a person’s perspective negatively. One should always consider what option is best for them because sometimes not doing anything can be the better choice. It is important to analyze all options and think about all outcomes before proceeding with the adapting process because once a person adapts, they may become attached to their new perspective.
