Foucault Panopticism in Shutter Island - Essay Example

? Foucault Panopticism in Shutter Island Task: Foucault Panopticism in Shutter Island Foucault’s notion of panopticism sthat the materialization of some sort of madness in the society results in the seclusion of affected individuals. The society, in response, subjects such individuals to the knowledge of a group of experts or powerful people (Power, 2011). This situation emanates from progressive exclusion of such individuals in the society. His theory of discipline is applicable in the present world and its effects on the society are evident. According to Foucault, achieving control over the individuals is one of fundamental motives in exercising discipline. Attaining power also acts as a means of transforming the behavior of subjects. Detainees get essential services from their closets and do not have the freedom to interact (Foucault, 2008). Foucault also elaborated the effects of discipline given the control that it attracts on subjects. He related discipline and control to the Panopticon designed by Bentham. The Panopticon was an effective structure in conducting day and night surveillance of prisoners without their awareness. The structure had several prison cells surrounding a high observation tower, with masked windows to hide the surveillance unit officers. It was challenging to realize the presence of any light inside the tower to keep prisoners guessing. The masking of tower’s windows would hide anyone inside. Control, according to Foucault, is achievable from discipline instilled and is the center of attaining power over subjects. The design was to keep the prisoners unaware of any surveillance going on in the tower, at any time. The design of the Panopticon gained dominance in design of most present day prisons. The effectiveness of the design in enabling observation of prisoners, while they remain unaware, was the main reason for its adoption. Current security measures as the observation cameras also use the same design in surveillance. Panopticism is an avenue of achieving power over the conduct of humans and an avenue where exercise of power takes place. The Panopticon is a representation of the modern society utilizing discipline and punishment. Although Foucault appreciates the freedom of members of any society, he maintains that control and examination are vital for institutions and governments to undertake as an avenue of control. Directed by M. Scorsese and adapted by L. Kalogridis in 2010, Shutter Island is an American masterpiece thriller movie that attracted a plausible number of viewers. The movie setting is in 1954 and it features investigative roles by Teddy Daniels. Shutter Island is a facility for the criminally insane, converted from its former function as a fortress used by Civil War fighters. Daniels has long experience in investigation given his role throughout the Second World War. Daniel’s role is to find out the loss of a patient from the facility on the Island. The patient, Rachel Solando, was under medication at the hospital of the mentally insane. The investigator has to perform against several constraints including denied access to crucial documents at the facility that would be important for the investigation. The facility management does not cooperate with Daniels and the mission turns challenging from the beginning. Their mission faces many distractions including the great storm that separates the two, Daniels and Chuck Aule, his partner. They find it stressful but do not stop at that. Their investigation skills are superb to allow them access shocking information about the facility’s illegal operations. Although Daniels is on a mission to investigate the case of a disappeared patient at the facility, he has other interests as well. He holds the belief that he may find credible information surrounding the horrible death of his wife, at the medical facility. The chief at the prison, Dr. Cawley, holds exceptional authority to command what favors him most. This further complicates the whole process of investigation. The disappearance of Rachel Solando is mysterious provided the intense security, making it a suspected case of conspiracy. The guards or prison authorities hold the responsibility should it be a conspiracy deal. The island, being a facility for the criminally insane, serves the role of controlling the conduct of the criminals. Discipline and punish is a depiction of the diverse means of exercising power on subjects by seniors in modern systems, not only in prison. Daniels loses control of his role because of the many challenges that he faces, including little cooperation from the staff at the facility. It becomes apparent that knowledge on the island is vital in their surveillance to ascertain the reason for the escape of Rachael. The secrets of the operations at the facility are so great that Dr. Cawley and his allies could not permit Daniels to inspect the documents. Instead, Daniels turns to be investigated by high profile operators at the facility. There is a tall lighthouse on the island, creating a perception of a tower used for surveillance. Most the staff at the facility can get performed whatever they desire and evade investigators. The staff turns to control any investigators, without their knowledge. The staff has all the authority to deny the investigation team access to any document that would provide evidence. This is a form of punishment and control. The top secrets at the lighthouse raise curiosity of the investigators and they have to find the best means possible to find the required information about the lighthouse. They managed to get to Ward C that was under heavy surveillance because of the high secrets. Through their tactical investigation, Daniels and Chuck obtain critical information that the lighthouse was the center where the conduct of illegal experimentations occurred. The lighthouse, as suspected by the investigators, was the hiding point of the indirect murderer who planned the killing of Daniels’ wife. This elevated his desire to continue with the investigation into the activities in the lighthouse. He locates a secluded path to the lighthouse. Dr. Cawley operates from a well-furnished quarter with expensive curtains that make them dark. This depicts a direct opposite of the conditions of the hospital that evokes the suspense of dark secrets. This is representative of the surveillance point. The investigators suspect that Dr. Cawley uses the quarter as a center from where he controls the mentally ill prisoners. Cawley’s description of the possibility of the prisoner’s escape evokes suspense as well. Despite his position as the chief security official at the facility, Dr. Cawley does not provide full information on the disappearance of the prisoner. Instead, he describes it as if the guards could do nothing to save the situation. The discourse of the communication warrants an analysis from a Foucaultian point of view. According to Foucault, discourse does not emanate from the normal need to talk. Instead, it is a creation of the subject from a given standpoint (Olsson, 2010). The response, therefore, was tantamount to denying the investigators critical information needed and, therefore, a perceived move to achieve control over them. When Rachael reappears on the island, she is suspicious of everything including the investigators’ identity. Elements of the Panopticon in the movie are supportive in analyzing the basic surveillance theories that the investigators used. It was a great challenge for the investigators to access Ward C, for instance. The concept of control is clear from this point of view. The dark and secretive experimentations conducted at the lighthouse were highly under the protection of the hospital administration. Only a few people had access to the health records at the facility. Dr. Cawley and other staff members had control of every suspicious activity going on at the hospital. The cold welcome that the investigators received at the facility creates suspense and a feeling of secrecy. The theoretical notions of Foucault are applicable in the control launched by the staff at the facility. The surveillance strategy launched by the investigators to counter the control of the facility’s administration also used the theoretical notions of Foucault. One of the arguments set by Foucault is that surveillance should be conducted without the awareness of the prisoner. Gaining access to Ward C that contained important information for the investigation was a secretive move by the investigators. This was a key achievement that they made to access evidence of the illegal operations conducted at the lighthouse. The disclosure of such operations motivated the investigators to find out what occurs at the lighthouse. Accessing the lighthouse was impractical because of the safeguard that the administration launched. However, irrespective of secretive surveillance, they found a path to the lighthouse that was a success of their mission. Discipline, from a Foucaultian viewpoint, creates the impression of power internalization by the great and mighty in the society. Surveillance studies apply the concept of discipline (Elmer, 2012) and its relation to holding of power by people in position. With reference to control, it refers to the protocols and policies that surveillance units have on limiting access to critical information and knowledge of their opponents. The Scorsese directed film has several instances of control and perfectly applies the notion of administration of discipline to members of the society. Such members are secluded and under the control of the power control administration of the government. The facility administration, for instance, does have highly exclusive control over the documental evidence as depicted by Scorsese. The administration staff at the medical facility had the exclusive power to control the investigators’ access to evidential documents. It is incontrovertible that the administration was powerful enough to deny the investigators access to Ward C and gain total control over every activity of the investigators if they accessed it, eventually. Panopticism denotes exclusive control by the institution of power over the subjects. It is feasible to mention that the facility administration held onto exclusive power over access to the documents that are essential as evidence for investigation, and Scorsese’s expression of the principles of panopticism in these instances of the film is persuasive. References Elmer, G. (2012). Routledge Handbook of Surveillance Studies. New York, NY: Routledge. Foucault, M. (2008). "Panopticism" from discipline & punish: The birth of the prison. Race/Ethnicity: Multidisciplinary Global Contexts, 2(1), 1-12. Olsson, M. (2010). Michel Foucault: Discourse, power/knowledge, and the battle for truth. Critical Theory for Library and Information Science, 63. Power, M. (2011). Foucault and sociology. Annual Review of Sociology, 37, 35-56. Read More