Since humans have been able to take note of the sun rising and setting we have found ways to measure time, distance and the temperature of the world. Time out of these is the most abstract, as distance and temperature are physical changes in the environment, time can pass differently from person to person. Try looking at a clock for one minute, it feels very slow right? However, during summer vacation, the days seem to go by so fast that they almost blend together. The less you notice the passage of time, the faster it goes. In dreams, hour pass by in a few minutes in “real time”. The idea of time being a concept specific to one individual is shown very well in The Spot on the Wall, where a simple action of staring at a mark on the wall which in real time takes maybe a few minutes tops, is stretched out over what feels like hours, as she uses the dot to anchor herself as she jumps to different aspects of society, such as the rank of women in society and a need to feel balanced. A classic example of time being relative is The Chronicles of Narnia where the children spend what feels like entire lifetimes in the imaginary world within the wardrobe when actuality they were gone not even a day.
The concept of time being an internal concept rather than external was coined during the period of Modernist Literature which lasted from 1915 through the 1950’s and made literature about very simple aspects of everyday life. Again, The Mark on the Wall is an example of that, the simple normal event of contemplating what a mark you see on a wall is. Modernism made literature once again about the common man and common things, rather than the extravagant tales of the past.
You have made some very intelligent points about the progression of time. The weirdest thing about time is that we have no idea how extensive a moment is until we measure it. If one does not look at a clock or notice the change in the sun, there seems to be no concept of time. Time does not exist until it is measured, so once we glance at a clock do we define time by a linear progression. Also consider examples like the progression of classes at the high school. Although each class is exactly the same length, there are instances where it seems like you have no time at all (due to tests or fun activities) or time simply drags on for too long (due to uninteresting topics or waiting for the bell). However, I would not say English class progresses too slowly, for the information we have learned about Modernist concepts of time has been an inception to educational enlightenment.
ReplyDeleteI cannot agree more. It's fascinating how subjective time truly is. If there was one catchphrase for the movie Interstellar, it would be: "Time is a relative concept". Literally every single character in that movie must have said it at least once. That movie has a central theme that time is not linear, but rather is a continuum. In Interstellar, the main character is sucked into a blackhole and is able to revisit all moment of his life from what appears to be a 3D prism. He floats around in this prism and views sections of his life that occurred before he fell into the blackhole. Some moments appear slow and drawn on, while others pass too quickly. This idea of relative time relates to the Mark on the Wall, where the characters try to manipulate time based on their emotions. In The Mark on the Wall, the character tries to slow down time by distracting themself. In interstellar, the main character tries to draw out important moments in his life to try to make a positive change to them.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at the way you were able to connect the relativity of time in our world and time in Nolan's world so thoughtfully. This was a connection i had not made until now even if subconsciously I feel like I knew it all along. The relativity of time has always fascinated me and at the same time tortured me, mostly while trying to get through the school day. I also really liked the connection you made to the chronicles of Narnia which was one of my favorite stories when growing up. The closet they enter is very much like the dreams that Cobb and friends try to enter, and the kids in the chronicles even try to make the world inside the closet a better place, however they did it unselfishly unlike Cobb.
ReplyDeleteI've always been curious as to WHY time is so subjective. We all know it is, we've all had time slip through our fingers or drag on for what feels like centuries, but we don't really know why that is.
ReplyDeleteI think its fascinating that authors and other story-tellers are able to tell tales like the ones we have read without any story of realistic timeline. It is cool to see that, from the protagonists' perspective, decades have passed, where in reality, only a day or so has gone by. While time is based on astrological concepts, it really is subjective. Depending on the perspective, a day can feel like it as has passed over an eternity or in a split second.
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