Even before Thomas De Quincey fully exposed the mental and physical effects of frequent drug addiction in his Confessions of an Opium Eater English, he states that “…if no definite limit can be assigned to our power, the spirit of hope and pleasure makes it virtually infinite” (8). Far from delivering a simplistic commentary on opium through his confessions, De Quincey largely uses his story to show its impact on the mental aspect of self-definition. In the article "The Uncanny" by Andrew Bennett and Nicholas Royle, the authors suggest that "...the real is not something that is simply given...but is constructed through human perception, language, beliefs and assumptions, and therefore it is something that can be changed” (Bennett 37). Although this quote does not specifically incorporate human perception regarding environmental factors into its definition of the uncanny, the opium use present in De Quincey's confessions becomes an integral component of self-perception constantly evolution of the author. Romantic interest in the uncanny, as seen in De Quincey's work, focuses both on interactions with the environment and how a changing perception of that same environment catalyzes and influences the development of the true internal self. The author's ability to successfully create and embody a more natural self, however artificial, is undeniably dependent on the increasing prevalence of opium use across his faiths and, therefore, the production of his ability to contemplate what may be considered mundane events from a new perspective. .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay De Quincey first addresses his use of opium as it relates to the development of an idealized self when it dictates his first experience of using this substance. The author suddenly exclaims about the surprisingly powerful effects, declaring… oh! Sky ! what repulsion! what an upheaval, from its lowest depths, of the inner spirit! what an apocalypse of the world in me! That my pains had disappeared was now a trifle in my eyes: — this negative effect was swallowed up in the immensity of these positive effects which had opened before me — in the abyss of divine enjoyment thus suddenly revealed (De Quincey 39 ). Although this quote does not yet seem to present a specific situation in which the author is able to view relatively common stimuli from a different perspective, it is evident that De Quincey recognizes that this first experience with opium somehow restructured his vision of his “interior”. mind". The fact that the author begins to accept this disruption of his negative mental self-perception in favor of what he sees as a more positive inner existence turns out to suggest the way in which the strangeness causes an abrupt change in the human self. perception. At this point in the story, De Quincey not only seems unable to manage his pain on his own, but he now claims not to even remember the previous pains he had felt. The author even continues. stating that “here is a panacea – a [medicine to banish sorrow] – for all human woes” (De Quincey 39). reflects the depth of the mental alterations that have occurred and the author begins to adopt a more carefree existence. His use of the expression "abyss of divine enjoyment" and his reference to an "apocalypse.» of the ego belies a subconscious recognition of the permanent modification of mental perception which may ultimately result from one's opium abuse. The strangeness ultimately influences his personal development to the extent that he is able to perceive negative stimuli that previously troubled him in a completely different, more positive light. At this point in the text, a tension has begun to develop between the natural self imagined by De Quincey and the one presented externally without the aid of addiction. Following his beginning to develop this conception that a more romantic and natural existence will result from his drug addiction, De Quincey recounts a more specific case in the opera in which the solace he discovers is further implemented in this process of self-definition. By recounting his experience in the theater, the author further illustrates how strangeness leads him to perceive a stimulus in his environment in a novel and, from his perspective, in an instructive way. Hearing a conversation during the opera, De Quincey relates that I had all around me... the music of the Italian language spoken by Italian women... and I listened with pleasure such as that with which Weld the traveler sat and listened, in Canada, the sweet laughter of Indian women; for the less you understand a language, the more sensitive you are to the melody or harshness of its sounds: for this reason, then, it was an advantage to me that I was a poor Italian scholar... (46) Although it seems While this quote primarily concerns the beauty of language even in its unfamiliarity, the passage also directly addresses the increasing effect of De Quincey's opium use on his self-definition as well as the way he perceives his environment. Much like the previous paragraph in which the author acknowledges the absence of certain aspects of his personality, namely his negative past, due to his opium consumption, De Quincey readily accepts his lack of knowledge on a subject in which he had previously experienced simply because his mindset changed. In addition to viewing his abilities and personal interests from an unusual perspective, he is also able to interact with his environment, albeit passively, in a different light. Although he came to the theater expressly to enjoy the performance, he is also able to appreciate the simplistic and beautiful combination of unfamiliar sounds. Despite being relatively familiar with Italian, De Quincey is able to experience the language beyond the reality he is immediately confronted with and understand stimuli at a fundamental level. This unique perception of his surroundings as well as his awareness that beauty can be found in relative ignorance (or what can, in other words, be considered his recognition of the strangeness) is caused by a substance which removes his old consciousness and replaces it with an ability to accept the circumstances of his livelihood as they currently exist. In addition to De Quincey's experience with unfamiliar language in the theater, he also conveys this new acceptance of himself and his environment as it occurs naturally through his analysis of understanding music. The author claims that his ability to easily appreciate this situation is due to the fact that "...opium, by considerably increasing the activity of the mind in general, increases, necessarily, that particular mode of its activity by which we are able to build our mind. of raw material of organic sound, an elaborate intellectual pleasure” (De Quincey 45). In the preceding statement it is evident that the author admits that opium is responsible for most of the mental stimulation he receives during hisgoing to the theater and that, without the different perspective that the substance offers him, he would benefit from a different experience. He even challenges a person who bemoans his inability to understand music by exclaiming “Ideas! my good sir? there is no reason for them: this whole class of ideas, which may be available in such a case, has a language of representative feelings” (De Quincey 45). Much like the quote regarding the author's inability to understand Italian, De Quincey again rejects the assumption that full mental awareness is necessary to appreciate an art form; it is only through a return to a more natural mental state, one that has achieved independence from the compelling need for absolute understanding, that the author can apprehend his environment on a more simplistic, and ultimately more pleasant, level. Of the deep pleasure that opium consumption gives De Quincey at this point in the novel, the author also objects to certain societal conceptions regarding its negative effects. Providing the reader with his examples from his excursions to the theater, De Quincey states: “I have thus shown that opium does not necessarily produce inactivity or torpor; but on the contrary it often took me to markets and theaters” (48). By mentioning these clearly cultural places, it is evident that De Quincey hopes to convey that not only was he present in these places, but that he could also be seen as a fully functioning societal figure who, in fact, is capable of approaching these places from a new human perception. Although opium use can be considered debilitating, De Quincey argues here that, rather than hindering one's self-awareness, opium actually enhances it. He also states that “the remedies I sought were to forcefully insert myself into society and maintain my understanding in continued activity in science” (48). Ultimately, these two quotes, considered in tandem, represent the fact that De Quincey is capable of engaging in multiple forms of discourse: both natural observation of London as it functions unconsciously, as well as 'active engagement in scientific discourse. Without his opium use, it is possible that De Quincey would not have been as easily able to use the strangeness to appreciate the city for its more intriguing subtleties, those subtleties that might have gone unnoticed at first glance. eye. Although De Quincey seems to largely argue for this mental deviation from what can be considered normal reality, the dreams he experiences as a result of his opium abuse provide him with a pathway to what is humanly incomprehensible and sublime. In detailing the effects of opium-induced nightmares, he details that "...a theater suddenly seemed open and lighted in my brain, which presented nocturnal spectacles of more than earthly splendor...the state of sadness which accompanied these magnificent spectacles, amounting to the last to express utter darkness, like suicidal despondency, cannot be addressed in words” (De Quincey 68). Although it may seem at first glance that De Quincey totally rejects and abhors the sublime images he describes in the quote above, it is rather that these visions produced such a natural perspective on human perception that they are beyond his understanding. He even states later that "...the human face had often mingled with my dreams, but not in a despotic manner, nor with any particular power of torment" (De Quincey 72). It is clear from the quotes above that although the images presented are alien and, in some cases, terrifying, these dreams suggest an even greater return to nature that he frequently makes..