Einstein’s Dreams Presentation

1. Einstein’s Dreams Presentation Riley Galvin, Anna Fues, Art Vikulov, Kevin Domagala, Grayson Cornwell

2. June 3 1905 • Summary: • “Imagine a world in which people live only one day” • The human’s bodily clock is either slowed down or the earth’s rotation slowed down so the day lasts the perception of a lifetime. • “No one lives to witness the change of the seasons” • Seasons are learned about in books • A person born in December lives their day cold and a person born in July experiences their day hot.

3. 3 June 1905 • Two types of People: • People born on sunset: • Those born during sunset learn indoor trades, eat too much, and are afraid of shadows • People born on sunrise: • Those born during sunrise learn outdoor occupations, become physically fit, avoid mental projects, and are afraid of nothing. • Both types of people struggle with change • When the midpoint of their day is reached both groups desire a return to how life previously was: • Those born during sunset put blankets over their windows to avoid the sun • Those born during sunrise moan over their loss of daylight and the ability to see birds, the ocean, and the blue sky.

4. 3 June 1905 • How People Act: • Both types of groups are always in a rush: • “When people pass on the streets they tip their hats and carry on” • “ When people meet at houses, they politely inquire of each other’s health and tend to their own affairs” • At old age both groups discover that their lives have been wasted: • They realize that they don’t truly know anyone • Old people begin to question everything, including the genuinity of their experiences

5. 3 June 1905 • Linear Perception of Time: • In this universe the cyclical perception of time is eliminated from the world: • Our world is based on cyclical events: days, weeks, months, years while this universe only has one single day. • This universe receives the same amount of perceiving time as we do, however, their universe is much more hectic. Why do people choose to perceive time as being a cyclical matter rather than having a beginning and an end?

6. Connections to The Sound and the Fury • The universe of 3 June 1905 most directly compares to the character of Quentin: • “They nervously study the shifting of shadows”a) Quentin’s obsession with shadows • “When old age comes, whether in light or in dark, a person discovers that he knows no one”a) The obsession the people of this universe have with time has restricted them from living truly prosperous lives.

7. 5 June 1905 • “But seen through the eyes of any one person the scene is quite different”. • This universe is based on a matter of perception and different points of view. • Things in the universe appear different to everyone in a unique way. • A woman sees boats pass at a great speed • Another views these boats moving at a sluggish pace • A man sees the boats travel forward and then backward

8. 5 June 1905 • “In a world where time is a sense, like sight or like taste, a sequence of episodes may be quick or may be slow, dim or intense, salty or sweet, casual or without cause, orderly or random, depending on the prior history of the viewer”. • The way time is viewed depends on a persons past and it varies for everyone. Experience shapes each person’s unique view of time. • Philosophers question whether time really exists outside human perception and they question who can say if events happen at all. • Some people are born without this sense of time in this universeand their sense of place becomes heightened and painter and poets take interest in what and they way they see things. Because they are time-deaf they cannot speak.

9. Connections to The Sound and the Fury • This universe connects to Benjy because he perceives time based on his childhood with Caddy. • Benjy sense of time is totally based on his memories and he lives his daily life through those memories rather than moving forward. • Also, similarly to the time-deaf people in this universe, Benjy can vividly relive his past yet he cannot speak. • Interactive Question: Do you think that time is completely uniform and exact or do we sense time in our own unique ways like the people in this universe?

10. 9 June 1905 • Pages 91-94 • In this world everyone lives forever, there is an unlimited amount of time. • Due to this, two different type of people develop • The Laters • The Nows

11. 9 June 1905 • The Laters: • “For all these things, there is an infinite span of time. In endless time, all things can be accomplished. Thus all things can wait. Indeed hasty actions breed mistakes” (91) • The pinnacle of procrastination • They believe there is no rush to accomplish anything as long as they have the potential to do so.

12. 9 June 1905 • The Nows: • “The Nows note that with infinite lives, they can do all they can imagine. They will have an infinite number of careers, they will marry an infinite number of times,… In order to taste the infinities of life, they begin early and never go slowly.” (92) • They measure they’re lives and others through their accomplishments • The are hardworking trying to take advantage of an infinite amount of time so that they can experience everything there is to experience

13. 9 June 1905 • Relatives: • With eternal life comes also an infinite amount of relatives. • “Sons never escape the from the shadows of their fathers. Nor do daughters of their mothers. No one ever comes into his own” (93) • Everything that can be tried or accomplished has been done by someone • “For in such a world, the multiplication of achievements is partly divided by the diminishment of ambition” (93) • People go to their parents for advice and since everyone’s parents are alive asking for advice just causes your parents to ask your grandparents and so on. • “Parents are not the source of certainty. There are one millions sources” (93)

14. 9 June 1905 • With so many opinions and judgments nothing ever gets done. Buildings are left unfinished, bridges don’t reach the other side, events are cancelled. • People ultimately feel scrutinized and don’t feel whole because of it. • The Laters: have no achievements and therefore feel they lack in being whole • The Nows: Always have something to do, to become, never completing themselves • Some find that the only way out and to “complete themselves” is through acts of suicide • Believe that life isn’t fulfilled without death • “In this way, the finite has conquered the infinite” (94) • With endless time is it better to act like a Now or a Later. Which way of life is a better way to live?

15. Connections to The Sound and the Fury • Quentin • Acts like the Nows • He stays at Harvard • Takes care of his future even but he couldn’t deal with this idea of “living forever” because then he would forget about Caddy’s actions • Some in this world feel the need to commit suicide • “In death, a man or a woman is free of the weight of the past” (94) • Jason • Relates to the Nows in that he constantly lives in the present • Feels like he must become wealthy and measures man on material things: money, accomplishments, etc..

16. 10 June 1905 • “Suppose time is not a quantity, but a quality…Time exists but cannot be measured.” • “In a world were time cannot be measured, there are no clocks, no calendars, no definite appointments. Events are triggered by other events, not by time.” • In the story, a woman waits for her lover for more than a day, but does not grow impatient. When he finally arrives, they spend time together, and Lightman reflects that no one knows if they’ve been together a lifetime or only a moment.

17. 10 June 1905 • The mother of that same man looks through the restaurant windows at the couple. She cannot discern how much time has passed since he was a small child living at home. • People who try to measure/control time are turned to stone on street corners.

18. Connections to The Sound and the Fury • Relation to Benjy: • Similarities • ‘Events are triggered by other events’ such as hearing a golfer yell ‘Caddie’ so he thinks about Caddy • Differences • Benjy is transported to a time in his past, while in the universe of June 10th, time remains in chronological order yet is not measureable. • Question: Do you think society could function where time is a substance of quality rather than quantity?

19. 11 June 1905 • In this universe there is no future. • People cannot imagine any future, thus they assume that the world is going to end. • Some people feel there is no need for action, they just wait for the end. • Some live every moment to the fullest. • Others relish in past memories. • “In a world without a future, each parting of friends is a death. In a world without a future, each loneliness is final. In a world without a future, each laugh is the last laugh”(100-101) • What would life be like in our society if we were unable to imagine a future or the impact of our actions? How would we act if we assumed every moment to be the end of the world?

20. Connections to The Sound and the Fury • This universe most closely relates to Quentin’s concept of time. • People in this universe are incapable of imagining a future. • Quentin is incapable of living in a future where he might get over Caddy’s promiscuity. • People in this universe often live by remembering the past. • Quentin’s world is impacted by Caddy’s actions in the past. • Quentin prevents himself from having a future by committing suicide