Blog Post #1

To recognize is to understand something that has previously been understood. To realize is to piece together previously recognized objects or ideas into a brand new concept or understanding. Realization cannot occur without recognition.

In the television series “Mad Men”, Peggy Olson, begins working at the advertising agency Sterling-Cooper as a secretary. She is viewed solely as a woman, capable of fulfilling the recognized role of a woman in the work place. She is expected be a tool for the men of the office rather than a peer. Not only is this the way that Peggy’s fellow office workers recognize her, but it is also the way she recognizes herself. She accepts society’s previously established understanding of her.  However, as the series continues, Peggy slowly realizes her own worth. She pieces together the weaknesses she often recognizes in the men of the office and sees that they are not inherently better than her. When she realizes that being a woman does not affect her potential, she forces the rest of the office to realize it too.

            In the film “Amélie”, Amélie prides herself in her ability to recognize faults in people’s lives without ever addressing the faults in her own. After a series of events, Amélie finds some torn up, photo-booth pictures of the same, forlorn looking man. Amélie recognizes that, much like her, he is able to influence others indirectly (through his pictures), yet he does not seem to exist in his own right. When Amélie tracks the man down, she learns that he is the maintenance man for the booths and that his photos are simply maintenance checks. This meeting forces Amélie to realize that what she might recognize as a “ghost” (including herself) can actually exist as a real, independent person in society.