In Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days, an ostensibly straightforward tale of global adventure unfolds as the enigmatic Englishman Phileas Fogg accepts a wager to circumnavigate the globe in just eighty days. At first glance, Jules Verne’s novel is a product of its time (the 19^th Century); the plot is an ode to technology, exploration, and British punctuality. However, by employing a dual theoretical lens, Erich Fromm's humanist psychology and Roland Barthes' semiotic critique, the characters emerge as vessels of deeper truths. Through these perspectives, we can interpret the novel not only as a travel story but as an exploration of love, identity, and the symbolic operations of narrative.

The Exterior and Interior Protagonists

Mr. Phileas Fogg, with his clockwork routine and emotionless disposition, initially appears as a flat protagonist. His actions drive the plot, but his personal transformation remains subtle. In contrast, his French valet, Jean Passepartout, provides the emotional arc of the novel. Verne introduces Fogg as a man who "never hurried and was always ready" (Verne, ch. 1), a figure ruled by reason. Passepartout, however, is the relatable counterpart: reactive, humorous, and often overwhelmed by the chaos of the journey.

While Fogg is the external agent of the story plot’s motion, Passepartout is the internal witness, growing visibly throughout the narrative. Their dynamic mirrors Fromm’s dialectic between sterile conformity and authentic engagement with life. Both characters complement each other having the reader question who the real protagonist of the story is; both can be a good response to the doubt their interaction in the plot presents.

Frommian Love and Human Transformation

In The Art of Loving, Erich Fromm posits that love is not a fleeting emotion but an art, one requiring maturity, discipline, and the overcoming of narcissism. Dr. Fromm writes, "Love is the active concern for the life and the growth of that which we love" (Fromm, 1956, p. 25). Early in Verne’s novel, Fogg embodies what Fromm would label as automaton conformity, a state in which man suppresses individuality to fit societal mechanisms. This is evident in Fogg's regulated lifestyle and emotional aloofness. Based on the idea of Victorian society, Phileas fits society and its mechanisms thoroughly.

However, as the journey unfolds, Fogg undergoes a subtle evolution catalyzed by two essential figures in the story’s plot: on the one hand we have Passepartout, and, on the other hand, there we have Aouda. Passepartout exhibits Frommian brotherly love through his loyalty, concern, and emotional responsiveness toward Phileas. Passepartout often chooses conscience over convenience, such as when he intervenes in Aouda's rescue from suttee in India, an act that disrupts Fogg’s schedule but aligns with moral duty and the way an English gentleman is meant to behave under the circumstances described in the novel.

Aouda, the rescued Parsi widow, becomes the emotional catalyst for Phileas Fogg. Her presence introduces vulnerability and mutual care. When Fogg learns that he has seemingly lost the wager, his first instinct is not despair but to ensure Aouda's well-being and her peace of mind. In her words, "You are more than brave; you are good" (Verne, ch. 35), affirming Fogg’s latent emotional depth that is only emerging through, at the beginning, his relationship with Aouda. His eventual proposal to Parsi widow suggests that Fogg has finally learned Fromm’s productive love, rooted in care, respect, and responsibility, rather than passion or possession.

Semiotic Structures and Barthesian Myth

While Fromm emphasizes inner transformation, Roland Barthes invites us to read the novel as a system of signs, revealing how characters function less as individuals and more as ideological symbols. In Mythologies, Barthes argues that myth is a type of speech: "Myth transforms history into nature" (Barthes, 1972, p. 129). In this sense, narratives like Jules Verne’s mask their ideological underpinnings by presenting them as neutral or universal individuals.

Phileas Fogg, in this light, is the mythic subject of imperial rationality: self-possessed, efficient, and in control of what happens in his life. He is not merely an Englishman; he is England or rather, what England imagines itself to be at that moment in history. His mastery of time and space, epitomized by his calm response to calamities and unexpected events, enacts the colonial fantasy of global domination through logic and machinery that the Brits projected at that moment in time.

Jean Passepartout, by contrast, is a semiotic disruptor. He constantly interferes with Fogg's plans, unintentionally introducing chaos and thereby injecting spontaneity into the text, something that can be described as the opposition of what Phileas is or represents. Barthes would likely interpret Passepartout as the reader's surrogate, puncturing the illusion of control and revealing the constructed nature of the narrative. Passepartout is the foil character that makes sense for the story in the plot’s narrative.

Aouda, in Barthes' framework, is a problematic figure. Though she provides emotional depth to the story, she also represents the Orientalist trope, the exotic woman rescued and civilized by the Western man. As Edward Said notes in Orientalism, the West often constructs the East as "a passive object of representation" rather than a subject with agency (Said, 1978, p. 108). Aouda’s symbolic function is less about autonomy and more about fulfilling narrative closure through romantic resolution.

Detective Fix, the comic and obnoxious antagonist, embodies the paranoia of the modern surveillance state that wants to know what individuals are up to. His relentless suspicion of Phileas Fogg, despite mounting evidence of his innocence, operates as what Barthes calls a hermeneutic code, a narrative delay that sustains tension while masking deeper ideological patterns.

Synthesis: Love and Ideology in Motion

By marrying Fromm's ethics of love with Barthes' structuralism, we gain a fuller understanding of Verne's novel. Fromm helps us see Fogg’s journey not just as physical but spiritual, a movement from detachment to connection. Barthes, on the other hand, exposes the ideological undercurrents of that same journey, revealing how cultural myths of Western supremacy, gender roles, and progress are embedded in the text.

As Terry Eagleton notes, "Literature does not exist in some aesthetic realm divorced from ideology. It is itself a form of ideology" (Eagleton, 2008, p. 19). Around the World in 80 Days is therefore both a narrative of emotional awakening and a map of 19th-century semiotic ideologies. Phileas Fogg becomes a man capable of love, but he remains a signifier of empire. Passepartout grows as a human but also functions as a comic safety valve for the story's tensions. Aouda catalyzes moral growth but also reflects cultural reduction.

In the end, Verne’s novel, like the journey it depicts, oscillates between freedom and control, between authentic love and cultural myth. The question is not simply whether Fogg wins his wager, but whether he becomes more fully human. And through the eyes of Fromm and Barthes, we see that perhaps he does but only just.

References

Barthes, R. (1972). Mythologies (A. Lavers, Trans.). New York: Hill and Wang.

Eagleton, T. (2008). Literary Theory: An Introduction. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Fromm, E. (1956). The Art of Loving. New York: Harper & Row.

Said, E. (1978). Orientalism. New York: Pantheon Books.

Verne, J. (1873). Around the World in 80 Days (translated by George Makepeace Towle). Public domain translation available via Project Gutenberg. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/103

10 Possible Topics for Literary Criticism Enthusiasts

1	Passepartout as the true protagonist: emotional arc versus mechanical precision.
2	Time, clocks, and punctuality: Verne’s obsession with mechanized life.
3	Aouda and Orientalism: rescuing or silencing the “other”?
4		Inspector Fix as the embodiment of the surveillance state.
5		Colonial geographies: what does it mean to “travel the world” in the 19th century?
6		The wager as existential metaphor: is Fogg betting against life itself?
7		Technology and transportation: progress or illusion of control?
8		Humor and chaos: Passepartout as Barthesian punctum in a structured narrative.
9		Fromm’s art of loving: Fogg’s transformation into a man capable of intimacy.
10		Adventure fiction as ideology: Eagleton and Said on Verne’s narrative of empire.

Literary Reflective Journaling on Jules Verne’s novel, August 2025: My Notes

Phileas Fogg: The Exterior Protagonist	Function: Fogg is the novel's driving force. He makes the wager and sets the journey in motion. Personality: Stoic, precise, emotionally restrained — almost machine-like. Role in Narrative: He is the external protagonist whose actions dictate the plot's structure (locations, pacing, deadlines). Transformation: Subtle. His rigid logic begins to soften through the journey, especially after meeting Aouda.
Jean Passepartout: The Interior Protagonist	Function: Passepartout is the reader’s surrogate — curious, emotional, reactive, and constantly evolving. Personality: Loyal, impulsive, comic, human. He reflects the chaos that Fogg’s structure tries to suppress. Role in Narrative: While Fogg moves the plot forward, Passepartout generates conflict, humor, and character development. Transformation: He undergoes more visible growth. He learns from Fogg’s composure but also helps Fogg rediscover humanity.
Interplay Between Fogg and Passepartout	Their relationship mirrors order vs. spontaneity, reason vs. instinct, British stoicism vs. French vitality. Passepartout often complicates Fogg’s schedule — yet his errors and intuition often lead to eventual success (e.g., rescuing Aouda). The bond between them evolves from formality to deep friendship, with Passepartout becoming emotionally invested in Fogg’s success.
Aouda: The Catalyst	Role: Adds an emotional dimension to Fogg’s life. Her presence brings out his compassion. She is symbolic of the human consequences of Fogg’s rational decisions. Her growing closeness to Fogg causes both men (Fogg and Passepartout) to reevaluate their priorities.
Detective Fix: The Antagonistic Foil	His misunderstanding of Fogg as a bank robber introduces suspense. He reflects the limits of logic without context, a contrast to Passepartout’s intuitive understanding of Fogg’s character. While he opposes Fogg’s goal, he ironically aids in achieving it.
So, Who’s the Central Character?	Technically, Phileas Fogg is the protagonist — he makes the bet, the story revolves around his deadline, and he experiences personal change by the end. However, Passepartout is arguably the central narrative consciousness: He’s more emotionally accessible to the reader. We see Fogg’s transformation partly through his eyes. He provides the tension, the comic relief, and many of the moral stakes.
In Literary Terms	Fogg = flat character with slow but meaningful growth (a classic Verne archetype of reason and progress). Passepartout = round character who actively changes, feels, fears, and learns — more relatable and dynamic.
Conclusion Both are central, but in different ways: Role Phileas Fogg Passepartout Drives the Plot ✅ ⚪ Provides Perspective ⚪ ✅ Changes the Most Emotionally ⚪ ✅ Controls the Stakes ✅ ⚪ Emotional Anchor ⚪ ✅

 

Final Juxtaposition: Fromm vs. Barthes

Final Juxtaposition - Fromm vs. Barthes by Jonathan Acuña

	📗 Abstract Microlearning in Language Education: Addressing the Seven-Second Attention Span explores how microlearning strategies—originally developed for corporate training—can be effectively adapted to language education. Drawing on Hotwani’s (2025) framework, the paper highlights the role of bite-sized instruction, just-in-time learning, mobile platforms, AI-powered personalization, storytelling, gamification, and performance-based assessment in addressing learners’ shortened attention spans. By integrating insights from applied linguistics (Nation, Ellis, Larsen-Freeman, Stockwell, and others), the paper argues that microlearning reduces cognitive load, strengthens retention, and fosters communicative competence. The study concludes that microlearning provides a pedagogically sound, neuroscience-informed pathway for helping language learners thrive in real-world communicative contexts.	📗 Keywords: Microlearning, Just-in-Time Training, Cognitive Load, Language Education, Attention Span, Mobile Learning, Gamification
	📗 Resumen Microlearning en la educación de lenguas: afrontando la atención de siete segundos examina cómo las estrategias de microaprendizaje—originalmente concebidas para la capacitación corporativa—pueden aplicarse eficazmente a la enseñanza de lenguas. Basado en el marco de Hotwani (2025), el artículo subraya la importancia de la instrucción en segmentos breves, el apoyo justo a tiempo, el aprendizaje móvil, la personalización mediante inteligencia artificial, la narración, la gamificación y la evaluación por desempeño para responder a los retos de la atención fragmentada. A partir de aportes de la lingüística aplicada (Nation, Ellis, Larsen-Freeman, Stockwell, entre otros), se sostiene que el microaprendizaje disminuye la sobrecarga cognitiva, mejora la retención y fortalece la competencia comunicativa. En conclusión, el microaprendizaje ofrece una vía pedagógica fundamentada para que los estudiantes de lenguas puedan desenvolverse con éxito en contextos comunicativos reales.
	📗 Resumo Microlearning no ensino de línguas: enfrentando a atenção de sete segundos analisa de que forma as estratégias de microaprendizagem—criadas inicialmente para a formação corporativa—podem ser aplicadas ao ensino de línguas. Com base no quadro de Hotwani (2025), o artigo enfatiza a relevância da instrução em partes curtas, do apoio just-in-time, do aprendizado móvel, da personalização por inteligência artificial, da narrativa, da gamificação e da avaliação baseada em desempenho como resposta ao desafio da atenção reduzida. Apoiado em contribuições da linguística aplicada (Nation, Ellis, Larsen-Freeman, Stockwell, entre outros), o estudo demonstra que o microlearning reduz a sobrecarga cognitiva, reforça a retenção e promove a competência comunicativa. Conclui-se que o microlearning constitui um caminho pedagógico consistente para que aprendizes de línguas se desenvolvam com confiança em contextos comunicativos reais.

The shift in attention spans in the digital era is challenging us educators to reconsider traditional and trendy methods of instruction. Karan Hotwani (2025), in his article 7 Surprisingly Effective Ways Microlearning and Just-in-Time Training Tackle the Seven-Second Attention Span, underscores the reality that contemporary learners demand short, relevant, and engaging content to remain attentive and engaged. While his analysis is rooted in corporate training, the implications for language learning are significantly important. Microlearning, with its short and focused bursts of instruction, offers a path to improve language retention, student motivation, and communicative competence in foreign language acquisition.

Bite-Sized Vocabulary and Grammar

One of the central tenets of microlearning is the delivery of content in small, manageable segments. Instead of presenting learners with a lengthy lecture on verb tenses, language instructors can provide two- to five-minute lessons focused on a single aspect, such as the past simple of regular verbs and one of its pragmatic uses. Hotwani (2025) emphasizes that this segmentation reduces cognitive overload and improves retention rates by nearly 20%. Research in applied linguistics supports this claim: Nation (2013) argues that vocabulary acquisition is more effective when words are presented in focused, repeated chunks rather than through extensive word lists that learners are not bound to memorize. Flashcards, micro-quizzes, and bite-sized grammar explanations thus align well with both cognitive psychology and pedagogical practice.

Just-in-Time Language Support

Hotwani (2025) distinguishes microlearning from just-in-time training, the latter designed to provide immediate solutions for real-world challenges. In language learning, this can translate into quick-access phrase guides or 30-second videos offering expressions for contexts such as hotel check-ins, following directions to find a nearby place, or introductions. Such immediacy reflects Vygotsky’s concept of the zone of proximal development (1978), where learners benefit most from scaffolded support at the exact moment they need it thus helping learners move from their current zone of development to the next level in their language learning. Just-in-time language resources ensure that learners can communicate with confidence in authentic situations without wading through unnecessary content.

Mobile-Friendly Learning in Daily Life

The portability of microlearning materials further enhances their utility. Hotwani (2025) notes that learners consume content “on the subway, while waiting in line for coffee, or between meetings.” This notion of “learning in the flow of life” resonates with Stockwell (2010), who demonstrated that mobile-assisted language learning encourages frequent, short practice sessions that significantly improve lexical retention; something that can be applied to grammatical training. Tools such as WhatsApp flashcards, one-minute pronunciation tutorials, or micro-podcasts seamlessly integrate language learning into students’ daily routines. Learning on the go is a great way to boost language learning.

Personalized AI-Powered Language Nudges

Microlearning gains additional strength when combined with artificial intelligence (AI). Hotwani (2025) describes AI as the “secret sauce” in tailoring just-in-time training to individual needs, akin to Netflix recommendations. For language learners, this might involve personalized reminders to review irregular verbs, pronunciation corrections prompted by speech recognition, or adaptive grammar drills. As Godwin-Jones (2017) notes, AI-driven adaptive learning systems foster learner autonomy by delivering feedback that is timely, personalized, and context-specific. Self-regulated learners can by far profit from this experience and immediate feedback.

Contextual, Story-Based Microlearning

Hotwani (2025) highlights how storytelling and episodic formats, even in the form of “mini soap operas,” increase learner engagement by 40%. Language learning benefits enormously from this approach, since narratives provide context for new lexical and grammatical units, repetition that ensures spiral learning, and cultural immersion allowing learners to see how language is used in real life. Ellis (2003) argues that meaningful input, rather than isolated sentences, accelerates acquisition. Delivering dialogues, simulations, sketchpads, or role-play snippets through episodic microlearning creates a natural environment for learners to internalize functions such as greetings, invitations, and complaints, just to mention a few possible applications.

Gamified Challenges for Retention

Gamification of communication tasks further amplifies microlearning’s effectiveness. Hotwani (2025) suggests that two-minute challenges keep learners engaged while reinforcing knowledge through spaced repetition. In language classrooms, simple tasks such as matching words to images or completing short dialogues can foster motivation and strengthen memory and retention. According to Deterding, Dixon, Khaled, & Nacke (2011), gamified learning increases intrinsic motivation by offering immediate feedback, achievable goals, and playful competition, all of which support sustained engagement in language practice and development.

Tracking Success and Confidence

Finally, Hotwani (2025) emphasizes the need to measure microlearning impact through completion rates, retention, and time-to-competence rather than traditional exams. Applied to language learning, this could mean tracking whether learners use newly acquired phrases in conversation the next day or whether their fluency improves after a sequence of micro-sessions. Larsen-Freeman (2012) stresses that language learning is a dynamic process best evaluated through performance and communicative competence rather than static tests. A static, written test evaluates student use of rules, but it does not really help teachers see how this grammar or lexis is accurately used in real communication contexts.

Conclusion

Hotwani’s (2025) framework for microlearning in corporate settings adapts seamlessly to the challenges of language education. Bite-sized instruction reduces cognitive load; just-in-time resources empower learners in authentic contexts; mobile platforms extend learning beyond the classroom; and AI, storytelling, and gamification ensure personalization and engagement. Ultimately, microlearning aligns with how the human brain processes input, short, relevant, repeatable, and immediately applicable. In language learning, it not only boosts retention but also builds confidence, equipping learners with the tools they need to thrive in real-world communication.

References

Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness: Defining “gamification”. Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference. ACM.

Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford University Press.

Godwin-Jones, R. (2017). Smartphones and language learning. Language Learning & Technology, 21(2), 3–17.

Hotwani, K. (2025). 7 surprisingly effective ways microlearning and just-in-time training tackle the seven-second attention span. Upside Learning Blog: https://blog.upsidelearning.com/2025/07/31/7-surprisingly-effective-ways-microlearning-and-just-in-time-training-tackle-the-seven-second-attention-span/

Larsen-Freeman, D. (2012). Complex, dynamic systems: A new transdisciplinary theme for applied linguistics? Language Teaching, 45(2), 202–214.

Nation, I. S. P. (2013). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge University Press.

Stockwell, G. (2010). Using mobile phones for vocabulary activities: Examining the effect of the platform. Language Learning & Technology, 14(2), 95–110.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.

Teacher Self-Assessment - Applying Microlearning in Language Learning

Self-Assessment - Applying Microlearning in Language Learning by Jonathan Acuña

Wilbert Salgado’s haiku—

—presents fleeting yet profound images that invite psychological exploration than simply look at them as imagery, and it also compresses into six short lines a drama of desire, illusion, and psychic upheaval. The poem juxtaposes the delicate (moth, cricket, bodily urge) with the violent (mamba, coup d’état), creating a space where human consciousness and instinct wrestle and search for meaning The imagery of insects, reptiles, and bodily impulses stages what Jung would call the individuation process (1967/1981), what Fromm theorizes as the conflict between being and having (1976), and what Lacan interprets as the subject’s struggle within the Symbolic order (1977). Reading the haiku through the frameworks of Erich Fromm, Carl Jung, and Jacques Lacan reveals its depth as an allegory of human freedom, unconscious conflict, and desire.

Jung: Archetypes and the Shadow’s Revolt

For Carl Jung, animals in dreams and literature embody archetypal psychic energies. The moth’s attraction to artificial light recalls the ego’s tendency to mistake external sources of illumination for true self-knowledge. Jung cautions that “the aim of individuation is nothing less than to divest oneself of the false wrappings of the persona… and of the suggestive power of primordial images” (Jung, 1967/1981, CW 7, p. 172).

The cricket, an earthy, embodied figure, contrasts with the moth’s delusion, marking the irruption of the unconscious. The sudden urge to touch the nose dramatizes the Shadow’s emergence: instinct demanding recognition. Finally, the black mamba deposing the crowned eagle dramatizes what Jung calls the confrontation with the Shadow, where repressed energies dethrone the inflated ego (Jung, 1959, Aion, p. 21). The coup is not merely political but psychic: the unconscious staging its revolt against false sovereignty.

The poem does resonate with archetypal imagery. The “black mamba” also seen as a usurper embodies the shadow archetype, the dark, destructive potential within the psyche. In this instance, Jung reminds us: “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious” (Jung, 1954/1968, p. 265). In Salgado’s haiku, the coup d’état symbolizes an eruption of the unconscious shadow overthrowing the conscious ideal (the crowned eagle). The eagle, often a symbol of vision, kingship, and transcendence, is deposed by primal instinct. Enlightenment here is not serenity, but confrontation with the destabilizing power of the shadow.

Fromm: Being versus Having

Erich Fromm provides a parallel lens. In To Have or To Be?, he distinguishes between the having mode (possessing illusions, status, or false enlightenment) and the being mode, where authenticity is lived experientially. As Fromm notes, “If I am what I have and if what I have is lost, who then am I?” (Fromm, 1976, p. 109).

The moth clinging to the LED bulb epitomizes the having mode: mistaking technological glow for spiritual light. In contrast, the cricket on the persona’s foot and the bodily impulse to touch the nose embody the being mode: unmediated experience, presence, and spontaneity. The mamba’s coup represents liberation from the structures of possession and control, a radical move toward authenticity, even at the cost of inner stability.

Another possible interpretation of Salgado’s Haiku is through Fromm’s humanistic psychoanalysis lens. Through this type of analysis, the haiku emphasizes the tension between instinctual drives and human freedom. The moth clinging to the LED bulb can also illustrate what Fromm called “the fear of freedom”, the tendency to escape autonomy by attaching oneself to external certainties (Fromm, 1941). Fromm wrote that “Modern man still is anxious and tempted to surrender his freedom to dictators of all kinds, or to lose it by transforming himself into a small cog in the machine” (Fromm, 1941, p. 257). Through this idea the moth becomes a metaphor for this surrender, its attraction to artificial light reflecting humanity’s search for easy, yet blinding, certainties. Meanwhile, the cricket on the speaker’s foot signals a grounding in embodied presence, resisting alienation.

Lacan: Desire, the Symbolic, and Subversion

For Lacan, human desire is always caught in the networks of language and power (the Symbolic order). The moth clinging to artificial light parallels what Lacan calls the lure of the objet petit a, the unattainable object of desire that structures subjectivity. As Lacan states, “Man’s desire is the desire of the Other” (Lacan, 1977, p. 235). The moth desires a false Other: light as simulacrum of truth. The line “that urge to touch my nose” can be read through Lacan’s concept of desire as endless and disruptive. The seemingly trivial bodily urge echoes the intrusive force of unconscious desire, unbidden and irrational.

The cricket and the urge to touch the nose break through this symbolic mediation, grounding the subject in the body, the Real, which Lacan identifies as what resists symbolization. Finally, the mamba’s violent coup dramatizes what Lacan terms traversing the fantasy, the subject shattering the illusory structures of power. The crowned eagle, symbol of sovereign mastery, falls to the insurgent Real embodied in the snake.

From a different perspective, the coup d’état can be read as an eruption of the Real (that which resists symbolization). The black mamba’s violent act represents the Real breaking into the Symbolic order (the eagle’s rule). In Lacan’s words, “The Real is that which always comes back to the same place… the impossible” (Lacan, 1998, p. 66). Just as the coup dismantles hierarchy, the Real dismantles the subject’s illusions of mastery. Enlightenment in this Lacanian register is destabilizing, a forced recognition of desire and mortality rather than transcendence.

Integrating the Perspectives

We can read Salgado’s haiku as a triptych of psychic transformation:

Line/Image	Fromm	Jung	Lacan
Moon moth & LED bulb	Illusory enlightenment; having mode	Persona seeking false identity	False objet petit a; desire mediated by the Other
Cricket on foot; urge to touch	Spontaneous authenticity; being mode	Shadow irruption; instinct demanding integration	The Real breaking into Symbolic order
Black mamba deposes eagle	Rebellion against false authority	Shadow confronts and dethrones ego	Traversal of fantasy; collapse of sovereign illusion

Salgado’s poem stages an internal revolution: from external, deceptive illumination to embodied awareness, culminating in the confrontation with the forbidden self. The haiku, in its compressed form, is less about “enlightenment” as transcendence than as psychic reordering, dislodging authoritarian ego-configurations in favor of elemental, instinctual truth.

Conclusion

Salgado’s haiku stages the drama of human consciousness as it negotiates instinct, freedom, and unconscious forces. Through Fromm, it critiques modern attachments to false securities; through Jung, it dramatizes the eruption of the shadow; through Lacan, it exposes the instability of desire and the disruptive return of the Real. Enlightenment, then, is not a tranquil state but a precarious confrontation with what lies beneath and beyond reason.

📚 References

Fromm, E. (1941). Escape from Freedom. New York: Farrar & Rinehart.

Fromm, E. (1976). To Have or To Be? New York: Harper & Row.

Jung, C. G. (1959). Aion: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self (Collected Works Vol. 9ii). Princeton University Press.

Jung, C. G. (1967/1981). The Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Vol. 7: Two Essays on Analytical Psychology. Princeton University Press.

Jung, C. G. (1968). The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (R. F. C. Hull, Trans., 2nd ed.). Princeton: Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1954)

Lacan, J. (1977). Écrits: A Selection (A. Sheridan, Trans.). New York: Norton.

Lacan, J. (1998). The Seminar of Jacques Lacan, Book XI: The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis (J.-A. Miller, Ed., A. Sheridan, Trans.). New York: Norton.

Discussion Questions for Students

Instructions: Read Salgado’s haiku carefully. Then, using the psychological frameworks discussed, reflect on the questions below. Prepare to justify your answers with references to both the text and the theorists.

1	False Light: a)    How does the image of the moon moth clinging to a LED bulb critique false source of enlightenment? b)    What might this imply about our contemporary quests for meaning? c)    How does the image of the moth clinging to the LED bulb relate to Fromm’s concept of “escape from freedom”?
2	Embodied Impulse: a)    The cricket and the urge to touch the nose introduce a shift from external to internal. How does this moment function psychologically in the poem, particularly in light of Fromm’s “being” mode? b)    Why might the cricket be interpreted as a grounding or humanizing symbol in the poem?
3	Shadow Dynamics: a)    Discuss the symbolic resonance of the black mamba overthrowing the crowned eagle. b)    What does this reveal about the struggle between conscious identity and suppressed instinct? c)    What does Jung mean when he says enlightenment requires confronting darkness, and how does this apply to the coup d’état image?
4	Persona vs. Authentic Self: a)    Using Fromm’s concept of authenticity, can the moth and the eagle be seen as representations of a persona? b)    If so, how does the poem suggest moving beyond these constructs? c)    In what ways does the black mamba function as a symbol of the Jungian shadow?
5	Individuation Journey: a)    Map the poem’s three segments onto Jung’s stages of individuation, shadow confrontation, anima/animus encounter, and emergence of the Self. b)    Which stages are most vividly represented, and why? c)    How does the crowned eagle represent conscious ideals or the ego-self in Jungian terms?
6	Animal Archetypes: a)    How do the cricket, moth, mamba, and eagle function as archetypal figures? What universal psychic energies might they embody? b)    What does the urge to touch the nose reveal about unconscious bodily desire in Lacanian theory?
7	Conflict and Integration: a)    Jung emphasizes that individuation involves conflict. Where is this conflict most evident in the poem, and how might it lead to integration or fragmentation? b)    In what sense does Lacan’s dictum “man’s desire is the desire of the Other” echo through the haiku?
8	Internal Coup: a)    What does the concept of disobedience add to the understanding of the poem’s final overture? b)    Is it necessarily destructive, or could it be regenerative? c)    How might the coup d’état be read as an eruption of the Lacanian Real?
9	Creative Application: a)    If you were to write a short poem or scene that represents your own internal coup, an overthrow of one psychic force by another, what symbols would you use and why? b)    Overall, does the poem present enlightenment as liberation, destabilization, or both? Defend your interpretation.

My Reflective Journaling: Literature Haiku Analysis (August 2025)

Psychology Reading of Enlightenment and Disruption

1. Erich Fromm: Being vs. Having Mode and the Urge to Transcend
	·        Fromm distinguishes between the "having" mode (possession, control) and the "being" mode (experience, presence, awareness). The haiku explores this contrast:
		·        The moth clinging to a bulb represents a misguided search for light or truth, a having approach to enlightenment, mistaking artificiality for spiritual illumination. ·        The urge to touch one's nose, triggered by a cricket on the foot, reveals a raw, embodied, and spontaneous self—being, not having. Fromm would see this as a symbol of authentic, present-moment awareness breaking through the static search for external meaning. ·        The coup d’état echoes Fromm’s concern with internal revolutions—the black mamba (representing instinct, danger) overthrows the crowned eagle (the ego ideal or rational self), suggesting a psychic reordering of values.
Key Insight: Fromm might read the poem as a psychospiritual journey away from the illusion of external enlightenment toward the liberation of primal being.
2. Jacques Lacan: Mirror Stage, Desire, and Symbolic Overthrow
	·        The moon moth and LED bulb might signify the Lacanian mirror stage, in which the subject misrecognizes its reflection (the false promise of “enlightenment”). The moth clings not to the moon, but to a technological surrogate—a symbolic Other that structures desire. ·        The cricket on the foot evokes an irruption of the Real—the unassimilable, bodily sensation that disrupts the symbolic structure. The urge to touch the nose points to the breakdown of the coherent subject. ·        The black mamba overthrowing the crowned eagle can be read as a symbolic revolution: the Real or drive (mamba) displaces the ego-ideal (eagle), a Lacanian coup d’état. It reflects a dethroning of the subject’s alignment with the Law of the Father (symbolic authority), returning instead to the unmediated drive.
Key Insight: For Lacan, the poem stages the fragmentation of the subject and the destabilization of symbolic authority—where jouissance (dangerous pleasure) overcomes rational control.
3. Carl Jung: Individuation, Archetypes, and Shadow Integration
	·        The moth and artificial light could represent the false self seeking enlightenment through illusions rather than inner transformation. The moth is drawn to a light that blinds, not enlightens—suggesting a persona attached to external forms. ·        The cricket on the foot stirs a bodily impulse—this can symbolize the awakening of the unconscious, a nudge from the anima or instinctual self prompting reconnection with the body and senses. ·        The final stanza represents the confrontation with the Shadow: the black mamba is a powerful, feared archetype (death, transformation), while the crowned eagle symbolizes the dominant ego or super-ego. The coup implies a vital moment in the individuation process, where the hidden, repressed forces of the psyche reclaim sovereignty.
Key Insight: Jung might interpret this haiku as depicting a dream-like psychic journey in which the individual confronts their Shadow, lets go of persona-based enlightenment, and enters a deeper phase of inner transformation.

Psychological Readings of Wilbert Salgado’s Haiku by Jonathan Acuña