Power and Authorities in Pink Floyd's the Wall
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REVISTA DE LENGUAS MODERNAS, N.° 26, 2017 / 367-386 / ISSN: 1659-1933 The Teacher, The Doctor, and The Judge: Power and Authorities in Pink Floyd’s The Wall DAVID BOZA MÉNDEZ Escuela de Lenguas Modernas Abstract The following investigation focuses on power relations in Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Specifically, this article centers on the images of authorities on the album: the teacher, the physician, and the judge. The literary analysis of these characters supported by notions developed by theorists on the subject of power leads to significant conclusions on the matter. Key words: power, authorities, Pink Floyd, The Wall Resumen La siguiente investigación tiene por objetivo analizar las relaciones de poder en The Wall de Pink Floyd. El presente artículo se centra en las imágenes de autoridad en el álbum: el profesor, el médico y el juez. El análisis literario de estos personajes con base en preceptos críticos desarrollados por varios especialistas en el campo de la teoría del poder llevará a conclusiones significativas. Palabras claves: poder, autoridades, Pink Floyd, The Wall Recepción: 16-06-16 Aceptación: 12-12-16 368 REVISTA DE LENGUAS MODERNAS, N.° 26, 2017 / 367-386 / ISSN: 1659-1933 he Wall by Pink Floyd rep- article makes reference to the works resents one of the most sig- of Michael Foucault, Louis Althusser, T nificant products of rock John Galbraith, and Bertrand Russell, history, pop culture, and music of the among others. Furthermore, the text twentieth century. Its verses depict analyzed in this investigation is the the story of a subject who builds up printed lyrics of the The Wall from a figurative wall. This wall isolates booklet of the CD format. him from the rest of individuals, so The album has several songs which the feeling of loneliness, despair, and deal with these authorities. Authority dehumanization is vast. In this sense, songs make a group of five pieces. Two the work of Pink Floyd represents a pieces are related to education and the window to the human soul and to the teacher: “The Happiest Days of Our core of its nature through the eyes of Lives” and “Another Brick in the Wall an isolated subject. It portrays exis- Part II.” Two more songs deal with the tential issues such as life, death, and doctor: “Another Brick in the Wall Part sanity; socio-political matters as war, III” and “Comfortably Numb.” And order, and wealth, and the repercus- one song shows the figure of the judge sions these have in modern life. It also and the law he represents, “The Trial.” exposes the consequences of living in These songs evidence the discursive a society and the repercussions these formation behind the attitude of each conditions have in the subject as well authority and the way in which this as the consequences of power playing discourse influences the subject, mostly a significant role as the glue and lubri- in a detrimental way. cant of social relations. The universe of The Wall mimics real life in the sense that there are power positions The Teacher in every type of relation. Moreover, this text serves as a catalog of the dif- The Wall, as the epic journey from ferent types of power relations, being childhood to maturity, focuses on the relations with authorities one of the image of the teacher as one of the key highlights. The text focuses on three influences in the early years of the main authorities: the teacher, the phy- subject. Nevertheless, this influence sician, and the judge; and on how the does not seem to be a positive one. interaction with these represses the Actually, when the speaker refers to subject. The analysis of these three the whole educational systems, he characters will point out significant sounds rather bitter and resentful. The notions in relation to power, to the clearest example is seen in the first two apparatuses they represent, and to the verses of “Another Brick in the Wall impact these have on the subject. Part II” that read: “we don’t need no For the analysis of these authority education / we don’t need no thought figures and the text, it is important control” (1-2). The lines are harsh and to mention that significant authors aggressive. Education equals thought whose work is devoted to examining control and the subject claims that we the notion of power were taken into do not need it. It seems that education consideration. In this sense, this is no longer a means to achieve mental BOZA. THE TEACHER, THE DOCtoR AND THE JUDGE... 369 and moral emancipation but an Likewise, David Johnston believes oppressive system whose only purpose that: is to keep individuals under control so that they obey the rules of society. In Overworked and unconcerned relation to this, the French philosopher educators may treat their students Louis Althusser affirms that: as mere objects filling seats, which will be filled by an entirely new Children at school learn the ‘rules’ of batch of its next year. Administrators good behaviour, i.e. the attitude that facing community pressure are often should be observed by every agent in concerned merely with the graduation the division of labour, according to the and placement of school’s degree job he is ‘destined’ for: rules of morality, products. The lessons themselves are civic and professional conscience, often designed not to liberate student’s which actually means rules of respect minds but to prepare them to be cogs for the socio-economical division of in the social machinery. (Pink Floyd labour and ultimately the rules of other and Philosophy 129) established by class domination. (132) Johnston shares Althusser’s notion Although Althusser seems to focus that teachers may be seen as mere tools on material production in relation to whose intention is to make students capitalist notions, he points out some functional within the system in order significant traits of the nature of the to fulfill a productive purpose. The education apparatus. He believes album does not hold specific references that education is used to implant to the hegemonic groups; however, “the rules of morality” and “civic and it is the mechanisms of power in the professional conscience” in order to educational apparatus, the way in make individuals respect the “rules of which power fluctuates within it, and socio-economical division of labor and the way in which the teacher exercises the rules of the established order.” In it that we are going to focus on. other words, education has one main The figure of the teacher in purpose: to reproduce the established the album is deconstructed in the social order by implanting rules of sense that his figure challenges the proper behavior in the mind of subjects, traditional image of the educator. He the rules related to moral, civic, and is not caring towards his pupils and he professional ideals. What Althusser is certainly does not embody knowledge; trying to make clear is that education this representation is characterized equals thought control, the same issue by violence. For example, the speaker that Floyd tries to convey in “Another states in “The Happiest Days of our Brick in the Wall Part II.” It seems that Lives”: education works as a means to spread and implant ideological ideas of the When we grew up and went to school hegemonic groups; these have the only There were certain teachers who would purpose of reproducing the structure of Hurt the children anyway they could society, in which they are at the top. By pouring their derision Upon anything we did 370 REVISTA DE LENGUAS MODERNAS, N.° 26, 2017 / 367-386 / ISSN: 1659-1933 Exposing every weakness students, who are too busy protecting However carefully hidden by the kids themselves from teachers. In this (1-7). sense, Denise Winterman affirms that the line “we don’t need no education” These verses evidence the violent from “Another Brick in the Wall Part nature of the teacher(s); the behaviors 2” was “inspired by [Roger Water´s] they have towards their students own schooling in the 1950s. It was a are fairly shocking and demonstrate protest against the strict regime that the way they challenge the image he felt had tried to suppress children, of the “good teacher.” Teachers in rather than inspire them” (“Just The Wall “would hurt” the children Another Brick in the Wall?”). But not anyway they could and they “would only that, Denise also tells the story pour their derision” upon children. of the group of children that sang the The verb “hurt” clearly shows their famous choir of this song who attended violent personality. The speaker even a school down the block from the affirms that the teachers would hurt recording studio. Denise states that the the children “anyway they could.” It teacher (an unconventional teacher) seems that the purpose of teachers in and the children were discriminated The Wall is not to teach but to torment by the institution after the authorities students. It is as if they are in the found out what the song was about. class to pay attention to students to The teacher moved to Australia after see in which way they can attack or feeling disillusioned with the British offend them. How? By mocking them, education system; he even declared by pouring their derision on them. The that “one could see and feel the clouds teacher’s authority and power is based of conservatism heading towards the on the humiliation of the weak, of the school system at the time” (ibid). powerless, of the students. Teachers In terms of the context when writing are more “bullies” (to use an “in” word) the album, Waters may have the influence than figures of knowledge or wisdom, of the many social revolutions and and students may think that, if they do manifestations all around the world at the not speak or move or call the attention, end of the 60s in places such as Mexico, they will not be attacked or humiliated USA, France, Poland, Czechoslovakia, by the teacher in the classroom.