The past two weeks we have been talking about Frankenstein in class, one aspect in my
opinion being about the two different sides of Victor, his colloquial self
whenever he is with his family and friends, and the monstrous other side. While
many simply think that only the normal side should dominate and the creative
more destructive side be pushed completely aside, I see this as a
disproportionate balance. The thought of balance then got me to think of “Hemispheres”
a Rush song that deals with the very delicate concept of what aspects of life
should truly dominate oneself, but instead of dealing with normalcy and the destructive
self, the work deals with the battle between logic and emotion, or in other
words, of wisdom and love. The opposing mentalities are characterized by the
immortal Greek gods Apollo and Dionysus in the great halls of Olympus, the
first being the bringer of wisdom and the latter being the bringer of love.
Both of the gods wrestle back and forth, manipulating the people of earth to
fully embrace but one mentality, one ‘hemisphere’ of the brain that they
believe to be the better one. The prelude begins with “They battled through the
ages but still neither force would yield/the people were divided every soul a
battlefield”. First Apollo comes to the people of earth to convince them how
much of a benefit it is to have logic, reason, and structure dominate one’s
life. He entices them by saying “I bring wit and wisdom fair, precious gifts
beyond compare…you can live in grace and comfort in the world that you
transform”. The people are ecstatic to hear about all they can do with Apollo’s
knowledge, going on to build great walls and cities. But amidst all the
splendor they have built for themselves, the people cannot help to think that
something is missing in their lives, something to alleviate the mundane nature
of what their lives have become which are only focused on logic. It is then
that they turn to the bringer of love, Dionysus, to overcompensate and allow
the other hemisphere of life to dominate, which is love, pleasure, and
enjoyment. The god’s clever enticements fully convince the people, as he says
to them “You need only trust your feelings only love can steer you right…throw
off those chains of reason and your prison disappears”. Almost immediately the
people abandon their great creations and happily run out to the forest where
they can eat and drink as much as they please without a single care in the
world. It is only after a cold winter, starvation, and wolves do the people
realize the folly of allowing emotion to dictate their lives. This is then
followed by a clash between Apollo and Dionysus and the people of the world are
forced to choose sides over which is better. The turmoil is described, as “the
universe divided the heart and mind collided…in a cloud of doubt and fears
their world was turned asunder into hollow hemispheres”. Neither side will accept
the other as victor, and it takes the intervention of an unnamed hero to make
the great Olympian gods and the people of earth realize that neither side should
be the victor, but instead there should be a balance between the two that
allows for both the heart and mind to be together in harmony. Furthermore, we
ought to conduct our lives in a way that allows for the healthy balance between
logic and emotion, allowing time for both and not letting one become greater
than the other. To complete the imagery, the song concludes with “the heart and
mind united in a single perfect sphere”. While the context of Frankenstein and his self division is very
different, I think this helps us to realize on a more personal scale what it is
like to have to deal with the divided self.
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