Freud Case

Prohibition controls through language by alleviating latent desires. Language controls when people place limits on other people's actions. Freud has said, "The totem exogamy, or the prohibition of the sexual intercourse between members of the same clan, seemed the most appropriate means for the prevention of group incest; and this totem exogamy then became fixed and long survived its original motivation"(Freud). When Freud uses the words 'totem' and 'exogamy', an example of prohibition is defined through the tribal actions in preventing marriage. Therefore, language controls because language is used to pass down the idea of 'exogamy' and 'totem'. Poe said the opposite about marriage. He said, "The stem of the Usher race ...at no period any enduring branches; in other words, that the entire family lay in direct line of descent and had also been trifling and very temporary variation" (Poe). By using the words 'branches' in context, the reader infers from the quote that this family has a prohibition that prevents 'exogamy' not encourage it. The relationship between these two quotes has to do with prohibiting a type of desire between two people. This desire has to be controlled or else the people will not keep a continuous blood line. In all societies, the governing body controls because they are vulnerable to the outside world.

Control is maintained through the feeling of being susceptible. Language alleviates this feeling by placing prohibitions. One example of this is when Freud said, "But the most important social side of this totemic tribal arrangement consists of the fact that it was connected with certain rules of conduct for the relations of the groups with each other" (Freud). The words 'conduct', 'arrangement', and 'relations' used in context shows the reader that there is a type of hierarchy where the governing body can maintain its power and influence. Therefore, they control. When they control, language also control. They control the society very tightly in terms of social issues because they feel susceptible to outside forces trying to break in. Poe uses a similar concept when he said, "A small picture presented the interior of an immensely long and rectangular vault or tunnel, with low walls , smooth,