What Nietzsche Really Said： An Analysis of Images in Nietzsche’s Philosophy

【Abstract】This thesis has made a detailed exploration about the images Nietzsche has employed in his philosophy works. The images can deliver Nietzsches philosophical thoughts in a profound and vivid way. The images analysis will base on the book What Nietzsche Really Said， which gives us a brief introduction about Nietzsche s philosophy.

【Key words】Nietzsche； animal images； superman theory

【作者簡介】张雯（1996- ），女，汉族，河北蔚县人，河北工业大学外国语学院英语系，学生，在读本科生，研究方向：英美文学。

1. Introduction

What Nietzsche Really Said has introduced Nietzsches main philosophical ideas by summarizing his ideas and refining his thoughts. Many of Friedrich Nietzsches works and his ideas are controversial due to a variety of reasons. Nietzsche scholars Robert C. Solomon and Kathleen M. Higgins will make readers get to the heart of Nietzsches philosophy， from his ideas on “the will to power” to his attack on religion and morality and his infamous superman. He is also a great writer and good at employing a variety images from myth.

2. Findings and discussion

Nietzsches works incorporate a variety of images that he uses allusively or symbolically， which can be meaningful way to further explore the thinking of Nietzsche. This first thing to start the discussion about the animal imagery is to know why he uses such images to expound his ideas. Firstly， Nietzsche often uses animal images to reflect his belief that human beings are animals and that much of their behaviors is no more “rational” than that of other animals. Nietzsche has not lifted the status of human being. Modern human beings often take pride in being civilized. However， Nietzsche notes that they are actually merely tamed and deprived of strength by calculated means. Secondly， Nietzsche tries to employ common association with various species to draw attention to specific human characters. Therefore， the animals images will make reader have a deep impression on what he has said.

Birds are often employed in Nietzsches works which can symbolize the free spirits of Nietzsche and the detachment of the secular and moral life. Birds can also imply the delivery of the message which means Nietzsche can be the bird that sends the message to the people. Birds can symbolize the free spirits. Firstly， what Nietzsche sometimes condemns is “slave morality” which fit for slaves and servants. Morality， in the singular sense presented in the Bible and defended by Kant， is slave morality （Robert C.Solomon， 2000）. People will be limited by the moral standards like the birds in the cage. When people have cast away the slave morality， they will become the bird who has the master morality in their mind. Secondly， birds can also imply the man who has higher insight. Nietzsche has inspired people to think higher than common people. At last， birds symbolize Nietzsches self-affirmation. Birds are important prophets in the Germanic myth which means Nietzsche has connected the image of bird to himself （Robert C.Solomon， 2000）.He could suddenly understand the language of birds， which can indicate that Nietzsche can understand the bird language that can send the truth to the world. Birds have played the important role in Nietzsches philosophy， his anti-morality and superman theory. With the image of birds， readers can find the ideal thoughts of Nietzsche and his expectations.

Even though Nietzsche wants to be a bird to sing for the readers， many of the readers cannot really understand him. He can feel the sense of the powerlessness， so he has introduced the image of buffalo in his work. Zarathustras description of poets as peacocks who perform before buffalo portrays poets as being too vain to realize the low sensibilities of most of their audience. Nietzsche feels vain， too. This image can reflect people who are in the ignorance and cannot understand the philosophy of Nietzsche.

On the one hand， these images are closely related to innocent people who in the darkness and blindness. They are lambs and buffalos who almost cannot understand Nietzsches philosophy. On the other hand， some of the images reflect the ideal image of people. They are birds and lions. Birds can send the fresh message to the world and have higher insights than others. Lions are the kings out of the morality. Nietzsche tries to connect the familiar animal images to his abstract thinking and he also turns his back to those who are subject to the God and moral rules.

3. Conclusion

Nietzsche seems like the bird who is trying to send the new message to the world and awake the people who are in the darkness. However， most modern people are like lambs and Buffalo who are in the blindness. To inspire the modern people， he creates the image of superman and ideal world

References：

[1]Solomon Robert C，2000，What Nietzsche Really Said[M].Schocken.