𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓

𝑫𝑶 𝑴𝑶𝑫𝑬𝑹𝑵 𝑴𝑬𝑵 𝑯𝑨𝑽𝑬 𝑻𝑶 𝑬𝑺𝑪𝑨𝑷𝑬?

 DECLARATION
Contents
 ACKNOWLEGMENT
 INTRODUCTION
 WHAT IS ESCAPISM?
 FORMS OF ESCAPISM
 DURING THE GREAT
DEPRESSION
 SOCIAL MEDIA
 REFERENCE IN THIRD LEVEL
 THE IMPACT OF COVID-19
 CONCLUSION
DECLARATION

We, Alan Elsa Manoj, Anna E K Alex, Christy Shaji,

Ivana Elizabeth Joby, Liya Emil Veronika, Serene
Susan Ninan,Sanjana Samuel and Sareena Sera
Saju, of class XII A of Marthoma Senior Secondary
School, Kozhencherry, hereby declare that the
project work titled "Do modern men have to
escape?" is a record of an original work done by us
under the guidance of Mrs. Mary Kulangara and
Mrs. Saly Kurian.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In the accomplishment of this project successfully, we would

like to take the opportunity to give thanks to all the people who
have been concerned with this project. First and foremost, we
would like to express our sincere gratitude and thanks to our
English teachers Mrs. Saly Kurian and Mrs. Mary Kulangara,
whose valuable guidance has helped us patch this project and
make it a success. Their suggestions and instructions have
served as the major contributor towards the completion of the
project. Our thanks and appreciations also go out to our
families and friends for their vital support and encouragement –
without which this project wouldn’t have come forth.
INTRODUCTION

Few would disagree we are living in difficult times – indeed, in

times of crisis. Crisis can be something very personal happening
to you, or it can be what’s happening around you.
When things seem overwhelming, sometimes you need an
escape. You need that flight from struggle, hardship, negativity
and the unrelenting Mordor darkness.
When all you see is crisis on the news, it’s okay to escape into a
sitcom or seek pleasurable catharsis in horror shows.. When you
are in the midst of a natural disaster, mental health struggles, or
loss around you, trust in your instinct to find your own way to
escape. Escape can be key in self-care.
WHAT IS ESCAPISM? According to the chapter THE THIRD
LEVEL escapism is a tendency to seek
distraction and relief from
unpleasant realities, especially by
seeking entertainment or engaging
in fantasies.
Escapism is mental diversion from
unpleasant or boring aspects of daily
life, typically through activities
involving imagination or
entertainment.Escapism may be
used to occupy one's self away from
persistent feelings of depression or
general sadness.
FORMS OF ESCAPISM
Forms of escapism that are popular (and
hard to escape ironically) take the form of
drugs, alcohol, shopping, gambling and
other similar types of behaviour. These
temporarily transport us to a mental place
where we don’t have to feel the anxiety
and distress connected to the reality of our
lives.
Escapism as a coping strategy is only a
temporary solution that actually ends up
adding to our stress levels. We feel guilt for
escaping and become more self critical. Self
hatred then in turn leads us to want to
escape even more and the cycle continues.
 DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION

Alan Brinkley, author of Culture and Politics in the Great Depression, presents how escapism
became the new trend for dealing with the hardships created by the stock market crash in 1929:
magazines, radio and movies, all were aimed to help people mentally escape from the mass
poverty and economic downturn. Life magazine, which became hugely popular during the 1930s,
was said to have pictures that give "no indication that there was such a thing as depression; most
of the pictures are of bathing beauties and ship launchings and building projects and sports
heroes – of almost anything but poverty and unemployment". Famous director Preston Sturges
aimed to validate this notion by creating a film called Sullivan's Travels. The film ends with a
group of poor destitute men in jail watching a comedic Mickey Mouse cartoon that ultimately lifts
their spirits. Sturges aims to point out how "foolish and vain and self-indulgent" it would be to
make a film about suffering. Therefore, movies of the time more often than not focused on
comedic plot lines that distanced people emotionally from the horrors that were occurring all
around them. These films "consciously, deliberately set out to divert people from their problems",
but it also diverted them from the problems of those around them.
 SOCIAL MEDIA

Every single day people wake up to a never-ending feed of information. This

never-ending loop consists of work-related tasks, politics, news, large social
circles, and the other complexities of life. With such an incredible amount of
input moving through our lives and life becoming more 24/7 rather than 9-to-5,
escapism is a respite period for people.

For many years, there have been public service announcements that describe
sitting as the new smoking. Given the number of diseases to which sitting is
linked and the number of people it apparently kills every year, sitting is one of
the worst things we can do for health. In the same way, escapism and scrolling
through social media are just as bad.
Escapism and social media overuse are
likely to become diagnosable disorders
in the future since in many ways they
replace positive coping mechanisms
with real-world stressors. Flipping
through social media feeds or binge-
watching an entire season of a
television show seems to be a new
normal. Inherently social media
platforms and forms of escapism are
not bad, but anything done excessively
can lead to negative consequences.
REFERENCE TO THE THIRD LEVEL Jack Finney's story The Third
Level’ interweaves between
fantasy and reality. The Third
Level is medium of escape for
Charley from the present harsh
realities of modem life which is
full of insecurity, fear, war, worry
and tension. It is a safe route for
Charley to go to Galesburg in
order to escape from trouble. So
he tries to purchase two tickets
for Galesburg, Illinois from the
Third Level at Grand Central. The
Third Level is merely a fantasy
that exists in Charley's mind only.
His psychiatrist friend, Sam calls it a waking-dream-
wish-fullfilment. In reality Charley fails to cope up
with the modern world which is full of fears and
worries. He just wants to escape. He takes it for a
reality and plans to go to Galesburg. He even
exchanges his new bills of three hundred dollars for
old style bills. But he is never able to find the Third
Level. It is because the Third Level has existed in his
fantasy only. Hence it can be well ascertained that
the Third-Level is a medium of escape for Charley. It
is only his escapist fantasy.
THE IMPACT OF COVID-19

The Third Level by Jack Finney is about the harsh realities of life, and the need to
escape from them. These realities have irreversible consequences, thus leaving
people in a state of insecurity. It is also about modern-day problems and how the
common man tends to escape reality by various means. In this story, a man named
Charley hallucinates and reaches the ‘third level’ of the Grand Central Station, which,
in reality, only has two levels. Escapism and the use of entertainment media can
make people experience nostalgia, a mixed emotion triggered by fond memories,
which can function as a resource for well-being in times of strain. People may be
especially motivated to consume nostalgia-inducing media in times of crisis. One such
crisis that has strongly affected the personal lives of most people around the world is
the global COVID-19 pandemic. In the lesson, Charley’s psychiatrist explains to him
that, the modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and all the rest of it, and
Charley had stumbled upon the imaginary third level, as a way to escape from these
grim truths of life.
In a state of lockdown, the world spent more time with family. Being stuck
at home, people thought of ways to keep their sanity intact and thus
creativity boomed – old hobbies turned into new passions. Old guitars
were dusted and tuned, and paintings started years ago were finally
completed. Research findings indicate that nostalgic media usage was
positively associated with fear of isolation and that it was related to both
functional and dysfunctional escapism. Music, movies, series , books,
video games, and private photos and videos are some of the most
commonly used means of escapism by distressed people. In ‘The Third
Level’, Charley continues the legacy of his grandfather’s hobby of
philately, while also using it as means to cop-out from the formidable
realities of the modern world. It is our tendency to move constantly into
the past, the present and the future., They revive our memories and help
in comparing our past with the present. Overall, research findings
indicate that media-induced escapism may function as a resource to
cope with social stress (fear of isolation) for some people during the
lockdown measures and that this coping strategy may have both
functional as well as dysfunctional.
CONCLUSION
Life is getting more challenging. Technology has
enabled 24/7 lifestyles where we are always on call.
Stress is on the rise and so is depression and anxiety.
As a result, there is a greater need than ever for people
to find ways to escape in order maintain mental and
emotional stability. Society frowns on people opting out
and shunning corporate ladders and office politics.
Finding acceptable forms of escapism has become
more vital than ever and there are many ways in which
we can transport ourselves away from the stresses and
strains of the daily grind.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

 www.endurev.com
 www.wikipedia.com
 www.mookychick.com
 thoughtsonloveandlife.
com
 academyofideas.com
 psycnet.apa.org
 www.zigya.com
 www.successds.net
Thank You for
Watching