Panopticism, as defined by Michel Foucault in his book Discipline and Punishment, is (as proposed by Jeremy Bentham) a circular building with an observation tower in the center of an open space surrounded by an exterior wall. The idea behind this social theory is that subjects, watched over by a higher power, always have complete freedom or no freedom at all. How can they have both, you may ask? Subjects cannot see whether someone is watching them or not, so they should always do their best work there. It's almost as if they are on the negative side of a double-sided mirror, this gives a whole new view of being a subject. It's less about being a person observed in a little psychology experiment than it is about never knowing who's watching you or what fate the "overwhelm" might have in store for them. Being a subject, or “subjectivity” if you will, is much more than simply being looked at. It puts you in the position of no longer being an individual, but rather an object placed in specific conditions for the sole purpose of experience. For many people, this theory could affect their lives and what they do out of fear of the higher power. If we look at the beliefs of Christianity, its subjects believe that God will see something that is disapproved of, thus closing their possibility of reaching heaven. once deceased, or even lead to certain consequences in the near future known as karma. While it is not proven that there is a heaven or God, many hold firm to their beliefs on the subject, even if they cannot see the upper hand. Because of the belief that God is watching, His believers know that committing sin (such as adultery and anger) is a move that could potentially be “frowned upon.” However, they also have the option to go and confess... in the middle of a sheet of paper... er, anyone could basically "play God" like in Chuck Jones' "Duck Amuck". He would also believe that Walt Kowalski used subjectivity to his advantage to get what he wanted (even if it was sometimes just small matters) and in return made Thao a whole in the process, thus increasing his power. Knowledge is the basis of all power, and when subjects don't know who holds power, they have no way to stop it. Works Cited Eastwood, Clint, dir. Gran Torino. Warner Bros., 2008. Film. March 30, 2014.Foucault, Michel. "Panottism". Discipline and punish. (1975): n. page. Print.Giroux, Susan Searls, and Jeffrey Nealon. "Subjectivity". Theoretical tools: critical concepts for the humanities, arts and social sciences. (2011): n. page. Print.Jones, Charles M., dir. “Crazy duck.” Looney Tunes. Warner Bros. Pictures: February 28, 1953.Television.