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 Dream Language
By Kirandeep Singh Dreams have long fascinated the homosapiens of this planet. One of the major reasons this is true because dreams belong to the realm of the unknown. And as we all know, man has always struggled to find order and purpose in this world of chaos, which is often brought about by the existence of the unknown. Language for example, is the result of man's attempt to create order. Language is used to organize our thoughts, emotions - basically our experiences. Thus, in an effort to understand dreams and their significance, we have inevitably created a language of a different kind - the dream language .
There is another form of visual imagery, which comes in the form of
symbols. In the words of Jung, a symbol
In the interpretation of dream symbols, there is always the question of validity to the observations / interpretations. The interpretations may be the ones that seem to satisfy what the "patient" wants to hear (since dreams are often analyzed in a psychiatrist's office!), in order to make himself feel better. On the other hand, the interpretations may follow a logical order. Of the two schools of psychology, the Jungian method seems to have more validity, or truthfulness to it. The students’ reaction was the same.
Language is simply one component of 'k'. Thus developing a language of symbols, the language of dreams, man has once again tried to understand these dreams, and in the process has stepped one step closer towards greater understanding. And even if it's not in the right direction, the interpretation of dreams has opened up a set of new avenues (not to mention jobs) for man to get lost in.
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The ‘pioneers’ in the field of the interpretation of dreams were
Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Jung used to be a student of Freud, but he
later developed his own school of thought -- a very different way of
interpreting the phenomenon of dreams. Pictures or images in general,
are in themselves a form of language. Imagery can effectively tell a
story, and convey a sense of understanding to the recipient. And is it
not the purpose of language anyway? 
"implies something more
than its obvious and immediate meaning." And dreams are
predominantly made up of symbols. While Freud says that the symbols that
appear in dreams have universal meanings, Jung counters this claim by
saying that the symbols have certain significance to the dreamer
himself. Jung uses the technique of "free association." He believes that
the symbols have special connection with the dreamer, which consequently
change the meaning of the symbols. 
Our presentation consisted of students drawing random images,
symbols, etc. These symbols were then interpreted by us, using the
Freudian style. This presentation intended to illustrate the way
unconscious symbols can bring out one’s self, further in the light of
the interpretations by Jung and Freud, especially Freud. 
Dreams, as said before, are one of the most fascinating things that
man has encountered. It is a field that has remained largely uncharted,
though many ingenious attempts have been made. The world around us one
day was as incomprehensible as dreams, which inevitably gave rise to the
term "knowledge".
