Summary of Foucault's Panopticism

         Foucault begins the piece by talking about the measures that used to be taken on a plague stricken town. During these times, he says, "The gaze is alert everywhere." They were treated like prisoners which is evident through use of language like, "everyone locked up in his cage, everyone at his own window..." Foucault ties this into the Panopticon, which is a circular room with an observation tower in the middle, and cells all around the walls. The panopticon ensures the correct functioning of power. The inhabitants of the outer rooms do not know if someone is in the observation tower so they must always behave as if there is, and anyone can be in the observation tower because the inhabitants can't see them anyways. Panopticism is similar to modern institutions such as hospitals, schools, and prisons. I feel like what Bentham was saying, and what Foucault was interpreting, is that this is an improvement on our systems we have today. It disburses power instead of giving it all to one person like a warden of a prison.