Then, if for this reason the Absurd man who follows the logic of the Absurdity suggest that one must not negate one of the terms that constitutes the Absurdity and thus promotes to preserve human life; then Camus’ German friend, who believes that there is no total meaning and values in life so now he can do everything he wants, violates the Absurdity by negating one of its terms namely the human nostalgia itself and emphasizes only the another term which is the unreasonableness and silence of the world. As what Camus said,
So there is a contradiction between the logic of Absurdity and the total nihilism because the former concludes that one must not negate human nostalgia and the human life in order for the Absurdity to stay alive, whereas
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Thus, what the authority violated is something that both he and the rebel have. But when will the rebel discovers this something that values aside from the moment when the authority violates it? According to Camus, when the rebel affirms that there is something within him/her that has a value and decides that he/she will prefer the risk of his/her own death only for this value or right to be preserved and protected because it is something which is also more important than his/herself, then the rebel already recognizes that this value or right is not something he/she possesses, but it is a common good or a value and right that all human beings have. Thus this moment when the rebel becomes aware of that something that has a value is also a moment when the individual transcends his/ herself and have a connection with the other. Quoting Camus, “Analysis of rebellion leads at least to the suspicion that, contrary to the postulates of contemporary though, a human nature does exist, as the Greeks believed. Why rebel if there is nothing …show more content…
That is, if everything has no meaning, and it is only the human being that imposes his/her self-created meaning and values, then how could be the common values exist at the first place? Also, Purdue said that Camus’s assertion of the human nature has no way of discovering and justifying its objective existence, and because of this, he contradicts his premise of Absurdity for the reason that the Absurd man who chooses to confront the Absurdity face-to-face believes only to those he/she can experience and be certain of. So if the common values and the human nature justifies the rebel’s insurrection and participation with the other, then the common values and the human nature itself has no justification because, again, everything is meaningless in the realm of Absurdity except the ones that is subjectively provided by the individual/s. So if there is nothing that will justify the common values and the human nature, then how will the individual participate with the other or think of the other? The researcher thinks that even though Camus’ Absurdity implies that there are no any justifications given in the world because it is both unreasonable and silent of any Meaning and Values, it however has another term which is the human
“Albert Camus is one of the most likeable and approachable of the mid-twentieth-century French authors” (Brosman 10).This is quite a compliment for Camus, but most would agree. In France, Albert is known for his many books, two which have made the French best-sellers list. His works are often read and studied in French secondary-school class rooms, introducing a countless number of students to his pieces each year. Camus also holds the high honor of receiving the Nobel Prize for literature in 1957 (Boak 346). His wide popularity has made his name known in North America as well. Just what is Albert Camus so popular for one might ask? The answer would be his approach to his work— the underlying beliefs of Existentialism or the theory of the absurd that characterizes his pieces (Wyatt 1).1 All of Camus’ works incorporate this strong sense of the individual having freedom of choice, and thus complete control over his own outcome. He acknowledges no help or control from higher powers, just simply focuses on the individual; consequently, creating a sense of alienation. Albert Camus’ attraction to and his use of Existential beliefs began from his own life circumstances.
...s and Morris's utopias should all be outdone, and millions kept permanently happy on the one simple condition that a certain lost soul on the far-off edge of things should lead a life of lonely torture, what except a specifically and independent sort of emotion can it be which would make us immediately feel, even though an impulse arose within us to clutch at the happiness so offered, how hideous a thing would be its enjoyment when deliberately accepted as the fruit of such a bargain?(William James)
The Giver, by Lois Lowry portrays the discovery that a controlled society doesn’t constitute a content society; The novel portrays the life of an adolescent boy named Jonas who is given a glimpse into the downfalls of his utopian society. Seeing that with pain and loss come great joy, Jonas breaks away from the rules as he tries to find a greater good. I too find that the restraints of our society limit our ability to reach fulfillment. In the words of Lois Lowry, “We gained control of some things. But we had to let go of others”. In the modern day a rebel is often needed to break the rules and find a greater existence. I would rebel for one of three main areas that the government controls: our money, our mind, and our protection.
Both present a method in which to approach the phenomenon of fear, yet when it comes to actualizing a solution to the mystery, they turn to very different ends. The result is a society that has been left all the more confused, and has turned to both solutions in order to deal with the overwhelming fear and fundamental lack of truth that is prevalent in today’s post-modernistic philosophy. Of the many themes and philosophies that Camus struggled with during his life and presented to the world through his writings, one of the more prevalent was that of the absurd. According to Camus, the world, human existence, and a God are all absurd phenomena, devoid of any redeeming meaning or purpose. Through Mersaults’ epiphany in The Stranger, where he opens himself to the “gentle indifference of the world”, we see how Camus understands the world to be a place of nothingness, which demands and desires nothing from humans.
Joy Harjo uses a metaphor throughout the memoir Crazy Brave , in order to express her emotions about how she feels about art, her classmates , and the books she has read .
However, he provides an alternative more substantial solution in such a way that does not let the universe triumph. What one must do to overcome this absurdity to is to be scornful of the fact that the universe has created such an individual with the ability to contemplate on his or her own existence. Suicide is an option that takes the easy route out of this absurdity, implicating the difficulty of life is too much to handle. Camus acknowledges his conscious and revolts, or becomes scornful of that fact, and refuses the option of suicide. By choosing to embrace the absurdity of the meaningless of one’s own existence, then freedom to create your own meaning and purpose is
Many of our today as “normal” considered values are everything but self-evident. One of the most striking aspects in the novel is time; and our relationship towards it. “ We yearned for the future. How did we learn it that talent for insatiability. ” In this particu...
In Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger, the protagonist Meursault is a character who has definite values and opinions concerning the society in which he lives. His self-inflicted alienation from society and all its habits and customs is clear throughout the book. The novel itself is an exercise in absurdity that challenges the reader to face the nagging questions concerning the meaning of human existence. Meursault is an existentialist character who views his life in an unemotional and noncommittal manner, which enhances his obvious opinion that in the end life is utterly meaningless.
From the moment of birth, to the moment of death, humans are flooded with emotions both good and bad. Individuals are continuously seeking fulfillment, some failing to find it while others succeed. Many seek adoration; love, accomplishment and greatness. In literature, authors take the readers on journeys that allow imagination, granting the possibility for the reader to grasp inner desires and decide what is truly important in life. Literature allows readers to dive into a different world where happiness and fulfillment is plentiful and eternal, also described as a utopia, while other pieces of literature direct the reader into a world of dissatisfaction which is a dystopia. Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is in 26th century England. With the help of advanced technology and drugs, happiness fills the lives of the people living at that time period. But, the people are missing out on one of the most important feelings of life. That is sorrow or unhappiness. The society in Brave New World is very different from modern-day society; many aspects of life are removed such as family, monogamy, and religion. The citizens of Brave New World live in false happiness with all the necessities of life provided for them but have the lack of an inferred deeper satisfaction. In Brave New World happiness is the lack of unhappiness because the inhabitants can never truly know what happiness is without experiencing true unhappiness. The lifestyle in Brave New World is built on the notion that happiness is the only thing necessary in one’s life. This novel suggest that the reader should seek things besides happiness because the citizens in the World State live bleak and monotonous lives which show the faults in this so-called ‘perfect’ society. In thi...
The trial and conviction of Meursault represents the main ideals of absurdism, that truth does not exist, and life is precious. The jury’s attempt to place a proper verdict on Meursault is compared to mankind’s futile attempt to find order in an irrational universe. Because there is no real truth in the trial, the verdict was unfair and illogical. Camus uses his beliefs of truth not existing and life being precious to point out the absurdity of the judicial system, and suggest the abolishment of the death penalty.
... of no rebellion. Thus, it is necessary to rebel against conformity when others are controlling your direct thoughts.
An absurd hero is developed by the six tenets of existentialism: anxiety, death, the void, existence precedes essence, absurdity, and alienation. These six tenets explain the overwhelming question, “Why do we exist?”. To understand why we exist, one must first question why the absurd happens. Camus did such. Camus develops the plot of his existential novel through a plethora of absurd events that boosts the overall theme of the novel. One example of this is how the town of Oran turns it back on the sea at random moments of time. This is very strange, why would a town that is isolated between the sea and a mountain range want to turn away from the one source of its salvation and one of the few ways it could connec...
In 1962, writer Mark Esslin took pleasure in composing the novel Theatre of the Absurd and quickly became a major influence on the works of many inspired writers. Esslin subsequently made ensuing plays and stories which focused on nonspecific existentialist concepts and which did not remain consistent with his ideas, rejecting the “narrative continuity and the rigidity of logic.” As a result, the protagonist of these stories is often not capable of containing himself within his or her disorderly society (“Theatre”). Writer Albert Camus made such an interpretation of the “Absurd” by altering the idea into his view of believing it is the rudimentary absence of “reasonableness” and consistency in the human personality. Not only does Camus attempt to display the absurd through studied deformities and established arrangements; he also “undermines the ordinary expectations of continuity and rationality” (“The Theatre”). Camus envisions life in his works, The Stranger and “The Myth of Sisyphus,” as having no time frame or significance, and the toiling endeavor to find such significance where it does not exist is what Camus believes to be the absurd (“Albert”).
The idea of the Absurd seems to attach itself to meaningless, pointless and other such words that express a destination but without the means to get there and vice versa means but no destination. So from there I inferred that Camus does not believe in God, nor any high law or universal law that are associated with a divinity, which is a path in life (either the means or the destination). So what is an Absurd? The Absurd is living, a quest to find the meaning of anything within a reality with no purpose. Reality has no purpose because there is no high law, a universal law, nor a God.
To say human existence is absurd is to say human beings have a tendency to seek value and meaning in life but are not able to find any. According to Camus, we want to find meaning in the world but the world is silent and doesn’t give us any answers. As human beings we want an understanding of the world. We are all driven to find that greater meaning of life and if we did...