+The existential position toward Susan Orlean’s essay “Saturday Night” is one that rejects the dehumanizing state of “Saturdayness” and man being defined solely as the hedonistic Being-for-St. Elsewhere (Man as Future-State Man). Her guidelines for Saturday night directly contrast the existentialist ideals of freedom, the individual, and living in the present, and the philosopher Jean-Paul Satre surely would agree. *Even Orlean herself admits “chronological time is a sort of an anachronism these days”: the “Fun Imperative” has been replaced by the “Fear Imperative” (AIDS); and the living-for-the-future syndrome is a Satrian act of “bad faith” and must be acknowledged as such. *Even Orlean herself admits “chronological time is a sort of an …show more content…
Orleans defines the “Fun Imperative” as “the sensation that a Saturday night not devoted to having a good time is a major human failure and evidence of a possible character flaw” (Orleans). She places lofty expectations onto Saturday night, and responsibility on her readers to participate in and enjoy it. This creates a multifaceted dilemma in the eyes of the existentialist; Orlean’s lofty expectations place limitations on individuals’ enjoyment to just one of seven evenings, restricts that enjoyment to socialization, and leave Saturday night susceptible to failing to live up to those expectations for a variety of reasons. For one, Orlean notes that the “Fear Imperative” is an ever-present reminder of negative consequences of a hedonistic Saturday night, specifically citing the AIDS epidemic. Today, one could add unplanned pregnancy, drug abuse, accidental death/injury, potential relationship problems et al. to the list of potential negative and problematic consequences. The existentialist would argue that these concerns are irrelevant, because human existence is only quantified in the present. Additionally, Sartre writes “whatever unexpected happening was going to meet my eye, it seemed to me that it was fundamentally impoverished” (Sartre). Fundamentally impoverished is precisely the phrase an existentialist would use to describe an evening filled with obligation and expectation that has been planned …show more content…
I blame, in part, a major portion of humanity’s recently-developed inability to live in the moment on the rise of technology and personal communication devices (i.e. smartphones); one cannot spend an hour surfing the internet without seeing a meme depicting disappointed-looking elder family members surrounded by younger ones enthralled by their smartphones, tablets, etc. The same visual is easily spotted on a Saturday evening out, where individuals may be not living in the moment, but rather combing their social media pages for an even better, more exciting or enticing event to attend down the street. Jean-Paul Sartre writes “what fundamentally we desire to appropriate in an object is its being,” that is, life is what we make of it, and Orlean’s idea of an overly-anticipated, excessively built-up Saturday night causes one to dehumanize their experience and fail to live in the moment and truly enjoy and appreciate it. The existentialist would denounce Orlean’s intense expectations of Saturday night and its imposition on virtually everyone to enjoy it, and argue that the experience of Saturday night is relative to each
In Katherine Anne Porter’s, “The Future Is Now,” the author develops her argument through the use of rhetorical devices, as well as varying points of view, which greatly help emphasize her argument. In the second paragraph she notices a siren going off outside her home, she then starts to wonder about all the different things the siren could represent. As she considers all the possibilities she notices a man across the street who is consumed by a table he is carefully building. She fails to understand how a person can be so absorbed by something that they fail to notice something so alarming surrounding them. The primary argument the author is trying to make is that it is more important to exist and cherish life rather than always worry about
... and Patrick counter them with Existentialist characteristics. Though the philosophies at first seem to oppose each other, for one provides for a happy life, while the other is known for one of depression, they actually have similar ideas. The Epicurean belief in pleasure as the greatest good correlates with the Existentialist search for meaning, for once one finds meaning, one will have essentially found the greatest pleasure. However, the two differ in that Epicureans avoid pain, but Existentialists accept it as a part of life in traits such as anxiety, alienation, and general depression. In a world of continued focus on conformity and disregard for creative thought, these philosophical themes in a children’s show make an immense pact. They send the message that one can not live simply under the sea; one must break the surface with intelligent ideas and thoughts.
In his lecture, Existentialism is a Humanism, Jean-Paul Sartre discusses common misconceptions people, specifically Communists and Christians, have about existentialism and extentanitalists (18). He wants to explain why these misconceptions are wrong and defend existentialism for what he believes it is. Sartre argues people are free to create themselves through their decisions and actions. This idea is illustrated in the movie 13 Going on Thirty, where one characters’ decision at her thirteenth birthday party and her actions afterwards make her become awful person by the time she turns thirty. She was free to make these decisions but she was also alone. Often the idea of having complete free will at first sounds refreshing, but when people
classicmoviescripts/script/seventhseal.txt. Internet. 4 May 2004. Blackham, H. J. Six Existentialist Thinkers. New York: Harper, 1952. Choron, Jacques. Death and Western Thought. New York: Collier Books, 1963.
Doctor Jean Twenge is an American psychologist who published an article for The Atlantic titled “Has the Smartphone Destroyed a Generation?” in September 2017. The purpose of Twenge’s article is to emphasize the growing burden of smartphones in our current society. She argues that teenagers are completely relying on smartphones in order to have a social life which in return is crippling their generation. Twenge effectively uses rhetorical devices in order to draw attention to the impact of smartphones on a specific generation.
middle of paper ... ... In the evening, on leaving the office, they forgather, at an hour that never varies, in the cafes, stroll the same boulevard, or take in the air on their balconies. The passions of the young are violent and short-lived; the vices of older men seldom range beyond an addiction to bowling, to banquets and "socials," or clubs where large sums change hands on the fall of a card (Camus,The Plague). " Here is an example of existentialism as it did in The Stranger.
McKevitt starts the essay explaining how we are now living in a time of instant, 24/7 access to almost anything we want. Our needs are met and now our economy focuses on getting what we want as fast as possible. He then asks “…why aren’t we happier or, at the very least, worrying less and enjoying life more?” (144). The author
Judith Guest's novel Ordinary People evinces some main principles of the modernist literary movement, such as the philosophy that modern man is beset by existential angst and alienation. According to Carl Marx, a renowned existentialist, alienation, as a result of the industrial revolution, has made modern man alienated from the product of his own labor, and has made him into a mechanical component in the system. Being a "cog in the wheel" prevents modern man from gaining a sense of internal satisfaction of intellectual and emotional pleasure. Further more, according to Sigmund Freud, there are two pleasures, work and love. Consequently, Freud would say that being disconnected from pleasure from work, half of the potential for psychological fulfillment would be lost. Modern man is suffering from alienation as a result of large institutions, and as individuals, modern man neither feels that they are part of them nor can understand them. Additionally, the existentialists say, man is shut out of history. Modern man no longer has a sense of having roots in a meaningful past nor sees himself as moving toward a meaningful future. The modern man also suffers from alienation in his relationships with other people. Since he lives life not authentically and not knowing who he is, he cannot relate to others authentically. Hence, there are no real relationships at work and there are no real relationships of love. Also, according to Sartre, modern man is absolutely not a victim of his environments, of his childhood, and the circumstances in his life. The events in life are only neutral and since modern man is free, he chooses the meanings of the facts of his life. Modern man lives in a constant state of existential angst, which is dread of the nothingness of human existence and the fact there is no underlying purpose to human existence or set of objective truths or morals by which to navigate life. According to Martin Heideggar, German existentialist philosopher, the unaware person tries to escape the reality of death by not living life to the fullest. However, death can be the most significant moment for the individual, his defining moment of personal potential, if accepted and confronted squarely will free the individual from anxiety of death.
Would that be possible to stay away from our technology’s devices for just a day? The answer for this question will bring a lot of negative answers, and of course if we ask this question in a survey, “NO” will be the winner of this survey. Talking about the use of technology reminded me one of the sources from my annotated bibliography by Amy Petersen, who is the Theatre and Media Arts Department Chair and Associate Professor in the College of Fine Arts and Communications at Brigham Young University. In her article which she wrote about the overuse of tech in our daily life and its affects, she said “If you would have told me a few years ago that I would feel completely lost without a cell phone, I never would have believed you. Now my iPhone is almost always within reach. My children likely believe that my most important possession is my MacBook Air, which is usually open and on whenever I am in the house. (“Jensen” par. 3)” Yes technology, internet, and cell phone became our best friends, and most of us can’t live without them.
Existentialism is a term that was coined specifically by Jean-Paul Sartre in regards to his own life. Sartre had adopted the Atheistic approach to life and its meaning, and while he was not the first or only one to do so, was the first and only one to come up with a way to describe it. Under Existentialism, man lives without higher power or guidance and must rely solely on himself and what he is aiming to do in order to lead a fulfilling life. This can be anything. Critics of Sartre propose that, because such a vast array of options exists within the meaningfulness of life, this philosophy is obsolete and trivial in nature. This is not true, as it is seen in everyday examples – celebrities, namely – that a thirst
Absurdism, The Stranger, and life “Absurdism” (coined by Albert Camus) is a philosophy based upon the concept that the life and the world are meaningless, irrational, without sense or reason. And any effort we make to try to find meaning in them will ultimately fail. Albert Camus considers absurdity to be a fight, a force pushing between our mind’s desire to have meaning and understanding and the blank, empty world beyond. In an argument with Nagel, Camus stated “I said that the world is absurd, but I was too hasty. This world in itself is not reasonable, that is all that can be said.
Existentialism is the epitome of the unknown. There is no straightforward explanation of what exactly it is, there is only certain characteristics and behaviors that describe existentialist views. Throughout today’s world, there are examples of it everywhere, it’s found in movies, books, songs, and just people in general. Existentialists are known to think and do for themselves only. They believe that to understand what it means to be human requires understanding of themselves first. Some very well known pieces of entertainment existentialism is found in are: Hamlet by William Shakespeare, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Stranger by Albert Camus, and The Breakfast Club by John Hughes. The Stranger is a book written about a young man whose mother dies, which soon leads him to becoming acquainted with the feeling of not caring about what his actions do to others or himself. The main character Meursault starts helping his friend Raymond, carry out ways to torment his mistress. Out of nowhere while at the beach, Meursault shoots Raymond’s mistress’s brother. He is thrown into jail and tried, but he seems to not be affected as much as he should about his actions. He first finds it hard to live without cigarettes, women, and nature, but he soon finds out he doesn’t need any of those. After being sentenced to death, he is suggested to turn away from his atheism but later realizes that human existence has no greater meaning. This realization and acceptance is what truly makes him happy (Camus). Next, The Breakfast Club is a very relatable movie about high school students suffering the consequences of their actions in detention. The kids are all of ...
Existentialism is defined as "a philosophical theory or approach that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining his or her own development through acts of the will”. In other words, existentialism it emphasizes individual freedom. Throughout The Stranger, the amount of existentialism views is abundant. The use of Mersault’s experiences covey the idea that human life has no meaning except for simple existence. The idea of existentialism in Albert Camus' The Stranger reflects through Mersault's life experiences with his relationship with Marie, the death of his mother Maman, the murdering of the Arab, and Mersault's trial and execution, all these events show that Mersault’s life of no meaning.
There are many different techniques and approaches to group counseling. The approach that I found to be the most interesting is the existential approach. “The existential perspective holds that we define ourselves by our choices” (Corey & Corey, 2014, p.114). This approach can be successful in therapy because it allows one to oversee one’s future. In this paper, I’m going to generally discuss the existential approach to therapy and where it can be used.
Saul Bellow’s novel Seize the Day has personal relevance to me, because, in some ways, the story of Tommy Wilhelm is the story of my father. They both face a world that they neither belong in nor understand. They both have violent tantrums that reveal the emotional maturity of a child. They both victimize themselves by complaining about the supposed injustices that the world has committed against them. Wilhelm and I both experience an existential crisis partly due to our fathers, although we are in two very different stages in life. Having an existential crisis led many philosophers in the twentieth century to develop a philosophy known as existentialism. The novel embodies existentialism in its exploration of themes such as anxiety, absurdity,