Sisyphus Analysis

The French philosopher ponders the Sisyphus’ fate in his renowned work The Myth of Sisyphus. This story of a god whom, in death, was required to complete the utterly meaningless task of pushing a large boulder to the top of a mountain over and over again, only to have it roll back to the bottom before the completion of his task. What could cause him to deserve such a fate? For the purposes of our metaphor suffice it to say that Sisyphus dared challenge the powers of Zeus, the king of the Gods. Much like the Burmese people who have long challenged those they’ve viewed as the oppressors, they’ve been forced to push the boulder of Democracy to the top of the mountain, time and time again. More so, their struggle alone has been enough to lead some Burmese people to fulfilling lives, even if they will never see the end result.

However, unlike Sisyphus’ fate, the Burmese are not permanently relegated to oppression and subjugation to the elite – their suffering has been extensive and brutal – but it is not permanent. Examining the plight of the Burmese people however, is not a simple task either. Which Burmese people? While this is not an examination of the most oppressed people of Burma, as all of them have had incredibly

The Burmese at this time were tired of the British subjugation and disrespect towards their culture. They were equally irritated with Burmese Indians, who were still avid supporters of British rule. Aung San became the face of the independence movement, and pushed back against British ruled as the Premier of the British Colony of Burma from 1946 – 1947. Unfortunately Aung San would never see an independent Burma come to fruition – as he was assassinated six months prior, while meeting with aids planning the transition to Independence. His death was a tragedy, and he is a hero still to many Burmese people and hailed as the single most important figure in the Independence movement of