Existentialism in the Stranger and the Metamorphosis Essay Example for Free

Existentialism in the Stranger and the Metamorphosis Essay â€Å"We are thrown into existence first without a predetermined nature and only later do we construct our nature or essence through our actions. †(Existentialism)This quote is present through the main characters of The Stranger, Blade Runner, and The Metamorphosis in each of these works the characters create their own nature. These works are similar several ways; in all three the men create their own nature by the free choices they make. Through these choices they also create their own values. The characters values and meanings of life are where these works differ. Initially, in The Metamorphosis, Gregor’s life seems to have meaning, through providing for his family, until he changes into a bug and determines for himself that his life really has no meaning. This is very unlike The Stranger because Meursault, throughout the entire work, lives his life as if there is no meaning to life and he dies knowing this. Finally Deckard, at the beginning of his life, seems to have lived his life with no meaning or values, until he encounters Roy and Rachael who change his perspective. Throughout these works these men make makes choices that determine who they are and what their about, but ultimately every one of them knows their subsequent mortality. It is clearly understood through Meursault’s narration that life to him is meaningless. The choices he makes and things he says are without thought or meaning. They are usually in the spur of the moment of what will please him. For example the novel starts by Meursault telling the audience â€Å"Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours. That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday†(The Stranger). Meursault treats his mother’s death with the same demeanor with which he will later treat the death of the Arab. Both of these events are usually different in the types of emotions they reveal, but Meursault shows no emotion at all. He just goes through the day to day motions of life. Through his narration and the tone of the novel the reader is clearly able to determine Meursault lives with no emotion or essence. He accepts who he is and his mortality. In the end he accepts a punishment that is not worthy of the crime. He knows even if he doesn’t get executed he will die anyway whether its ten years from now or fifty. Clearly The Stranger questions the reader whether humans really have a meaning for life since in the end everyone will die and be forgotten. It seems that Camus meant to get the point across that in life there is no predetermined nature people create it through their choices. Meursault chooses to live his life with little or no meaning. Unlike Marie who falls in love with Meursault and chooses to support him even though he didn’t care if they got married. Like Marie in The Stranger Gregor, who is the main character, in The Metamorphosis has a mean and value to his life. Gregor supports his family because his father failed and never went back to work. Gregor had it all good job, money, and ability. He chose to support his family and allow them to live a nice life while he worked and traveled with little time for himself. Gregor doesn’t like his job, but he chooses to stay because it offers good money and he will pay of debt. All of these choices are Gregor’s they are what he based his life off of. When he changes into a bug his mentality is altered. He begins to realize that all that he did for his family eventually is forgotten and soon he is forgotten about too. Kafka relates this to the human race and its inevitable end. When humans die in the beginning they are remembered, but slowly people forget, or lose interest, until eventually that person is totally forgotten about and life goes on. This previous statement is clearly seen in the novel when the family moves and decides that is time to marry off their daughter. They never mention anything about the loss of their son. In Blade Runner the main character Deckard destroys replicants. He does his job and usually never questions the reasons why he destroys the human-like robots. The director seems to try to get across the point early that Deckard lives a meaningless life. He does whatever he wants whenever he wants. At first it seems like he lives a life much like Meursault, but later it becomes clear that he is trying to find a meaning for life. When talking to Roy, Deckard realizes that in life everyone is going to die and that everything that person did would be forgotten and lost. At the same time Roy explains the value of life, the choices, love, and things humans can experience. Blade Runner tries to get across to the viewer that they are who they want to be and that in the end the choices and things they’ve seen will be forgotten and meaningless. In all three works the slogan â€Å"Existence precedes Essence† (Existentialism) is present. Each one of the main characters makes their choices which determine their nature. Every one of the characters at some point realizes that they all share a common trait with the rest of the human race and that is death. They also know that in the end they will be forgotten about and eventually everyone will move on with their lives as if they never existed. These works differ in the way each character goes about their lives. Meursault believes there is no meaning to life so he lives his life on the fly. He does whatever pleases him. Gregor begins with a life he has chosen for himself only to realize that eventually all that he has done will be forgotten and lost. Finally Deckard begins with no meaning and tries to determine a meaning through replicants. He realizes that the choices in his life are what makes his life meaningful. Throughout these works Existentialism was present. The characters offered a glimpse of the reason for existence. Whether it was for providing for a family or killing replicants each one of the character in the end determined that life was only the choices that they make. Ultimately they all learned that everything they did and chose to do was meaningless when they were dead and there is no way to avoid it.

Book Report :: essays research papers

A tiny town in Connecticut. Is this setting of Among Friends by Caroline B. Cooney. The time of year is from the beginning of the school year, to the end of the school year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main characters in this book are Jennie, Paul, Emily, Hillary, Jared, and Ansley. All the main characters are juniors in high school. Jennie is part of the awesome threesome. She always gets good grades on tests even if she doesn’t study. People envy her for that. Paul is also know as Paul Classified because no one knows anything about him, they don’t even know his middle name. Jennie likes Paul and she flirts with him all the time. Emily and Hillary are part of the awesome threesome too. Jared and Ansley are boyfriend and girlfriend. They both dislike Jennie because she is so popular and intelligent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The conflict in this book is man vs. himself. Jennie has to decide whether she wants to stay part of the awesome threesome, or make a state record by winning the prize for the smartest kid in the state 2 years in a row like her parents want her to.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This book starts out by the awesome threesome, Emily (also known as Em), Hillary, and Jennie skipping through the hallway with their arms linked tightly together. They have been best friends ever since they could remember. During the summer, Em and Hill went to Colorado to ski. Usually Jennie goes to, but this year she didn’t. Em and Hill could feel Jennie slipping away from the awesome threesome. All Jennie did was flirt with Paul Smith. Jennie got chosen to represent the school in a test called Star Student. It is a test to see how smart you are. The one, who wins, will get ten thousand dollars and a medal. Jennie is so smart and perfect that Hillary and Em cant take it anymore and they start being very cruel to her. They ignore her and they do stuff without her. She gets very upset and she says the notebook she writes in is her only friend. She thinks no one likes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While she is at the star student contest, during the first test she runs out of the room. She never came back. People are very worried about her. Some people are saying it’s because her parents pushed her too much, or because she was depressed, and some say she got murdered.

Essay on “Rape, Racism, and the Law” Essay

Jennifer Wriggins analyzes the significance how race, ethnicity, and class influence a woman’s vulnerability to rape, the meaning and impact of the rape, and the response of family, of community, and of social institutions. Her article, â€Å"Rape, Racism, and the Law,† specifically focuses on the history of rape in the United States between the rapes of White women by Black men. As a feminist, she specifically focuses on two very damaging consequences of this selective blindness: the denials that Black women are raped; and all women are subject to pervasive and harmful sexual coercion of all kinds. Thorough this powerful essay, she examine the legal system’s treatment of rape and how racism plays a major part in denying the rights of African Americans, as well as, deny the veracity of women’s sexual subordination by creating a social meaning of rape which implies that the only type of sexual abuse is â€Å"illegal rape† and the only form of illegal rape is Black offender/White victim. I was exasperated after reading this article. This article highly irritated and annoyed me because of the interconnectedness of rape and racism. As a woman, it is hard not to get heated about this particular subject. Presently, there are now many struggles against rape. And, in acknowledging the struggles against rape one must also acknowledge the difference among women and the different ways that groups other than women are disempowered. In one of the many examples in this essay, racism and justice collide when in 1859 the Mississippi Supreme court dismissed the indictment of a male slave for the rape of a female slave less than 10 years old. â€Å"This indictment cannot be sustained, either at common law or under our statutes. It charges no offense known to either system. Slavery was unknown to the common law†¦ and hence its provisions are inapplicable†¦ There is no act which embraces either the attempted or actual commission of a rape by a slave on a female slave†¦ Master and slaves cannot be governed by the same system or laws; so different are their position, right and duties.† This ruling is disheartening in a few ways: Black men are held to lesser standards of restraint with Black women that are white men with White women; second, white men are held to lesser standards of restraint with black women that are Black men with white women. However, neither white nor black men were expected to show sexual restraint with black women. This is truly upsetting,  to me, because no man no matter what color should have the right to exercise rape or sexual coercion of any kind with any woman of any color without her consent. This reading is important to social work practice because it reflects and expansive and integrated approach to understanding rape, racism, and the law. By exploring the interconnectedness of rape and racism, I learned to analyze the assumptions implanted in and surrounding rape, racism, and social institutions. Finally, it develops understanding of the narrow focus of the black offender and the white rape victim, and the denial of the rape of black women, which engages within the cultural assumption of American society that is important to understand in the field of social work. This reading also teaches up to be receptive social work professionals able to work respectfully and competently with diverse population groups, with at the same time to understand and develop a sensitivity and respect for human rights. Through this reading, it is easy to see how stereotypes of racial and ethnic differences can have impact on a person’s life in regards to consequences, rewards, and punishments. It has not fit in because examining substantive justice arguably requires that human rights to life, well-being, and the commodities essential to life and well-being, be given priority whenever a societal decision is made. Societal conditions and institutional arrangements should be recognized as grounds for justification because they may impose limits and constraints on the choices available to an individual that are as unavoidable and compelling as those imposed by chance or by another human being. It is a scary thought that your skin color or sex could work against you in the legal system, but it does happen. For this reason, it is easy to understand why many women are not reporting these incidents. Reference: â€Å"Rape, Racism, and the Law† by Jennifer Wriggins

Is Plastic Surgery Worth It - 638 Words

In this 21st Century the growing trend is to change how you look to be accepted in this society. While most feel to need to say its ok to do this, is it really acceptable? Especially on our younger society, who looks up to everyone that alters themselves to somehow reach the unreachable idea of perfection. The more people decide to alter themselves to reach perfection or to fit in,† The more we are teaching our children that Hey! Its ok to not love who you are, You should change to meet everyone elses standards.† Plastic Surgery gives Children a false sense of self image in society. When you think of plastic surgery, what do you think of first? Im sure it isnt the risk involved with the procedure that will undergo to become a â€Å"new you† No one ever thinks of the true risk of plastic surgery, or even the cost of undergoing the procedures. For Breast implants, Face lifts, Mastopexy, Breast reduction, Rhinoplasty, and Tummy tucks the Prices range between $4,000 to $12,000. This is a lot of money to just be someone new. While celebrities have all the money in the world to pay for their surgeries, lower classes have to make quite an adjustment in their budgets to get such surgeries performed. Some even go bankrupt because they feel the need to fix themselves, or even fix their young childs face or body, when their child isnt even done developing their body to its final stage. And when this happens and you don’t have as much money as you need to be able to perform theShow MoreRelatedEffects Of Plastic Surgery Among Teenagers1467 Words   |  6 Pages Plastic Surgery amongst Teenagers is on the rise In the year 2015, where here in the United States following the lastest celebrities has become an influence on many teens across the Unites States, what I mean by influence is plastic surgery. You see it everywhere it s on TV, on billboards, on the radio and all over the magazines. It seems as if everything a well known celebrity does teens want to do also. 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