Setting:
The society that D-503 lives in is surrounded by arithmetic and mathematical equations. Each person is not considered a person but rather a cipher. A cipher or other algorithms have to follow certain steps to get the correct answer. By making everyone a cipher it shows that each person follows a set of rules to please the benefactor. Also by making each character it gives them a predetermined persona not allowing them to deviate from their primary purpose. This shows the civilians in the society are constrained to a certain lifestyle which illuminates the lack of freedom in the society. The use of mathematics is looked at as the perfect world because "mathematics and death neither make mistakes" (90). This society is enclosed into an environment where everything is made out of glass, and it is surrounded by a glass wall that keeps the citizens from ever escaping this world. "when we isolated our perfect machined world, by means of the wall, from the irrational, chaotic world of trees, birds, animals..." (83). By creating everything out of glass it gives the people livingvwithin the wall very little privacy while giving the government more control by being abe to see everything being committed by the citizens.
Motifs:
The use of colors are used to represent constraint and freedom within the society. D-503 comnects the color blue to the sky when there are no clouds in the sky because it is unattained by any other clouds. When the sky doesn't have any clouds it's color is controlled by the weather showing its lack in freedom. The main character then associates the color green with confinement. This is proven when describing the wall as green because the wall is what confines the society from the rest of the world. The motifs of lips become very apparent throughout the end of the first third. "His lips: scissors" (65) here D-503 is describing a doctor who he later refers to as just scissors. Through this I feel like the author is trying to say representcharacter'ss personalities or their thoughts through their lips and other facial features. I-330 is a rebel in this society for she poisons herself with tobacco and alcohol which is against the customs of the society. D-503 describes her lips as dripping with blood which I think represents her rebellious and aggressive personality.
Language:
Throughout the first third of the novel, the author uses si Olaf techniques to that of Zora Neale Hurston, lengthy and very descriptive paragraphs of the setting and what his occurring during the passage. "the small bright crystal bell [...] quantities" (31)The author uses this to depict the confidence that D-503 has in his beliefs in the first third. He believed that whatever the the guRdians were doing was right and wasn't questioning many of philosophies that were being forced upon him. He reLly isn't questioning many of the beliefs so he doesn't think about many of his actions.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
The Stranger- Journal #5
HALLMARKISM...
Pay it Forward
Everyone needs to help one another because the person that doesn't help will need help eventually and will have nobody to turn to. This creates nicer people that are always willing to help which will in turn create a better society to live in. With everyone helping one another, stress will be significantly depleted without the feeling of having to do it yourself, tighter bonds will be formed between people, I also think that it will prevent people from being completely selfish.
Respect
If everyone were to give equal respect to all individuals then I feel that there would be less hostility between different ethnicities and religious groups. With equal respect there would be less who people who believe that they are higher than everyone else which I think would create a better society especially when it comes to making important decisions. With everyone at an equal level, each point is more likely to be taken into equal consideration rather than one automatically being better because it came from a person with a higher social status.
Optimism
Nobody likes a "Debby Downer." With everyone having a good attitude towards every situation there are going to be more learning experiences. For example, when not completing a task correctly instead of someone being negative the rest of the day, the person should try and make it a learning experience by thinking "what could I have done differently?" This will create a more well rounded person.
The Only Meaning in Life is the Meaning that We Give it
This means that we as a society need to to control our emotions rather than being over dramatic to every single situation because this will begin to affect our everyday lives. I'm mainly talking about negative emotions. Some of this is unavoidable, like when a loved one dies, but controlling your emotions will make you stronger mentally. This is beneficial when faced with with extremely important decisions because you will be able to think clearly and critically. So by not allowing our emotions to control the way that we think, we become a more intellectual society.
Make Work Fun
Nobody likes having to work, but it doesn't have to be work. Turning a simple assignment into a game or friendly competition with co-workers will make you want to do better increasing your performance. By making it more fun it becomes more enjoyable so you also do better work and want to continue to stay in the position that you are in. By making work fun this creates a happier society by depleting the stress of everyday life.
Don't Back Down to Accolades
Not one person should see someone's accolades during competition or in general and decide not to compete or deem that person to be of a higher social status. Show respect for their achievements but DO NOT deem that person to better than you so you automatically back down. Challenge that person, ask questions to make yourself better! This will make any one person tougher mentally and physically depending on the competition. This will also create the mindset of "I can do anything."
You Define Who You Are
Don't let anyone person decide who you are. You define your personality through your actions. No matter what anyone says or does to make you think otherwise you can be whoever you want to be. This will create a more confident person which will make them better at anything that they do in life. This can help a society significantly in getting whatever needs to be done in an efficient manner.
I chose all of these principles based on what I think are the ideal principles for a happy life. My dad taught me recently what Pay it forward means to him and how he implements it into his life and I thought that everyone can benefit from this. Respect is a huge part of my family. Everyone has equal respect and you don't disrespect anyone especially your elders because they have given you everything that you have. I took POA last year and I felt that optimism is a bit of a stretch but if everyone tries to be more optimistic that in itself will create a happier society. I am currently learning that I need to control my emotions and I have seen nothing but positive effects from it by benefiting everyone's attitudes around me. Making work fun stemmed from how I do my homework. I listen to music to make it more enjoyable which allows me to do better work because I stay focused. Don't back down to accolades is something that my family has taught me and it bugs me when somebody will automatically deem someone a higher status. I consider it giving up before trying and that in my mind should not be accepted. Defining who you are came from my dad's philosophy which stemmed into my own because I think that you should shoot for the stars and if you miss you'll hit the moon.
Pay it Forward
Everyone needs to help one another because the person that doesn't help will need help eventually and will have nobody to turn to. This creates nicer people that are always willing to help which will in turn create a better society to live in. With everyone helping one another, stress will be significantly depleted without the feeling of having to do it yourself, tighter bonds will be formed between people, I also think that it will prevent people from being completely selfish.
Respect
If everyone were to give equal respect to all individuals then I feel that there would be less hostility between different ethnicities and religious groups. With equal respect there would be less who people who believe that they are higher than everyone else which I think would create a better society especially when it comes to making important decisions. With everyone at an equal level, each point is more likely to be taken into equal consideration rather than one automatically being better because it came from a person with a higher social status.
Optimism
Nobody likes a "Debby Downer." With everyone having a good attitude towards every situation there are going to be more learning experiences. For example, when not completing a task correctly instead of someone being negative the rest of the day, the person should try and make it a learning experience by thinking "what could I have done differently?" This will create a more well rounded person.
The Only Meaning in Life is the Meaning that We Give it
This means that we as a society need to to control our emotions rather than being over dramatic to every single situation because this will begin to affect our everyday lives. I'm mainly talking about negative emotions. Some of this is unavoidable, like when a loved one dies, but controlling your emotions will make you stronger mentally. This is beneficial when faced with with extremely important decisions because you will be able to think clearly and critically. So by not allowing our emotions to control the way that we think, we become a more intellectual society.
Make Work Fun
Nobody likes having to work, but it doesn't have to be work. Turning a simple assignment into a game or friendly competition with co-workers will make you want to do better increasing your performance. By making it more fun it becomes more enjoyable so you also do better work and want to continue to stay in the position that you are in. By making work fun this creates a happier society by depleting the stress of everyday life.
Don't Back Down to Accolades
Not one person should see someone's accolades during competition or in general and decide not to compete or deem that person to be of a higher social status. Show respect for their achievements but DO NOT deem that person to better than you so you automatically back down. Challenge that person, ask questions to make yourself better! This will make any one person tougher mentally and physically depending on the competition. This will also create the mindset of "I can do anything."
You Define Who You Are
Don't let anyone person decide who you are. You define your personality through your actions. No matter what anyone says or does to make you think otherwise you can be whoever you want to be. This will create a more confident person which will make them better at anything that they do in life. This can help a society significantly in getting whatever needs to be done in an efficient manner.
I chose all of these principles based on what I think are the ideal principles for a happy life. My dad taught me recently what Pay it forward means to him and how he implements it into his life and I thought that everyone can benefit from this. Respect is a huge part of my family. Everyone has equal respect and you don't disrespect anyone especially your elders because they have given you everything that you have. I took POA last year and I felt that optimism is a bit of a stretch but if everyone tries to be more optimistic that in itself will create a happier society. I am currently learning that I need to control my emotions and I have seen nothing but positive effects from it by benefiting everyone's attitudes around me. Making work fun stemmed from how I do my homework. I listen to music to make it more enjoyable which allows me to do better work because I stay focused. Don't back down to accolades is something that my family has taught me and it bugs me when somebody will automatically deem someone a higher status. I consider it giving up before trying and that in my mind should not be accepted. Defining who you are came from my dad's philosophy which stemmed into my own because I think that you should shoot for the stars and if you miss you'll hit the moon.
The Stranger- Journal #4
At the end of the novel, Meursault begins to understand what the point of living is. He comes to the conclusion that the point of living is just to live life. He sees that the point of life is just to live as long as your happy. He states that, "Even there, [...] I felt ready to live it all again too" (122). Meursault finds out that before Maman died she got a fiance not because she had to but because it made her happy, which is why nobody had the right to cry over her. This helps instigate Meursault's epiphany that living and being happy in life is the point of living. I think that Camus wants his readers from the 1940's to take in this idea because during the stressful time period of WWII nobody is focusing on living just to live but only trying to survive which is causing a massive state of unhappiness throughout the world, at that time. For the future generations I think that Camus wanted them to also take in this idea to create a happier generation.
Monday, March 12, 2012
The Stranger- Journal #3
I think that Camus splits the stranger into two parts to Meursault's change in character as the story progresses. This is evident when Meursault is describing his thought process in prison. He said that he would have the sudden urge to go on a walk to the beach to feel the waves lapping at his feet. Meursault described this as a freeman's thought. Being able to do whatever you want, whenever you want. He then goes on to describe the progression from freeman's thoughts to a prisoner's thoughts. This was shown when he began to cherish the little things. He began to scan his room looking for the smallest bit of change in any of his belongings so it would trigger memories to pass the time. This shows Meursault cherishing memories which more often then not are over looked completely by society. Meursault then goes on to talk about how he begins to look forward the walk around the courtyard everyday. The sense of freedom that is gained from having the ability to walk outside is another little thing that is often over looked until it is finally taken away. And before all of this happens the guard tells Meursault that they take away his freedom. So Meursault finds his own freedom through these exercises.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
The Stranger- Journal #2
Option 1:
I think that the sun and light represent Meursault's id. Camus uses the sun and light to represent the pressure to kill the Arab after harming Raymond. Camus describes the sun to be pressing against Meursault forcing him commit an action. In this case it is killing the Arab, which is against the philosiphies of the society that Meursault lives in. After killing the Arab Merusault says thsat the sun and heat thsat was once pressing on his back, has now been shook off. Camus then uses the light and the sun to develop the theme of not allowing society to determine your own values. In this sad case, Meursault feels the need to defend his friend who was critically injured by the Arab. This feeling is buried in his subconcious by his super ego. Killing is not accepted in his society which is why his super ego is burrying the want to harm the Arab. Camus then uses the sun and light to represent the influence of the id. Camus also uses this incident along with the sun and the light to develop the theme to defend your family and freinds.
I think that the sun and light represent Meursault's id. Camus uses the sun and light to represent the pressure to kill the Arab after harming Raymond. Camus describes the sun to be pressing against Meursault forcing him commit an action. In this case it is killing the Arab, which is against the philosiphies of the society that Meursault lives in. After killing the Arab Merusault says thsat the sun and heat thsat was once pressing on his back, has now been shook off. Camus then uses the light and the sun to develop the theme of not allowing society to determine your own values. In this sad case, Meursault feels the need to defend his friend who was critically injured by the Arab. This feeling is buried in his subconcious by his super ego. Killing is not accepted in his society which is why his super ego is burrying the want to harm the Arab. Camus then uses the sun and light to represent the influence of the id. Camus also uses this incident along with the sun and the light to develop the theme to defend your family and freinds.
The Stranger- Journal #1
Raymond: Raymond is described as a character that has as a very bad temeper. He describes multiple accounts of getting in fights with other men that challenge him. He also describes beating women that disrespect him or hurt him. Camus uses Raymond to represent the importance of being your own person. Camus uses this character to illustrate a concept of existentialism, existnce precedes essence.
Salamano: Salamano is described as a very depressed person who replcaced his wife with a dog after her death to ease his pain. Camus illustrates the existential cocept of Angst through Salmamano. This concept states how a person feels disgust when they having the ability to be free. Camus uses this charcater to show the negative properties of feeling the disgust with freedom.
Marie: She worked in the same office as Meursault. He and Marie are in a romantic relationshihp. Marie contrasts Meursault by showing more emotion and having fun. Meursault shows very little emotion and doesn't enjoy life to the fullest. Camus uses Marie to express the importance of not being too serious and enjoying life everyday.
Salamano: Salamano is described as a very depressed person who replcaced his wife with a dog after her death to ease his pain. Camus illustrates the existential cocept of Angst through Salmamano. This concept states how a person feels disgust when they having the ability to be free. Camus uses this charcater to show the negative properties of feeling the disgust with freedom.
Marie: She worked in the same office as Meursault. He and Marie are in a romantic relationshihp. Marie contrasts Meursault by showing more emotion and having fun. Meursault shows very little emotion and doesn't enjoy life to the fullest. Camus uses Marie to express the importance of not being too serious and enjoying life everyday.
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