Existentialism

The argument of free will is the embodiment of philosophical ideologies that allow individuals to wonder if they have control over their fate. While it is still unclear who or what is controlling someone’s actions, individuals need to recognize the importance of the ideology that surrounds the decision-making process of all individuals. Is one truly the master of their own decisions and express “free will”; determining their own destinies? Or are events in one’s life inevitable, as all…

In his 1849 work The Sickness unto Death, Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard presents an individualized and fairly gloomy view of the self. He believed that the self is comprised of despair, which is for Kierkegaard a state of being for all, rather than a feeling. Almost all people face despair in their lifetime, and while it seems like quite an undesirable life, it serves as means of personal growth, a key component of ultimately becoming one’s best self. But through his focus on the individual,…

Albee uses foreshadowing to describe how the people who are alienated and isolated from the world are living. This is represented through Jerry's long speech and talk about his life at the rooming house, and his story with the dog. Zimbardo believes that Jerry's long speech about the dog and the foreshadowing used by Jerry shows the "pseudo-crisis" (120) that is used to explore Albee's preoccupation with man's failure to establish a relationship with other people and his anger of being isolated…

Fyodor Dostoyevsky created the novel, Notes From Underground, holding insightful thoughts on the purpose and meaning of life. Within the novel, Dostoyevsky creates the character, the Underground Man. He laments human’s inconsistencies and their inability to grasp the meaninglessness of existence; while they work tirelessly to exert control over their uncontrollable environments. Human desire for power is epitomized in their attempts to rebel against the physiological laws of nature that govern…

But it goes deeper than that. When one abstracts the two characters to their core differences, the key item is hope. Moore’s classic, The Killing Joke, explores the dichotomy between him and the Batman. In The Killing Joke, the story begins with Batman visiting Arkham Asylum, intending to work out his differences with the Joker. Unfortunately, he discovers to his dismay that the Joker had already escaped and had kidnapped Police Commissioner Gordon, tormenting him with the goal of breaking his…

According to the well known author, Timothy Ferriss: “Lack of time is actually lack of priorities” ("Tim Ferriss Quote"). This quotation provokes the true meaning of time and destiny. After a long life of complications, adults tend to have a different mindset towards time. If fact, even the priorities of the adult population alter depending on past experiences. The novel To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf and the short story “A Day Goes By” written by Luigi Pirandello show a similar theme…

Since we can remember, our existence as humans has been governed by two main ideologies. Good and bad. We base our entire lives around these concepts with no real proof of what they are besides what we we are taught. We are told that someone who hates someone else is a bad person, but given no evidence to support these claims. Why is someone bad? Just because we think they are? There is no existential evidence of morality. The only “proof” we have is the way we perceive it, but outside of our…

A Discussion of Endgame in terms of Apocalyptic Ending and Eco-critical Perspective Endgame, by Samuel Beckett, is a phenomenal play that questions life, death, existence, and meaning. The fact that it was written by someone who believes life is beyond human rationality, makes it more difficult and even meaningless to analyze the play, and try to deduce from it. However, underlying its absurdity, I believe there lies a harsh reality about dying and ending. In this paper, I will discuss Endgame…

The last theme to analyze the case is balance. The case does not show the balance, which should consider who the stakeholders are and what the rules or roles of them are. In this case, the stakeholders are cartoonist and editor on one side, and the refugees on the other side. The cartoon did not make an ethical balance between the freedoms of speech, which are the role of cartoonist and editor, and the dignity of the refugees. The cartoonist and the editor have a right to express their opinions.…

Consumption: A Woven Theme Across Concepts The definition of “consumption,” according to Merriam Webster is “the act or process of using something up.” This concept is repeatedly mentioned and established in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, which have been established to share the hidden message of the life of a child and the life of an adult, respectively. In relation to the practical world, life can be seen as a total process of consumption, where the mere…