Existentialism

the important figures in the philosophy of existentialism and also one of the prominent individuals in the 20th century French philosophy and Marxism. Existentialism is a 20th century philosophy which is basically centred on the analysis of existence, freedom and choice. It is the understanding that humans define their purpose in life and try to make coherent decisions although they exist in an irrational universe (Mastin, 2008). Therefore, Existentialism believes that individuals are completely…

He thinks of the beach, the glistening water, swimming and the evening hour. He was willing to exist. After being sentenced to execution, Meursault does not think of the past. Here the author makes the portrayal of existentialism as Meursault’s strongest trait evident. What was once a state of confusion, disjointed feelings, and immorality for the reader become a realization that Meursault’s attitude shows that ‘benign indifference of the universe’. In the face of death…

Existentialism and Invisible Man Ralph Waldo Ellison is an American writer. He was born March 1, 1914, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and died April 16, 1994, New York, New York. He studied music for three years at Tuskegee University and left in 1936 to move to New York. While in New York he befriended Richard Wright and was influenced to start writing. In 1952 Ellison published Invisible Man, which was the only book published during his life time. The idea that Ellison seems to stress in the novel is…

The Rebel Without a Cause: Existentialism and The Catcher in the Rye For some, going with the herd mentality is the easy way in life, but for others, it’s the hard way. Existentialism first sprouted up in America in the mid 1960’s. It brought ideas of the individual being responsible for their own actions, and subjective experiences contributed to the quality of life. Life was always in a constant flux, existence precedes essence, and there was no final purpose that was worth putting effort…

Metamorphosis takes place in an apartment, in an unknown city, and unknown time. We can assume that this takes place in Prague during the 20th century because that was the time he wrote it. During the 20th century, existentialism and modernism was having an influence over writers and artists. Existentialism is a philosophical theory, emphasizing the existence of individuality and having total control…

mandatory military service, soldiers might be forced to fight a war they do not believe in. These circumstances might lead one to believe that soldiers are not morally responsible for acts committed in war. I will argue that John Paul Sartre’s Existentialism would condemn all notions of the soldiers holding no responsibility and claim that they were in fact responsible for all acts they themselves commit during the war, as well as Sartre’s argument in this case…

With the 2016 presidential election quickly approaching, a popular conversation has been voter fraud and voter suppression. Voter suppression reached headline news with the Arizona state primary, and has been a controversy in the lead up to the presidential election since then. The act of suppressing votes, from both party lines, infringes upon the most fundamental American right; the right to vote in those who will speak on our behalf. It also brings up in interesting existentialist dilemma.…

Existentialism and Nihilism Present in Grendel Existentialism is not essentially nihilism, however nihilism does share a close similarity with existentialism because it describes human life as ultimately meaningless. Grendel throughout the book is seeking an explanation for his personality and the purpose of life. He must go through obstacles with the help and confusion from the Dragon and Shaper to find his answer. While John Gardner explores numerous philosophies and thoughts in Grendel, the…

set social norms which others follow. Existentialism is a philosophical idea that goes against many of these norms, and places emphasis on individual freedom and one's ability of free choice. The authors Franz Kafka, Albert Camus, and Steve McQueen attempt to reflect these existential ideas in their respective works of The Metamorphosis, The stranger, and Hunger. Main characters, Gregor Samsa, Meursault, and Bobby Sands embrace the ideas of existentialism and live their lives in a completely…

The freedom we have as humans to create our own meaning isn 't all sunshine and smiles, and in this paper, I will attempt to explain various quotes of Sartre, from his work "Existentialism is a Humanism." I will also go in depth about what each part of the quotes means, as well as define some key terms used in each quote to help in understanding each quote. I will also go over a few emotional responses that can arise when faced with the realization that as humans we have to invent our own…