Simone de Beauvoir

Consequently, it becomes clear that there are no inherent traits to the biological constitution of women and men, but they are social and cultural identities that are renewed, revised and reaffirmed throughout history. Thus, Butler used the sentence Simone de Beauvoir did in The Second Sex, stating that "one is not born, but, rather, becomes a woman" to explain that "woman" is a historical fabrication which is socially constructed by the completion of certain acts and not a natural…

Before analyzing the text further it is important to know what cultural displacement is and what it implies in terms for a woman who feels displaced from a culture for another culture. According to Raymond Williams, a Welsh theorist culture is "an individual habit of mind; the state of intellectual development of a whole society; the arts; and the whole way of life.” But if we expand the definition given by Williams, we have two definitions of Culture with relation to women as in the fourth…

Religious ideas such as the hotness of Christian Hell and the idea of being secluded for eternity are present in Sartre’s portrayal of No Exit’s Hell. Existentialism played a very important role in Jean--Paul Sartre’s life as well as his partner, Simone de Beauvoir which is why he made it very prominent in the character’s thoughts, words, and actions. Many aspects of Sartre’s life, history, and tradition, were used in constructions the characters, plot, and overall content of No…

20 million dead and one man responsible. That one man would be known as Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party. One question arises when discussing the immoral things that this one man did to humanity and that is was Hitler born with the mindset that he had to kill off all those innocent people or was he 100 percent in control of choosing his destiny? This brings up a very controversial issue as many believe that man has the freedom to do what he pleases and to define himself by his own…

The distinction between autonomy and dependency is one of great importance in the field of philosophy and in answering the question of what it means to be human. Autonomy is the state of functioning independently, and it is known that the idea of autonomy is central to how human beings are understood. The rules of autonomy state that we can influence our own life and that we are shaped by our own decisions— by who we are and how we live. Therefore, it is difficult to think without any notions of…

Sometimes it is easier to blame other for our wrongdoings, than to admit to oneself and taking full responsibility for our own actions. In the book Existentialism and Human Emotions, the author, Jean-Paul Sartre address the statement, “existence precedes essence” and makes two logical conclusions such as freedom and responsibility that ties to the concepts of anguish, forlornness, and despair. The understanding of “existentialism precedes essence” is an awareness that there is no predefined…

Jean-Paul Sartre is known for defending existentialism against challenges and giving further explanation regarding the meanings of existentialism’s claims. After reading the Stephen Colbert interview with GQ, I believe Sartre would promote Colbert’s way of living. Sartre has a very precise outlook on how the human should act and his beliefs are briefly summarized early in his book when he says, “not only is man what he conceives himself to be, but he is also only what he wills himself to be…

Anyone in the world can label themselves as being a feminist. If I were to walk up to someone on the street and ask them if they were a feminist, I would either get a yes or no in response. For this reason, simply claiming to be a feminist holds nowhere near as much significance as to why one is a feminist. I myself am a feminist, and the reasons regarding why I allow myself to be considered a feminist is far more meaningful than the label of calling myself a feminist. Therefore, my definition…

1- What are the various interpretations that can applied to the word “meaningful” in the question “Is life meaningful?” How does each interpretation impact the resultant answer? There are two interpretations that can be applied to the word “meaningful” in the question “Is life meaningful?” The first is that of objective meaning. This means that in order for life to have meaning, it must have objective meaning. Objective in this context refers to the independence of other’s thoughts or what…

Feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. While the feminist movement is important in the present day, the play written in 1947 by Tennessee Williams became known for its portrayal of the dynamics between men and women. In the play, A Streetcar Named Desire, feminism plays the main role. Taking place after the second world war, the men of this play assume that they have more power than women. While, in reality, the women have the same or greater…