Who is an existentialist?

Are existentialists pessimists or realists?

Would existentialists enjoy music and feel euphoric when experiencing a new piece of music? ...Would they enjoy satire and humor in prose and poetry? ...Or would they feel that life is absurd and meaningless, so that it is futile to experience any type of happiness?

(graphic courtesy of Katharena Eiermann)

Why is this man continually pushing this rock up a hill when the rock rolls back down every time? Is his endeavor just a futile attempt to fill up time in a day, or could there be a more "philosophical" reason for his struggle?Albert Camus, the French existentialist, wrote an essay comparing the struggle of the Greek character, Sisyphus, to the plight of humanity. You will need to familarize yourself with the Greek myth as well as Camus' essay in order to find out what kind of individual is an existentialist. To find out about Camus' interpretation of Sisyphus, go to the following site

http://stripe.colorado.edu/~morristo/sisyphus.html

What do existentialists believe?

We have read some of Camus' literature as well as some of Sartre's essays. To review the essential beliefs of French existentialists, consider the following ideas:

Existentialists believe in free will.
Exsistentialists do not recognize any human or immortal authority.
Existentialists believe that they are responsible for all the consequences of their actions.
Sartre stated that we "are condemned to be free."
Camus stated that "life is absurd."

The Life of an Existentialist

Task # 1:

Consider Sisyphus' struggle up the hill and his descent down the hill; Camus thinks that it took him about an hour to retrace his steps to the bottom of the hill. Write a narrative that shows what Sisyphus would be thinking as he walks back down the hill to begin his task once again. Remember that he is the absurd hero. When you write the narrative, consider how Camus could conclude that Sisyphus would have been happy in his struggle.

Below is the criteria that I will use in evaluating your narrative:

1. You will write a lucid narrative that expresses the ideas of an absurd hero as defined by Camus
2 Your character will have an existential reason for continuing his struggle
3. You will write a clearly written narrative with interesting phrasing,correct punctuation, and grammar

Questioning A priori Ideas

(Existentialists are atheists)

Neither Sartre nor Camus believed in a God or afterlife; having faith would be having hope, which they denied having as an existentialist. Many other writers questioned whether or not God made sense in a world filled with chaos and suffering. Read the first three chapters of "Little Bessie" by Mark Twain at the following website: consider the questions that Bessie asks her mother and what Twain's motives were in creating this dialogue.

http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/twainbes.htm

Task #2:

Write an essay analizing the tone, style, and theme of Twain's "Little Bessie"(first three chapters only). Consider the following questions in your writing:

What is Twain's attitude towards his characters and their ideas? This is how you will decide on his tone.
Why does Twain create a dialogue betwen a three-year old child and her mother? Why does he create Mr. Hollister? These considerations will focus you on style.
Bessie discusses suffering, disciplining, creation, and murder. What are the child's conclusions on these topics after listening to Mr. Hollister. You will understand Twain's theme once you answer this question.

Below is the criteria that I will use in evaluating your essay:
1. You will write a lucid essay where you define Twain's tone, style, and theme in the opening paragraph.
2. You will substantiate your ideas in the body of the essay; use quotations correctly with parenthetical citation, if necessary
3. You will conclude your ideas with implications that link Twain's ideas with Camus' ideas on suffering and responsibility.

Existential Ideas in Poetry

Other writers who lived earlier as well as later than the existentialists used similar themes in their writing, although they were not existentialists. As you read the following poem, Dover Beach, by Victorian poet Matthew Arnold, answer the following questions in your notebook for future reference:
1. What is the setting of this poem?
2. Who is the speaker, and whom is he speaking to?
3. Describe the situation.
4. What is Arnold's tone?
5. What is Arnold's theme? Refer to the way you decided on tone and theme in Twain's dialogue; the same would apply to poetry.

http://www.ras.ucalgary.ca/~gibson/poems/arnold1.html

Below you will find a link to a brief biography on Matthew Arnold. Dover Beach illustrates some of his philosophy of life. Jot down some connections between the ideas in his bio and the themes in his poem. Are there any contradictions of ideas and themes?

http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=89

Writing as an Empathetic Existentialist

Task#3:

You are the older and wiser sister of the woman in the poem, Dover Beach. You have overheard the man's plea to your sister, and you sympathize with his view of life. As an existentialist, you see many similarities between his view of the world and your view of the world. Your sister feels that her lover is too pessimistic a man to become permanently involved with at this point. With this in mind, you decide to persuade your sister to love him. Write a persuasive letter to the younger sister. In your defense of the young man, refer to his words(the poem) as well as to any existential ideas from our readings.

Below is the criteria that I will use in evaluating your persuasive letter:
1. You have used a persuasive style of writing in your letter.
2. You use wording from the poem to substantiate your main points.
3. You explain the poem's ideas through existential thinking
4. You express sympathy and concern for both your sister and her lover.

Interpreting Music Philosophically

Samuel Barber, a 20th century American composer, wrote music based on the poem, Dover Beach. What do you think it would sound like? Although there isn't any record of it on the web, you might like to listen to it on your own. Try libraries or music stores where you are allowed to listen before buying or borrowing. Barber also wrote a famous piece, "Adagio for Strings",which was used as the theme song for the grim and realistic war movie, Platoon. To listen to a small portion of this piece, go to the following website:http://www.ss.com/Player/PlayerFrame.asp?Dist=ABOUT&VEIID=15670316&VEID=15645521&ProviderID=4593&BuddyLink=

You might want to listen to more than one minute of this piece; because of copyright laws, the web can not give you any more of this piece of music. Consider listening to the entire piece at the library or music store. At this point, you should be able to see how music, literature, and philosophy are all relative: we use and interpet ideas and sounds relative to our experiences in life. Existentialism is probably a philosophy that you might relate to at times, although you might not see any connections at all between the ideas and your life. As long as you recognize the existentialist's view of life, you have been successful in this project. For your final task, look below!

Task#4:

Decide if your present life is similar to Sisyphus' life or to another mythological figure's life! Prepare a five minute presentation for the class on your life as Sisyphus or another mythological figure.

http://ffjh.davis.k12.ut.us/Thompson/myths/ This site will give you information on other mythological figures.

Below is the criteria that I will use in evaluating your oral presentation:
1. You have explained in a creative way who the mythological character is.
2. Through illustrations, you have shown the connection between the character's life and your life.
3. You have used some type of creative visual effect in your presentation.
4. You have made a connection philosophically with your character.

Enjoy! I'll see you in class!