The Stranger Free Essays

The Stranger Chris Drusbosky 3/5/12 Professor Krauss In the story â€Å"The Stranger† by Albert Camus, the belief that the themes of loss and retrieval are at the core of Mersault’s mythology, and that they illumine the notion of exile to which he returns so often is widely discussed. I however do not believe that either one of those themes has anything to do with the Mersault and the exile to which he returns to so often, rather I believe that Mersault’s own attitude is the reason for the exile he experiences in the story. The first theme that is said to play a role in Mersault’s exile is the theme of loss. We will write a custom essay sample on The Stranger or any similar topic only for you Order Now Though Mersault does lose his mother in the beginning of the story, it does not affect how he acts throughout the rest of the story and he continues on like nothing ever even happened. â€Å"Then there was the church and the villagers on the sidewalks, the red geraniums on the graves in the cemetery, Perez fainting, the blood red earth spilling over Maman’s casket, the white flesh of the roots mixed in with it, more people, voices, the village, waiting in front of a cafe, the incessant drone of the motor, and my joy when the bus entered the nest of lights that was Algiers and I knew I was going to go to bed and sleep for twelve hours. The Stranger page 18. Normally when someone’s mother dies, you are filled with grief and sadness and you cannot help but to think about how much you miss her and love her. In this quote, Mersault shows no type of sad emotion whatsoever. He seems to be completely unmoved and unchanged emotionally by the death of his mother. Not only does h e not show any emotion at his mother’s funeral, the very next day he meets with his mistress Marie Cardona and spends the day with her going swimming, seeing a movie, and spending the night at his house with her. Both of these examples clearly show that Mersault is unmoved by the death of his mother and it plays no role whatsoever in the exile that he encounters throughout the story. The second theme that is said to play a significant role in Mersault’s exile is the theme of retrieval. If there is one thing in my eyes that Mersault never did throughout the course of this story, it would be that he never retrieved anything and that he always stayed the same throughout the story. Mersault seems to maintains the same attitude towards everything that happens in the story, the â€Å"I don’t care or believe in much† type attitude. One example that proves that Mersault possesses this attitude was after he was arrested for shooting the Arab 5 times. The magistrate asks him if he believes in God. â€Å"But he cut me off and urged me on one last time, drawing himself up to his full height and asked me if I believed in God. I said no. He sat down indignantly. He said it was impossible; all men believed in God, even those who have turned their backs on him. That was his belief, and if he were to ever doubt it, his life would be meaningless. † The Stranger page 69. This quote is a perfect example that even after he has murdered a man, Mersault still maintains that same attitude towards everything and he remains unchanged. You would think that especially after the fact that he murdered someone, he would have changed his attitude a little bit or that maybe he would have had some kind of revelation and he would realize that he has done something terribly wrong. However none of this occurs with Mersault and he continues to be himself and does not change anything about himself and that he retrieves nothing from his actions and that it plays no role in his exile. Though both of the themes of loss and retrieval may seem like they play a role in Mersault’s exile in the story, I do not believe they do. I believe that Mersault’s attitude is the cause of the exile he experiences. When one has a â€Å"I don’t care or believe in much†, you can easily be separated and apart from the world. Had Mersault cared more about certain things or had he shown more interest in them, I believe he would not have encountered any type of exile in the story. But when you constantly see phrases like: I don’t know, I don’t care, I don’t believe etc. you get the idea that the person saying those phrases is in some kind of exile from everyone else. Mersault is clearly responsible for his own exile in this story due to his attitude towards things. Loss and retrieval do not play a role in the exile that Mersault experiences and everything that he encounters and endures is because of his attitude and nothing to do with the thought of whether or not he lost something and retrieved something. If Mersault were to ask himself: Why are these things happening to me and why do I seem to be separated form everyone else? All he would have to do is look in the mirror and he would see the cause of everything that he has gone through. While Mersault is in prison, he talks about how he misses certain things of life on the outside of prison and how he feels separated. My response to Mersault would be: If you had a sense of caring or interest in things, maybe you wouldn’t be here in prison in the first place and maybe you also wouldn’t feel exiled and separated from everyone else. How to cite The Stranger, Essay examples

Chasing a High free essay sample

My life used to be so different. I often found myself sitting at home thinking about my presence on earth and what my purpose was. Not only was I curious, I was frustrated. Frustrated that my peers were deeply enthralled in their own spiritual lives but here I was left to figure it all out myself. So, I took it as a challenge to learn more about myself and to discover the deeper meaning of life. Being a very independent person, I brought it upon myself to embrace faith although I was brought up so strongly without it. It all started in a car with one of the most influential people in my life whether he knows it or not, my basketball coach Joe. I found myself sitting his car on the way home from a strenuous basketball game in which he would strongly criticize me, but never too much to handle. We will write a custom essay sample on Chasing a High or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Suddenly, the thought of asking him about his spiritual life swiftly filled my mind, but I blew it off, thinking to myself it was just one of my many errant thoughts. As we came to the next light a few minutes later the thought arose in my head again, and when the light turned green, I vividly remember passing a baptist church. At that point, I knew that my thought wasnt just a random occurrence so anxiously I asked How did you start to become a believer of any faith?, his response is one Ill never forget. He went on to tell me how his parents got divorced and he grew up in a Catholic family and how his life was at an all time low when he decided to believe in any faith related teachings. He then asked for my permission to pray for me, although we were sitting in the car together, which, uneasily I said sure. It was in this moment that I realized I had a special connection with a God. A feeling of the most filling warmth entered my heart and it was something Ive never felt before, w ith my eyes beginning to water I reflected on my life and what I wanted to be and who I was now. From that point on in my life, Ive been chasing that feeling of warmth. Ive been helping out in the community, talking to people, giving advice, and most importantly trying to better myself. Although many feelings of a high are usually drug related and cause negative impacts on your life, this feeling that Im chasing is one that has had such a positive impact on my life and brought me to a higher level of character. The longing I feel everyday for that feeling continues to push me to be the best I can be and more importantly be filled with a new spirituality that propels me to become that person Ive always wanted to be.

White Noise By Don DeLillo Essays - Postmodern Theory, White Noise

White Noise By Don DeLillo Just how much does television shape our perception of the world around us? Don DeLillo's post modernistic novel, White Noise, offers one view concerning the huge impact television has on our lives and how it shapes our observations of the world. The television in this book is portrayed almost as a character due to its importance in the individuals' lives. White Noise contains the message that the amount of television coverage determines the importance of an event. An example of this is when the refugees from the toxic cloud feel let down when they only rate ?fifty-two words by actual count- no film footage, no live report" (161) in the news. A man ponders, ?Isn't fear news (161). Jack's ex-wife, Tweedy, is shocked to find that the passengers of a plane which almost crashed "went through all that for nothing" since "there is no media in Iron City" (92). To the characters in the novel, only media coverage brings an event into existence. Television shapes the characters' behavior in White Noise. During the ?airborne toxic event?, the Gladney family attempts to keep up with the currently reported symptoms caused by the event. The symptoms that Steffie and Denise suffer from during the toxic spill are forgotten immediately after they are told by the television that they should be experiencing the effects of ?d?j? vu?. The submissive obeying of the citizens of Blacksmith illustrates the controlling power of the television. The characters try to think as the television has told them they should. They feel betrayed when certain aspects of their lives do not fit in to their beliefs based on what they see in the media. Jack complains to his wife, Babette, "these things happen to poor people who live in exposed areas. ... I'm a college professor. Did you ever see a college professor rowing a boat down his own street in one of those TV floods? ... These things don't happen in places like Blacksmith" (114). Because Jack has only seen disasters on television, he cannot imagine the airborne toxic event happening to him in reality. The characters' expectations are defined by the influence of the television in White Noise. Television also impacts the characters' powers of imagination, and makes them imitate what they view. An example of this is when a random woman on the street only appears as a ?real? person to Jack after he pictures her "in a soup commercial" (22). One important function of television in the novel is to manipulate the characters' minds. The loss of reality is another negative effect television is responsible for. This is best seen in the example where the Gladney family comes across Babette's face on TV, as the local station is televising her posture class. At the sight of her, Jack and the children are immediately speechless and confused. They feel that the short-lived image has been somehow transferred to Babette. Jack states, "she was shining a light on us, she was coming into being, endlessly being formed and reformed as the muscles in her face worked at smiling and speaking, as the electronic dots swarmed" (104). The non-permanence of her image on television also emphasizes Babette's own mortality. At first Jack wonders whether he is watching "her spirit, her secret self, some two-dimensional facsimile released by the power of technology" (104). To her family, Babette appears "distanced, sealed off, timeless" (104), taking on the characteristics of the television. It seems as if the real Babette is not as important as her image of ?electrons and photons? (104) on the television. Television is used as a family bonding time for the Gladney family. On Friday nights, Babette has made it a rule for the whole family to watch together while eating take-out Chinese food. She believes that, ?the effect would be to de-glamorize the medium in their eyes, make it a wholesome domestic sport. Its narcotic undertow and eerie diseased brain-sucking power would be gradually reduced?(16). Communication takes place through the television rather than through human interaction. The family only comes together while watching disasters on television. Jack's colleague's reasoning for this bonding activity is, ?we're suffering from brain fade? we need a catastrophe to break up the incessant bombardment of information (66)?. Another co-worker states that ?a forest fire on TV is on a lower plane than a ten-second spot for Automatic Dishwasher All (67)?. He suggests that commercials have a greater impact on the viewers than a disaster. Our society is desensitized to tragedies, such as murders, and not fully impacted by

Free Essays on On The Departure Of My Guest

â€Å"On The Departure of My Guest† Have you ever missed someone so much that everything in your house reminds you of them? Have you ever missed someone so much to the point that they are always on your mind and you love that person so much it is too hard to let go? From a personal experience, I can say that I have missed someone that much. Ms. Julie Kane writes about this exact subject in â€Å"On the Departure of My Guest† in her book Rhythm and Booze. The poem explains how this ladies guest has left her and he has left little things behind to remind her of him. As I read this poem, it became more evident that this lady really missed this man. From what I could tell it was either her husband or her boyfriend. I could not tell whether he left for good or to go on business. To me, this poem is about love and how much you love a person. Love is such a strong word but it has such great meaning. Just saying the word love makes me warm and funny inside because I am in love and I know what the feeling is like. Many p eople fall in love and often lose those loved ones. Losing a loved one can be tough and sometimes people never really overcome losing that person. Everyone loses loved one and everyone will eventually overcome losing that loved one. Ms. Kane describes things she finds around her house to remind her of him. She does things that they used to do to remind her of him. How many people find themselves looking for things to remind them of their loved ones? In the beginning of the poem, she says â€Å"I search my house late Sunday afternoon making a list of what he’s forgotten† (Kane 62). I can take this two ways: she was purposely looking around her house to find things he left or she accidentally stumbled upon them. How Ms. Kane describes the first stanza, it seems to me that she was purposely looking for the things he has forgotten. Have you ever caught yourself doing that? I know from personal experience that when I lost my lov... Free Essays on On The Departure Of My Guest Free Essays on On The Departure Of My Guest â€Å"On The Departure of My Guest† Have you ever missed someone so much that everything in your house reminds you of them? Have you ever missed someone so much to the point that they are always on your mind and you love that person so much it is too hard to let go? From a personal experience, I can say that I have missed someone that much. Ms. Julie Kane writes about this exact subject in â€Å"On the Departure of My Guest† in her book Rhythm and Booze. The poem explains how this ladies guest has left her and he has left little things behind to remind her of him. As I read this poem, it became more evident that this lady really missed this man. From what I could tell it was either her husband or her boyfriend. I could not tell whether he left for good or to go on business. To me, this poem is about love and how much you love a person. Love is such a strong word but it has such great meaning. Just saying the word love makes me warm and funny inside because I am in love and I know what the feeling is like. Many p eople fall in love and often lose those loved ones. Losing a loved one can be tough and sometimes people never really overcome losing that person. Everyone loses loved one and everyone will eventually overcome losing that loved one. Ms. Kane describes things she finds around her house to remind her of him. She does things that they used to do to remind her of him. How many people find themselves looking for things to remind them of their loved ones? In the beginning of the poem, she says â€Å"I search my house late Sunday afternoon making a list of what he’s forgotten† (Kane 62). I can take this two ways: she was purposely looking around her house to find things he left or she accidentally stumbled upon them. How Ms. Kane describes the first stanza, it seems to me that she was purposely looking for the things he has forgotten. Have you ever caught yourself doing that? I know from personal experience that when I lost my lov...

Communication Problems in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communication Problems in Business - Essay Example Let me start with the latter issue because of its great importance. Imagine 300 people from several dozens of countries talking in different languages, exchanging diverse cultures and dissimilar professional experience — now you can see the problem: how could be the same information delivered to all members of the conference with the acceptable level of comprehension? The problem must be solved using two means: proper language use and no jargon. Modern technology allows us to use multiple simultaneous interpreters translating a report do lots of different languages at a time. Use of jargon is a more dangerous issue because many specialists often underestimate its true harm. To ensure clarity of the information presented at the conference, it must be checked for omitting slangy terms, which vary greatly from place to place and therefore can be a disaster to understanding. The next issue to be considered is the urgency of the information. Needless to say, people invited to the c onference expect to hear something new and useful. It is as important as the urgent information told in time in the internal company environment. Therefore we must make sure that our conference won’t be a museum-like into the past of fibre optics. Finally, the comprehensiveness of the information relates to the level of trust our company deserves. It is often a sad fact when a business implements greater secrecy than it is needed. Oppositely, â€Å"many organizations are now considering a relatively new philosophy called Open Book Management for this very reason.

Questions to be answered Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Questions to be answered - Essay Example If this freezer breaks down due to poor maintenance it will cost them money to repair or replace the broken freezer. Either way, the restaurant needs to have the freezer fixed or replaced in order to keep the products from spoilage and to let the restaurant fully operate. That is why it will cause the restaurant expense if proper maintenance isn’t observed. Second is wastage of resources, for example, ice creams in the restaurant needs to be stored in the freezer to prevent it from melting, if the freezer is broken due to damage or improper maintenance, it will cause the ice cream to melt, and once the ice cream has melted it cannot be served to the guest during the restaurant’s operation, thus causing the restaurant wastage of resources. Third is disruption and inconvenience, for example, if the guest in the restaurant orders an ice cream and the freezer is broken due to damage and improper maintenance as stated above, it will cause disruption and inconvenience to both the guest and restaurant because the order of the guest will be delayed and the restaurant might need to order the ice cream from another outlet causing disruption and inconvenience because of poor maintenance of the equipment. Fourth is erosion of image and reputation, for example, if the restaurant has poor maintenance in their building causing water leaks from the roof and cracks from the wall and allowing termites to crawl out of it, it will give the guest a very bad dining experience and they could also share their unpleasant experience with their friends who are potential customers, thus causing the restaurant’s erosion of image and reputation. Therefore, proper maintenance should always be observed to prevent these consequences from happening. Life cycle costing determines the present value of an asset during its operating life and its end life from initial capital cost, occupation costs and operating costs. It is beneficial to take this approach when managing maintenance because

Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Global Warming - Essay Example Sun is a continuous source of energy for our earth and its energy reaches the earth in form of electromagnetic radiations. A part of these radiations is absorbed by the outer atmosphere of the earth while the remaining is allowed to enter the lower atmosphere where life exists. The radiations reaching the lower atmosphere are the main source of energy for the organisms living here. Plants absorb this energy and convert it into chemical form which then supports the entire food chain. Humans have also learnt various methods to harness this energy to fulfill their requirements. The part of energy not utilized by humans or plants falls on different parts of dry land and oceans around the world. A very small amount of this energy is absorbed while most of it is reflected back into the atmosphere. The 30% of total energy is reflected back to the sun by the atmosphere and land. The remaining 70% which is initially absorbed by earth either leaves through direct radiation or through conductio n and convection of adjacent layers of air or through the latent heat of vaporization absorbed during cloud formation. Hence almost all the heat absorbed initially by earth is reflected back to the atmosphere. This heat energy which enters the atmosphere should ideally leave the atmosphere through radiation into the outer space. This natural process keeps the temperature of the earth stable within a certain range. Recently, due to human activity, the amount of gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and hydrocarbons in the atmosphere has increased substantially.