April 23, 2018 - April 27, 2018 A.P. English Literature Agenda

Monday, April 23rd:
Special Block Schedule

Existentialism – Jean Paul Sartre

Existentialism was very fashionable in the 50’s but few who professed to be existentialists  actually knew what it was.  Most thought it meant being a beatnik, wearing berets and smoking cigarettes, but it is, in fact, one of the most austere of philosophies.

According to Jean-Paul Sartre,  existence precedes essence”. We determine who we are, what we do, what we aspire to become.

A knife’s purpose is clear by its very shape, construction, etc. If the blade is removed, then it is no longer a knife. A person who constructs a paper cutter will not construct a paper cutter without a clear idea of how it will be used.

However, when we are born, we determine what we will do and what we will become by our actions.

We are responsible for what we become. We are not a paper cutter and no one made us with the idea of what we will do or what we will become. We choose that.  

We are responsible for ourselves and what we will become.

We are also responsible for our sisters and our brothers, and for all human kind – by our actions.

Anguish is the feeling the commander has when s/he must send the troops into combat, knowing that some will not return.

Groups

#1:

Danya, Carter, Angela, Matteo

Question 1:

How does the example of a paper cutter clarifies the distinction between a human made object and a human?

Matteo – the name itself declares its purpose.

A child is first born and then through its own actions, creates its essence.

#2:

Alexis, William, Oscar, Jefferson, Roland
Why do you think the last sentence is an important one? What is subjectivity? Man is responsible for himself but also for all humanity.

William: Every decision a person makes can have a profound effect on others.

#3:

Manuel, Kais, Zane, Brandy, Leslie

How does this sentence relate to anguish  - “He is responsible for others.”

Zane: He uses the military officer as an example. The decision made by a commanding officer to send his troops into combat will not only affect himself but the men.

#4

Blanca, Elizabeth, Andrea, Jennifer, Aliyyah,

What does Sartre mean when he says that man is condemned to be free?

Aliyyah – that we didn’t ask to be born but what we become is up to us.

We are far more free than we realize. However, we have to live with the consequences of our actions.

Checked out The Stranger 
The compare and contrast essay on the two excerpts from Frankenstein - one in which the monster speaks to Walton and the other in which Frankenstein speaks to Walton - will be due on Tuesday, April 24th.

Tuesday, April 24th: 

Please read W.T. Stace's "Man Against the Darkness" and answer the questions 1 - 5. Please incorporate the questions into your answers.

You may work on your compare and contrast essay on Frankenstein which is due tonight at 11:59.

Please read the first chapter of The Stranger and write a brief summary and a character and thematic analysis of the chapter.

Friday, April 27th: 

Read Reinhold Niebuhr's "Existentialism"; answer the questions 1 - 5
Watch Crash Course Lit The Stranger 
Watch video on Albert Camus