Journal 19: Stranger Thesis

 Thesis: Albert Camus expresses his philosophy  of existentialism in The Stranger by contrasting the colors black and white to demonstrate the difference between society's standards and Mersault's personal desires.

Journal 18: Personal Response to the Stanger

Thesis: Albert Camus expresses his world philosophy in "The Stranger" by contrasting the colors black and white to demonstrate the difference between society's standards and Mersault's personal desires

The Stranger: I think the Stranger has many literary values. The way the sentences are short and choppy adds a clarification element to the tone of the overall story. This not only helps us understand the main character Mersault but also the overall society in which he lives. Camus uses symbols and motifs such as time, colors ( red, black and white), the sun and sleep to further describe the emotions Mersaults goes through. I think that Mersaults is actually a very emotional person and because of this he is very closed off and is more hidden with his actions. I also find it interesting how much Camus includes his own personal beliefs into his writting, His view of life along with existentialism is expressed all throughout the book and I really liked that. I think that Mersault is a deeper character then first impressions give off. This book gives the oppertunity to analyse and interprut in your own way.
Overall I realy enjoyed this book and that it is a good book for all high school students to read.

Journal 17: Thesis for The Stranger

Thesis: Albert Camus expresses his world philosophy in "The Stranger" by contrasting the colors black and white to demonstrate the difference between society's standards and Mersault's personal desires.


Quotations:

1. "I still had to go up to Emanuel place to borrow a black tie and an arm band..." page 4
2. "Near the casket was on Arab nurse in a white smock" page 6
3. "It's customary I have to go get some chairs and some black coffee" page 9
4. " The glare on white walls was making me drowsy" page 9
5.  " I noticed right away that the screws on the casket had been tightened and that there were four men wearing black in the room [...] From there everything haappened so quickly" page 14
6. "The blood-red earth spilling over Maman's casket, the white flesh of the roots mixed with it" page 18
7. " A long gray moustache and lots of thick almost white hair" page 18
8. " Once we were dressed, she seemed very surprised to see I was wearing a balck tie and she asked me if I was in mourning" page 20
9. " Celeste was there, as always, with his big belly, his apron and his white moustache" page 26
10.  " I wanted her so bad when I saw her in that pretty red and white stripped dress and leather sandals" page 34
11.  " She had put on a white linen dress and let her hair down. I told her she was beutiful and she laughed with delight" page 47
12.  " He had on blue trousers and a white short sleve shirt. But he'd put on a staw hat, which made Marie laugh, and his forarms were all white under the balck hairs." page 47
13. ".. small houses behind green or white fences" page 49
14.  " On the horizon, a tiny steamer went by, and I made out the black for from the corner of my eye because I hadn't stopped watching the Arab" page 58
15. "Despite the heat ( I was in my shirt sleeves), he had on a dark suit, a wing collar, and an odd-looking tie with broad black and white stripes." page 64
16.  " He took out a silver crucifix which he brandished as he came towards me ...." page 68
17.  " Marie was surrounded by Moorish woman and found herself between two visitors: a little, thin-lipped old woman dressed in black and a fat, barheaded woman who was talking at the top of her voice and making lots of gestures." page 73
18.  "Three judges, two in black, the third in red, entered with files in hand abd walked briskly to the rostrum which dominated the room. On of them however, much younger then the others wearing gray flannels and a blue tie[...] had left his pen laying in front of him and was looking at me." page 85

Journal 16: The Stranger Questions

Questions:


1. How does the sun symbolize Mersault's feeling and how is this effective?
2. Is Mersault's character truely that detached from emotion?  How so?
3.  How does Mersault's personality and world view change thoughout the book? Why do you think Camus wrote it this way?
4. Mersault has many different types of relationships, a family clossness to his mother, a friendship with Raymond and a physical relationship with Marie. However, how are all of these relationships held is such little emotion and feeling is shown?
5. Are the relationships between Mersault and his mother similar to the one of Salamano and his dog? If so, how?
6. Could Mersault be seen as a threat in the courtyard because he is so emotionally detached? Why is this?


My Comments:


- InTanner's blog: I think that by creating a character with a lack of motivation Camus revelas the choices one has to make in their life and that they have to choose in order to continue living in the future.
- In Tate's blog: In question number 4 Camus refers to the strange men as  "Arabs instead of using their own names. I belueve he does this because of two reasons. I believe firstly that we have no imformation about the other men and second that it creats a distance towards those characters.


- In Ivan's blog: In question two it is explained that Mersault's description of philosophy changes from part one to part two. I believe that it is based on the fact that in part one Mersault is relatively free to do and believe in whatever it is that he wants. This is contrary to part two when he is in jail and the court and society is surrounding him telling him what to do and what to believe in.


-In Matt's blog: To answer question one, the sun is related to Mersault's mood almost exactly. When Mersault is happy and with Marie, Camus descirbes the sun as positive and light. However, when Mersault is faced with conflict, for example before he shoots the Arab, he describes the sun pounding down on his head giving a more exagerated emphasis to his feeling of pain.


- In Anthony's blog: I agree that Marie is a contribution to the point that "life is pointless" in question 4. He does not seem to care about her or his serious relationship with her ( if they are married or not). This can be based on the philosophy of exestentialism and how everything the individual does is simply a choice.

Journal 15: Two parts

I think that Camus split the book into two parts for a variety of different reasons. I think that the first reason is to demonstrate the difference in emotions and actions Mersault takes before and after the murder of the Arab. Before the murder the book is very focused on Mersault's every day routines, the funeral of his mother and his desire for Marie. Something I noticed however was that in both the first and second part there is death. The book begins with the announcement of the death of his mother and his preceding actions. Camus describes, with a touch of ambiguity the way Mersault is dealing with his mothers death. To compare the Second part starts out with the preceding occurances of his shooting of the Arab.
I believe that The Stranger was also divided into to parts to further emphasize the intensity of the climax. Part one ends just as the shooting occurs, leaving the reader with a hook and a sense of suspense and desire to find out what Mersault's consequences will be. I think that splitting the book in two parts was a good structural choice for Camus to make while writting this book.

Journal 14: Questions on Chapter 6

Questions I had about Chapter 6

1. Why is the sun a simbol of Mersault's mood?
2. Does Mersault believe that Raymond is innocent?
3. Why are colors such as black and white used so often and what do they simbolize?
4. What is Mersault's true motivation to shoot. Is it because of Raymond or does it come from within?
5. Why does he call them Arab's each time instead of men or other descriptive words?
6. Is "funeral face" desciribed by Marie a forshadow of later events?

Journal 13: Philosophy

To start off I personally believe that no girl or boy can have their own life philosophy figured out at such a young age. I believe that in order to fully understand your own philosophy you must have lived a longer life and experienced and witnessed more. The more experience we have in life the more we can understand the things that happen around us.
My philosphy is called skepticalisticism of equality.

-  My philosophy is based on the questions I have asked myself and what I have thought to be the answers. God may or may not exist in this belief however, you are not judged based on your belief. In many religious beliefs many believe that if you do not believe in God you will end up in a horrible place. In this belief however if you are a good and honorable person you will not be punished. It is believe that regardless of what God, if any God you believe in if your actions are honorable that you will end up in a deserving place.
-  This philosophy also believes that everyone regardless of religion, race or sex deserve the same opportunities and chances to succeed. Regardless of economic status I believe that all children should receive the same amount and knowledge from their education. I think this is important because it would make life fairer and would decrease the amount of conflict between people about unfairness.
            - This also ties into regardless of how much money one has does not define how successful they are.
            - This also relates to everything living, human or animal should be treated with equality.
- In this philosophy everything is questioned; emotions, actions, and events. The concepts of science and math can be proven therefore it is easy to believe. But feelings and coincidences, things that cannot be explained are always to be questioned. If it cannot be proven there is always the possibility of disbelief.
-  I think that the way children are raised has a huge impact on their view of the world. Morals, not always religious are prominent in my belief. I have my views of what is right and wrong and I strongly believe it is based on the atmosphere in which I was raised. Most people if thinking like this as well will base their choices on what seems right to them.
-  I believe that it is always important to please others and always try my hardest to do what I believe will be right for them. Making others happy is an easy action for me to attempt even when my happiness is at risk.  Some believe that people help others to influence their own happiness, that really, helping others gives themselves benefit. However, if you are not happy with the results but are content in helping others is it really a selfish act? I think the reason they think it is selfish is because not everyone does what is best for others, because everyone thinks in their own way.

-  The element of trust is one that has to be earned. This is not always easy but benefits the individual. If trust is broken then it can be difficult for one to redeem that trust. However based on my previous points, I believe that if everyone is treated and equal and is honest about where they stand then there will not be any problem or trust and equality.

-  Work is important because one cannot be truly happy if they have not worked for their happiness. If one receives praise they will feel better knowing that they had to work and fail for that achievement rather than having it just is handed to them.

Journal 12: L'étranger

Question 1:
Based on the class discussion today I have a preference towards the Matthew Ward translation. I have read passages from the french version of this book and I strongly believe that Gilbert's translation looses the quality of the emotions in the story. For example, the first word of the book is "Maman". This is literally translated to mother or mommy in english. When Gilbert begins the book with "mother" instead of the french word i believe that it has both a positive and negative effect. By saying the word in english I believe that it gives the american reader a sense of closness to Mersault because we can relate to him. However, personally I believe that this is not Camus objective. I believe that the way he write is for us to intentionally not be able to relate to him making him more interesting and giving the novel an overall hook persuading us to continue reading.

Question 2:
The Stranger was originally written in French and was called L'étranger. This literally means the stranger or the one who does not belong. Because of this I think that "The Outsider" would be a better fitting title based on later events. Mersault is described as not fitting in and does not relate to many other people. He also had a social awkwardess and seemed to be socially and emotionally removed from all of the events that were going on. He seemed as if he were on the outside of everything giving me reason to choose The Outsider for a title. However I do also believe that The Stranger can apply because his un-attached persona did give him a strange quality, one that was hard for the average reader to understand.

Journal 11: Temes and Motifs in The Stranger written by Albert Camus

There are many different themes and motifs that I noticed throughout the novel when I was reading The Stranger. Here are the following things that I noticed:
- There is much more narration then dialogue.
- Marseau lives for materialistic objects.
- Sentences are brief and to the point.
- The motif of the sun and it's qualities is repeated throughout the book.

While reader The Stranger I have come up with a plan for tabbing. I will use a green tab to identify any possible themes. I will use a blue tab to identify any motifs or symbols such as the sun or sleep. Finally I plan on using pink tabs to identify the expectations or eeactions of characters.