3rd Paragraph

A life without a purpose matches the emptiness of prison.  Prison works perfectly for Meursault.  He has no goals he needs to accomplish, and nothing that he enjoys doing outside of prison.  He is merely living his life, and waiting for the day he dies.

2nd Paragraph

Meursault contains no emotional feelings, but he does have physical desires.  He feels no love for her, but he does have a physical lust because of her beauty.  When Marie asked if they would eventually marry, Meursault responded "It didn't make any difference to me"(50).  Because Meursault can satisfy his physical desires with her already, marriage would not change anything.  Even though he says this, Marie stays with him.  She must feel attached which contrast with Meursault.

1st Paragraph

Most people care about their family at least a little bit.  Although there are some exceptions.  Meursault does not care about anyone or have any feelings about anyone including his mother.  At his own mother's funeral he was more bothered by the heat than her death.  (Quote). He didn't even remember her own age.  After the funeral, Meursault showed no emotions.  He fully realized that he would never see his mother agin, but his detachment from everyone caused him to not care.  The next day, life was back to normal.  Without any feelings of depression from the previous day's funeral, Meursault starts having an affair with a woman.

Introduction

Most people have goals they desire to accomplish in their lives.  Meursault is an exception.  Throughout the The Stranger, Meursault shows little emotion, and he does not show any care for anything.   He does not have any love for anyone, and he has no goals in his life.  Meursault merely moves through life without thinking and does what is natural.  Life is meaningless for him.  Meursault seems to accept the emptiness of his life, and he does have any purpose.

Outline

Meursault seems to accept the emptiness of his life, and he does have any purpose.

Paragraph 1:  meursault does not care about anyone.  He is more bothered by the heat than his mother's death.

Paragraph 2:  meursault does not care about what happens to him.  He is just as happy to be in prison.  Because he has no goals he wants to accomplish, the fact that he is in prison does not bother him.

The Stranger Essay

Is Meursault happy with his detachment? Does he live without a purpose?

Meursault is detached from everyone else in the world.  He does not show emotions even when his mother died.  Although his life seems to be empty on the surface, there is a deeper meaning in his life.  He is content with living his life without a goal or purpose.  He changes throughout the novel, but the overall emptiness in his life remains the same.  He does not show any feelings toward anyone in the novel.

Translator's Note

Meursault appears simple though the short and concise sentences, but he is actually a complex man.  He may be hiding his emotions or pretending he does not have any.  When Marie asked him of he loved her he responded "it didn't mean anything but (he) didn't thnk so" (44).  He claims that he has no love for her, but he also says that his lack of love does not even matter.  Meursault believes Marie should not care that he does not love her.  He describes her reactions with the simple statement "she looked sad" (44).

The Stranger Style and Narration

Camus uses detailed descriptions in his writing.  When the narrator introduces character, he describes them before revealing their name.  This emphasizes the detachment that Meursault feels toward everyone in the novel.  He believes "nothing had changed" since his mother died (33).  The long descriptions and style reflect the detachment between him and everyone else including his mother.  Meursalt also rarely shows any emotion to anyone.

Comparing Sherlock Holmes and Darwin

Sherlock Holmes is written in fairly complex language, and this is similar to Darwin work which uses scientific language.  The purpose of Sherlock Holmes is for enjoyment, and to encourage people to think.  An element of uncertainty is emphasized when Holmes states "I drove along slowly, weighing in my own mind what it was best to do (96)".  Readers attempt to solve the mysteries while Sherlock Holmes does the same.  The Audience is adults.  Darwin's goal is to inform people about the existence if evolution and to state evidence.  Unlike Holmes it is not meant to entertain.  Although Darwin does, similarly to Sherlock Holmes, encourage people to think.  The audience is everyone willing to listen.  Both works are narrated with creates a personal atmosphere, but Darwin's language is much more descriptive and serious.  He writes "Believing that it is always best to study some special group, I have, after deliberation, taken up domestic pigeons (36)."  Sherlock Holmes is a collection of stories while Darwin merely states observations and facts.  Sherlock Holmes and On the Origin of Species are written in a distinct style, and they have several similarities and differences.  

Darwin and Genesis

The Bible describes the creation of mankind by telling a narrative, while Darwin uses scientific language and descriptions. The creation story in Genesis has a rythmic pattern, and multiple paragraphs start with the words "And God said."  This creates easy transitions between paragraphs.  Imagery is extensively used in Genesis.  Darwin's words are much more descriptive, and the tone is more serious.  He describes his beliefs, tries to convince people of the existence of evolution.  Darwin also relates his work to the bible, and says evolution does not contradict with the bible.  The rhythm in Darwin's work does not flow as smoothly.  These differences exist because the bible tells a story while Darwin merely states observations.

In Class Paragraph Analysis

The father is described as "healthy," but he does not work.  He is capable although he decides not to work.  "Sluggish" also indicates an attitude toward the father.  He has become lazy during his years without work.  The narrator reflects the attitudes of Gregor, the author, and the reader by emphasizing the different viewpoints.  The narrator uses direct quotes and descriptions to show Gregor's and Athe author's attitudes.  The use of metaphors and hidden meaning can be used by the reader to develop their own attitude and thought about the family.  Gregor believes his father "could not be expected to undertake too much." He believes his father has a justified excuse for his unemployment.  This leaves Gregor supporting the family by himself.  "Playing the violen" are Gregor's words as well.  He enjoys listening to his sister playing the violen, and he wants her to continue.  He is also thankful for all the help she has given him, but he doesn't want to "deprive of the life" that she has by taking up all her time.  Gregor's words allow the reader to discover his true attitude toward his family.

In Class Writing

Gregor physically turned into a vermin overnight, but he still grasps onto some human nature.  He is both a vermin and a human.  He still has the thoughts and feelings of a person.  His unconsious desires slowly become less human, but in the end he still maintains thoughts and emotional feelings.  Gregor's situation emphasizes that a person's outward appearance dos not necessarily reflect on their inward self.  People cannot be judged by how they look.  Gregor's metamorphosis is a metaphor that describes what many people face in life.  

Grgeor's human consciousness is revealed when he is drawn to his sister's violin music.  An animal would be emotionally affected by music of any kind, but Gregor is affected.  When listening to Grete playing, the "music captivated him" (45).  A true vermin would not have this connection to music.  Gregor retains his human feelings.

Gregor deeply loves his sister, but this does not mean his id is unleashed.  His family abandoned him.  His mother is scared at the sight of him, and his father despises and blames him for the family's problems.  Grete is the only connection he has to his family and to the human race as a whole.  Grete sees through his physical body, and she "would remain with him voluntarily" (45).  Although she did start to resent him as the novel progressed, she did not show these feeling to him.  Gregor is very thankful for all the work his sister has done, and he loves her for her caring nature.  Gregor is physically a vermin, but his is still emotionally human.

The Metamophosis pg 45

Gregor coninues to grow apart from his family.  They no longer want to interact with him or help him.  Gregor is also growing weaker and has several wounds, but no one is helping him recover.  Gregor has a strong desire to be human, and he wants to be close with his family again.  He is suffering with loneliness.  He is physically an insect but still has the emotions of a human.  Although this is changing as his mind is becoming less human over time.

Heart of Darkness Essay

Since the beginning of the year, my essays have steadily improved.  My Heart of Darkness essay was my best essay so far.  The essay was clear and had smooth transitions.  The essay also had a clear and defined main idea, and I developed this idea with great detail.  This is an improvement over my Austen and Hamlet essays which were not as clearly defined.  One thing I need to work on is my proofreading.  I made several careless grammatical errors in my writing.  Overall my writing process worked very well for my Heart of Darkness essay.

The Metamorphosis pg 35

Gregor continues becoming more like an insect rather than a person.  His behavior resembles that of an insect.  He also seems to be growing apart from his family who no longer treat him like their own.  They take away all the furniture in his room.  At first he likes this, but he soon realizes that this represents his distance from humanity.  He develops the ability to climb walls.  Gregor seems to feel saddened over all that has happened to him.  

Group Discussion

At first Gregor does not fully understand what has happened.  Eventually Gregor accepts the fact that he is a giant insect, but he doesn't realize his life has completely changed.  He can no longer speak to others and support his family.  He is now physiclly limited in his ablilities.  Everyone is scared of him as well.  Gregor is closest to his sister, but even she has trouble accepting that he is an insect.  Gregor has an unstable relationship with his father, and Gregory's new form does not help their relationship improve.

The Metamorphosis

The beginning of The Metamorphosis starts the protagonist, Gregor, laying in bed.  The first line indicates that he turned into a giant insect overnight which is symbolic.  He also overslept and is late for work.  He feels discouraged about getting up and going to work, but his manager shows up at his house.  Gregory's family and boss all come to his door to make sure he is alright.  The tone of the first 25 pages is slightly depressing.  Gregor feels overburdened with everything that occurs in his life, and he questions why everyone seems to want to bother him.

Seminar

I thought the Socratic seminar worked well.  Everyone got involved, and many questions were asked. The groups resolved the questions that were asked.

2nd body paragraph

Marlow travels through a psychological journey, and this experience is like a nightmare with no consequences .  Marlow is deeply emotionally effected by the trauma he experiences.  The outcome is similar to a soldier suffering with post traumatic stress disorder.  He is unconsciously  drawn toward Kurtz.  Kurtz has a brutal and predatory nature, and he maintains an uncaring nature.  He is selfish and does not care about the effects of his actions towards others.  Marlow is from Victorian England and is not used to this type of person, but Marlow's inner darkness causes him to uncounsiously desire to become like the more free willed Kurtz.  Marlow secretly wishes he did not care about the well being of others.

1st body paragraph

Marlow experiences a difficult physical journey as he travels along the river into the darkness of the jungle. Along the way he encouters many troubles with locals and questions imperialism.  After witnessing it's horrors and damaging effects, Marlow starts to crack and realizes that imperialism must end.  Everything he sees deeply effects him.   (quote line which references the horrors he experiences) During this time Marlow is traveling towards Kurtz, and this is a metaphor for his emotional desire to be like Kurtz.  Kurtz is a selfish man who does not care about the effects his actions have on others.  This experience is also emotionally hard for him, and it leads to another venture.  The physical journey parallels with the psychological journey that Marlow endures.

Intro

Marlow goes through a physical journey and a psychological one.  He encounters problems with both.  He runs into actual danger and discovers the darkness inside him.  Marlow physically journeys into the the darkness of the jungle, but this parallels a psychological  journey that he experiences as he explores his inner darkness.

Heart of Darkness and Frederick Karl

Karl writes how the ideas presented in Conrad's Heart of Dakrness accurately describe the real world.  He states at the bottom of pg 126 "the Congo is a microcosm of the great world in which those who can, plunder those who cannot."  People are naturally greedy and take advantage over those who are weak.  All men have a desire for power.

Heart of Darkness Essay Brainstorming

Heart of Darkness reveals the dark side of human nature.  The novel correlates with Freud's theories about the inner darkness in people.  Murfin and Karl explore and expand on the ideas shown in Conrad's novel.  People always seek power and dominance over others.  Civilized people repress their inner desires to conform to society.

College Reading

The majority of students in high school do not read books besides the ones assigned to them from school.  I used to read all the time before I got to high school.  Towards the end of middle school I started to get bored of reading and stopped.  High school students need to be more prepared for the college reading.   Students should read more in high school in order to get used to the amount of work they are going to have in college.  Students need to develop their reading skills before they get overburdened with the heavy workload in colleges.

Heart of Darkness and Freud

Freud's work relates to the Heart of Darkness.  Freud believes people will always pursue their inner desires.  He implies that people have a dark nature.  This is prevalent in the Heart of Darkness.  In the novel people pursue their goals without regard to others.  Freud believes people are inherently selfish, and this is prevalent in the the Heart of Darkness.  There seems to be constant violence and evil.

Freud

Freud holds some beliefs that seem extreme to me.  Some of his views on the sexual nature of people are disturbing.

Tone of the Heart of Darkness

The first pages of Heart of Darkness foreshadow the rest of the book, and a dark tone is emphasized.  Vivid imagery is also described.  The descritiption of the dark sky is an example of this.  Overall the descriptions are fairly calm.