My Sick Day, Take Two

World Literature. Wed, Oct 22nd, 2008 at 10:21 am

Themes: Discussion, The Stranger, Things Fall Apart

This is just getting annoying.

Because I was not present for your discussion yesterday (which I heard was excellent; you all rock. Truly.), I can only guess how far you got, so here’s the plan:

Finish the questions from yesterday (if you missed any).
Take a closer look at the final lines of the book:

Why does Mersault want to be “rid . . . of hope”?
What is “the gentle indifference of the world”? Does this explain his attitude toward his trial, the death of his mother, the help from other people, etc?
He wants “a large crowd of spectators” to “greet [him] with cries of hate” at his execution?! Discuss.

How does this tie into our theme of identity? That is, how do you think Meursault (spelled it incorrectly yesterdayâ€”my bad) would identify himself? Better yet, what if Okonkwo, Holden Caulfield, Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway, Eugene Henderson, Meursault, and Viktor Frankl met? (J. VDW and E. Mc, insert your main character’s names into the list.)

Start with Frankl. What makes a man’s life meaningful? If you’re reading Man’s Search for Meaning, briefly explain Frankl’s philosophy on meaning. If you’re not, discuss how your character would react to this philosophy.
As a group, decide which of your characters have similar outlooks on life, and who does not. I’ll get you started: If Okonkwo met Henderson (same continent; different times, different locations, but bear with me), it would probably end in bloodshed. Henderson’s, that is. Though he seemed to get along well with King Dhafu, right? Hmm…

If you finish this (you won’t, but I’d like to mention this anyway), begin working on your essay topics. We have around two weeks left in the session, so I recommend starting now. Send me an email with your ideas if you want/need help.

I’ll see you all tomorrow. Even if I have to set up a webcam, I’ll see you tomorrow.