Literature Analysis

The Stranger 

- Albert Camus

1. Summary: The novel begins with the main character, Meursault's mother dying, and he has to go to her funeral. He returns to Algiers and goes on a date with a Marie, who is his co-worker. Meursault then runs into his neighbor, Raymond, and they have dinner. Raymond tells Meursault that his girlfriend when he found out she was cheating on him. He said that her brother and him fought over it. Meursault is asked to help Raymond get his girlfriend back by writing her a letter. Raymond then gets arrested for beating his girlfriend, and Meursault has to speak on his behalf. While at the beach, Raymond, Meursault and Marie see his girlfriends brother, and they fight again and this time Raymond gets badly wounded by a stabbing. .Raymond, furious, wants to shoot her brother but Meursault calms him down. Later on however, Meursault ends up shooting her brother and kills him. Meursault is arrested and imprisoned. He is then encouraged to turn his life around and accept God into his life. Meursault actually grows ti like his life in prison, and realizes that there is no real meaning to life anyways. He seems depressed, however and spends most of his time lying around and sleeping. The judge finds him guilty of the crime and is not impressed with meursaults morals. He is then sentenced with the death penalty of being beheaded. The novel ends with Meursault accepting that his life had no reasoning or meaning, and he dies with that comforting him. 

2. Theme: The sooner you accept that life has no meaning, the happier you will be. You cannot dig to deep under the surface of life. 

3. The author's tone is mundane, depressing, and carefree.

 For example, "Mother died today. Or, maybe, yesterday; I can't be sure."

"It seemed to me that the idea behind it was still further to exclude me from the case, to put me off the map... by substituting the lawyer for myself."

"Anyway, it hardly mattered; I already felt worlds away from this courtroom and its tedious 'proceedings.'"

4. Five literary elements/techniques: characterization, syntax, foreshadowing, understatements, and the overall message. 

The theme was portrayed by the characters personalities of being so carefree and nonchalant.  "And so, with that crisp, whip crack sound, it all began. I shook off my sweat and the clinging veil of light. I knew I'd shattered the balance of the day, the spacious calm of this beach on which I had been happy. But I fired four shots more into the inert body, on which they left no visible traces. And each successive shot was another loud, fateful rap on the door of my undoing."

The choice of words that were used by the author created a character with little structure that helped me realize that they were little meaning to what they said. It was more about their actions. "When leaving, I very nearly held out my hand and said, 'Good-by'; just in time I remembered that I'd killed a man."

"I caught myself thinking what an agreeable walk I could have had, if it hadn't been for Mother." Also, "Now, in the full glare of the morning sun, with everything shimmering in the heat haze, there was something inhuman, discouraging, about this landscape."

In the beginning when Meursault's mother dies, it made me appreciate what I jadm and also how little attention he gave that subject. He didn't mention it much, and  I think he shot Raymond's enemy because he was angry and did not know how to deal with his problems correctly. 

Great Expectations

Big Question

When asked what their objective in life is, most people would organize their ideas around the desire to be happy. Happiness, being such a broad term, often has many various meanings to people with different values. I intend to touch on the real meaning of the word happiness; is it something that can be obtained overtime, or is it within all along? Digging deeper into the roots of this heavy question will help me produce an answer that is satisfying. My goal is to find out what really makes people happy, whether that is emotion based, or tangible items. I will organize this study by questioning a group of people about what brings happiness to them. This is how I can uncover what makes people content. I will also conduct an experiment where I ask people that question while they are experiencing a form of stress, to see if it affects their answer.

To being with this big question, I needed to do some research on what happiness really is to people. According to “The Science of Hapiness”, happiness is “understandable, obtainable, and teachable.” Everywhere we go, whether that’s a bookstore, internet, or media, there are thousands of remedies that supposedly “cure human misery.” The Science of Hapiness suggests that the scientific method should be used in determining people’s happiness. Simply put, happiness is largely affected by the way people think and behave. 

In this economy, people are struggling to put food on they table for their family and it affects the household. People are on edge because of work issues, and it can take a tole on their happiness. However, there are families out there that are struggling money wise, but they remain happy. Why is this? Is the happiness inside of them or do materialistic things bring this to them? The problem with this question is that some people do not want to admit what really brings them happiness. Some are so focused on the money and tangible objects, that they forget about what really matters in life. 

We often hear people say money cannot buy happiness. It sounds a little cliche, but scientists are proving that statement true. According to the “Science of Happiness”, there are 6 areas of consensus that affect one’s ability to be happy. 

The first detail is Relationships. People with many friends and close friendships are usually the happiest. Whether it’s one friend, or ten, having those special bonds are crucial to being happy. Having people to share your feelings and interests with can greatly impact self esteem, which builds happiness. Studies show that people are the least happy when they are alone. And another study showed that people who are willing to cooperate and engage with others, are particularly happy in what they are doing. 

Next is Caring. People who volunteer and give back to the community feel a sense of importance because they have the satisfaction that they care for others and can change lives. This is where the “money can’t buy happiness” comes in. People who help others are usually not being paid for it, especially if they are random acts of kindness. This is a major key in defining happiness. “The majority of studies agree that there is a very significant association between volunteering and psychological well-being.” As people grow and mature, caring becomes a bigger part of their lives because they see the reward in it that younger people might not catch on to. 

Have you ever noticed that you feel great after a nice long run or exercise? Regular Exercise has been proven to significantly relieve stress and boost mental confidence. It not only brings happiness, but relieves depression. The Cochrane Review (the mose influential medical review in its kind) has conducted 23 studies on exercise an how it affects depression. This study was shown to have  a “large clinical impact” and reduce depression. Exercise causes the brain to release a good amount of dopamine, which are organic chemicals that basically make you feel good. 

A Flow is a joyful state where you feel deeply involved in a certain activity or goal. One way of being happy, according to scientists, is to engage in challenging activities that require certain skills. For example, chess is a good way to applying a “flow”. When you feel so consumed by what you’re doing that you forget what time it is, you are in a flow. When you are so absorbed in an activity that you forget all around you, this is a state of Flow.    CSIKSENTMIHAYLI’S RESEARCH concludes that people get more happiness out of creating something than they do with the overall finished product. For example, people might be more content rebuilding a new car, then they are when it is all finished. This state of Flow brings people out of the box and into a world where they are consumed in happiness.

Many people have rituals or “Spiritual Engagement” that has a close relation to happiness. This can be faith, social support, community service, friendship commitment, etc. How often do you hear someone say that they committed to a religion or spiritual practice primarily to become happier? Many people choose this route because it gives them something to latch onto that can give them comfort. Church groups and other organizations gives people a sense of belongingness that brings a sense of happiness. 

“Strengths and Virtues”  are the next key insights into becoming a happier person. People who feel like they have a purpose in life are feeling good about themselves because they achieve goals that bring them confidence. Studies by experts in the Positive Psychology illustrate that “the happiest people are those that have discovered their unique strengths (such as persistence and critical thinking) and virtues (such as humanity or justice) and use those strengths and virtues for a purpose that is greater than their own personal goals.”’

The final tool into becoming happier is “Positive Thinking”.  This is probably the most important step because without the right mindset, nothing will ever be achieved. Optimism and gratitude play a big role in the road to happiness. People who are grateful for what they have show a positive emotion that is reflected onto people around them. In return this gives the individual more friends, which leads to more happiness. “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” With a change of mind comes a change of heart, and therefore can lead to a happier and more productive life. 

The Big Question: Abstract

When asked what their objective in life is, most people would organize their ideas around the desire to be happy. Happiness, being such a broad term, often has many various meanings to people with different values. I intend to touch on the real meaning of the word happiness; is it something that can be obtained overtime, or is it within all along? Digging deeper into the roots of this heavy question will help me produce an answer that is satisfying. My goal is to find out what really makes people happy, whether that is emotion based, or tangible items. I will organize this study by questioning a group of people about what brings happiness to them. This is how I can uncover what makes people content. I will also conduct an experiment where I ask people that question while they are experiencing a form of stress, to see if it affects their answer.

Please leave any helpful comments or criticisms.
Thanks!