Intro

In Camus's "The Stranger", the author does more then write a novel. Seemingly so, he under develops characters characteristics, personalities, and movements. The main character Marsault has come off as someone who expressionless. Throughout the novel Marsault never opens up. He is a stand still, flat being who does not give the reader the excitement and yet is able to unravel the entire story through his descriptions and great detail. Camus's writing style allows him as the author to develop Marsault's character and give feeling, ironically enough, but still being able to use him as a main focus towards great detail because he ingeniously masks Marsault's rambling for narrative break down, giving the story great depth in short fragmented style. ( unique style, reader outside his comfort zone)

Paragraph 2

Camus writing style is very different to say the least. He seemingly writes in a way where all different kinds of readers can understand. He draws attention not only because of the great detail into each sentence but how he writes the sentences. Camus mimics a fragmented style that seems to connect with the reader towards a more personal level. He is able to bring out the story into a vivid reality essentially allowing the reader to live the story.  The fragmented style is really similar to the way we speak in real life and allows to read the story out loud and really keep the flow going by making the story very impersonal.

Paragraph 1

Camus expands the book by writing in short sentences. He seems to get his points across with more flow because he doesn't have random bulkiness clouding his main points and details. He sets Marsault as an emotionless being. We as the reader are shown that Marsault is a flat line and doesn't give us anything in the way he feels. As the reader we now take the emotions upon ourselves and live the book. As frustrating as it can be for some I believe it is an ingenious use of writing by Camus. Using short sentences, in a fragmented style, in away mimics our thoughts and the way we actually speak.  While many readers get easily frustrated with the author or main character for lack of focus or feeling, I feel that this is Camus's point.  He tries to set us off into a journey within the book and he does exquisitely so by creating the most detailed fictional world.  He has Marsault explain everything extremely vividly whether it be what he doesn't feel or what he does with his own hands by committing murder.  From start to finish, Camus writes everything in descriptive detail, an example being the constant presence of heat, sun, and red, let it be blood or something else, when the Arabs are always near Marsault.  As a result of such strict attention to detail Camus is even able to blind/hide the reader from the fact that Marsault never feels an emotion, making him seem unable to be explored and completely unsocial character, but all the while being the best protagonist and narrator out of any novel.

Essay Outline

Intro
- Discuss the writing style
- Camus's point
- Why he uses it
- Detail
- Thesis

Paragraph 1
- Talk about the detail
- The usage
- How we hear it
- Why
- How it affects the characters and situation
- Quotes

Paragraph 2
- The writing style
- Short sentences
- Choppy
- Why the writing style is easier to understand
- How it affects characters and situation
- Quotes

Conclusion
- Writing style
- Detail
- Short sentences
- How characters are seen

Essay Topic and Thesis

For my essay I'm going to write about Camus's writing style, but more importantly his attention to detail and the way he says writes.  He projects us Marsault as someone who lacks intelligence yet, all everything he says is in extreme and great detail.  He supplies with short sentences that mask how specific they are.  You wouldn't think fragment styled writing would get so much across, but Camus does that more then any other book I have ever read.

Working Thesis:  Camus's writing style allows him as the author to develop Marsault's character and give feeling, ironically enough, but still being able to use him as a main focus towards great detail because he ingeniously masks Marsault's rambling for narrative break down, giving the story great depth in short fragments.

Translators Blog

Most people find Meursalt sick or damaged as we talk about in class. As he might seem to have a slight form of mental disability I believe he is ironically much more deep then that. Meursalt seemingly enough has a mind bigger then some. He is always speaking his mind and isn't afraid of the emotions he is believed and seems to not have. His attention to detail is tremendous. Although it might make him seem like a dog or squirrel who doesn't much if an attention span or lengthy train if thought or feeling what he "blurts" out is more specific then anything in other books. It's difficult to explain what he is saying because he does it himself. "Children were either crying or lagging behind. Almost all at once moviegoers spilled out of the neighborhood theaters into the street." In the quote you see something that the regular eye wouldn't. Meursalt is presenting with not only a look onto something small but a peak into his life. So even though some may call him special because of a condition he is something special all on his own.

Compared Writing Syles

Camus's writing style is very detached. He presents a feeling of a lack of emotion, ironically enough. He is very choppy and short and sweet getting to the point with simplicity yet behind his simple writing style is great detail. He describes the surroundings such as the morgue or even the background or certain areas with grand adjectives giving you a real solid visual while all the while keeping everything such as the characters, reserved and quiet. This is similar to Conrad's style in the sense that great detail allows you to dive into the story with illustrative awesomeness yet they are also both on the dry, boring side making sometimes difficult to get through the page. But similarities with Kafka as well with the short choppy flow and reserved characteristics of the characters.

Open and Metamorphosis Writing Styles

In Open Agassi's uses a type of language that is free flowing and interacts with the reader. Agassi develops the story obviously in a first person point of view but his description although detailed is simple. He does not over develop his thoughts and put the pen to paper with only what he would actually say, not making the language much more exceeded then his intellect, which on the other hand I feel allows him to relate to the reader with ease as even though he is a professional tennis player who get payed millions he can relate to any average joe who has back problems or doesn't see he his family often enough. Agassi writes, "The finish line at the end of a career is no different from the finish line at the end of a match." Agassi writes about his struggle to finish his career. Yet he not only uses the metaphor for himself but for all other who struggle as well to get to the finish line. Agassi's writing allows people of all ages to understand and read. On the other hand Metamorphosis also uses small easy wording that lets the reader live in Gregors life. Throughout both novels the writing flow I believe carries the book to its understandable level. Now Metamorphosis is a lot more complex and the ideas behind are a lot more realistic because not all people can live the life of a famous superstar. Gregors life although sad is more real which ironically separate the real nonfiction book from this fiction book.

Gensis vs. Darwin

Both pieces of text offer us different outlooks on the not so simple creation of life.  Genesis is written in a clean style with a simple flow that makes it easy for all people rich or poor educated or uneducated to understand.  The excerpt seems to address the masses and is able to bring every person in existence together regardless of status.  The writing shines light on the magnificence of God and both literally and metaphorically as God is not only presented as the supreme being he is but also as a friendly attainable piece of life that we can relate too.  Although he is given the power he deserves credited with the right of what he says is made such as, "And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry gourd appear.".  This not only justifies the simplicity of life but gives it character but as well as face or in this sense and in every other religious view a character to represent it.  Now on the other hand Darwin, in my opinion is very deep.  It is drawn out at times dry and boring but then again sometimes science has to be dry and boring.  Darwin doesn't write for every to believe him or get happy with what he is trying to say, the way Genesis was basically a map for the common man to understand the creation of the heavens and the earth.  Darwin explains that evolution and the creation of mankind is methodical and has to be studied, that God himself could not have created everything on this beautiful earth.  Darwin explains that the random births and deaths and extinction can not be the hand of god, because there are things that end because of random acts of nature and but as well as species that stay past their time.

The Metamorphosis In Class Writing

In Metamorphosis, Gregor feels that he brings down his family by being around them.  His literal metamorphosis is the one we see throughout the novel as we seem him progress into his bug’s life and digress from his human life.  I feel that it is Gregor’s family that feed him these thoughts of digression and cause him to go into a cocoon of his own emotions yet ironically enough so does the rest of his family.  Gregor’s handicap, probably what his family would call it, was a literal and moral, showing and lesson.  It truly exemplified human nature and what one would do for his or her loved ones but as well as what they wouldn’t.  As Grete initially cared for Gregor, she got tired, restless, and annoyed looking at him everyday, in his bug condition and him not being able to care for himself.  As time went on, she grew into her own cocoon.  Gregor’s parents are a different story because they relied on him throughout their whole lives, so they felt that he dropped them by the wayside and they felt angry and greedy about his inability to provide more for them.  Although Gregor as a fictional character dies tragically because he felt that no one loved him or cared for him anymore, it is really a statement made about his family.  They cried for him and were saddened by the lost by but on pg. 53 of the novel, Kafka writes, “ It struck Mr. and Mrs. Samsa, almost at the same moment, how their daughter, who was getting more animated all the time, had blossomed recently…when at the end of their journey their daughter got up first and stretched her young body.”  Kafka writes about how Grete blossoms, which I think means that she is outgrowing her former life.  As literally as we think about it, she is becoming more mature because of her experience with death yet she is really leaving the old world and starting a new one…without Gregor, and that goes for the rest of the family as well.  She ultimately stretches and breaks out of her cocoon and like a butterfly transcends into a different journey, spreading her wings and flying, but in the case of the Samsa family it is what they think as leaving their tragic past.

The Metamorphosis End

For more financial help, the family rents out a room to 3 roommates.  They hate clutter so the family puts all the junk in Gregor's room which Gregor loves.  One night, Grete is playing the violin in the living room for her parents and the roommates.  Gregor comes out of his room a little to listen and love the music and later tell his sister he's paying for her music school, but one of the roommates sees Gregor and freaks out and says they will leave and that they won't pay rent.  This worries the parents and forces Grete to tell them that the bug isn't Gregor and that Gregor is gone and this bug needs to be exterminated.  Gregor is extremely hurt by these words and goes to his room and slowly dies to relieve the burden he feels he puts upon his family.  Gregor's family mourns and fire the maid and kick out the roommates but as well as find that they have more money and move to a nicer smaller apartment.  At the end Grete stretches her arms showing her breaking from the "cocoon" that Gregor put her and the family in.

The Metamorphosis Pt. 4

Gregor is injured and does nothing except sadly lie on the bed but the door is open so he can see his family living.  His father comes and says how sad his life is and how sick and tired he has become of doing everything, ironically the same position Gregor was in before he became a bug.  Gregor later finds out that his family has been selling off the family jewelry to get money to get by.  The family has also hired an elderly women now instead of a maid to clean their house.  Gregor feels that the family is trapped in his presence this all coming from his doubt in his life because he can't do anything as well as the family in general has basically stopped caring for him.

The Metamorphosis Pt. 3

Gregor faces the ultimate removal from his family as when he is in the room his mother walks in and his mother screams in scare.  Gregor's father comes home and hears that Gregor broke out and thought that he attacked the mother.  He starts screaming and so does the mother and when Gregor comes he becomes attacked by his father.  The whole scenario turns very ugly but still as Gregor is being attacked he still notices that his father's posture and how he looks is much better, straighter and cleaner.  This just shows how much Gregor loves his family and how the feelings might not be mutual as we see.

The Metamorphosis Pt. 2

Gregor had always taken care of his family.  He did everything for them but now since he is incapable they not only treat him differently they don't even show him love at all.  He now only eats the scraps of food because he is a bug, but it is ironic to the situation of how he is treated by his family in the phrase that, you are what you eat.  The only person that treats Gregor nicely is his sister Grete who doesn't forget how good he really is.  But still, his family did not save its money well, the money that Gregor earned for them, but now since they have to get jobs, and are basically deadbeats, still Gregor is the one feeling bad...for failing them.  His emotions and selflessness are very confusing.

My thoughts on class discussion

I think the free discussion was really productive because the flow of the classroom was very mellow but interactive. I enjoyed the fact that we were not being prevented or judged from speaking but as we'll being able to learn from each other in a more interactive setting. I feel like nobody really talked over anybody just everybody wanted to get in their ideas and it was in a sense an idea over load

The Metamorphosis

Gregor Samsa wakes as a bug.  I feel its ironic because the way he is described makes this human being feel and seem like nothing and one who only carries stress and burden in which no accounts for him, even though he is human size.  You see his tasks are amplified as they are not all as easy if he were to be human.  He also has to provide for his parents who can't afford to provide for him.  Although a dire situation, ironic that the bug which is typically the hardest worker of the food chain/animal kingdom, is working to the bone to help provide sand survive.

Essay: Conclusion

Freud wrote that aggressiveness and desire are things we are born with, but can slowly learn to suppress.  Yet he also believes that you need to free yourself to be who you really are, ironic yet ideas that challenge the real thought of who we are as human beings.  In the novel Heart of Darkness, we are able to see Freud's writing come to work as we are given the images of men who are put on both sides of the table and are able to free themselves and in the end have to bring themselves back to their reserved lives.  Together both pieces of literature support one another as they establish the idea, humans are part of nature just like all other animals and the trees around them, and us acting normal is surprisingly abnormal, and for us to be who we truly we must not judge one another, yet it is this unnatural thought that will keep us from being who we need to be.

Essay: Body Paragraph 2

In the novel "Heart of Darkness", Conrad shows the different classes of life.  He presents broad extremes that range from the 5 wealthy men from England to the low, poor, uneducated, cannibalistic    villagers of Africa.  Yet Conrad uses these two extremes to make an enormous comparison that feeds directly of the ideas of Freud, which is that no matter how wealthy you are or how poor you are, all people are the same, because they are all born with the natural aggressiveness that causes us to act like savages and animals.  The way we see these actions take place is the use of Conrad inserting Marlow into the story which allows us to have an eyes and ears in the novel.  Through Marlow we not only see a developing story but the reader feels the story as they are in a point of view for the story where they experience what happens hands on.  Marlow's shift from Europe to Africa changes not because of his surroundings purse but because he is finally released into the wild where his id is free to roam and explore and truly develop.  Marlow's transformation proves Freud's point of the inability of humans to detach themselves from their natural ways.  Freud develops the idea that we are all born with natural instinct and this addresses human beings as not people but parts of the animal kingdom.  As well, through Marlow we see changes in others as the rich become desperate and greedy and let their superegos, that which is not spoken or done, take over them, and as end result end them.  Throughout the novel the shift between dark and light is drastic and simply enough epitomizes Freuds theory of superego and id, where the superego is what we cannot say or do (dark) the id is what we are born to do (light) and everything, as Marlow comes back to Europe, always has to commit towards the center of balance, the ego.

1st Body Paragraph

Freud presents the human world as something not human at all.  Freud develops the aggressiveness and naturally that all people around the world, whether they are the richest or the poorest, Freud believes and writes that they are all just animals.  We live in nature, but it is disguised by all the tall buildings and material wealth that we come to consume, believe, and assume are our everyday lives.  Accordingly, Freud believes that humans adjust to there surroundings and aren't able to truly express themselves.  This suppression of feeling, only builds up tension and results in our true and raw animalistic behaviors but come out in the forms of greed, love, hate, sex, violence, and much more where we think are very complicated and belong in our super-ego and should not be thought of or done until it leaks over into our ego, but is truly in our id, which Freud describes to be, our true ego, just we do not have the space to literally and figuratively "spread our wings and fly".

Essay Intro

In Freud's theory, all human beings are born equal.  As ironic as it sounds it is true, but not in rights, but in our mind, body, and soul.  Freud stresses that human beings are born with natural aggression, unable to control ourselves, similar to animals in the wild, unaware of their primary surroundings and must learn to adjust and become "the norm".  Freud implies that we as human beings are our own downfalls and darknesses.  We let our desires and are fears shape who we are and the only way to change is to see how others are; to judge and to learn.  This thought is similar to the way Conrad writes "Heart of Darkness" as he uses Marlow as our stationary eyes that show us the greed, fear, and natural aggression that Freud talks about.  Conrad displays the idea of learning from these incidents that Marlow sees in his life.  He shows that men can be who they are in the wild (there natural habitats) but must restrain themselves once they are back into the social norm.  Freud develops the ideas of the world being a jungle in its own right and that is where humans belong, where they lack judgement and have the capability of being themselves and this is similar to what Conrad writes because in his writing he shows what it truly means to be free, as Marlow travels "to hell and back".

Essay Question

How does Freud's idea of man being born as a immediate aggression, naturally and greedy being compare to Conrad's development of characters we see through Marlow's eyes in both sides of the spectrum (Europe & Africa)?

Murfin

I like the article that Murfin wrote a lot more because it is a lot lighter than Heart of Darkness.  The language is not as heavy and you understand the idea Murfin is getting across that man express himself in many different way because the mind works in every way possible.  Heart of Darkness on the other hand, for me, is a dragged out, making itself too long, and doesn't get to the point fast enough.  As both the article and novel are similar in the idea the man is different and the evils of man are sometimes unexplainable and uncontrollable as we'll as other emotions, you only see this sum until the end in the back of the book.

Heart of Darkness: Chapter 3 end

Marlow returns to Brussels sick, and his aunt brings him back to better health.  He also brings back a book about savages and with that he brings back a whole new perspective that probably no one around him will ever experience.  He sees everyone and there over privileged lives and thinks of them as snub and not understanding of the other "world".  As Marlow returns and stays with his aunt, she praises Kurtz and even though Marlow doesn't want to hear it, he understands that he is one of her only people around her and like that ironically the story ends, into The Heart of Darkness.

Heart of Darkness: Chp 3 continue

Marlow sees that Kurtz is overcharged and look down on by a silhouette of the chief.  Kurtz knows that he could be killed by the villagers with the command of the chief but was not worried.  Even though he is hurt his confidence makes Marlow feel less of a man because he would not be able to carry himself so fluidly even being full bodied.  As Marlow is leaving the island the next day he blows his whistle and the pilgrims start shooting towards the island and the island gets clouded with gun smoke.

Heart of Darkness: Chapter 3

The Russian trader reveals that he has been traveling through the forest with Kurtz.  Kurtz apparently was ivory hunting and apparently threatened the Russian by telling him he'll kill him.  The trader said that he paid no attention to this because you have to get to know Kurtz to know what he's about.  Kurtz is now ill, and the Russian says that he was treating him but now he is out of supplies and cannot anymore.  The villagers say that tried all they could and now both the trader and the villagers do not know what to do to help Kurtz.  The Russian also reveals that Kurtz is the one who sent out the attack on the ship.

Heart of Darkness: End of Chapter 2

The helmsman attack Marlow's ship.  After large bloodshed, Marlow survives, but because of the absence of Kurtz he and other shipmates assume he is dead from the fight.  As they move along, Marlow seems to understand and learn more about Kurtz mysterious ways and life.  He finds out as well that he has a fiancé, one that he never talks about ironic enough to the fact that he talks so much about everything else.  Later while they are heading toward an island, Marlow and the others dock and see the Russian Trader and says that Kurtz survived as well, but they don't want him to leave because his knowledge is too valuable.  He has taught them so much the trader says.

Heart of Darkness: Rest of Chapter

This section contains many instances of contradictory language, reflecting Marlow’s difficult and uncomfortable position. Mellow as usual is contained and surrounded by the darkness and repression at the African people around him face. In the meanwhile the tension between Marlow and Kurtz builds as Kurtz is trying to overturn the village into a civilized work station. Also the addition of the Russian trader changes things up as Marlow can not tell I'd the man is crazy or is jut wanting to be with him because he is so interesting or is it something that he's attracting him with? Help change the village...

Heart of Darkness: Chapter 2

We find out that Kurtz has been sent to the Congo with plans to turn the stations into beacons of civilization and moral improvement, and that Kurtz wants to take over the manager’s position.  This scares the manager and reminds him that Kurtz tried to previously change the system a year ago.  The managers uncle, after hanging and innocent African, says that no one will change the system (darkness).  And we finally get introduced to the heart of darkness.

Heart of Darkness

Marlow experiences greater ethnic differences as his ship is burnt down and gets word that a villager whom some thought was the arsonist was beaten as punishment.  When he got better he ran into the forest, ironically, the villager is using the darkness as his protector, living under the shadows.  Marlow also finds out more about Kutz, and finds out he is really good artist who is on mission for the company to find out more about life "on the other side".

Heart of Darkness and Freud Presentation

“Civilization describes the whole sum of the achievements and regulations which distinguish our lives from those of our animal ancestors and which serve two purposes-namely, to protect men against nature and to adjust their mutual relations.” Freud establishes the idea that man's animalism is what controls desire and fear. This forest type ideal turns men into barbarians and unsociable wolf men who can not be what we understand today to be "normal". This idea is similar to how Conrad carves Marlows journey as we see through Marlows eyes that the men he surrounds himself are emotionless fiends who do not care for anyone but themselves and their greed, the only feeling they really have. This makes Freud’s research of the unconscious and Conrad’s journey into darkness is remarkably similar. This combo of darkness is shown in the image we have at the bottom that shows man breaking away from the beastly desires of darkness but obviously not an easy "journey"

Heart of Darkness pg 26-31

In these pages, Marlow meet Mr. Kutz.  Kutz is a very quiet and seemingly sneaky character.  He does not do much and does not make "to much noise", but the ship that Marlow had to command, is soon sunk as Mr. Kutz a boards, coincidence?  Further Kutz becomes ill and Marlow takes the time he has to get to know others such as the general manager, whom him and others for some reason seem to keep Marlow away from Kutz.

Heart of Darkness & Freud

Freud presents man like a beast.  He writes that true character is surrounded by sex, lust, emotion, violence, greed, and everything that we would see makes "blood boil".  Freud's idea of men being all bad and only improve in with the better of their own experiences, drives away from the usual, simple biblical context where every child is born good.  Freud is seemingly not a philosopher but an Anarchist who wants to see the world turn from the bad to good.  His pessimistic view, although very controversial and enormously oversteps its boundary, also causes thought for concern, provocative culture, and as well well thought ideas.  The writing in Heart of Darkness is similar to Freud's beliefs because every man you come across in the book is bad, committing evil, and is only driven but greed and self-satisfaction and pleasure.  The African slaves, the accountant, the idea of elitism, Marlow's thoughts they are examples of Freud's beliefs because they fuel war.  War fuel anarchy, but for a reader all this entices, makes us belief in the other side of things.  Do I agree with Freud, NO, but like I said in class, he is the 19th/20th century Howard Stern, he might say awful things, but what he says, no matter if you like him or not, you want to hear what he says next.

Heart of Darkness pg 17-26

In these pages Marlow I feel sees images of himself as he describes his scenarios very depressingly. He sees black African slaves chained together and under the guard of another slave. He says “devils” of violence, greed, and desire, but that in Africa he became acquainted with the “flabby, pretending, weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly.”  This quote presents thats Marlow has become more accustom with a lower level of existence of black people.  As well as meeting the white company chief accountant who as well presents himself in a devilish manner.  Symbolically I feel that Marlow is facing his demons head on.

Heart of Darkness Chp 1 (cont.)

Not only is Marlow's job acceptance important because he sees his Aunt and is hired by The Company for the purpose that Marlow can bring help, fortune, and change to the Belgium's colonial assets.  The key moment in this is change.  I feel that this moment in time Marlows traveling symbolizes that idea of change that is constantly talked about in the chapter.  Also the fact that Marlow has Fresleven's head and brings it to the doctor shows that Marlow is quite wealthy and powerful as the doctor says that he is surprised that he didn't end up like Fresleven as well, dead in Africa, because nobody ever gets out.  At the end Marlow feels like he's going towards the center of the Earth, seemingly foreshadowing events to come and maybe hinting at a type of Darkness in the heart (the center).

Heart of Darkness Setup

I think that the way story opens out there will be a lot of flashback reading.  Marlow is already shown to have a flashback to back to when he was a sailor, sailing through Asia for 6 years and other stints in Africa.  I feel that his story will obviously be the main one but the other 4 people on the boat with him aren't there just to fill up space but to maybe let Marlow's new present character develop so we the reader can digest the information from his past and his present.  Maybe that contrast will give the character not more life but in a sense shine a brighter light and put a different perspective towards what he does and how what he does, whether it will mimic what he did in his stories or not.