Brave New World- Journal #3

TOPIC C

This novel is speaking about happiness, and at what cost that happiness is worth. It appears idyllic, before the person can even speak to be made to love every heinous thing any individual will have to do. What could ever be wrong with being happy constantly, basically being forced to be happy. This novel warns the world of striving for accepted happiness everywhere, for the goal to never feel sad or angry. Through the novel, Huxley says that it is a humans right to feel poorly. Not just their right, though. It is their responsibility and what makes a human a human. I could see it happening, but only in a certain setting. It only seems plausible in imagination. I think that people are too attached to the exhilarating feeling of being free to be to give it up. Huxley shows that through individual thought and through the arguing of ideas that this future will not happen. Through people like Marx, you do not quite fit in. And the characters like John the Savage show that has long has people retain individuality in thought, expression, routine, and pleasures all will remain safe. For instance, if Marx's point of view had not been so different, so negative, from all the other characters' the idea that this society is not pleasurable to all would never have been revealed. It is preventable through individuality.

Brave New World- Journal #2

TOPIC B

Bernard Marx is rather different from his peers in Brave New World. Even after he returns to London with the savage and 'fits in' a little bit more, he is only accepted because he has to be. The only interest the people have of Marx, is that he can introduce him to John. Bernard is marked has an outcast because he is considered socially awkward, and does not enjoy the same things has the rest of the world. He prefers to do things in private, to talk in private, to sit in private, to have private dates. Bernard values deep thought and good conversation over being at the coolest location and in the middle of the crowd. These opinions are not shared by anyone really, and when Bernard and Lenina go on their dates she actually gets angry with him about his desire to spend their time talking in a secluded park rather than being at a wrestling match. Due to his difference, Bernard has to deal with being teased and always being out of the loop. People say that alcohol had spilled onto him before he was 'born'. He tries to overcome this trauma by gaining respect through his relationship with an icon. This icon is John the Savage, and he is bound to loose popularity soon, and when he does, Bernard's fifteen minutes of fame will be up and he will be sent to work on the remote isle of Iceland.

Brave New World- Journal #1

TOPIC A

"'And if you were an Epsilon,' said Henry, 'your conditioning would have made you no less thankful that you weren't a Beta or an Alpha.' [...] Everybody's happy now.' 'Yes, everybody's happy now,' echoed Lenina. They had heard the words repeated a hundred and fifty times every night for twelve years." (Huxley, 75).

This passage displays the main aspects of the society found in Brave New World. The social classes including Epsilon, Beta and Alpha define what activities that person enjoys, their favorite pastimes, their favorite jobs, their favorite color, their relationships and everything else they do. All of the people have been conditioned for their specific place in the world, their job and their social class. It is imperative to the society that everyone is perfectly made to enjoy whatever they are predestined to become. The basis of society is fitting in a certain social class, and being conditioned to love that position and be extremely happy. All that is done in the society is done to be happy, from the conditioning, to the drug soma, to the entertainment. It is all of that culture's goal to be perfectly content and pleased with what their life is and what it will become. Many of the people could not even imagine being placed in a different social class or group, showing how ingrained their place in society is to them. This happens due to the extensive conditioning that occurs has embryos and children.

The Stranger- Thesis Statement

Thesis Statement:

Through the reocurring images of nature in comparison to man-made things, Camus shows the harshness of the modern world and how far it has diviated from the origins of nature.

The Stranger- Journal #6

At the end of The Stranger, Meursault comes to a conclusion about death, and the nature of life and death. He concludes that death is inevitable, and that life is about death. That death is not relevant to anything he or those around him should think about when making choices. That life is meant to live, and to die. From that, it means that people should live the way they want to live and not worry about the sadness around them, or their own deaths. Camus does not want the reader to come to the same conclusion has Meursault. This is shown by Meursault's anti-hero qualities. Meursault's beliefs and actions lead him to death, which helps to show what Camus thinks will become of those who think has Meursault thinks. Not even that they will die, because death is inevitable, but the circumstances of their death. Meursault's death is not one anybody would be envious of. Camus uses the unpopular things about Meursault to make the reader disagree with what he says and thinks, or is some cases, the lack there of.

The Stranger- Journal #5

Camus creates a part one and a part two in order to highlight the difference in Meursault. In part one, Meursault is very internal. He does not express his ideas or opinions and simply sits, watches and comes to conclusions. He does not try to intervene in the course of his life or others' lives. This is perfectly portrayed when early in the book, Meursault sits and watches all that is going on around him. This passive side to Meursault is contrasted when Camus places the involved and spirited Meursault in part two. In the second part of the book, Meursault's actions and thoughts show a more caring and active person. This is shown through Meursault's reaction to the Chaplain's efforts to convert Meursault. This contrast is put in place in order to show how decisions effect a person's personality. When Meursault kills the Arab at the very end of part one, it changes Meursault's character because it shows him taking an active role in his life and the lives of those around him. This is what causes the change of personality in Meursault between part one and part two. Camus uses the juxtaposition to show how someones involvement in their own life changes who they are has a person and their personality.

The Stranger- Journal #4

The change from Part One to Part Two affected not only Meursault's actions and responses, but also the syntax and structure of the book. When Meursault and the magistrate first meet, you get a glimpse of this change of syntax. "I was led into a curtained room; there was a single lamp on his desk which was shining on a chair where he had me sit while he remained standing in the shadows."(Camus, 61). This passage shows how Camus has changed the structure of the sentences, from ones that are very short and precise, to sentences that are long and flow nicely with many commas and semicolons. This change highlights the change in Meursault's thought process. He goes from being full of excuses and very limited to someone who is accepting of their actions and takes full responsibility for them. When Meursault gets arrested he changes from someone who looks for somewhere to put the blame and accepts who he is and what he has done.

Meursault changes from a person who does not utilize his space to someone who spends their entire day memorizing it. A few months after being in prison, Meursault finds a routine that helps him to waste time. "Sometimes I would get to thinking about my room, and in my imagination I would start at one corner and circle the room,"(Camus, 75). This quote shows the change in how Meursault values his freedoms and rights. At the beginning of the book, Meursault talks about how his apartment is to big for him and that he only uses one room. When Part Two starts, Meursault spends ample time memorizing all the details of his room, which shows him missing the luxuries of having a personal house. Meursault does not value his rights and freedoms before being sent to prison and this is being shown through the way Meursault treats his living space.

Once Meursault goes to prison, his habit of smoking ends. He discusses this after being sent to prison. "But by then I had gotten used to not smoking and it wasn't a punishment anymore."(Camus, 75). The smoking in the first half of the book represents a time filler and what Meursault does to appear purposeful and fit in with those around him. When Meursault goes to prison and is forced to quit smoking it shows him giving up being accepted and normal, and just begins to try and live his life. He no longer cares about being a normal human and following the patterns of normal human life to make himself appear purposeful.

The Stranger- Journal #3

The Sun:
"The glare from the sky was unbearable."(Camus, 16)
Camus may be using the sun to show people's reaction to constant effects of nature. That people and nature don't fit together has they might of at one point. This also ties in with the motif about technology and machinery.

Need for Control/Leadership:
The relationship between old Salamano and his dog. "The dog cowers and trails behind. then it's the old man who pulls the dog."(Camus, 26)
A possible meaning for this relationship is that people are dependent on being stronger. Even though Salamano only has more power than his dog, he needs that power. When the dog dies, Salamano is lost.

Smoking/Eating:
"Then I smoked a few cigarettes,"(Camus, 20)
The motif of smoking and eating could represent the human need to fill time with something. The need to not be empty, that even though it doesn't really benefit you, looking busy and purposeful is something all people want.

The Stranger- Journal #2

AMY-ISM

• Positive thinking is the key to any success, it can change your performance. This is important because it works, it is a way an individual can guide their life. It came from personal experience with sports, tests, speeches, etc.
• People need positive relationships with others to be fulfilled. This is important because it is necessary to be loved and accepted. This is from the idea that people need other people.
• A relationship with God is possible, and it adds meaning to life. This is important because it effects every aspect of our lives. This is from my experience.
• Once a relationship with God is in place, it is important to serve others and show them the love of Christ. This is from The Bible.
• The most important thing to do is to love God, and love others. This is important because it helps others grow and become better people. This is from The Bible.
• People need to be loving, serving, caring, kind, forgiving, and full of prayer for those around them. This is important because it allows people to love others and serve them.
• Every person has the freedom to make their own decisions. About their belief in God, or any other topic. This is from The Bible.
• Life is about living, about taking every moment and making something out of it to serve God and add meaning to your personal life.
• There are things in the world that humans are not able to understand, they are supreme and only God can fully understand them. This is where faith comes in.

The Stranger- Journal #1

SUMMARY: Meursault starts off by going to eat, and then proceeds to get on a train for Marengo. At his mother's funeral, he goes to the vigil and then walks to the church. When he returns from Marengo, Meursault sleeps, goes swimming and goes on a date. He then sits and watches people in the street.

REACTION: Meursault bothers me. He is so passive in all he does. He is not trying to live his life and experience things, all he does is sit, and watch rather than become involved with his life. It bothers me because he is wasting his time, and it makes it so that our time has a reader is wasted. I'm interested to see how this plays out, and if the author is trying to say something about how people waste their lives.

ANALYSIS: Through the character of Meursault, Camus is trying to portray how people waste their lives. People lose portions of their lives to laziness, and it does not seem has though Camus thinks that is a bad thing. Meurault is the epitome of an anti-hero, while he has annoying qualities, most of them are normal and cause the reader to become involved. This involvement occurs because Meursault's personality has qualities that can be found in many, many people.

RESEARCH: In 1942, Algiers becomes the capitol for the Allied forces in North Africa. Most of the events surrounding Algiers in 1942 have to do with WWII. The raid on Algiers occurred on December 11 1942, it was a raid by the Italians. Several other raids/battles occurred there before the end of the war.