EXISTENTIALISM: A SUMMARY.
“Because you are beautiful. I enjoy looking at beautiful people, and I decided a while ago not to deny myself the simpler pleasures of existence”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
We define ourselves through living: making choices and following them through. Only this act of choosing, i.e. living, gives our lives meaning.
“You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
Human nature, spirit, faith, etc. are all well and good, but they are pointless unless we act accordingly. What we do is the only tangible measure of our being.
“We are literally in the heart of Jesus," he said. "I thought we were in a church basement, but we are literally in the heart of Jesus."
"Someone should tell Jesus," I said. "I mean, it's gotta be dangerous, storing children with cancer in your heart."
"I would tell Him myself," Augustus said, "but unfortunately I am literally stuck inside of His heart, so He won't be able to hear me.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
This implies that we are defined through our interaction with others. Brotherhood and responsibility (political commitment and action) play a huge role some Existentialists, i.e. Camus.
“We’re as likely to hurt the universe as we are to help it, and we’re not likely to do either.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“If you don't live a life in service of a greater good, you've gotta at least die a death in service of a greater good, you know? And I fear that I won't get either a life or a death that means anything.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
We have meaning because our our actions: our existence, not b/c of our thoughts/spirit: our essence: 'Existence preceeds Essence'
“The real heroes anyway aren't the people doing things; the real heroes are the people NOTICING things, paying attention.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
The underlying concepts of Existentialism are simple:
Mankind has free will.
Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find sin.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
Life is a series of choices, creating stress.
“You have a choice in this world, I believe, about how to tell sad stories, and we made the funny choice.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“And I wondered if hurdlers ever thought, you know, 'This would go faster if we just got rid of the hurdles.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
Few decisions are without any negative consequences.
“Only now that I loved a grenade did I understand the foolishness of trying to save others from my own impending fragmentation: I couldn’t unlove Augustus Waters. And I didn’t want to.” ― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“I want to leave a mark.
But Van Houten: The marks humans leave are too often scars.” ― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
Some things are irrational or absurd, without explanation.
“The only person I really wanted to talk to about Augustus Water's death with was Augustus Waters.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“But it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare more wrong than when he has Cassius note, ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars / But in ourselves.” ― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“One swing set, well worn but structurally sound, seeks new home. Make memories with your kid or kids so that someday he or she or they will look into the backyard and feel the ache of sentimentality as desperately as I did this afternoon. It's all fragile and fleeting, dear reader, but with this swing set, your child(ren) will be introduced to the ups and downs of human life gently and safely, and may also learn the most important lesson of all: No matter how hard you kick, no matter how high you get, you can't go all the way around.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
If one makes a decision, he or she must follow through.
“Our fearlessness shall be our secret weapon.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“Sometimes people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
MAJOR THEMES: Moral Individualism, Subjectivity, Choice and Commitment, Dread and Anxiety.
Existentialism is a philosophical movement that views human existence as having a set of underlying themes and characteristics, such as anxiety, dread, freedom, awareness of death, and consciousness of existing, that are primary. They cannot be reduced or explained by a scientific approach.
Heideggar coined the term "THROWN"-- human beings are "thrown into existence"... "existence is prior to essence".
“You could hear the wind in the leaves, and on that wind traveled the screams of the kids on the playground in the distance, little kids figuring out how to be alive, how to navigate a world that wasn't made for them by navigating a playground that was.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
There are 3 schools of Existentialists: Atheistic, [Sartre] Christian [Kierkegaard], and the 3rd proposes that whether or not god exists is irrelevent to the issue of human existence. [Heidegger]
Philosophers: Pascal [saw life in terms of paradoxes; for example SELF=mind & body; also rejected the rigorous rationalism of Descartes, asserting that a systematic philosophy that presumes to explain God and humanity is a source of pride] , Kierkegaard ["founder of modern existentialism", reacting against the idealism of Hegel,stressed the ambiguity and absurdity of the human situation. Individuals must live totally committed lives-- understood only by the self. We must be prepared to defy "norms" for the sake of higher authority and seek personal validity... believed that Christianity was a "leap of faith" but could save individuals from despair-- his was a "radically individualistic Christianity"], Nietzsche [tragic pessimism-- also, the life-affirming indivdual will that opposes itself to the moral conformity of the majority... proclaimed the "death of God" and rejected the entire Judeo-Christian moral tradition in favor of the heroic pagan ideal], Heideggar[Humanity finds itself in an incomprehensible, indifferent world. We can't understand while we are here, so we must just choose a goal and follow it with passionate conviction-- aware of the certainty of death and meaningless of life], Sartre [leading figure of Exist.; atheistic and pessimistic, he declared that human beings require a rational basis for their lives but are unable to achieve one, and thus human life is a "futile passion". Emphasis on freedom, choice, and responsibility.] These philosophers influenced Existentialist writers-- like Kafka and Camus... and Hemingway... and maybe even John Greene.
NIHILISM: a philosophical position arguing that the world, and esp. human existence, is without objective meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value.
Either 1) Nothing Exists;
2)the reality we experience does not exist as we see it, or
3) reality is unknowable, and thus understanding externality will always be pointless.
It is also a "characteristic"; some consider modernity and postmodernity as NIHILISTIC eras b/c of the rejection of God and authority. It was authoritarian figures who said this :)
Nietzsche described Christianity as a nihilistic religion b/c it evaded the challenge of finding meaning in earthly life.
MODERNISM: Emerged in mid 19th century France, rooted in the idea that "traditional" forms of art, lit, social organization, and daily life had become outdated... culture needed to be reinvented. B/c the new realities of the 20th century were permanent and imminet, people should adapt their world view. The precursors to Modernism emerged in France: Baudelaire & Flaubert in literature, Manet in painting. It came later in music and architecture. First deemed "avant-garde", Modernism in part identifies with an attempt to overthrow some aspect of tradition or the status quo. The tension and unease with social order took hold with the reality of WWI.
“Because you are beautiful. I enjoy looking at beautiful people, and I decided a while ago not to deny myself the simpler pleasures of existence”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
We define ourselves through living: making choices and following them through. Only this act of choosing, i.e. living, gives our lives meaning.
“You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
Human nature, spirit, faith, etc. are all well and good, but they are pointless unless we act accordingly. What we do is the only tangible measure of our being.
“We are literally in the heart of Jesus," he said. "I thought we were in a church basement, but we are literally in the heart of Jesus."
"Someone should tell Jesus," I said. "I mean, it's gotta be dangerous, storing children with cancer in your heart."
"I would tell Him myself," Augustus said, "but unfortunately I am literally stuck inside of His heart, so He won't be able to hear me.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
This implies that we are defined through our interaction with others. Brotherhood and responsibility (political commitment and action) play a huge role some Existentialists, i.e. Camus.
“We’re as likely to hurt the universe as we are to help it, and we’re not likely to do either.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“If you don't live a life in service of a greater good, you've gotta at least die a death in service of a greater good, you know? And I fear that I won't get either a life or a death that means anything.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
We have meaning because our our actions: our existence, not b/c of our thoughts/spirit: our essence: 'Existence preceeds Essence'
“The real heroes anyway aren't the people doing things; the real heroes are the people NOTICING things, paying attention.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
The underlying concepts of Existentialism are simple:
Mankind has free will.
Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find sin.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
Life is a series of choices, creating stress.
“You have a choice in this world, I believe, about how to tell sad stories, and we made the funny choice.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“And I wondered if hurdlers ever thought, you know, 'This would go faster if we just got rid of the hurdles.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
Few decisions are without any negative consequences.
“Only now that I loved a grenade did I understand the foolishness of trying to save others from my own impending fragmentation: I couldn’t unlove Augustus Waters. And I didn’t want to.” ― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“I want to leave a mark.
But Van Houten: The marks humans leave are too often scars.” ― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
Some things are irrational or absurd, without explanation.
“The only person I really wanted to talk to about Augustus Water's death with was Augustus Waters.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“But it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare more wrong than when he has Cassius note, ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars / But in ourselves.” ― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“One swing set, well worn but structurally sound, seeks new home. Make memories with your kid or kids so that someday he or she or they will look into the backyard and feel the ache of sentimentality as desperately as I did this afternoon. It's all fragile and fleeting, dear reader, but with this swing set, your child(ren) will be introduced to the ups and downs of human life gently and safely, and may also learn the most important lesson of all: No matter how hard you kick, no matter how high you get, you can't go all the way around.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
If one makes a decision, he or she must follow through.
“Our fearlessness shall be our secret weapon.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“Sometimes people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
MAJOR THEMES: Moral Individualism, Subjectivity, Choice and Commitment, Dread and Anxiety.
Existentialism is a philosophical movement that views human existence as having a set of underlying themes and characteristics, such as anxiety, dread, freedom, awareness of death, and consciousness of existing, that are primary. They cannot be reduced or explained by a scientific approach.
Heideggar coined the term "THROWN"-- human beings are "thrown into existence"... "existence is prior to essence".
“You could hear the wind in the leaves, and on that wind traveled the screams of the kids on the playground in the distance, little kids figuring out how to be alive, how to navigate a world that wasn't made for them by navigating a playground that was.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
There are 3 schools of Existentialists: Atheistic, [Sartre] Christian [Kierkegaard], and the 3rd proposes that whether or not god exists is irrelevent to the issue of human existence. [Heidegger]
Philosophers: Pascal [saw life in terms of paradoxes; for example SELF=mind & body; also rejected the rigorous rationalism of Descartes, asserting that a systematic philosophy that presumes to explain God and humanity is a source of pride] , Kierkegaard ["founder of modern existentialism", reacting against the idealism of Hegel,stressed the ambiguity and absurdity of the human situation. Individuals must live totally committed lives-- understood only by the self. We must be prepared to defy "norms" for the sake of higher authority and seek personal validity... believed that Christianity was a "leap of faith" but could save individuals from despair-- his was a "radically individualistic Christianity"], Nietzsche [tragic pessimism-- also, the life-affirming indivdual will that opposes itself to the moral conformity of the majority... proclaimed the "death of God" and rejected the entire Judeo-Christian moral tradition in favor of the heroic pagan ideal], Heideggar[Humanity finds itself in an incomprehensible, indifferent world. We can't understand while we are here, so we must just choose a goal and follow it with passionate conviction-- aware of the certainty of death and meaningless of life], Sartre [leading figure of Exist.; atheistic and pessimistic, he declared that human beings require a rational basis for their lives but are unable to achieve one, and thus human life is a "futile passion". Emphasis on freedom, choice, and responsibility.] These philosophers influenced Existentialist writers-- like Kafka and Camus... and Hemingway... and maybe even John Greene.
NIHILISM: a philosophical position arguing that the world, and esp. human existence, is without objective meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value.
Either 1) Nothing Exists;
2)the reality we experience does not exist as we see it, or
3) reality is unknowable, and thus understanding externality will always be pointless.
It is also a "characteristic"; some consider modernity and postmodernity as NIHILISTIC eras b/c of the rejection of God and authority. It was authoritarian figures who said this :)
Nietzsche described Christianity as a nihilistic religion b/c it evaded the challenge of finding meaning in earthly life.
MODERNISM: Emerged in mid 19th century France, rooted in the idea that "traditional" forms of art, lit, social organization, and daily life had become outdated... culture needed to be reinvented. B/c the new realities of the 20th century were permanent and imminet, people should adapt their world view. The precursors to Modernism emerged in France: Baudelaire & Flaubert in literature, Manet in painting. It came later in music and architecture. First deemed "avant-garde", Modernism in part identifies with an attempt to overthrow some aspect of tradition or the status quo. The tension and unease with social order took hold with the reality of WWI.
LINK TO STORY:
HEMINGWAY: "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" : http://www.mrbauld.com/hemclean.html
“I felt so free for a week. But then, all of a sudden, within days I went from ‘Yay, I'm independent’ to ‘Holy ****, I'm gonna die alone.’" – David from "Six Feet Under"
Hemingway: Into the Darkness...
The Hemingway Code
* Heros are frequently NUMB, emotionally WOUNDED, people who have had their values destroyed.
Does this apply to the story?
* Their only solace is in their stoic acceptance of their fates.
* Only escape from the CYNICISM and BRUTALITY of society is in simple, repetitive tasks.
Old man's "task?" Older waiter's "task?"
* Only in these "small" arenas is it possible for them to face life with grace, dignity, and style.
Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"
* This particular story lacks a hero. However, the setting itself is a metaphor for Hemingway's code.
* Through a repetition of the words "clean" and "light", and of the images of the cafe', the reader begins to realize that the bar is the stage on which the older waiter lives out his code of life.
* Through physical elements, like the polished bar, and the placement of light, the underlying sense of nada is compensated for. However, there are still shadows surrounding this one, small oasis of light.
The older waiter understands the old man b/c both are AWARE of the NOTHINGNESS that surrounds them. Both are committed to the significance of the bar because that is the one physical thing compensating for the loss of faith and hope, which to Hemingway, were abstract values.
* The 2 waiters have entirely different concepts of "nada". The signifcance and meaning of this repeated word is lost on the younger waiter b/c he lacks the experience, insight, lonliness, and "need" that old age brings.
The description of the older waiter is somber and haunting; in the end, readers are made aware of the darkness within his soul.
Loneliness is a motif in the story-- all the characters are either lonely are have the potential for loneliness. The cafe' is symbolic as a contrast to that loneliness-- it is clean and bright, a meeting place for people.
Two prominent themes in the story are that life has no meaning-- that man is an insignificant speck in a great sea of nothingness, and the struggle to deal with despair-- this affects us all. There are those of us in despair and those of us waiting to be in despair; one of Hemingway's messages is that we should be mindful of that truth and treat people with dignity and respect.
The message of the story is that we can salvage something from the "nada" IF we do our work well, and above all else, retain our dignity.
The title is ironic b/c late-night bars are usually anything but clean and well-lit, and the mood is usually less than pleasant. Even the most clean and well-lit place is a dark and dingy one...
The concept "economy of style" is often applied to Hemingway. This refers to his deliberate sparse use of language-- he only provides us the bare necessities and often uses limiting pronouns (like it), which confuses readers (but the confusion is the point). Because life is meaningless, there are no amount of words that can bring meaning. He leaves "only 1/8 above the surface."
The term Lost Generation refers to the writers and artists living in Paris after World War I. The violence of World War I, also called the Great War, was unprecedented and invalidated previous ideas about faith, life, and death. Traditional values that focused on God, love, and manhood dissolved, leaving Lost Generation writers adrift. They struggled with moral and psychological aimlessness as they searched for the meaning of life in a changed world. This search for meaning and these feelings of emptiness and aimlessness reflect some of the principle ideas behind existentialism.
Rather than ask "what is the meaning of life?", an Existentialist would more appropriately ask, "what is YOUR meaning IN life?"
“You say you're not special because the world doesn't know about you, but that's an insult to me. I know about you.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
"Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“I thought being an adult meant knowing what you believe, but that has not been my experience.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
HEMINGWAY: "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" : http://www.mrbauld.com/hemclean.html
“I felt so free for a week. But then, all of a sudden, within days I went from ‘Yay, I'm independent’ to ‘Holy ****, I'm gonna die alone.’" – David from "Six Feet Under"
Hemingway: Into the Darkness...
The Hemingway Code
* Heros are frequently NUMB, emotionally WOUNDED, people who have had their values destroyed.
Does this apply to the story?
* Their only solace is in their stoic acceptance of their fates.
* Only escape from the CYNICISM and BRUTALITY of society is in simple, repetitive tasks.
Old man's "task?" Older waiter's "task?"
* Only in these "small" arenas is it possible for them to face life with grace, dignity, and style.
Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"
* This particular story lacks a hero. However, the setting itself is a metaphor for Hemingway's code.
* Through a repetition of the words "clean" and "light", and of the images of the cafe', the reader begins to realize that the bar is the stage on which the older waiter lives out his code of life.
* Through physical elements, like the polished bar, and the placement of light, the underlying sense of nada is compensated for. However, there are still shadows surrounding this one, small oasis of light.
The older waiter understands the old man b/c both are AWARE of the NOTHINGNESS that surrounds them. Both are committed to the significance of the bar because that is the one physical thing compensating for the loss of faith and hope, which to Hemingway, were abstract values.
* The 2 waiters have entirely different concepts of "nada". The signifcance and meaning of this repeated word is lost on the younger waiter b/c he lacks the experience, insight, lonliness, and "need" that old age brings.
The description of the older waiter is somber and haunting; in the end, readers are made aware of the darkness within his soul.
Loneliness is a motif in the story-- all the characters are either lonely are have the potential for loneliness. The cafe' is symbolic as a contrast to that loneliness-- it is clean and bright, a meeting place for people.
Two prominent themes in the story are that life has no meaning-- that man is an insignificant speck in a great sea of nothingness, and the struggle to deal with despair-- this affects us all. There are those of us in despair and those of us waiting to be in despair; one of Hemingway's messages is that we should be mindful of that truth and treat people with dignity and respect.
The message of the story is that we can salvage something from the "nada" IF we do our work well, and above all else, retain our dignity.
The title is ironic b/c late-night bars are usually anything but clean and well-lit, and the mood is usually less than pleasant. Even the most clean and well-lit place is a dark and dingy one...
The concept "economy of style" is often applied to Hemingway. This refers to his deliberate sparse use of language-- he only provides us the bare necessities and often uses limiting pronouns (like it), which confuses readers (but the confusion is the point). Because life is meaningless, there are no amount of words that can bring meaning. He leaves "only 1/8 above the surface."
The term Lost Generation refers to the writers and artists living in Paris after World War I. The violence of World War I, also called the Great War, was unprecedented and invalidated previous ideas about faith, life, and death. Traditional values that focused on God, love, and manhood dissolved, leaving Lost Generation writers adrift. They struggled with moral and psychological aimlessness as they searched for the meaning of life in a changed world. This search for meaning and these feelings of emptiness and aimlessness reflect some of the principle ideas behind existentialism.
Rather than ask "what is the meaning of life?", an Existentialist would more appropriately ask, "what is YOUR meaning IN life?"
“You say you're not special because the world doesn't know about you, but that's an insult to me. I know about you.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
"Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
“I thought being an adult meant knowing what you believe, but that has not been my experience.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars