Tuesday, April 22, 2014
English IV- Existentialism Journal
Topic: Explain and analyze the pros and cons of Existentialism. Explain what the philosophy is and its stronger and weaker points. Do you agree with the philosophy of Existentialism? Why/Why not?
How are Graham Greene’s short story “The Destructors” and Big Black’s song “Kerosene” examples of Existentialism?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Existentialism has many pros and cons to its philosophy. Existentialism itself is the philosophy that an individual is his or her own in the universe, and there is no guiding force or emotion that can dictate what the individual does. In the end, that individual is ultimately responsible for what he or she does in the world according to their will, even without knowledge of whether what they have done is good or bad.
ReplyDeleteExistentialist philosophies are well-received by certain sectors of society for its focus on individualism. Certain societies, especially the United States, have a staunch focus on individualism. This is reflected in their society in certain ways, such as a free market economy and a small government. Existentialist philosophies are well received in that way because many people believe that individualism, in terms of responsibility and civil rights, is the most important aspect of living. Being able to dictate the way your life goes as well as being responsible for how you dictate your life is an important cornerstone of people that believe in natural rights, civil liberties, and small government.
On the flip side of this, many people would oppose the basic theory of existentialism because they do not believe in individualism. Many people today believe that society should be responsible for its own, and make sure that one person does not trip up and make a mistake based on the decision he or she makes. Large societies that have organized welfare systems and large governments would be heavily opposed to existentialism because of the fact that while each individual should be responsible for his or her decisions, the consequence of their decisions must be minimized at all costs.
I agree and disagree with existentialism. While I agree with the concept of individualism, I disagree with the concept that there are no guiding emotions or motives behind actions. I believe that every action has a cause and a motive, and that they are not just meaningless actions. I believe that concept furthers individualism because individuals do not do things randomly, everyone has their own individual choice.
“The Destructors” and “Kerosene” are both great examples of existentialism because they observe one of the key concepts of existentialism in that there are no feelings or emotions, just objects and actions. In “The Destructors”, we see this when Blackie asks T about why they are burning money. T replies in saying that he has no hatred for Mr. Thomas or care for the money, he just cares about destruction. This is reflected in “Kerosene” as well, as the singer mainly cares about burning things and destroying his town without any real regard or reason for it.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe meaning of life and the concept of life having meaning are based on one's personal perception. This belief is referred to Existentialism. Each person is solely responsible for the way they live their life and how they choose to value it. According to Existentialism you cannot simply cluster the same views into a religion or culture and claim that an entire group has the same exact outlook on life. You create and choose whether or not something in your life is actually important and worth worrying over. In a certain way Existentialism gives one the power to create their own destiny. In a lot of situations it's not always about the situation but how you react to it, and that's where Existentialism's biggest advantage takes place. You can either allow a problem to affect you strongly or simply let it go. On the other hand Existentialism may be seen as a negative approach to life with the definition partially involving the thought that life has no meaning at all. It is easily confused with the ideology that one can be anything they want to be, which is essentially not the case. The true essence is that “existence precedes essence” really. The only “given” in life is your existence, the rest is up to you. There is no true, set in stone explanation to life other than that oneself provides themselves with.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't aware of this philosophy prior to our lesson, but I would consider myself semi-existentialist. I put a lot of value and worth into certain aspects in my life. However, I do try not to let some things affect me farther than they should. I personally agree with the concept of Existentialism because everyone's take on life is different and people should be able to make their own decisions on how to live their lives. Some people make small occurrences big deals and take them as “signs”, while others don't pay attention to minor things. You should use your own volition at all times, no belief or view should be forced upon you. The choices one makes primarily affects them and how they take the repercussions also defines their outlook on life. I strongly believe that some things shouldn't be taken too harshly and same goes for taking some situations too lightly. The more I take it into consideration, Existentialism is more of a view that I would want to “fall under”, but actually don't.
Graham Greene's short story “The Destructors” actually upset me, which is why I think I'm not much of an actual existentialist. The story was set in the pinnacle of Existentialism, several years subsequent to World War II. The gang of the story destructs the last standing house after the London bombings. This story is considered existentialist because of the approach that the boys take in destroying Old Misery's house. T. claims to have no disdain towards Mr. Thomas, that “there's no fun in that” if he were to hate Mr. Thomas. The boys tactically tear the house apart internally, leaving nothing but the exterior which would later be pulled by a truck and collapse, completing the destruction. Knowing Mr. Thomas was returning home, the boys still made a strong effort to finish what they started, not caring that Misery was coming home. Another aspect of Existentialism is that Mr. Thomas seems to be the only one to see the value in his home, not even the man who actually caused the house to fully fall took its destruction seriously. The last words of the story were, “It is pretty funny,” and that shows the difference of the two's views and feelings towards the house. Mr. Thomas put immense worth on his house and valued it greatly, while others felt otherwise. Now Big Black's “Kerosene” is also considered existential because of their literal depiction of “boredom kills”. There's nothing to do, and have no other option but to be set on fire, at least giving them something to do. According to the song, being surrounded by nothingness means life is nothingness. Both deal with the main point of no added value to choices of action.
Parishae Williams
ReplyDeleteExistentialism is the philosophy that an individual is his or her own in the universe based on what they do in life, but there is no guiding forces or emotion that can dictate what an individual does. Even if that person has no knowledge as to whether or not their decision was good or bad. Existentialism has many different pros and cons based on its philosophy; existentialism is based on how an individual lives their own life whether the actions are good or bad.
Existentialism philosophy is a good element because certain sectors of society focus on individualism this is also certain because many people believe that individualism is a responsibility in civil rights, which is the number one key to living without these two key factors everyone will be carefree in the world and just lag around and not do anything which will just cause the world to become lazy
Existentialism philosophy is also a bad thing because basic theory of existentialism is the fact that the basic theory shows it does not believe in individualism Today many people in the world believe that everyone has self-efficiency and can be aware of their own mistakes and try to fix them, with this I believe people should make their own decisions in life and be accountable for their own outcome of the situation. People in society always say people should have their own opinion in life without being shutdown because it is their life and they should live it the way they want to.
I agree with the statement of the Existentialism philosophy because I personally feel that everyone should be held responsible for their own actions whether it be good or bad or dumb or smart, he or she decided to make the action so the outcome is on them. Yet I disagree with the statement “There are no guiding emotions or motives behind actions” because if an individual makes a mistake from a choice they decided to make they learn from that mistake and they carry that mistake as a motive to do better the next time and succeed in whatever it is they are trying to succeed in.
The short story by graham green “The Destructors” and the song by big black “Kerosene” are two very good examples of Existentialism because they both show that there is no emotion or feelings in your choice of doing you only do what you felt was the right thing to do in that moment like in “The Destructors” T. find Blackie burning some money so he asks why is he burning the money and T. replies with “because I have no hatred towards Mr. Thomas or no care for the money, the only care I have is for the destruction.” Then as we heard the song “Kerosene” Existentialism was showed when the singer mainly talked about burned everything and himself along with the town but yet he didn't have any reason to actually burn anything it was just the thing to do.
Christian Olide
ReplyDeleteExistentialism is a belief for the most satisfying philosophy for humanity because it shows that life is an end in itself and that humanity does not have a purpose except to make its own purpose or essence. The pros for it is to shape what you think about humanity should be. It allows humans to understand that it’s allow’s them to become free from worrying about a greater purpose to everything. It lets humans see that they are what they make themselves, and they can make themselves whatever they see is right or better. This is all satisfying because it frees worry and enlightens us on our true potential.The cons of is that now you would second guess everything because now it’s getting you thinking of whats the real meaning of the world but the answer will never be found.
I do agree with it because its true we don't know whats real or fake or whats the meaning of things. We the human make the meanings of stuff because if some ask the question “whats the meaning of life?” people wouldn't give you the same answer so its proven that everyone sees things different and have there different definitions. Existentialism means how the human thinking but also the acting, feeling, living human individual and the confusion in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world. But on the other hand we think of human consciousness as unique and somehow altogether different from the phenomena of the natural world. This makes you think about what you really know and play with your mind. Learn about this was a great lesson because I now have different meanings of everything. The Destructors and Big Black’s song are examples of Existentialism holds the humankind is transcendent in intelligence and spirit because there both talking about how bad things happen to good people and because whats the meaning of life when you don't have nothing or nobody. This both shows that boredom kills people and gives them horrible ideas and second guess everything. Also it’s showing how people would take matter into their own hands and make others life suffer like they did.
Existentialism can be referred to as the philosophy that talks about the meaning of life. Explains what humanity is and how life will go as we continue to grow. When I hear the term existentialism, it always seems to make me question my existence. I began to wonder why I am here living on this earth. Why is it that we have the society that we have today? How can our lives be different than what it already is? I believe that when it comes to existentialism that it doesn’t represent society as a whole. It talks more on an individual themselves and their own thoughts and emotions. I know for myself that I make my own decisions to do certain things. I believe that people do certain things based on their emotions. If someone insults you, its your decision whether you decide to fight back or walk away, and your emotions will affect your decision. Either negatively or positively. When it comes to existentialism, there are both pros and cons.
ReplyDeleteThere are both pros and cons for existentialism. One pro includes that it allows an individual to be free. With existentialism, individuals can have a sense of freedom because they know they have the ability to make their own decisions. People should know that no one is ruling over them and can’t control their actions. Another pro is that it allows an individual to discover the person they really are. Existentialism allows many to discover their true identities and see why you are unique compared to other people. Existentialism may sound like a positive term, but still contains negatives. Some cons include the real definition for existentialism. The term itself is considered absurd and is hard to describe whether or not it’s effective to teach to others. Also it can question the existence of humanity. We may act differently based on certain situations. When it comes to whether or not I agree with the term, I agree with it because I believe all of us have the right to make our own decisions based on our own emotions. I believe in individualism and that we are our own unique person.
The song “Kerosene” and the story “The Destructors” are both great examples of existentialism because they involve actions more than feelings and emotions. Both titles involve completing actions without any real emotion or feeling. The main character in “Kerosene” shows acts of violence by using kerosene to burn parts of his town down, but doesn’t show any reasoning on why he is performing these actions. In the “Destructors” a perfect example of existentialism was shown when the group was breaking the house down. The group didn’t have any hate towards Mr. Thomas, they showed no reason for why they did it. They just did it with no explanation why.
Alexandra Barton
ReplyDeleteThe meaning of existentialism has many pros and cons to its philosophy. Existentialism is the philosophy that an individual (her/his) own in the universe. Also with existentialism there is no guiding force or emotion that can dictate what the individual does. In the end, that individual is ultimately responsible for her/his own actions, even without knowledge of whether what they have done is good or bad.
Existentialist philosophies are a good thing because certain sectors of society focus on individualism. This is also certain because many people believe that individualism, in terms of responsibility and civil rights, which is the number one important aspect of living. Without these two important key factors people would become clumsy and carefree in the world.
Existentialist philosophies are also a bad thing because basic theory of existentialism is that they don’t believe in individualism. Many people today in society believe everyone is self-sufficient on their own and can be aware of one person’s mistakes based on the decision she or he makes.
I personally agree with the concept of existentialism because everyone lives there own life and grows up in one childhood household. People should be able to make their own decisions in life. Some people take their own actions as meaningless, but also every action has a cause and a motive as well. The concept is based on individualism because individuals do not do things randomly; everything an individual does is a choice they decide to make.
Graham Greene’s short story, “The Destructors” and Big Black’s song, “Kerosene” are examples of existentialism because they both show examples that observe one of the key concepts of existentialism in that there are no feelings or emotions, just objects and actions. In “The Destructors”, we see this when Blackie asks T about why they are burning money. T replies in saying that he has no hatred for Mr. Thomas or care for the money, he just cares about destruction. This is reflected in “Kerosene” as well, as the singer mainly cares about burning things and destroying his town without any real reason for it.
The philosophy were one believes that there is no guidance in life and that one is responsibly for themselves is existentialism. Existentialism has its pros and cons and all of that falls onto how people would see it. Some may say its stupid while some would say it brings up a good point on life, but existentialism does have differences that some won't handle and some will seeing it brings up good points in philosophy.
ReplyDeleteWith existentialism being good it can promote free will for many seeing those that believe it act as their own with no consideration for the after actions. That would benefit those that want to live their lives to the fullest, having to live with no worry or fear. Many do want this philosophy so that their way of life can thrive and not be oppressed. What existentialism brings is a view of life that can promote a better way of life with no interference from others and that what you do is all your actions and responsibilities, this philosophy can help in having a individual live his or her life with not worries and have them live in utter joy. Although existentialism has its goods it also has its bad.
The major con that existentialism has is society in general. If a man were to live the way he wanted under existentialism he would be faced with society saying no, and that being being arrested. A con that the philosophy brings is a bit of selfishness seeing its just for the person only and if a person were to act under existentialism they may or may not take in consideration for others ultimately causing harm. The general idea of a con that existentialism is that living with no regards to ones actions can have a major repercussion in the making. I don't agree with existentialism for for me personally i always think of people before myself, even when i am free to do what i want even with approval i still would be cautious and hesitant.
The story the destructors has a theme of existentialism and the song kerosene has a theme of existentialism. The destructors with a group of kids taking down a old mans house just for the fun, with no regards to what might follow through. The song kerosene with a persona who is bored and is trapped and wants to be lit on fire due to boredom. Both are about existentialism for both main characters dont have any thought for their actions and just do what they want to do. They don't really feel obligated to do so or told to they are going by their own will.
Existentialism is a view of life, and just as others, has different points and its positives and negatives. Existentialism itself is the idea that the world, and the people, have absolutely no purpose but to simply exist, to simply be matter with a conscience.This depressing view on life had, not surprisingly, formed post-world war 2 when the entire world had been in depressing times due to post-war problems. However, with the negative view existing, it automatically brings into view, a positive side. Since all life has no meaning which is decided for by the universe, meaning for anything and everything has to be decided by humans. But the meaning which is created does not have to be followed by the individual for- this being another portion of existentialism- meaning on literally anything can be decided on and created by the individual and the want to do anything as well. This area of existentialism is more positive than the counterpart and follows something similar to “carpe-diem”, for people to “seize the day”, but in this sense, for people to create a meaning for their life and to seize and enjoy it. It’s an interesting point of view on life which has crossed everyone’s mind at least once before, with life having no meaning at all but your own interpretation of it, despite not knowing what existentialism is.
ReplyDeleteExistentialist literature done without sounding completely dreary as an Edgar Allan Poe work, would be difficult to achieve without making a terrible piece in the meantime. Graham Greene’s, “The Destructors” along with Big Black’s, “Kerosene” are two existentialist pieces which bring a tone of hopelessness and emptiness in the world. “Kerosene” gives a dark feeling while being simplistic, stating that there’s no point in anything so they’ll have to make up something instead. “The Destructors” is a short story which has a tone set in post-bombed London, following a gang of children who cause mischief throughout the “city” as forms of entertainment and to build their reputation as well. Both pieces include the point that meaning in life has to be created for it will not create itself. Which in all is the basis of this view of life.
Zachary Borja
Steffon Williams
ReplyDeleteThere are various pros and cons to Existentialism. The main idea of the Existentialism philosophy is that we all are put on this earth as individuals and that no one has control over our lives except for us. Also that no one and nothing is accountable for our future and our meaning to life. A pro to existentialism is that you get to find your own meaning and do what you want to do. And in a way less stress can be another pro because if you think that you are free to do what you really want it can be a relief. A con could be that you may feel gloomy and that you might be alone in this world. Also that you have nothing to believe in and that life is meaningless so why live it?
I agree with existentialism to an extent. I believe that we are put on this earth to find our own meaning to life. I don’t think that people are put on this earth with a path already set, we have to make our own path. In a way you can say that I don’t believe in destiny. I disagree with the idea of no reasoning, I think that everything happens for a reason and that we all have reasons that we do the things we do.
In both of Graham Greene’s stories “The Destructors” and Big Black’s song “Kerosene” existentialism is displayed. They show how there don’t have to be reasons for things. In “The Destructors” while the gang was destroying Mr. Thomas’s house T. asks Blackie why does he hate Mr. Thomas, he replies that he doesn't hate him and that it would be fun to him if he had hated Mr. Thomas. This just shows that there was no initial motive and reasoning behind what was done.
What is existentialism? This is solely based upon the existence of one individual person who is responsible for their own actions by what they do to develop themselves out of their own volition. When I personally think of existentialism it makes me think of my own actions. Everything I do, is for a reason, but when I think of those actions now it makes me think. Why did I ever do that? Or why didn’t I take that chance? Judgement to me is the foundation of existentialism because whether we perform an action based on someone else’s influence can make us become less of ourselves and more like that other individual. This is what makes us do those good deeds or possibly bad deeds. There are both good sides and bad sides to existentialism.
ReplyDeletePros of existentialism are that people can be themselves and become that way through their own decisions. Everyone is unique in their own way and how else did they become that way other than making their own life changing choices? People have a reason to be themselves which is known as individualism. This is where judgement becomes the foundation by having someone decide on things while not being influenced by another to commit to that action.
A major con of existentialism is that individualism does not exist. That con is there is no real meaning to life for you just exist to live but not experience it. This relates to a book by Kurt Vonnegut who talks about how human beings are robots. Human beings have no real meaning to life but to exist without any emotions and whatnot. The individuals within his book perform actions as if they were robots.
I agree with existentialism because I believe in individualism. The way I see everyone is that we all have unique talents and features which makes us stand out from one another. Mainly, our actions always have a reason to being committed and that we should be held responsible for those actions whether they have a major consequence or not.
Graham Greene’s short story, “The Destructors” and Big Black’s song “Kerosene” are examples of existentialism because there is no true feelings in the story/song. Things are materialized within both writings like the possessions of Mr. Thomas or the city in Kerosene. In “The Destructors”, T states that he doesn’t hate Mr. Thomas because there would be no real fun in messing with him. It shows how the environment around him affected him greatly for having a craving for destruction. In “Kerosene”, the singer talks about the destruction of his city through burnings and destroying things for no real reason. His reasoning was that he was bored.
Justice Pangelinan
ReplyDeleteExistentialism is a philosophical movement centered on individual existence. This philosophy, practiced by many has some pros and cons. A pro that it has is that it allows people to express themselves and have full control to their beliefs and freedoms. Existentialist don't believe in a God. This can be seen as either a pro or con by people depending on what they believe. A downfall, I think, is that existentialist are seen as outcasts that "don't care". They have a different set of beliefs set aside from the norm. This can hurt them because it will cause them to be treated differently in society. They probably wouldn't care because they are set on their own existence not someone else's. I believe in existentialism to an extent. Yes I believe in finding meaning to your existence but I don't believe in fate. That things happened because they were destined to happen. I believe that things happen because you made it happen. There's a reason for everything you do. You do things because you felt you had to do it. With actions come consequence and people aren't destined to make bad decisions. They put it upon themselves because they chose to do whatever it is they did. In both the story, "The Destructors" and "Kerosene", existentialism is present. You see that both stories hold destruction with no real meaning. It was actions done, "Just because". In "The Destructors", T wanted to destroy Mr. Thomas's house. He didn't really have a reason for it. He just wanted to do it. He didn't hate him, it was just some spontaneous crime committed without a real motive. And in "Kerosene", Big Black writes about A man who just wants to burn his town down. He's lived there all his life, there isn't much to do in that town and he decides that it should burn down. He thinks it's really nothing. The town is nothing. And there really isn't any meaning to having the town or living in the town. Existentialism is a belief that has to grow onto you. I wouldn't be one to take part in an existentialist movement or philosophy. I care about things and why they happen and I also care about who it affects.
Roman Nava
ReplyDeleteThere are good and bad parts to both sides of Pro and Con for the philosophy of Existentialism. Existentialism is that we are all on living individuals on this world and that no one has control over us but ourselves, as well as no one is able to predict the future. The future is meant to be happened on its own regardless the outcome is. The Pro to Existentialism is that you can do whatever or what you want to do. Basically you have your own sense of freedom which can be a potential relief to yourself. As for the Con side of Existentialism, it can possibly deal with depression, or have a negative aspect of energy to it, Asking yourself whats the point of living? Only you can find that true answer within yourself.
To some certain point of view of extent, i agree with existentialism. God put us on this world to find our true meaning or desire of life. Life is a precious gift that no body cant get back and only have once. Everybody has to find there own answer to life as we individually question ourselves.
As for both of Graham's story "The Destructors" and Big Black's songs "Kerosene" Existentialism is then observed. If you really think about it and compare and contrast both things, in actuality it shows that there is no reason or reasons for anything that is done.
The ideology or philosophy that highlights the fact that life has no real substance is called Existentialism. It revolves around the basic idea that humans simply exist. They hold no real purpose, but to be on Earth. It is only the human that adds in meaning to life. Existentialism rules out any emotion, accepts the concept of freedom of choice, and shuns the mission to find purpose in life. Existentialism is a captivating philosophy that can easily entice masses into concurring with its beliefs.
ReplyDeleteThe pros of Existentialism include its call for simplicity and a greater understanding of cause and effect. The core concept of the philosophy can easily be phrased in this quote—“Existence precedes essence.” Before there was content, there was existence, basically. It shows humans that they control where they want to end up. It makes humans aware of the fact that we choose the level of complexity in our daily lives. Emotion does not exist. It is just a projection and reaction to daily occurrences. We all possess the volition to exercise our right to choose our sense of direction. The only real problem is that it is also our responsibility to understand the possible consequences that may arise from deciding what was best for the present, as the present easily turns into the past. Existentialism, in a way, conveys the idea “C’est la vie,” or “That’s life.”
Cons to Existentialism include the possible ignorance that can be shown by its followers. Those that practice Existentialism may refute a person that actually does have a passion for what they believe is the true meaning and purpose of life. Existentialism also poses a threat to society. Believers would defy the higher powers, with the drive and idea that there are no boundaries and that nothing really exists—that includes rules and regulations.
To a certain extent, yes I do agree with the philosophy of Existentialism. It is simply that I nitpick at which aspects I believe in. I concur with the belief that we choose the complexity in our lives, and that we are responsible for our decisions and their repercussions. We do choose to react certain ways to situations, and emotions are a choice. “The Destructors” exemplifies Existentialism in the way that the members of the gang had no emotion or reasoning. By this, I mean that the boys didn’t care for the house; all they knew was that it should be burned down for no particular reason. They were driven by the idea that the last house standing should be burnt. Why? Just because. It’s not like they had disdain towards Mr. Thomas; it was just the mere idea that the house must be burnt. “Kerosene,” by Big Black, on the other hand, was another great example of Existentialism. This is because its action of destructing the city with kerosene was an impulsive, meaningless action. In fact, the act was done out of pure boredom. The courses of actions had no particular motive. The lack of emotion and reasoning exemplify Existentialism.
Existentialism is constantly evident in day-to-day settings, from the way a student sits in class without absorbing any content from their teacher’s lesson, to a person understanding why and how they messed up in a situation. We all exist before we are able to embody any real complexity in our lives. Its our decision to choose certain options over others. We choose our choices. We even choose whether or not choosing choices is necessary. The number of Existentialist options are infinite; it’s just vital to know that it stresses that every human just exists.
Existentialism emphasizes the fact that there is no evidence for why humankind exists. It is the ideology that life is irrational, meaningless, and absurd. Humans simply exist on the planet to exist and our lives are simply shaped by cause and effect. The choices that we make at an early age are what structure how our future will be, not a divine calling or destiny. Existentialism emphasizes freedom of choice and the human emotions that go along with that freedom, such as dread, anxiety, and alienation. These are triggered by the realization that you only exist and will be held responsible for your actions in some way. Individuals however, can accept this freedom of responsibility, any expectations, and choice, differently.
ReplyDeleteThere could be an interpretation of joy due to the fact that one doesn’t have to achieve anything in particular besides breathing and anything beyond that is an accomplishment. But, there is also the individual who seeks something to live for, a more significant purpose and motivation; the person who asks what the ultimate purpose of life and existence is. This realization can be devastating to someone who actually has some expectation. The pro’s that I see are the fact that you aren’t disappointing any higher being, you aren’t expected to do anything, and if you live long enough, you will experience your own domino effect. I love the thought of accepting that we are simply on the Earth to live and do as we please rather than finish a mission, it’s like we were given a century of free time. Yes, at first the thought that our existence has no purpose can be a little overwhelming, but you can always find smaller things and motivations to live for to make living easier. But, in the end, existentialism states that in reality we are simply doing whatever we do for the purpose of doing it.
The Destructors and Kerosene are both examples of existentialism because they’re actions really have no ultimate motif. The gang tears down the house simply because it was there and capable of being broken down. The young teen boy in the song has kerosene, a flammable, so he wants to set himself on fire simply because the kerosene is there. There is no reason for them to do it, perhaps their reputation and boredom, but those are small motifs. They simply act to act and in true existentialist manner, in Kerosene, their action has a reaction: the fire.
Existentialism like many things consists of many negatives and positives. It is philosophy that explains that a person's own existence is based on their own mind and they're own universe they create. Nothing creates a motive for anything and anything is nothing but just the mere idea of what the person has in they're mind. This can be good or bad thing. The pro that exist in this is that everything a person does is in their own mind and that no two people are alike. This promotes individualism and the value of a person expressing individualism. Individualism helps people understand everybody is different, therefore tactics to talk, teach, approach and learn from a person is not universal. Existentialism also create self-awareness of the individual and they're responsibility. By this it shows that every action they take is reflected upon themselves and that they would have to take responsibility for each and every single situation. The negativity of existentialism is that individualism can be controversial when it discussed about children. Children are still learning what could be their morality sets and because of this once they create havoc or do anything, society puts responsibility on their parents. This is an example of the existentialist idea that there are no emotions or motives that drives the action. This idea conflicts with how we think, feel and understand the idea of how both society and the universe works.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with the philosophy of existentialism. The reason why is because I personally believe that our emotions are the universe and emotions guides and connects us with everything and everyone. This belief is the total opposite of individualism and that nothing drives us to do what we do. Everybody is connected among influence, among history and among culture and tradition. Not one person is alike true but we are all based on at least one person. Everything we learn are not unique and are not an aspect of individualism.
The short story "The Destructors" and the song "Kerosene" express the idea and philosophy of existentialism. In "The Destructors" there are a gang of boys that grew up in post World War II in London. Living and being raised and rubble and debris the gang of boys find themselves they have nothing to loose, as the story progress the gang of boys decide to destroy the last house that was standing. This shows that there is no motive to do anything as the leader didn’t hate the owner. They did it just to do it which shows individualism and there are no motive to drive someone to do something. "Kerosene" is song based on boredom , so to relieve that boredom they decide to light everything on fire, which also show nt motive to do things as well.
Existentialism states that the world and life we live in is meaningless and absurd, and our purpose is to create meaning for our lives in the time we have it. To every way of thinking, there are pros and cons to it. One pro to existentialism would be its straight-forward sense of living, knowing that this is what it is, nothing more. With that thinking, there is an absence of 'extra' feelings that could divert you from your purpose that you have created. Another pro would be the acknowledgement of the hard truth, that nothing really matters. This way of thinking would allow someone to save energy on pointless things, if they have the choice to. Some cons to existentialism would probably be the dangers of self harm and depression, knowing that life doesn't need to be lived and the world would not collapse if you ever existed. Another con would be lack of motivation, knowing that nothing matters; If you don't believe you need to do something, and you don't, where's the productivity?
ReplyDeleteExistentialism is a weak state of thinking because you lack a certain motivation that keeps your mental health strong. Its only strong point, to me, would be the logic that it provides as a type of enlightenment; This enlightenment allows the thinker to see how everything is as is, and there's no reason to go past the fact that we are here right now, about to do something and make a choice.
I do agree with existentialism because I thought this way before I even learned the term. No one asked you to be here, no one genuinely cares about your existence, and if you never existed, they wouldn't miss you at all. It's those ideas that support the fact that this is a cold, cruel world and we can't change it. You may become an 'important figure' later in life, but when you die, you leave behind everything and then are forgotten in the next wave of popular culture, just like Elvis. Existentialism changes everything about what we've been taught to think: You grow up and go to school to get a nice job, maybe a family, then work until you die, just to survive. Will it stop me from this order of events, probably not, but I acknowledge that it's a futile way to live.
"The Destructors" and "Kerosine" are examples of existentialism in a common way that they both scream out 'no meaning'. "The Destructors" has these children that live day to day doing nothing of productivity and end up destroying a building without motive. The song "Kerosine" talks about setting yourself, or everything, on fire because there's nothing to do here, no meaning to live.
Darren Nguyen
ReplyDeleteExistentialism can be seen as the belief of being responsible for your own act of free will. It is up to you to create your own life because in existentialism there is nobody or anything to dictate your life whether its your surroundings or religion. You have the free will in life to create your own lifestyle and you are also responsible.
The pros of existentialism is that It is up to you to develop your own lifestyle through the act of free will. There is nobody to dictate you on your lifestyle. You may be influenced by many things in the world but you are responsible for how you perceive these influences through the act of free will. Existentialism allows us to to make our own individual decisions without worry about what others think.
The cons of existentialism is that this philosophy may grant us too much power with the act of free will. Many may not be able to control the thoughts through existentialism. Emotions are everywhere and those are the influences that are wrapped up around our thoughts. Society will always judge so no matter what even with existentialism there are always influences in the world to prevent us from the act of free will.
In the story Destruction, a group of kids take down an old man’s house with no reason. Through the act of existentialism where they are just trying to prove themselves that nobody can stop them and who’s in control. It was the act that the children decided to do though there was no actual reason behind it. In kerosene, a person feels trapped and wants to escape boredom by destroying his city for no reason. Just for the heck of it, for fun.
For me I don’t believe in existentialism because we are living a world where we are always being influenced whether you know it or not. Your surroundings, friends, and environment keeps you from actually making individual choices. There will be a time where individuals will have a choice but that choice will always be influenced.
Existentialism is the philosophy that an individual (her/his) are on their own in the universe. Nothing guides you, there is nobody tells you how to live, you are the maker of your own life. You make up your sole purpose for your life and this makes you unique among others. It also makes the decisions you make for your life neither good or bad because in the end your life was what you make it.
ReplyDeleteThe Pros of Existentialism is that it shows individualism, where the individual makes his or her own choices in life. This separates each person from being exactly alike. This is why, for example, two young boys can like two different colors in blue or red. There even might be another young boy who likes the color green. It's all about making your choices and deciding what you want, not what everybody else wants. If everybody had the same want or need, then it would be programmed and the masses would be cloned in order for everybody to be the same.
The Cons of Existentialism is that it believes that there is no meaning to life. If we were to just look at our lives from a broad perspective, then you would see that there really is no meaning. The way life is set up right now, we wake up, we eat, we get ready, we go to school/work, we eat again, we finish school/work, and then we go home to repeat the next day. Is there any meaning to that? There is not, it's just a obvious hidden agenda that not many people realize.
Analyzing the Pros and Cons of Existentialism, I agree with Existentialism. The freedom of choice is really favored in our society and makes each of us, who we are in our lifetime. Our actions are always for us and nobody else. If my action has a reward or consequence, then that's only for me to have.
Graham Greene’s short story, “The Destructors” and Big Black’s song, “Kerosene” are good examples of existentialism because you can tell that there is no true feelings in the story or song. In “The Destructors,” T. the leader of the gang, chooses to destroy Mr. Thomas's house, an old man who's house had not been affected from the war bombings. While in “Kerosene” the main character, of the story told through the lyrics chooses to burn down his own town.
-Angelo
Brandon Estrella
ReplyDeleteWhat is life? Is there a meaning? Is there a purpose? What is exactly life? According to Existentialism, life has no substance to it. Instead, we as the facilitators of our own life, make choices that affect our selves. These choices can either be positive or negative, yet when we generally look at the whole outlook of our own choice, they only affect us for the past, present, and future. We as “humans” give meaning to our meaningless life.
Existentialism is a very misunderstood concept that actually has a lot of pros to it. The freedom of creating your own choices and beliefs is one of these pros. We as individual's are able to decide what our interests and beliefs will be. This separates each person because then not everybody is the same. For example, two people with the same religious views, may like two different colors in black and white. Another example would be if two people had many common interests, that it was nearly impossible that these two weren't different, we could look at simple choices in their life that have affected them to see what may separate them from being so alike. This could either be a fear of drowning or loving to go on night adventures. Whatever it is, no two people are exactly alike.
The Cons of Existentialism is that there is no real meaning. There is no general purpose to why you are born, you just are born like the millions of others. You exist to live, nothing else. You are not promised a destiny to become rich or poor, great or lame. You just are born.
I however agree with Existentialism because the freedom of choice. It's almost as if our life is a gigantic, self choosing picture book with us choosing the path we want to take. Opportunities come and go, it's up to you to choose whether to pass up the opportunity or take it. Just remember, we are also responsible for our own actions whether positive or negative. It only affects our life, nobody else.
Existentialism is seen in two piece's of work, that work being; “The Destructors,” by Graham Greene and “Kerosene,” by Big Black. These two pieces of work, are great examples because in “The Destructors,” T. and his gang destroy Mr. Thomas's house because they crave destruction due to them living in a world that had been destroyed and affected by the bombings of the war. It's not out of pure fun that they destroy the house, they do it, just to do it. While in “Kerosene,” the young boy who the lyrics portrays wants to burn the city he is living in, down. His motive, just to do it.
By Aidan A.
ReplyDeleteAre we really promised a destiny for our life, or do we make decisions that create our own destiny? Dating back to the early Medieval Ages, Kings often stated that it was their destiny to become a King because of what God planned for them. This led them to choosing which kingdoms for them to take over and what they should do with their power. This correlates with Existentialism because Existentialism states that your life is based upon the existence of one individual person who is responsible for their own actions. Out of their volition, they create and mold their own decisions to develop a meaning to their life.
What Existentialism has to offer is the freedom of choice. Using freedom of choice, people are able to have an interest in anything they want. They are able to pursue what they want and not what others want. For example, two young girls have a common interests in young singers. However they do not like the same young singer, one of them might like One Direction and the other Justin Bieber. However, there might be another young girl who chooses to like N.W.A and Public Enemy, two entirely different artists. Another example could be identical twins, they look exactly the same, have the same voice, and same type of clothing, however through their choice, they are two different people. One of the twins might like red better than blue while the other likes blue better than red. It is their choice who and what they like.
What Existentialism has to offer that may seem like a con is that life has no meaning. You are born to just to exist and nothing more. This shows that humans could be just robots. Where we do everything over and over again. We don't realize the obvious, hidden agenda of our lives where we do the same daily tasks everyday of our lives until we die. These tasks are just cloaked in different attire, such as when we go to school for the majority of our life and then we obtain a job, it's the same agenda except instead of school, we replaced it with work. The agenda is as the following; Wake up, get ready, eat, go to school/work, eat lunch, go home, eat dinner, sleep, repeat.
Looking at the Pros and Cons of Existentialism, I agree with Existentialism to a certain extent. Life is what you make it through your choices. However, I do believe we don't exist to just exist. We exist to create life. It may not be a sexy meaning, but it still is a meaning none the less.
Two pieces of work that greatly show Existentialism are, Graham Greene's, “The Destructors,” and Big Black's, “Kerosene.” In the “The Destructors,” the sole purpose of the gang was to destroy Mr. Thomas's house since his house had not been affected by the bombings from the war. The gang made a choice all together to destroy the house and growing up in a post war, destroyed place, who could blame them? All they knew was destruction and seeing something entirely different is definitely strange to them. The same could be said in Big Black's, “Kerosene,” where the depiction of a young boy, around the age of 16-18, wants to destroy his hometown out of spite.
Existentialism is philosophy that denies that the world and life have any meanings. To be an existentialist is to believe that you have to control your own fate. It is the belief or way of thinking of how an individual perceives thing in his or her own way. This idea is based on what we believe is right or wrong in society which means that all of how we think is basically based off of who we are as people and what we do with our actions. Many would people would consider saying that there is no sense in things if we don't create one ourselves. This includes everything in life, our home, our spouse and kids, our career have no meaning at all unless we give it a meaning. Life is what you make it basically.
ReplyDeleteIt is difficult to define exactly what existentialism is because existentialist don’t use that word to talk about what their philosophy is. “Existence precedes essence”. This means that your actions become you, how you choose to live your life is what defines you not life itself. This also takes out the idea of stereotypes. You cannot be defined by a larger group of people because that larger group is not you.
A pro of this philosophy is that it supports the idea that everyone is free. We can live as we want and make decisions as we want to. Another pro would be that whether something is right or wrong the way you perceive it or go about do it could bring a positive affair to it. Such as allowing someone to find their own meaning of life without having someone else force it upon them.
A con is that it does not really support the belief of God who gives meaning to life. I value religion do this is not true to me. I agree with some parts of his philosophy because I do believe that we are free to be whoever we want to be but I believe that life has greater meaning than anybody knows. I am not the only person who gives meaning to my life, everyone around me gives meaning to my life and existentialist don’t believe that.
Graham Greene’s short story “The Destructors” is an example of existentialism because the boys have absolutely no reason to destroy Mr. Thomas’s house. They don’t hate them, they don’t want revenge, they don’t want money. They destroy his house for no purpose because nothing has a reason. T did not even care about the money. This is existentialism because everybody in society cares about money and material things and he is breaking away from that.
Big Black’s song “Kerosene”is also an example of Existentialism because the lead singer is just singer about destroying his town. He gives no reason as to why he wants to do this or if anybody is making him do this. He just wants to destroy everything for no reason. There is no emotion behind it.
Marcus Herrera
ReplyDeleteWhat Existentialism is, is that life is solely based upon just the individual's and it is their choice how and what their life will be like. It's basically you have your own volition do anything you want. Anything you want to do will not affect anyone else but you.
The Pros of Existentialism is that the person who's life it may be, makes their own choices. Which means that nobody else decides what they want for them. It is up to the person to decide for themselves. If the person wanted a steaming, marshmallow filled hot chocolate in the Summer then it's their choice. If the same person wanted to eat, ice cold, bubblegum ice cream in the Winter than it's that person's choice. Nobody else is doing the same choice, except for that person. He/she is drinking that delicious hot chocolate and eating the creamy ice cream.
Cons of Existentialism is that life has no meaning. This makes it hard to go on with life because if there is no meaning to life, then why do we carry on and why do we still choose to live. Wouldn't it be easier to just end our life, since our life is already is nothing because life has no meaning. It's just a depressing fact of Existentialism.
I disagree with Existentialism only because I do believe life has a meaning. I don't know what that meaning is right now, but I will find it. Life is just not life, we don't exist to just exist. There is something about living that makes us humans, “humans.”
Existentialist works of art include “The Destructors,” by Graham Greene and “Kerosene,” by Big Black. These two are both examples Existentialism because the sole purpose is choice and to have no feelings. T. and the gang in the “The Destructors” destroy Mr. Thomas's house because they all voted to do it because they wanted to make the house look like the rest of their city, which was destroyed. Where in “Kereosene” the main character who is about and almost just like T. and the gang in the “The Destructors,” decides to burn his whole city down, just to do it. He knows he is going to spend his whole life there, so why not?
Existentialism is an ideology that showcases the idea of pure human existence.Its main point is that life genuinely has no purpose at all. Humans and their experiences mixed with clouded emotions attempt to give off an essence for life.Existentialism is inclusive of many ideas which include choice and commitment, dread and anxiety, nothingness and death. “Existence precedes essence” is a main concept of this philosophy.
ReplyDeleteHuman nature is basically not a real thing that cannot be explained because it has no mean. We as people just exist, so you cannot question this idea. If you try to come up with a purpose for life you will only create problems. Life is not meant to be defined by words and emotions. We just exist. We as humans choose what direction we want to go in, in life according to existentialism. Every decision that you ever make in life contributes to your character and what you are, nothing. Not your parents, not people that lived before you. You completely make up your own reality. There is nothing in like that is predetermined because you determine your own fate. There is nothing controlling our lives but us. This ideology does not support the concept of God, or a high power that determines your fate for you. Nothing exists but right now and what you make of the present. You are free and responsible and you can do whatever you want to do. You develop your own self.
I find this to be a pro of existentialism because I enjoy believing that I am free to do as I wish with no restraint because all that matters in my life is myself and my decisions. This can save people from being sheep and just conforming to life. Existentialism is liberating in a way because it gives you all responsibility.
This same concept can also be a con because many people just like to go with the flow. Some people enjoy their everyday pattern and simple life. To some, life is much easier when it is not questioned, analyzed and made out to be confusing but not confusing at the same time. Another con is that this philosophy can lead you to believe that you are not alive for any reason at all. There is no greater purpose for you being alive, you just exist. And when life is put into that context it seems sad and empty.
I agree with this philosophy on some aspects because I do believe that humans create their own destinies. Graham Greene’s short story “The Destructors” is existentialist because the gang of boys have no reason to destroy Mr. Thomas’s house for any reason besides just destroying it. They don’t do it for money or revenge they just do it for no valid reason at all.
Big Black’s song “Kerosene” is a example of Existentialism because the singer is spitting out lyrics about wanting to destroy his town. He does not provide the listener with a real reason for his desire to destroy everything because there is no reason for anything. He has nothing to do so why not destroy the nothingness around him.