And, if one flees historical reality, then, is it not futile in that eventually it will catch up with us? As a "guest" of this world, then, what is the basic responsibility we have towards humanity? Daru chooses an isolated and ascetic life -- he flees society, but society catches up with him, and it is his decision that allows him to become -- more human. Of true importance in this work is that the original title in French, L'hote means two things -- the guest, or the host. Thus, the title refers to the struggle of both the prisoner and the schoolmaster; giving the reader a moral guide that is less than logical, but historically practical (Camus, 2000). Gimpel the Fool is a Yiddish tale set down by Isaac Singer, and translated into English in 1953. In essence, it is representative of much of the Judaic culture -- the journey the individual takes, through trials and tribulations, to find faith, guidance, and ultimately self-actualization within a cruel world. Gimpel accepts that the town thinks of him as a fool, representative of the outside world having little trust in his acumen -- and as a fool, he is therefore boxed into situation (at the bakery where he works, the village understanding he could not possibly be his child's natural father, etc.). Instead, though, like Camus's Daru, regardless of what Gimpel does, he is at the mercy of trends -- of whirlpools of history that are inescapable. By narrating the story himself, Gimpel asks the reader to really decide who might be fooling whom? Who, in fact, has integrity, who treats everyone with respect, and when Gimpel says, "One can't pass through life unscathed, nor expect to," he indicates not weakness, but strength (Singer,...
The fluid nature, though, for both Camus and Singer is not complete -- instead, while history may be the guiding force behind trends (ala Marx?), there are still maxims that allow humans to interact with one another in a positive manner -- throughout history. It is almost as if both authors see history as both a lover and an enemy. A lover in that it provides infinite possibilities that take one on journeys of ecstasy and wonderment; an enemy in the roadblocks and inexplicable negatives that get in the way of actualization. However, for Daru and Gimpel, it is the search for happiness -- almost in an Aristotelian sense -- in that happiness is found along the way -- not at the destination.
Upon arriving in London and informing Mrs. Strickland that her husband does not plan to return, the narrator notes: "now that I had seen Strickland in Paris it was difficult to imagine him in those surroundings. I thought it could hardly have failed to strike them that there was something incongruous in him." This shows the lengths which people are willing to go to fool themselves; Strickland lived for
He is unaware that it is his free will that is longing to escape. While he is wise not to ignore his inner yearnings, he is oblivious on how to obtain his freedom. All he knows is that he is lost and he must find a way to himself. This is a personality trait that every human being is born with and when it becomes endangered the human instinct
In this regard, Sayer advises that: The distinctiveness [of bourgeois capitalism] lies as much in its organization of production. It is the continuous and rational employment of capital in a productive enterprise for the acquisition of profit, especially in industry which is characteristically modern. Bourgeois capitalism alone has produced a rational organization of labor, which nowhere previously existed. Of course, not everyone has experienced the Horatio Alger "Ragged Dick" rags-to-riches story
Human nature allows a person to demonstrate the cognitive, social and emotional behaviors that enable him or her to function in society and satisfy biological, psychological and emotional needs. The drive to display such behaviors is inborn but is shaped through environmental forces. New behaviors are learned and unlearned through experience and instruction. Functional human beings are able to read the situation, identify their goals and select from a repertoire
Human Trafficking: Literature Review Perhaps the most significant act of legislation passed to deal with the growing global problem of human trafficking was the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. This law established specific federal penalties for trafficking in persons, as well as offered added protections for victims. However, according to Anthony M. Destefano's 2007 The war on human trafficking: U.S. policy assessed, the years subsequent to the passage of this
Human Nature, Difference Between Man and Animal With respect to human nature, some philosopher argue that humans and animals are the same, while others reject it; but the strangest conflict is the conflict of Aristotelian and Thomist view point, which despite appearing to be the same are at lock heads with each other. When describing the impalpable in terms of the Aristotelian point-of-view, in regards to the visible dissimilarities among animals, contrary
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