The Myth Of Sisyphus And Other Essays

The Myth Of Sisyphus

The myth of Sisyphus was a paper written by Albert Camus to show that life has no ultimate meaning. This goals of men and woman are false and in the end humans really accomplish nothing. Camus represented his idea of existentialism through the use of Sisyphus. This allows us to see a comparison of a mythical tale and the real world.

Albert Camus feeling towards existence was that humans were not supposed to be living in the world. Camus believed that there was a sense of absurdity for human existence. Human beings cannot feel at home in a world where chaos, death, and suffering are present. A world designed for humans would have meaning, life, and order. The world that humans presently lived in was...show more content... Where would his torture be, indeed, if at every step the hope of succeeding upheld him?" Camus feels that Sisyphus who is a conscious human being exemplifies the lives of many humans on earth. The people feel that they can succeed and accomplish things during their lives, but in the end they die without ever solving the problems they once faced. This is similar to how Sisyphus would endlessly try to accomplish his goal of getting the rock to the top of the mountain only to have it roll back down again. This absurdity can be understood through the comparison of Sisyphus and the lives of many people living around the world. False goals and events throughout life cloud people's vision that nothing is truly ever accomplished. Sisyphus was sentenced to life of reaching one goal, which could not be met, and this was his punishment as is many people doing the same thing on earth.

Camus' beliefs stemmed from the horrors of World War Two. He saw all the suffering and poverty that he had lived through and been surrounded by. This gave him a basis for existentialism, which created significance behind the choices that a person makes throughout their lives. Camus saw how people were put thrown horrible situations on earth and this gave him the idea that humans were merely put onto the earth without a predetermined life. The choices that humans made no difference to the world, the suffering and injustice was just another choice that was made by a person. The

How was the text borrowed from other texts, and with what effects? how has he borrowed from other texts and to what effects?

Introduction:

Thesis: Camus has borrowed philosophical ideas from other writers which has influenced his interpretation for the existence of an individual mostly described within his works with The Myth of Sisyphus as well as his other well known novels.

Prominent in Europe in the 19th and 20th century

Existentialism is defined by the slogan Existence precedes Essence. This means:

We have no predetermined nature or essence that controls what we are, what we do, or what is valuable for us. We are radically free to act independently of determination by outside influences. We create our own human nature...show more content...

In accepting their fate, Sisyphus and Oedipus have abandoned hope, and so their fate does not seem horrible to them. On the contrary, they have finally found the only genuine happiness.

Oedipus becomes a tragic figure only when he becomes aware that he has killed his father and married his mother. He also remarks that both Sisyphus and Oedipus are ultimately happy, that they "conclude that all is well."

Sisyphus: He knows that he will struggle forever and he knows that this struggle will get him nowhere. This awareness is precisely the same awareness that an absurd man has in this life.

The above point also relates to Oedipus where he knows that being acceptable for his his situations and faith, his point of view for society will change and will learn to decide his own faith. freedom of choice– being able understand that only you control your own life. Camus identifies Sisyphus as the archetypal absurd hero, both for his behavior on earth and for his punishment in the underworld. He displays scorn for the gods, a hatred of death, and a passion for life. (going against dostovesky's ideas on faith and religion

Paragraph 3:

Transition Statement: The futility of ones life is an evident theme in Homer's and Camus's interpretation for The Myth of Sisyphus.

Both homer and Camus address the futility of Sisyphus's labour. Futile punishment lead to their unnecessary Get more content

In his essays in The Myth of Sisyphus, philosopher Albert Camus states that the only "serious" philosophical question is whether or not one should commit suicide. When I first read this it sounded absolutely absurd, however, after giving it persistent thought I have found that it is not as completely insane as it may seem. It is a problem I have worked hard to achieve the answer to for the last few months of my life. If you were to die right now at this exact moment in time simple deductive reasoning demonstrates two possible things that might happen. In the first scenario, where you simply cease to exist; nothing that has happened in your life matters because when you cease to exist you are not able to experience anything you might

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Albert Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus is not simply a re–telling of the myth itself, but also an interpretation of the way in which the myth can be related to the life of humanity in general, and in particular to one's understanding and acceptance of the futility of life, which he does not consider to be negative per se. He looks at the nature of Sisyphus' character, the way in which he challenged and defied the gods, and the punishment he received as a result. However, he does not look at Sisyphus' fate as something which defines the gods as victorious and Sisyphus as subjugated to their will, primarily because of the way in which Sisyphus himself perceives his condition....show more content... It is, of course, a matter of pride amongst the gods that a mere human cannot defeat them, either by strength or trickery, and therefore they are, by their own natures, obliged to find ways to gain revenge on Sisyphus for his audacity. Sisyphus is successful in spending some time in the land of the living, and evading the wrath of the gods, but eventually, the courier of the gods, Mercury, forces him to return and his punishment is decided. He is condemned to roll a heavy rock uphill for all eternity, and each time he reaches the top of the slope, the rock rolls back down again and he is obliged to start all over again. The punishment is, as Camus says, `that unspeakable penalty in which the whole being is exerted towards accomplishing nothing'. Since it is in human nature to expect success as a result of effort and hard work, to be obliged to carry out the effort knowing that there will be no reward, no achievement, is a harsh punishment indeed. Sisyphus has no choice but to continue pushing the rock uphill, watching it return, pushing it again, knowing all the time that however much effort he puts into the task, it will in the end avail him nothing. Camus goes on to point out that there is no detailed description of Sisyphus in the underworld, since myths are the framework for the imagination. It is up to human beings to `breathe life' into the basic parameters of the Get more content

Connor McGlynn

February 2, 2014

Eshleman

Camus Essay Much of Camus writing in the Myth of Sisyphus is trying to get the reader to understand the idea of absurdity, and what can be done with it. In this essay I will attempt to determine whether the acceptance of absurdity does indeed make life better. Camus states that there are a few different ways one can deal with the absurdity of life, it could drive one to suicide, it could have someone take a "leap of faith" and hope there is meaning to life, or if people recognize the absurdity of life it makes people truly free when they realize they are freed of values and religion, and it would make their living experience intensify. Camus arguments strike a cord with many religious people who lean on their respective religions to give their lives meaning and a value system to lean on. I find some parts of Camus logic to hold weight and others, not so much. For the sake of this essay I will first explain what Camus notion of absurdity is, the responses to absurdity Camus has outlined in the writing, the question of revolt and why I believe it fails to hold weight. Camus, having lived through World War II in Europe, had an outlook on life that is (hopefully) very difficult for many of us to understand. His notion of absurdity comes from the realization that everyone at some point in his or her life has a moment of "why am I doing this" or "why am I here on earth" or something very similar to that. What Camus means by

Myth Of Sisyphus Similarities

The Myth of Sisyphus tells of a mortal who was punished by the gods to push a rock to the top of a mountain which would then roll back to the bottom where he was to start pushing again. Sisyphus was to continuously repeat this task or all of eternity. Many similarities in philosophies can be seen between this myth and The Stranger, both authored by Albert Camus. In The Stranger, Meursault often noted what interested and disinterested him, similarly, the narrator of the myth mentions that Sisyphus return trip down the mountain peaks his interest. Additionally, Meursault never developed any faith in a higher power which correlates to the narrator of the myth stating, "...there is no higher destiny" (Camus, paragraph 9). Next, Meursault clearly

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The purpose of Richard Taylor's, "The Meaning of Life," is to portray the life of Sisyphus in Albert Camus's, "The Myth of Sisyphus," as a meaningless life, in which Taylor portrays as a "perfect image of meaninglessness." In Camus's story, Sisyphus has committed certain crimes that got him into trouble with the gods. Hence, receiving a punishment by being forced to push a rock up a hill. However, to make it even worse, once he reached the top of the hill, the rock would just roll back down to the bottom, therefore having to repeat this labor for eternity. The motivation behind this discipline was to demonstrate the pointlessness of life since there was no want to demonstrate his life will never end. The question of what's the meaning of life is compelling to think about, but the more time spent doing it the more fascinating it gets. There are ways to avoid having a meaningless life, but Taylor's theory sticks to either living a happy life or a meaningless life. What makes life meaningless? Taylor states that there are two characteristics of Sisyphus's life that make life pointless. The main trademark is the purposelessness of his life. Taylor stresses the way that there is no good reason for the labor that Sisyphus is compelled to do because of the gods. I concur with Taylor that the purposelessness in performing this action demonstrates that his life is good for nothing. Perhaps, as specified in class, if his punishment brought about something advantageous. For instance, when Sisyphus rolled the rocks up the hill, rather than falling back down, they shaped into a beautiful architecture, which would give his life meaning. In the book, Taylor stated, "Activity... even long, drawn out and repetitive activity, has a meaning if it has some significant culmination... activity," showing that possibly if the rocks did form a figure it could give meaning to Sisyphus's life. The second characteristic that makes Sisyphus's life meaningless is the idea of endless repetition of his punishment given by the gods. Taylor claimed that if the act of repetition would have led to an achievement or goal his life may not have been meaningless, yet Sisyphus's labor did not lead to anything besides pointless repetition.

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The Myth Of Sisyphus

With everything going on with the upcoming presidential election, the political community has been very prominent in society the past several months. While doing research on myths, I came across The Myth of Sisyphus and immediately made many connections between the two subjects. Both of these topics have a lot to do with manipulation and deception. With politics especially, people today have a lot of opinions on the dynamics of that community. They both deal with continuous repetition and constantly giving your all to make accomplish a task. What is interesting though is exactly to what extent can The Myth of Sisyphus be related to our modern day political community? The main gist of The Myth of Sisyphus is that a sinner named Tartarus was

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PHILOSOPHY IN HIS WORKS:

At the point when France was involved amid WWII, ended up noticeably dynamic in the resistance development and acted as the supervisor in–boss in the daily paper named 'battle'. Taking a shot at his three books to be specific the outsider, the torment, and the fall alongside his short stories the myth of Sisyphus and the revolt in the mid–century got him global readership and notoriety. It was in these works that he presented and built up the twin philosophical thoughts–the idea of the silly and the idea of revolt–that made him well known. His assemblage of work additionally incorporates a gathering of short fiction, banish and the kingdom; a self–portraying novel, the primary man; various emotional works, most quite Caligula, the misconception, the condition of attack, and the equitable professional killers; a few interpretations and adjustments, including new forms of works by Calderon, lope de Vega, Dostoyevsky, and Faulkner; and a protracted arrangement of expositions,...show more content...

In his book–length essay, The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus presents a philosophy that contests philosophy itself. This essay belongs squarely in the philosophical tradition of existentialism but Camus denied being an existentialist. Both The Myth of Sisyphus and his other philosophical work, The Rebel, are systematically skeptical of conclusions about the meaning of life, yet both works assert objectively valid answers to key questions about how to live. Though Camus seemed modest when describing his intellectual ambitions, he was confident enough as a philosopher to articulate not only his own philosophy but also a critique of religion and a fundamental critique of modernity. While rejecting the very idea of a philosophical system, Camus constructed his own original edifice of ideas around the key terms of absurdity and rebellion, aiming to resolve the life–or–death issues that motivated

The Myth of Sisyphus Sisyphus is the absurd hero. This man, sentenced to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain and then watching it roll back down, is the epitome of the absurd hero according to Camus. In retelling the Myth of Sisyphus, Camus is able to create an extremely powerful image which sums up the intellectual discussion which comes before it in the book. We are told that Sisyphus is the absurd hero "as much through his passions as through his torture. His scorn of the gods, his hatred of death, and his passion for life won him that unspeakable penalty in which the whole being is exerted toward accomplishing nothing." (p.89). Sisyphus is conscious of his troubles , and...show more content...

In these essays Camus looks the problem of suicide. In a shocking, unnerving manner he opens with the bold statement that: There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide. (p. 3). He goes on to discover if suicide is a real answer to the human who is unhappy with life. Or if life is worth living now that god is dead? The discussion begins and continues not as a metaphysical cobweb but as a well reasoned statement based on a way of knowing which Camus holds is the only epistemology we have at our command. We know only two things: This heart within me I can feel, and I judge that it exists. This world I can touch, and I likewise judge that it exists. There ends all my knowledge, and the rest is construction. (p. 14) With these as the basic certainties of the human condition, Camus argues that there is no meaning to life. He disapproves of the many philosophers who "have played on words and pretended to believe that refusing to grant a meaning to life necessarily leads to declaring that it is not worth living." (p.7) Life has no absolute meaning. In spite of the human's irrational "nostalgia" for unity, for absolutes, for a definite order and meaning to the "not me" of the universe, no such meaning exists in the silent, indifferent universe. Between this yearning for meaning and eternal verities and the actual condition

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Man's search for meaning and The Myth of Sisyphus both have similar storylines. Man's Search for meaning written by Victor Frankl takes place during WWII in an Auschwitz concentration camp. Where Frankl talks about finding purpose in his life, and finding some positivity to live on. Myth of Sisyphus is written by Albert Camus talks about a man's search for meaning using the myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus was a man punished by the greek gods, and sent down to hell to push a boulder up a hill everyday. The Boulder would always roll down so no matter what it was meaningless, and he was subjected to do this everyday of his eternal life. Sisyphus and Frankl are both stuck in a kind of Hell. Although Sisyphus's Hell seems like more of a chore than Frankl Hell where people are getting sick, and dying everyday. In this point in their lives they have no purpose, but both search for that purpose. Frankl searches for a reason to keep on living and find a positive view on life. While

Sisyphus was doomed to push the rock up the hill over and over, and hopes to find purpose through that....show more content... Camus states "His rock is his thing. Likewise, the absurd man, when he contemplates his torment, silences all the idols... The absurd man says yes and his effort will henceforth be unceasing" (Camus). Meaning Sisyphus is a ridiculous man to look at the rock everyday and think i'm gonna push this rock up this hill even though I will never accomplish anything. No matter what he does he will not: complete, accomplish, or make a change by pushing that rock up the hill, so Camus just calls him an "absurd man". On the other hand Frankl is not absurd for dying to find meaning in his live. He lives in a dark place with horrid conditions. All he wants to find is a reason to live, and carry on with his live even though it's definitely not the ideal life. Frankl has to live with it so might as well find

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Albert Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus Albert Camus' essay, 'The Myth Of Sisyphus' is an insightful analysis of the classic work, 'The Myth Of Sisyphus'. In some regards Camus' view of Sisyphus can seem quite accurate and in tune with the original text, but based on Camus' interpretation of the justness of Sisyphus' punishment, it is clear that the writer has some different ideas as well. Camus concludes that this punishment does not have the effect the Gods had intended, and ultimately the tragic hero must be seen as being 'happy'. This is his greatest departure from the intent of the original myth wherein the reader is left with the feeling that Sisyphus' punishment can be seen as appropriate and just. As his punishment for ...show more content...

As the extent of Sisyphus? punishment is only described in the original story by a single sentence, Camus takes great pains in describing the psychological effects it has on Sisyphus, and the mental state he must be in to endure such an ordeal. In describing this, Camus focuses on the point at which Sisyphus makes his decent back to gather his great rock. It is at this point that Camus makes clear as to why he considers Sisyphus an ?absurd hero?. Assuming that this punishment can only be considered tragic if Sisyphus becomes conscious of it, Camus points out that it is during this descent that our main character becomes aware of his awful state, and in doing so becomes, ?superior to his fate. He is stronger than his rock.? Camus suggests that Sisyphus is at ease with this punishment because in this ?absurd? universe, man?s fate is the only thing that can be shaped by man, and in doing so, that fate belongs to man. Sisyphus? rock belongs to him. If it is possible to see Sisyphus as conscious during his descent, then it is surely possible that he is aware of his predicament during his grueling ascent as well. Is Sisyphus not ?conscious? of the horrible punishment that he has been handed by the Gods as he makes his way up the hill with his rock? It is his ascent that allows the reader of the original story to remember what this act is supposed to represent, and it is the ascent that Camus, although he describes it

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Absurdity: The Myth of Sisyphus Essay

As humans we are creatures of habit. We settle in to our daily routines: waking up, going to work, studying, etc. At times, we have moments of lucidity which break these routines temporarily, these junctures of time provoke you into contemplating your own existance. If there is no meaning or point to life our existence is absurd. Our aspirations for ourself will cease, and so will those of the next generations, so on and so forth until everything ceases. Our existence is a reflection of Sysiphus', always pushing the boulder up the mountain but never truly completing the task, it is how we function with the knowledge of our absurdity and making life worthwhile. The legend of Sisyphus and his fate is an echo of our own. Sisyphus was...show more content...

This conflict is a clash between reality and our aspiration. As humans we long for clarity and meaning, however we are faced with reality, the total absence of meaning, and this is when absurdity arises. Thomas Nagel assertions in his essay The Absurd partially corelates with Camus' belief that absurdity arises when there is a clash between need and reality; however, Nagel believes that the conflict is more so between our ambitions in our life and the way life (reality) fails to meet them. Both philosophers agree that there are lucid moments within ones life, these junctures of time lead people to contemplate there existence. Most people reach an epiphany at this time: their desire for what the world should be conflicts with how the world actually is. (EXAMPLE)Nagel believes the collision of these two viewpoints is what makes life absurd, "The sense that life as a whole is absurd arises when we perceive, perhaps dimly, an inflated pretension or aspiration which is inseparable from the continuation of human life which make its absurdity inescapable, short of escape from life itself," (Klemke and Cahn 145). Once man has insight into the fact that reality is moot, he must make two choices: changing his ambitions to better accord to reality or by removing himself from the situation entirely. Escaping reality would lead to the ending of life itself, which correlates with Camus belief that one must make a decision: suicide or consequence. Joel Get more content

The Myth Of Sisyphus

By Albert Camus Analysis

In The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays, author and philosopher Albert Camus develops the theme of existentialism through his ideas of the absurd, suicide, and hope. By addressing prominent questions such as "what does it mean to live?" and "what is my real identity?", Camus emphasizes that the true "purpose" in life is to embrace the freedom of being able to choose how we define our lives, even if life ultimately has no meaning. In this research paper, I wanted to further analyze Camus' ideas, along with my other sources, to address the question: "should you embrace the given elements in your life or revolt against them in order to define your life"? To Albert Camus and his inspiration Jean–Paul Sartre, the answer to this question is...show more content...

Camus read many of Sartre's work while he was developing his own theories about the absurd, and the two remained close friends for many years (9); Sartre even "approvingly summarized and quoted from The Myth of Sisyphus after its release" (6). With this being said, the two eventually had a falling out "in the midst of the Cold War as they began to disagree aboutphilosophy and politics" (7), and one of the greatest philosophical differences between the two men regards the approach to defining yourself under given circumstances. Although both philosophers agree that we must confront the meaningless of our existence without question, Camus differs from Sartre in his approach to carving one's future. To Camus, total rejection of uncontrollable circumstances in one's life is the only way to take control of your destiny. As stated in Louis R. Rossi's 1958 article in The Kenyon Review, "Camus points out that Nietzsche's doctrine of total responsibility stems from his revolt" (5), when discussing Nietzsche's novel about a man revolting against God. Camus, an atheist (3), does not believe that the purpose in life is to devote yourself to a deity, so he believes you have the power to define your life however you choose. With that inmind, Camus admits that every individual has certain aspects in their life that they cannot control, such as when you were born or who your parents are, but there is no God or any higher being that can decide what we do with our lives.

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It is common for authors to use similar themes in their work intentionally. For Albert Camus, the author of "The Myth of Sisyphus" and The Stranger, the use of similar themes seems to be intentional. The author takes a very different approach to the same topic, however. Not only is the underlying topic of existentialism the same, but the writing styles and rhetorical devices similar, as well. Through the use of similar devices and themes, the reader is able to understand, analyze, and compare and contrast the complementary approach that has been taken in both stories. Camus uses a more informal word choice in The Stranger, and a more formal word choice in "The Myth of Sisyphus". Here, while Meursault is talking to Raymond, the reader...show more content...

"It was pleasant; the coffee had warmed me up, and the smell of flowers on the night air was coming through the open door. I think I dozed off a little."(Camus,14). In this use of imagery, you can see how Meursault obviously feels about his mother, as there is a lack of interest or even empathy. In "The Myth of the Sisyphus", Camus takes another route, but still uses heavy visual imagery. In this quote, the narrator explains that through coercion, Sisyphus is able to talk the Gods into letting him visit his wife one more time before he has to return to the underworld. "But when he had seen again the face of this world, he enjoyed the water and sun, warm stones and sea, he no longer wanted to go back to the infernal darkness...Many years more he lived facing the curve of the gulf, the sparkling sea, and the smiles of the earth."(Myth of Sisyphus). Though this imagery, the reader is able to tell that Sisyphus is a master of trickery, and that he feels better than the Gods because he can outsmart them by telling a simple lie. When he does, he is obviously pleased with himself because he now gets to live in the sun, and by the sea with his wife. This ties directly into some of the meaning behind existentialism and how the only hope for meaning in one's life lies with the individual who can construct in. Camus uses the undeniable underlying theme of existentialism in both pieces, but adds absurdism within "The Myth of Sisyphus". Considering that in both the stories the Get more content

The Myth of Sisyphus The Myth of Sisyphus which was originally published in French in 1942 is a riveting one hundred and nineteen page essay written by French philosopher Albert Camus. The English translation by Justin O' Brien followed thirteen years later in 1955. In this essay he tackles the question; does the realization of the absurd require suicide? Throughout this essay I hope to answer this question along with some other points made by Camus during the expanse of his essay.

Sisyphus is more well known for his punishment in the underworlds than what he did during his life. The Myth of Sisyphus is overall pretty well known. In this myth Sisyphus, king of Ephyra was punished for deceitfulness and exposing the secret of the gods. Sisyphus was condemned for the rest of eternity to push a cumbersome boulder up a precipitous hill. Once he got to the top each time to no prevail, he watched to rock roll back down the hill just to repeat this process forever. Sisyphus's alacrity to...show more content...

Camus claims that there is a bitter conflict between what we want from the universe and what we actually find in the universe. Meaning, order, and reason are widely wanted while formless chaos is normally found. Camus believes that one either finds meaning and order in the world through themselves or a higher being or they deem the world and life absurd and meaningless. If life is meaningless than does that mean it is not worth living? There are generally only two options, find meaning for your life or end it.

Camus believes there is a third option and is exploring the idea that we can accept and live in a life devoid of meaning. He believes that facing the absurd does not entail suicide but requires living life to its fullest. Many claim that Sisyphus is the ideal absurdity due to the fact that his punishment represents the human condition: struggling permanently without hope for Get more content

Modern society is plagued by incessant monotony. However, Albert Camus's existential story The Myth of Sisyphus, Joseph Campbell's interview "Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth", and David Foster Wallace's commencement speech "This is Water" postulate possible solutions to societal ennui. Albert Camus conveys, in The Myth of Sisyphus, that acceptingf tedium as impermeable, more effectively. Wallace asserts that the best approach to the banality of everyday life is to accept that it is not unique an individual and that one should steer away from the "natural default setting" of being self centered. Wallace conveys that "everything...supports my belief that I am the absolute center of the universe", and strongly imparts his belief that the...show more content...

To this, Joseph Campbell responds, "it's very nice to be able to put yourself in situations that will evoke your higher nature, rather than your basic urges or daily drudgery", presenting his idea that tedium is conquerable part of each person's life. Juxtaposing Joseph Campbell, Camus relays that it is during the period of consciousness and acknowledgement where Sisyphus, "is superior to his fate. He is stronger than his rock" (Camus). As Sisyphus continues to push his rock up the mountain, his moment of consciousness attributes to the proposition that tedium is, once again, insurmountable. He understands that his tedium can never be completely omitted from his life, thus acceptance is the only method of achieving a perceivable end goal. As elaborated by Camus, the idea of a journey through tedium towards the ultimate goal of a "place of rest" is actually a futile task. As humanity is unable to surmount tedium due to its unassailable nature, and thus, the prevention of fruitless efforts and emphasis on productive endeavors is the most effective method of dealing with the tedium of everyday

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Myth Of Sisyphus

Eduardo Gutierrez

English 101

10 September 2015

Books can take readers to certain places they have never seen before without having them even leave their room. There are people who may not enjoy reading as much but there will always be one story, one author that changes their opinion about reading. Numerous authors put in day and night composing shitty first drafts just to make a story someone or many will never forget. Camus presents a philosophy devoid of religious belief and "middle–class" morality, where condemnation of choice and personal honesty become the bases of a happy and meaningful life. The Myth of Sisyphus is the most revealing commentary on Albert Camus' reasoning. Defining the absurd as arising from the meeting of two elements:...show more content...

Generally, it is common that one can fall into routine or certain structure. One can find oneself not living life to the fullest but only just surviving and getting by the days. The protagonist breaks free to make his own decision and define himself by his own actions. He claims that he can choose his own course. For my part, revolt against the social order is daily. Forbid thyself to fall into a daily routine and not make reasons for my actions. There are no roles anyone has to fulfill or should fill. As an alternative, one can apply just a standard of amount: one should encounters as much as possible. One should demand more to life because more is always better, quality over

The Myth of Sisyphus caught my attention the moment I saw the word "gods". I have always loved tales and myths of human who interact with gods. The human within this story was Sisyphus and his interaction with the gods was not so great. I loved how they showed the twisted side of a human's wrath and greed. He wanted revenge on his wife but when he was shown the world again he didn't want to leave. I found it interesting that he was punished for his deadly sins by the gods, to constantly roll a stone up a hill just so that it may fall back down and for the process to repeat for eternity.

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The Myth Of Sisyphus

By Albert Camus

Rob Campbell Mr. Foley

Hon. World Lit–D Period

21 September 2017

An Existential Hero

"The Myth of Sisyphus" by Albert Camus is a symbolic commentary on life 's inherent meaning, or more specifically, the lack thereof and how one may come to terms with their fate. For centuries, philosophers have pondered upon the idea that there is not an intrinsic meaning in the universe. One major response to such a belief is Existentialism. The system of beliefs known as Existentialism states that through a combination of personal responsibility, awareness, and free will, an individual can formulate their own meaning in a universe lacking one of its own. In Existential literature, characters are often put into utterly hopeless or meaningless...show more content... Pluto agreed, however, Sisyphus took advantage of this concordance. Camus wrote: "But when he had seen again the face of this world, enjoyed water and sun, warm stones and the sea, he no longer wanted to go back to the infernal darkness.", Sisyphus gawked at the Earth's pulchritude and was in awe. He abandoned his agreement with Pluto and became a stowaway in the world of the living. It would be vastly unreasonable to assume that Sisyphus did not have a passion for life after taking measures as those.

Some, when having reached the realization of life's lack of intrinsic meaning and doomed situations, commit suicide. Others take a different route and choose to live and live fully. Sisyphus, after escaping death and acquiring a passion for life, chose to live and to do so to the fullest extent. On the topic of Sisyphus life subsequent to his escape from death, Camus writes: "Many years more he lived facing the curve of the gulf, the sparkling sea, and the smiles of earth." Sisyphus maximizes his time on Earth. He basks in the elegance Earth has to offer, from the sparkling sea to the curve of the gulf. Sisyphus indubitably lives to the fullest. In conjunction with doing as such, he lives in the present. Sisyphus dotes on his present life post–escape. He neither reflects on his death, nor is he angsty at his inevitable wrath Pluto will inflict upon him for his uncooperativeness in their accord.