AP Poem Practice Essay

            In Greek mythology, Sirens are often represented as birds with the heads of women. Their song is irresistibly enchanting but deadly at the same time. The Sirens’ song appears in Greek epic poetry in Homer’s Odyssey. It also appears as a modern commentary on the classical story in Margaret Atwood’s poem Siren Song. The Sirens are portrayed similarly in both texts; however, the texts differ in tone and point of view.

            The Odyssey portrays the ravishing Sirens through a frantic and restless tone. From Odysseus’ ship that “was speeding toward the Sirens’ island” (1-2) to his crew that “flung themselves at the oars and rowed on harder” (22), everything is fast-paced and hectic in The Odyssey. Odysseus feels that he must work as quickly as possible to cover his crew members’ ears and pass the Sirens’ island in order to not succumb to their trap. The Sirens are so irresistible that only speed and swiftness can defy their alluring song, not free will or self control. Margaret Atwood’s Siren Song approaches the portrayal of the Sirens with a more comical and ironic tone. In her poem the Siren is the speaker and the entire poem is essentially the Siren’s song. The light-hearted tone is evident as the Siren complains that she does not enjoy “squatting on [the] island looking picturesque and mythical with these two feathery maniacs” (14-16). The entire poem is ironic because the Siren pretends to be telling the reader the secret of the song, enticing them to read more, then at the end the Siren has succeeded in pulling the reader close enough to kill them, but not actually by singing them the Siren song.

            Both authors are successful in displaying the dangers of the Sirens, even through different points of view. Homer’s The Odyssey is seen through Odysseus’ point of view, while Atwood’s Siren Song is seen through a Siren’s point of view. Odysseus’ point of view lets the reader see how physically and mentally difficult it is so resist the Sirens. Odysseus has his men tightly tie him down to the ship so he cannot escape and turn the ship into its own demise. It is interesting to see the Siren’s point of view because it gives the reader insight into just how easy it is for the Sirens to seduce the men of the sea. The Sirens make their target feel special when they say, “I will tell the secret to you, to you, only to you” (19-20). After the Sirens make the men feel like one of a kind, a simple “come closer” (21) gets them hooked with no return. The Sirens’ power is so potent that it can be felt by the reader from a victim’s point of view and from the perpetrator’s point of view.

            Although the tones and point of views differ, both texts portray the Sirens as stunning, tempting creatures that have the ability to destroy lives through the beauty of their voices. Their ravishing voices make them irresistible to the point where no self control can be practiced by the victims. The men of the sea know of the dangers but cannot resist when tempted. Both texts are successful and accurate in their portrayals of the Sirens.

P&P: #1-5

            Just about everyone in Pride and Prejudice is proud, but almost to a fault. First and foremost is Elizabeth. Elizabeth is too proud to dance with Mr. Darcy because of his haughty disposition and Mr. Darcy is too proud to dance with, or even have a conversation with anyone who is not rich or well bred. Therefore, both of their excessive prides cause a clash in personalities. It seems as though Elizabeth has a problem with everyone she encounters; her pride causes her to dislike Bingley’s sisters and Mr. Collins. Mrs. Bennet is proud and believes her family is more propitious than the Lucas family and is visibly upset when Charlotte accepts Mr. Collins’s marriage proposal. At the moment, Mr. Bennet is the only character that does not express excessive pride; he is indifferent to all of the pretentious courting that is going on around him. The excess of pride in the characters leads to the prejudices that are demonstrated. To be accepted in this society, one must be wealthy, come from a good family, and be good looking. Once Mr. Bingley finds a more economically suitable match to marry, his sisters express their disdain towards Jane for not being of sufficient social class to marry their brother. Prejudice runs through their society with celerity, just as jealously makes them all want what they cannot have.

            Pride is evident in Mr. Collins proposal to Elizabeth. He is insincere and shallow and Elizabeth does not take it for one second. He begins by listing all of the reasons why she should marry him. Mr. Collins states, “I am convinced it will add very greatly to my happiness” (92). A marriage proposal is supposed to be enticing and appealing, but Mr. Collins’s is anything but tempting. He clearly values his own happiness over his future wife’s happiness and makes no mention of how this is favorable for Elizabeth. Marriage is a two-way street, but Mr. Collins is only focused on what he will gain from the arrangement. Mr. Collins ends his proposal in a manner that assumes Elizabeth has already agreed to marry him, which demonstrates his excessive pride. Of course Elizabeth rejects his proposal, as she is too proud to lower her standards. Once again excessive prides cause a clash.

AP Practice Essay

1973. An effective literary work does not merely stop or cease; it concludes. In the view of some critics, a work that does not provide the pleasure of significant closure has terminated with an artistic fault. A satisfactory ending is not, however, always conclusive in every sense; significant closure may require the reader to abide with or adjust to ambiguity and uncertainty. In an essay, discuss the ending of a novel or play of acknowledged literary merit. Explain precisely how and why the ending appropriately or inappropriately concludes the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

            Shakespeare’s Hamlet demonstrates an appropriate ending and provides significant closure. First of all, every Shakespearean tragedy ends in death, so the four deaths that occur in Act V of the play are justified, in a literary sense. The first person to die is Queen Gertrude, who mistakenly drinks the poison that is intended to kill Hamlet. Gertrude is seen to side with her new husband, Claudius, in opposition to Hamlet. She truly believes that Hamlet has turned crazy and reprimands him for mourning the death of his father for too long. She betrays Hamlet and her deceased husband, so her incestuous tendencies validate her death. Shakespeare discretely adds purpose to Gertrude’s death, as it is not meant to be ironic. Gertrude dies mistakenly, as she is deceived and misled into thinking that the drink is safe, just as her duplicitous actions betray Hamlet throughout the play.

            Laertes is a man of action whose decisions are led by his strong emotions. After hearing of his father’s death, Laertes storms the castle enraged and ready to kill his father’s murderer. He ends up dying at the hands of Hamlet during a fencing match. Laertes’s death is appropriate because it is a punishment for not being able to control his emotions. He is so infuriated that he plots with Claudius to kill Hamlet before thinking over the plan. Although is it good that he takes action, Laertes is too quick to jump into battle with Hamlet. The lack of rational thinking contributes to Laertes’s downfall. King Claudius dies shortly after Laertes. Hamlet forces Claudius to drink the poison that was intended for Hamlet’s death. Claudius is the classic Shakespearean villain; he steals the crown and manipulates his way into power. Hamlet is completely justified for killing Claudius because Claudius not only steals the crown, but he also steals Gertrude as his wife. Both Claudius’s and Laertes’s plans to kill Hamlet backfire on them. In the end, karma gets both of them and their deaths are appropriate because they never earned their power in the first place.

            Lastly, Hamlet’s hamartia is what gets him killed. He spends the entire play finding excuses not to kill Claudius, when there are actually many opportunities to easily complete the act. Hamlet tends to over think everything and cannot come to conclusions. On the rare occasion that he does make a decision to take action, he never follows through. He hesitates and contemplates for too long, and when he finally acknowledges his own cowardly uncertainty, Hamlet still cannot do the deed. Hamlet’s lack of assertiveness and inability to take action ultimately lead to his own death. Shakespeare concludes the play appropriately by having Fortinbras take over. At the end of each tragedy when all of the main characters die, someone unexpected and previously insignificant always leaps in to take over. It is fitting that Fortinbras becomes the new king because he portrays the polar opposite of Hamlet; Fortinbras knows what he wants and will do whatever it takes to get it.

Hamlet: #6

            In Act III scene iv, Hamlet enters Gertrude’s bedroom full of rage. He is mentally set on condemning his mother. He storms into the room and asks his mother why she has sent for him. She says that he has offended Claudius. He interrupts her and says that she has offended his father, King Hamlet, by marrying Claudius. Hamlet goes on to tell his mother how she has betrayed her former husband and verbally attacks her with accusations. What is interesting is that Gertrude originally sends for Hamlet so she can be stern with him, but once he enters the room she becomes a subordinate once again and relinquishes all of her power as a woman. She is so quick to adopt his point of view and says that Hamlet has turned her eyes onto her soul and that she does not like what she sees there. Hamlet is skillful enough to convince his mother that all of his madness is just an act and makes her promise not to tell Claudius. He also pleads that his mother not go to bed with Claudius. Although she thinks Hamlet is crazy when the ghost arrives, Gertrude promises to keep his secret. Gertrude has no leverage as queen. She has no power in her marriage and she has no power in her relationship with her son. Her purpose as a character in this play is to demonstrate the source of Hamlet’s madness: Gertrude’s marriage to Claudius.

Sound & Sense: Chapter 16

I Am Not Different

Why do you hate me?
I am just like every other little girl.
I go to school, I eat my vegetables,
I even do house chores!

Why do you hate me?
I am just like your daughter.
I laugh with my friends, I jump rope outside,
I run around without a care in the world.

Why do you hate me?
I am just like every other human being.
I breathe the same air, I live in the same neighborhood,
I even sing the same songs.

Why do you hate me?
Why am I hiding?
Where are my parents?
When will this end?

Oh, it's because I'm Jewish?
But we speak the same language, we have the same God.
I am you, and you are me.
But I guess that
doesn't matter
anymore...

Hamlet: #5

            Rosencrantz and Guildenstern report back to King Claudius and admit their failures in finding the cause of Hamlet’s madness. Polonius then informs Ophelia of the plan to secretly observe a meeting between her and Hamlet. Polonius tells Ophelia to pretend that she is reading a prayer book to look natural, but then he has a revelation: People act devoted to God to mask their bad deeds, and this happens all of the time. Claudius hears this and declares to himself, “Oh, ’tis too true!/ How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience!/ The harlot’s cheek, beautied with plast’ring art,/ Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it/ Than is my deed to my most painted word./ O heavy burden!” (III.i.56-62). The whore’s pockmarked cheek made pretty with make-up is just like the ugly actions Claudius committed, but Claudius is disguising the ugliness with fine words. Polonius’s words makes Claudius realize how guilty he feels. However, in this section of the text there are no clues that to point to what Claudius is referring too. Does his guilt stem from murdering King Hamlet, or from taking the throne from Hamlet, or from marrying Gertrude? One can only infer that Claudius feels guilty of killing King Hamlet because he walks out of the play in the next scene.

Hamlet: #4

“Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave,/ That I, the son of a dear father murdered,/ Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,/ Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words/ And fall a-cursing like a very drab,/ A scullion! Fie upon ’t, foh!” (II.ii.611-16).

            Once Hamlet hears the actor deliver a speech, he is embarrassed to realize that he has shown less urgency to avenge his father’s murder than the actor has done in his performance. He realizes that he has been moping around long enough and it is time to take action. Although he has considered all options and weighed the consequences, Hamlet feels that his father’s murderer must be killed. However, before killing Claudius, Hamlet must make sure that Claudius is in fact the King’s killer. He devises a plan to watch Claudius during the scene that mimics his father’s murder to see if Claudius looks guilty and confesses his crime. The fact that Hamlet has hatched this elaborate plan proves that he is not crazy. He is also unlike most of Shakespeare’s villains, as in Hamlet has considered the consequences of killing the new king and is not simply acting on impulse. It is almost as if Hamlet has to be convinced and swayed by the ghost to commit the act of murder; his emotions are not strong enough by themselves to make him avenge his father’s death.

Sound & Sense: Chapter 14 (again)

You Promised

You promised that you would always love me.
Hugs turned into kisses-
You whispered that you would never flee.

You promised that I would become your missus.
Like turned into love-
You swore that we would never forget each other and that's what this is.

You promised that we were the perfect pair, fit like a glove.
Respect turned into admiration-
You assured me that we'd be together forever- well, sort of.

You promised that you would always love me.
Trust turned into jealousy-
What happened?

Well, me became she- and two became three,
And I had to plea because you became free,
Then you two became we
And we became
Nothing.

Hamlet: #3

Bittersweet

Hot summer days turn into cool autumn nights,

Your journey is about to begin, pushing new heights.

What is in your future no one knows for sure,

Greatness, success, triumph- Oh the allure!

As you pack your bags I am overcome with emotion,

But I know that with your studies comes serious devotion.

All I yearn to do is give you advice;

There is so much to tell you, but this will suffice:

Your maturity is overwhelming as I have all the confidence in you,

Stay true to yourself and follow everything through.

Don't be afraid to try new things,

Leap out into this new world and spread your wings.

You've spent your whole life obedient and complying,

So when I drop you off, don't turn back because I will be crying.

Hamlet: #1

            Shakespeare uses the second scene in Act I to give the audience an uneasy first impression of Claudius. King Hamlet’s death is a mystery to begin with, so Claudius snatching the thrown from Hamlet so quickly adds to the suspicion. Gertrude is a symbol of Denmark’s unification, so Claudius thinks that if he marries her, he will automatically gain the country’s respect and trust. The atmosphere in the courtroom is supposed to be cheerful, but it seems superficial. It is odd that only Hamlet is taking the mourning of his father seriously, as everyone else is so quick to move on. Claudius declares that the cycle of death and marriage is a balanced scale: “Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen,/ Th' imperial jointress to this warlike state,/ Have we (as ’twere with a defeated joy,/ With an auspicious and a dropping eye,/ With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage,/ In equal scale weighing delight and dole) Taken to wife” (I.ii.8-14). However, this cycle is unnatural; a marriage does not perfectly balance a death. Claudius’s speech is also full of oxymoronic language, which symbolizes the oxymoron between King Hamlet’s death and Claudius and Gertrude’s marriage.

Sound & Sense: Chapter 14

Dirt In The Ground

Death- why are we talking about death?
Well, everyone eventually takes their last breath.
But once that day comes, what happens to you?
It's actually quite simple for me, a Jew.
No heaven, no hell, just dirt in the ground,
No fuss, no stir, not even a sound.
Family mourns the loved one within a day,
But there's no repenting, so no reason to pray.
Every religion has their own belief system:
Afterlife, the spirit world, or even divine wisdom.
None of that is necessary; I think it's quite simple-
Death is meaningless; it is not a symbol.
It may be the day that your time has come,
Your heartbeat will stop, no longer a drum.
It can be sad, or scary, or even quite daunting,
So live a full life and leave nothing for wanting.

Othello: #7

            The play ends with a bloodbath of murders. However, before he kills himself, the only thing that Othello is concerned with is how he will be remembered. He pleads with Lodovico to describe him as he actually is, neither better nor worse. Othello believes that he loved “not wisely, but too well” (V. ii. 404) and he is “one not easily jealous” (V. ii. 405). The audience may or may not agree with Othello’s characterization of himself and it is now time for the reader to form their own opinion of Othello. Did he die a noble and honorable leader of Venice, or an evil murderer who was a threat to the state? Othello recounts time where he was both enemy and defender of the state. He compares himself to a “base Judean” who threw away a pearl worth more than all of his tribe (V. ii. 407–08). The race card is played a couple times throughout the play, but most of the characters do not see Othello’s race as an issue. Othello then reports a time where he killed an enemy Turk to defend Venice (V. ii. 414-17). Othello casts himself as both an insider and an outsider, but it is up to the audience to decide how Othello’s death will be remembered.

Othello: V. ii. 1-24

            Up until the moment Othello kills Desdemona, he must remind himself of his reasons. The repetition of “it is the cause” (V. ii. 1, 3) in the opening lines of Othello’s soliloquy demonstrates that he is not one hundred percent certain of his decision to kill his wife. It is as if he has to continually remind himself that she was unfaithful, or he will begin to doubt his beliefs. The repetition also reveals Iago’s influence on Othello. Without the constant presence of Iago, Othello is tempted to resort back to his rational thinking. He is almost swayed to not kill Desdemona: “Oh, balmy breath, that dost almost persuade/ Justice to break her sword!” (V. ii. 17-18). In his soliloquy Othello also notes Desdemona’s skin color as he states, “Yet I’ll not shed her blood,/ Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow/ And smooth as monumental alabaster” (V. ii. 3-5). Before he decides to kill her, Othello searches for confirmation bias of proof of Desdemona’s infidelity. He subconsciously wants to blame his skin color and lean on a preconceived prejudice to fuel his anger. With the idea that Cassio has all of the same credentials as him, but he is white, Othello wonders if it would be more natural for Desdemona to love a white man. Her skin is whiter than snow, which also attests to her purity and innocence. Othello notices this purity as he kisses her in bed, but he is so brainwashed by Iago that it does not register with him. Othello truly passes the point of no return. After continuous brainwash by Iago, Othello no longer contains a voice of reason within him. At the end of his soliloquy he utters, “I must weep,/ But they are cruel tears” (V. ii. 22-23). By using the word “must” Othello feels as if there are no other options, but in reality he is just too far into the realm of emotion that he cannot think rationally. Othello cannot see past the lies and his love ultimately destroys him.

Othello: #5

            Before this scene Othello’s anger and rage builds up inside of him. He tries his best to hide his intentions and dismisses Desdemona. However, as Iago shows him more “proof” of Desdemona’s infidelity, Othello cannot suppress his fury. He slaps Desdemona in front of Lodovico, which shocks everyone. Desdemona starts crying and Lodovico asks, “Is this the noble Moor, whom our full senate/ Call all in all sufficient? Is this the nature/ Whom passion could not shake, whose solid virtue/ The shot of accident nor dart of chance/ Could neither graze nor pierce?” (IV. i. 297-301). This is Othello’s turning point. I predict that he will now tumble into a downward spiral resulting in his own death. He used to be respectful, loving, and kind, but he just hit his wife in front of someone who will most likely go back and tell all of Venice. Lodovico’s reaction is expected, as one could only assume that Othello is losing his mind. In a sense, he is losing his mind. Iago has been so successful in feeding Othello lies that Othello can no longer discern truth from lies. Othello’s personality has changed so much that it is only a matter of time before his emotions take over and make him do something terrible that he will eventually regret.

Othello: #4

            In Act II Iago states, “Reputation is an idle and/ most false imposition, oft got without merit and lost/ without deserving” (II. iii. 287-89). In Act III Iago perfectly contradicts himself: “Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,/ Is the immediate jewel of their souls” (III. iii. 182-83). First he says that reputation does not matter, and then he tells Othello that a man is not a man without his reputation. This blatant display of dishonestly is only shown to the audience, so unfortunately Othello does not know the real Iago. Iago also admits to poisoning Othello with lies, but once again only the audience is told this: “[The Moor already changes with my poison;]/ Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons,/ Which at the first are scarce found to distaste,/ But with a little act upon the blood/ Burn like the mines of sulfur” (III. iii. 373-77). Originally, Othello is a trusting and honest man. He is very calm and collected, even in times of war. Iago is so conniving that simply telling lies changes Othello completely. Iago does not physically do anything in his plot, but he uses his creative and mischievous talents to tell elaborate lies that make even the most trusting person jealous. Othello’s personality does a complete 180. Desdemona even notices this shift in character when she says, “I ne’er saw this before” (III. iv. 117). It is interesting how one person can completely change another person just by what they tell them.

Sound & Sense: Chapter 13

1.   A) The alliteration of “g” in “guide” and “guard” gives a sharper image of virtue as the speaker’s guide than virtue that will “point your way” and “keep you safe.”

2.   A) Although “harsh” and “rough” are cacophonous words, they sound more euphonious together than “harsh” and “crabbed.” The euphony compliments the subject of music.

3.   B) The consonance of “out-cast,” “crows,” “croak,” and “across” is cacophonous to represent the harsh croaking of the crows.

4.   A) The consonance of “talk” and “attests” is euphonious to compare the serenity of her voice to singing gold.

5.   B) The consonance of “myriads,” “moan,” “immemorial,” and “murmuring” is euphonious and uses the mellifluous consonant “m” to represent the fluidity of the streams.

6.   A) “Straining harsh discords and unpleasing sharps” is more cacophonous than “In harsh discordant tones with doleful flats” to stress the unpleasantness of the lark’s out of tune singing.

7.   A) The “bombs,” “bastions,” “batteries,” “bayonets,” and “bullets” of quotation B) are too euphonious to describe the harsh words of war, so quotation A) is the better version.

8.   A) The consonance of “sisters,” “incessantly,” “softly,” and “soiled” is euphonious to demonstrate that Death and Night are forever linked, and that one does occur without the other.

9.   Quotation A) is cacophonous to represent the speaker’s distraught feelings of the day coming to an end.

10.  B) The onomatopoeia of “flap” expresses the movement of the bug’s wings and the consonance of “stinks” and “stings” suggests the strength of the bug’s power.

Othello: #3

“As I am an honest man, I thought you had/ received some bodily wound. There is more sense/ in that than in reputation. Reputation is an idle and/ most false imposition, oft got without merit and lost/ without deserving” (II. iii. 285-289)

            Iago is Shakespeare’s perfect villain. Iago is a puppet master of sorts. He comes across as a good guy, but his purpose is to ultimately screw over Othello. He is such a good liar that not one person suspects any foul play. Iago blatantly states, “I am an honest man” (II. iii. 285), when the audience knows for certain that that cannot be farther from the truth. Everything that comes out of Iago’s mouth is a lie. He lies to Roderigo, Cassio, Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, and everyone else except the audience. No one will know that Iago is behind all of the mischief until it is over. In this passage Iago tells Cassio that his reputation does not matter. That is not only a lie, but it is quite ironic as well. Iago’s masterful plan came about because of his jealousy of Cassio. Iago wanted Cassio’s position and for everyone to see him as noble and important; Iago wanted a better reputation, yet tells Cassio that reputation does not matter. Iago has gotten himself strung up in so many lies that I predict it will eventually hurt him. This play is a tragedy, so obviously someone or multiple people will die. I think that Iago will no longer be able to distinguish from the truth and his skewed hopes for the future will only hurt himself.

Sound & Sense: Chapter 12

·         Rhythm: any wavelike recurrence of motion or sound

·         Stressed Syllable: given more prominence in pronunciation than the rest

·         Rhetorical Stresses: used to make our intentions clear

      ex) “I don’t believe you” vs “I don’t believe YOU”

·         Poetic Line: unit that creates pauses in the flow of speech

·         End-Stopped Line: the end of the line corresponds with a natural speech pause (period, semicolon)

·         Run-On Line: the sense of the line moves on without pause into the next line (no punctuation at end)

·         Caesuras: pauses that occur within lines, either grammatical or rhetorical; varies the rhythm of lines

·         Free Verse: nonmetrical poetry in which the basic rhythmic unit is the line, and in which pauses, line breaks, and formal patterns develop organically from the requirements of the individual poem rather than from established poetic forms

·         Prose Poem: short composition having the intentions of poetry but written in prose rather than verse

·         Meter: the identifying characteristic of rhythmic language that we can tap our feet to (the pattern that sounds follow when a poet has arranged them into metrical verse); 3 basic units: foot, line, stanza

·         Foot: basic unit of meter that consists of one accented syllable and one or two unaccented syllables, or no unaccented syllables

·         Line: same as poetic line, but metric lines are measured by naming the number of feet in them (monometer, dimeter, trimeter, etc.)

·         Stanza: consists of a group of lines whose metrical pattern are repeated throughout the poem

·         Metrical Variations: call attention to some sounds because they depart from the basic metrical pattern

·         Substitution: replacing the regular foot with another one

·         Extrametrical Syllables: added at beginnings or endings of lines

·         Truncation: the omission of an unaccented syllable at either end of a line

·         Scansion: the process of measuring metical verse, that is, of marking accented and unaccented syllables, dividing the lines into feet, identifying the metrical pattern, and noting significant variations from that pattern

·         Expected Rhythm: the rhythmic expectation set up by the basic meter of a poem (silent drumbeat in your mind)

·         Heard Rhythm: the actual rhythm of a metrical poem as we hear it when it is read naturally; conforms to or modifies the expected rhythm

·         Grammatical Pause: a pause introduced into the reading of a line by a mark of punctuation (also known as caesura)

·         Rhetorical Pause: a natural pause, unmarked by punctuation, introduced into the reading of a line by its phrasing or syntax (also known as caesura)

The Stranger: Outline

Thesis: Society noticeably critiques the issues of death, religion, and the justice system in The Stranger. Camus comments on these inherent issues by focusing on how society reconciles a meaningless world with meaningful life.

I. Society is expected to follow specific rituals in association with death.

            A. “You know, your mother’s friends will be coming to keep vigil too. It’s customary” (9).

            B. “Then I felt like having a smoke. But I hesitated, because I didn't know if I could do it with Maman right there. I thought about it; it didn't matter. I offered the caretaker a cigarette and we smoked” (8).

            C. “For a second I had the ridiculous feeling that they were there to judge me” (10).

            D. “they will conclude that a stranger may offer a cup of coffee, but that beside the body of the one who brought him into the world, a son should have refused it” (91).

            When Mersault does not wish to see his mother’s body at her wake, he is harshly judged. There are certain traditions that society follows regarding death and mourning, and if one does not follow them, they are shunned for their insincerity. Everyone is puzzled as to why Mersault acted so strangely at his mother’s funeral. Camus focuses on everyone’s obsession with Mersault’s lack of appropriate behavior. Camus believes that they should not search for meaning where there is no meaning to be found.

II. Religion and faith in God is essential in one’s acceptance by society.

            A. “After a short silence, he stood up and told me that he wanted to help me, that I interested him, and that, with God’s help, he would do something for me” (67).

            B. “He told me that he believed in God, that is was his conviction that no man was so guilty that God would not forgive him, but in order for that to happen a man must repent and in so doing become like a child whose heart is open and ready to embrace all” (68).

            C. “He said it was impossible; all men believed in God, even those who turn their backs on him. That was his belief, and if he were ever to doubt it, his life would become meaningless” (69).

            D. “‘You do believe, don’t you, and you’re going to place your trust in Him, aren’t you?’ Obviously, I again said no. He fell back in his chair” (69).

            It is socially accepted to believe and worship God. In fact, when Mersault claims to not believe in God, the magistrate reacts as if he has never heard anything more foul in his life. He cannot comprehend why Mersault does not believe in God, but more importantly why he killed a man. Once again, Camus points out that society attempts to construct meaning in something that is meaningless. If Mersault does not know why he did something, than no one else can construct meaning in his life.

III. Camus exploits the justice system by showing that the world is not inherently meaningful.

            A. “My lawyer raised his arms and pleaded guilty, but with an explanation. The prosecutor waved his hands and proclaimed my guilt, but without an explanation” (98).

            B. “What I can say for certain is that I would rather Maman hadn’t died. But my lawyer didn’t seem satisfied. He said, ‘That’s not enough’” (65).

            C. “‘Here we have a perfect reflection of this entire trial: everything is true and nothing is true!’” (91).

            Mersault has no rational explanation for killing the Arab. Although he speaks up and tells he judge that he never intended on killing him, no one regards hiscomment. The prosecutor continues to construct a meaning within the murder when there is no inherent meaning at all. Because they cannot just accept the fact that Mersault killed a man with no intentions, the authorities continue to construct their own explanation of the murder.

Stranger: #5

“My lawyer raised his arms and pleaded guilty, but with an explanation. The prosecutor waved his hands and proclaimed my guilt, but without an explanation” (Camus 98).

            In the usual courtroom scene, the truth prevails. The justice system is always successful and the correct person is always punished. Therefore, the average person can take comfort in the fact that we live in a world that is just and fair. However, in the courtroom scene in The Stranger, Albert Camus undermines this idea of justice. He believes that it is irrational and silly, just as he believes in the absurdist philosophy. The absurdist philosophy states that the efforts of humanity to find inherent meaning will ultimately fail and are absurd. This philosophy is clearly portrayed in the courtroom scene. Mersault has no rational explanation for killing the Arab. Although he speaks up and tells he judge that he never intended on killing him, no one regards hiscomment. The prosecutor continues to construct a meaning within the murder when there is no inherent meaning at all. Because they cannot just accept the fact that Mersault killed a man with no intentions, the authorities continue to construct their own explanation of the murder. This explanation is based off of false assumptions, so the story becomes so twisted that it points to Mersault committing the murder premeditated. If the courts were not focused on always finding an answer to the “why” question and they just accepted confessions as they were, they would not waste as much time and actually try the defendant fairly.