| | 9 | 4/12/2010 5:37 PM | So, How'd you like the book? Just a General topic board talking about what you guys liked about the book or what exactly you couldn't stand. Personally, I thought the book was ok but a little confusing. It wasn't a hard read either but I couldn't find myself wanting to read the book freely. However of course I understand that it was for the sake of the class that we be exposed to this I do not regret it. |
| | 9 | 3/13/2010 2:40 PM | Thesis statements Unless the big dog doesn't allow it, I thought this would be a good idea to share our thesis statements and discuss them with each other. Also, if someone needs help developing a thesis statement, they can get help from the whole class. |
| | 3 | 3/11/2010 6:55 PM | Happiness? What kinds of ideas for thesis do you guys have?
I talked about it with a few people I sit by in class. I figure it that Camus is demonstrating with Meursault that happiness is not circumstantial, and that nothing or noone can tell you that you shouldn't be happy. The way he is happy whether or not he gets the job promotion and moves, or whether or not he gets married. He doesn't realize it right away, but it seems that it isn't that he dosen't care, these things just don't make a difference.
The court, his boss, and everyone testifying against him is telling that he is wrong for being happy, but he know that he should be happy, because nothing that happened was out of his hands. He was never forced to do something that he had to pay the consequences for. |
| | 7 | 3/6/2010 12:31 PM | Crybaby "...for the first time in years I had this stupid urge to cry, becasue I could feel how much all these people hated me."
I felt this was out of character and it kind of made me confused. I never expected him to cry becasue he didn't cry when his mother died. However he wants to cry now becasue he's geting mean looks and verbally "attacked". Is he being selfish and only wanting to cry because he feels bad for himself? Meursault actually cares about what others think of him. Is this because he cares for others to like him or because he's sad this will make them decide he's guilty and he will get executed?
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| | 6 | 3/3/2010 3:22 PM | Why exactly is the Light so bright? Throughout the book (part one) Meursault, I have noticed, always comments about the light. By this I mean that in some situations in the book he describes how the light is very bright and hot. When he is at the furneral for his Maman he takes alot of time to comment on the Sun in the sky and the intensity that it is radiating. What significance does the light have towards Meursault that he thinks about the sun and the heat rather than his Maman at the funeral? |
| | 9 | 2/28/2010 8:39 PM | Meursault's Job In the first part of the book, especially during his mother's funeral, Meursault keeps fretting over not being able to go to work, but when he finally gets there he only works for two paragraphs (more or less). I was wondering why that is. Any ideas? |
| | 3 | 2/28/2010 8:37 PM | Bitter End " I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate."
-Last page, last line
This line is so heartfelt and bitter. Mearsault is wanting people to come see him die AND he wants them to yell hateful things to him. Why would he want this? He thinks it doesn't matter when he dies. It could be now, it could be thirty years from now and it wouldn't matter to him. Why is he thinking about people he doesn't even know, and why is he wanting them to show up and be hateful?
This line is very strange and haunting. He has anger and bitterness. Could this come from a being disappointed and wanting to live longer? |
| | 10 | 2/28/2010 8:34 PM | Meaursault Loves The Arab? I cant find the exact page, but Meaursault is asked he loved his mother, and he replies "As much as anyone else". This would mean he loves his mother like he loves the dead Arab he killed. And if shooting the Arab doesn't mean anything to him, then he might as well have shot his mother or Marie, right?? |
| | 4 | 2/28/2010 8:30 PM | The Arab I was thinking in class this week about the Arab. Now we know him as the Arab. But who is the Arab? Camus never uses his real name, in fact his title is "The Arab" Why do you guys think he is only the Arab? |
| | 16 | 2/28/2010 8:27 PM | Guilty? So as we talked about in class today i want to start an argument. Hahaha lydia i logged on and started a new one lol so what do you guys think is m- bizzle really gulity or is he innocent? |
| | 7 | 2/28/2010 8:26 PM | End of the story Near the end of the story there were numerous things that I was confused about. One thing that I was confused about was that near the end of the story he says "blind rage had washed me clean" and "I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again". To me this is the first time that he has expressed emotions, how could he be happy knowing that he is going to die? Is he owning his consequence? |
| | 11 | 2/28/2010 2:01 PM | Meursault in Jail In the second part of the book we find Meursault in jail obviously for killing the Arab, although it never tells of how he was found out. I feel as though his experience in jail isn't really changing his outlook on life. He just says how the days of the week don't mean anything anymore and how time just blends together, but other than that he's still his blase self that we met right at the beginning of the book. I'm wondering if anyone else has any different opinions. Help me out! |
| | 17 | 2/27/2010 9:20 PM | Meursault's Girlfriend I'm wondering why she stays with him. When she asks him, "do you love me?" He always says no. But she asked him to marry her, and he said, "ok, sure, when ever you want." he seems kind of heartless, so why do you guys think she stays? |
| | 4 | 2/26/2010 8:51 AM | Meursault's questioning at court What is odd about the whole court conflict, is that nobody asks about the Arab, what the conflicts were between them, or if this could be tried as self defense. They just ask why he wasn't sad when his mom died and why he put her in a home. Meursault's lawyer noticed this and got frustrated over it and voiced his opinion. A couple people laughed but they still stayed on the topic of him not caring about his mothers death. Why do you guys think (or know) about why they only care about his feelings when his mom died? |
| | 1 | 2/25/2010 7:33 PM | The Robot Front Is Melting Pg 93 " I made no gesture of any kins=d, but it was the first time in my life I ever wanted to kiss a man."
-Meaursault
This line not being homosexual, or romantic really, it's just a wanting to show appreciation and acceptance towards Celeste. This is funny to me because in the beggining of the book he seems like a robot with no emotions, and here he is at the end of the book bending so far as to wanting to kiss a man. I think him being in jail and getting his freedoms taken away from him is making Meaursault a more open and more selfless man. He seemes very selfish and oblivious to others in the begging. |
| | 7 | 2/24/2010 2:04 PM | Meursalt's numbness vs. emotion Today when Mr. Chisnell was talking about how Meursalt's way of life (limited emotion) is kind of great i couldnt help but start to beleive it. Then i started to think about it and relised, yes life would be much easier living like Meursalt. for instanse, someone's mother dying could truly ruin someones life, but living like Meursalt it is no big deal. but then i thought, sure life might be easier but not nearly as great. even the "negative" emotions i feel, i dont regret. there are some beautiful and wonerful emotions Meursalt will never feel. Meursalt is numb and i think that is no way to live, when we only have one life. what do you guys think? which way of life is better? |
| | 2 | 2/23/2010 5:22 PM | Meaursault Was Always Blind Pg 97, "All this mapped out for me a route I knew so well before going to prison and which now I traveled blind."
I believe Meaursalut was always blind. Even though he could physically see everything about his life, there was no meaning. He felt there was no meaning. He could count how many boys there were playing in the street or describe everyone's clothing but he didn't understand why they were doing those things. i find Mearsault to be a very dull, selfish, depressed, blind individual. He doesn't appreciate woman for their soul or their friendship, he's always thinking about a woman's shape, thighs, or if he can see her beasts through a certain revealing blouse. He doesn't even realize how much he cares for his friends and relationships until he's in the hot seat waiting to be killed. Selfish. |
| | 3 | 2/20/2010 2:10 PM | mersaul confrotation with the arabs The one thing that makes me wonder is why would mersaul and raymond return to the beach. I basically thought they were going to try to sort things out without violence. What suprised me is that mersault ends up killing the arab cause he could at that momemt and he had no feelings after he did it. |
| | 1 | 2/19/2010 9:55 PM | Love Is Not Slavery Slavery is being under the control of another person. Love might not be voluntary because we can't control our emotions. However we can choose to be with that person or fight our feelings and go on to different things. The feeling of love is positive and a good sensation. Nothing about slavery is good and positive, except maybe the person in control who feels powerful and possibly delighted by it. The person who is not in power is miserable, hating life, not free to do what he/she wants to do.
Without love and relationships with people, animals, plants, etc you are lonely. You could be a slave to loneliness in a sense, saying loneliness is the controller and you are the slave.
We all have chemicals in our brains that tell us we want love, sex, affection, attachment, etc. It's natural. Even if it is absurd or hard to understand, there is a reason we have these wants, needs, and chemicals in our brains that are there to stay. Why not us them to find someone you are truely in love with and content and happy with? Even if there isn't much to live for, why not live life with someone that makes you happy? |
| | 5 | 2/19/2010 9:47 PM | Meursault's reason. In the book after the scuffle on the beach between the Arab and Raymond, they (Meursault, Raymond, and Masson) are followed by one of the Arabs and Meursault kills him. there is no reason given as to why. Was it in self defense, did he feel that the man was a threat? And if so why shoot the body 4 more times even after the man was dead? What also could he have been thinking or feeling at that moment? |
| | 6 | 2/19/2010 9:43 PM | What was the significance with shooting the Arab? In the book when Meursault is walking on the beach and he spots the arab man laying in the sand, there comes a point of confrontation at which point the arab man draws a knife and slashes at Meursault who in return shoots him. The part that is fairly confusing and even the investigators later on in part two ask, why did he shoot the man four extra times? Is there a meaning to what he did? |
| | 9 | 2/19/2010 9:29 PM | Meursault's character since the murder I haven't gotten far in the second part of the book, but I am curious on how Meursault's character is going to change since the murder. Do you think the murder of the man will wake up his emotional side? Or do you think he will stay the same? |
| | 1 | 2/16/2010 5:48 PM | After the crime What do you think will happen to Meursault now that he has killed a person (the Arab)? Will he go to prison? Will he be released? Will Marie stay with him? |
| | 4 | 2/15/2010 7:27 PM | Emmanuel's role in the book Emmanuel is mentioned a couple times in part one. I'm wondering if he will have a bigger role in part two, as in will Meursault look to him for help after the murder or will Meursault think of him only as a dispatcher at his work who he sometimes hang out with. What do you think? |
| | 6 | 2/15/2010 7:23 PM | mersault at his mothers funeral
If u was in his shoes i would probably show alot of emotion cause it basically impossible to not feel sadeness at ur own familys funeral |