Friday, December 5th

Objectives:

• Continue to understand the major tenets of existentialism
• Discuss Meursault's indifference and what it might mean

Starter/Journal #4
Without looking at your notes, write down everything you can remember from yesterday's powerpoint on existentialism and the Absurd.  Some questions to help jog your memory:

• What is the basic definition of existentialism?
• What is the existentialist's starting point?
• What is an existential crisis?
• What is the Absurd?
  
• What are possible responses to the Absurd and what does Camus argue is the heroic response?
• What do you remember about the Myth of Sisyphus?

Agenda:
First hour

• Share out your starter response
• Questions from yesterday?
• Continue Existentialism powerpoint 
  
• Discuss The Stranger

The Stranger, chapters 1-5 discussion questions:

A.Do you like Meursault? What is your opinion of him?


B. What is your opinion of Raymond? Would you consider him a "moral" person?  What about Meursault? Is he moral, immoral or amoral? Evidence?


C. Re-read page 18: Why does M just want to sleep? Is he facing the reality of his mother's death? Why or why not?


D. Page 19: As I was waking up, it came to me why my boss had seemed annoyed when I asked him for two days off: Today is Saturday......But in the first place, it isn't my fault."  What element of existentialism does M's attitude contradict?


E. Read pages 22-24:

•  Does Meursault take an active role in his own life? Why not?  
  
• Camus says that WWI was supposed to be the war to end all wars, but then we had WWII so nothing really changed.  This is the cold indifference of the universe that he and other existentialists were picking up on. Why sacrifice all those lives in WWI if nothing really changed? 

F. Read aloud pages 40-41

• What is your analysis of Meursault's indifference? Why do you think he acts this way? 
• Do you think it it possible that Meursault is meant to represent the cold indifference of the universe that Camus and other existentialists experienced in WWII OR is something else going on here?  

Second hour
LINK planning with Zoe