1. Existentialism, The Stranger, and You

3. Existentialism
Existentialism is the basic idea that people are totally free and therefore responsible for all of their decisions. Each individual has ultimate control over all outcomes because each decision they make affects the outcome (there is no order or divine plan that governs the world – it is all random – therefore fate doesn’t exist).
The existentialist must define his own life and must live passionately and deliberately.
Placing all burden and responsibility on the individual “the make your own luck, you only get what you give” mentality of existentialism leads to certain distractions (which are all the doing of the individual) that must be endured on the path to happiness.
despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom

4. Define the following:
Despair
Angst
Absurdity
Alienation
Boredom

5. How do these feelings or emotions affect your life?
Despair is hopelessness or lack of hope
Angst is a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity
Absurdity is the state of having no order or value; being meaningless or directionless
Alienation is a state of withdrawal or separation from an object or position of previous attachment
Boredom is the state of being weary and restless through the lack of interest

6. What are your burdens?
And how do they affect your happiness?

7. All things considered. Life is meaningless
Promotes acceptance of our place rather than ways to build a better world
BUT you define it (the ‘it’ being your own life).
Every conscious moment is an inescapable burden because it ‘becomes’ what you make of it.
So if you do nothing, you are nothing

8. Why existentialism usually gets a bad rep..
despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom, despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom, despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom, despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom, despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom, despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom, despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom, despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom.

11. Respond to the following:
Existentialism in senior year of high school.
What goals and desires do you have?
What choices do you have to make and what obligations do you have to fulfill that either help or prevent you from achieving this happiness or fulfillment?
What role do ‘despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom’ play.
Do you or do you not have control based on your decisions?
Existential crisis?

12. Why existentialism usually gets a bad rep..
Existentialism is a frame of mind or school of philosophy – just a way of looking at or evaluating life. Most people think of existentialism in terms of happiness and ask these kinds of questions when things do not work out as planned:
Why bother?
Why is everything pointless?
But is this really how an existentialist thinks?

13. NO.
That’s what humans think as a result or reaction.

14. It all comes back to the obstacles.
despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom, despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom, despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom, despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom, despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom, despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom, despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom, despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom.

16. Your task today.
In groups of 4, you will be given an essay on The Stranger to read. Annotate your copy with your group. Then as a group you must:
Write a paraphrased version of the essay
Write a critique of the article based on whether you think the writer of the essay defended his thesis effectively, used proper analytical and rhetorical form (did he use appropriate vocabulary, defined relevant terms, found relevant supports)
Present your assigned essay to the class.

17. What does “Existentialism on Prom Night” mean to you?