Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Albert Camus and Suicide essays

Albert Camus and Suicide essays Humanity has always been intrigued with death and questioning the morality of deaths. Philosopher Albert Camus is famous for his work with the suicide aspect of death. Suicide is a part of society that many people would like to overlook because it is an uncomfortable subject to describe. Through his works, Albert Camus took on philosophies of death, looking suicide in the eye. Philosopher Albert Camus was born on November 7, 1913 in Mondovi, Algeria. A year later, in 1914, his father died during a World War I battle, leaving his nearly deaf mother to take care of two sons. This poverty struck hardship remains constant throughout Camus life, influencing his literature. In 1940, during wartime, Camus worked in Paris as a reporter for Paris-Soir. It was at this time where he began writing three manuscripts that he called The Absurds. These three writings are considered Camus best philosophical works. It includes The Stranger, The Myth of Sisyphus, and Caligula. The Myth of Sisyphus is a well-crafted short story, with Camus dissecting and refining the short story for five years. The first sentence shows the crafted content of each sentence, There is only one serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide (Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus). In the short story, Sisyphus defies the gods by loving life too much. The gods find the perfect torture for Sisyphus by condemning him to push a heavy rock up at mountain. However, as Sisyphus hopes for success, the rock will always roll back into its initial state. But Sisyphus doesnt let this hopelessness empower him. He discards any illusion that he will complete the task. By doing so, he becomes a hero because he instills the ability of enduring punishment. It is this constant struggle up the mountain that entitles Sisyphus to become a hero. Camus reminds us of ...our absurd freedom and the choices we make in life, especially when f...