The Rebel by Albert Camus - 787 Words

Albert Camus and the Notion of Rebel Published in 1951, ‘The Rebel’ by Camus traces the concept of ‘man in revolt’ through history and literature and history. Camus offers his perspectives on society and where the limits of governance should be set. Looking at various incidents in the course of history, Camus makes special mention of his life-long, passionate battle against the cruelty of capital punishment, and murder by trial. Camus also mention the support Communism gives to such judgment even if Communism need not necessarily facilitate direct methods to do so. Similar to his previous works, The Stranger and The Myth of Sisphyphus, Camus’ notion of The Absurd remains to be the spearhead of his philosophy and his rather peculiar approach to life. â€Å"We are living in an era of premeditation and the perfect crime. Our criminals are no longer helpless children who could plead love as their excuse. On the contrary, they are adults and they have a perfect alibi: philosophy which can be used for any purpose – even for transforming murderers into judges.† Camus uses this as his strike against what he sees as one of the world’s greatest evils – rationally justified murder. This strike became evident once Reflections on the Guillotine, one of his later works, was published in 1957. But perhaps the major concern of the book is in the name itself, ‘The Rebel’, or the notion of rebellion to be exact. He defines the concept of rebellion, what it is that pushes a man to his precipice,Show MoreRelatedSummary Of Albert Camuss The Plague747 Words   |  3 PagesAnd the secret to freedom is courage† (Thucydides). Albert Camus, much like Nietzsche did not believe that death, suffering, or the human existence had any underlying moral or rational meaning due to the fact that he did not believe in God or even an afterlife for that matter. Camus believed that human beings, as mortals, live under an irrational and an absurd death sentence, never really being able to live a free and meaningful life. Yet, Camus still believed that people were capable of giving theirRead MoreWhat is Mans Purpose for Living in Albert Camus The Stranger785 Words   |  3 Pagesthe author of The Stranger, Albert Camus. Almost a year before the World War I, Albert Camus was born in a family of four on November 7, 1913 in Algeria. He was raised by a widowed mother upon losing his father in the Battle of Marne during the French wartime. Together with his single, hard-working mother, they lived with his maternal grandmother and ill uncle in a 2-bedroom apartment. Despite living in poverty, Camus’ ability didn’t falter. Through working jobs, Camus entered college in the UniversityRead MoreThe Myth Of Sisyphus By Albert Camus Analysis1190 Words   |  5 PagesOther Essays, author and philosopher Albert Camus develops the theme of existentialism through his ideas of the absurd, suicide, and hope. By addressing prominent questions such as â€Å"what does it mean to live?† and â€Å"what is my real identity?†, Camus emphasizes that the true â€Å"purpose† in life is to embrace the freedom of being able to choose how we define our lives, even if life ultimately has no meaning. In this research paper, I wanted to further analyze Camus’ ideas, along with my other sources,Read More Essay on Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider): Meursault as Metaphysical Rebel1996 Words   |  8 PagesMeursault as Metaphysical Rebel in The Stranger (The Outsider)  Ã‚     Ã‚   The Stranger by Albert Camus was published in 1942. The setting of the novel is Algiers where Camus spent his youth in poverty. In many ways the main character, Meursault, is a typical Algerian youth. Like them, and like Camus himself, Meursault was in love with the sun and the sea. His life is devoted to appreciating physical sensations. He seems so devoid of emotion. Something in Meursaults character has appealed primarilyRead MoreExistentialism And The Absurd By Albert Camus1186 Words   |  5 Pageswork. In his various books, short stories, and plays, the French-Algerian writer Albert Camus relates to his philosophical beliefs: specifically existentialism and the absurd, as well as his connecting idea of rebellion. Camus’ most prominent works – such as the novels The Plague, The Stranger, The Rebel, and others – reflect these beliefs and ideas he held. Though he was and continues to be considered as one, Camus made a point of rejecting the label of an existentialist. Existentialism is essentiallyRead MoreThe Great Depression By Albert Camus997 Words   |  4 PagesAlbert Camus was a philosopher who was born in Algeria on November 7, 1913. His writings, like so many others, were impacted by the Great Depression, the rise of National Socialism and Communism, and the destruction of, and reconstruction after World War II. He contributed multiple works as part of the â€Å"Continental† philosophy tradition of mainland Europe. Major works include The Rebel, The Stranger and most recognized The Myth of Sisyphus. He died in France in 1960, in a car accident while writingRead MoreEssay on Existentialism in Unknown Places1409 Words   |  6 Pagesunderstanding of themselves first. Some very well known pieces of entertainment existentialism is found in are: Hamlet by William Shakespeare, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Stranger by Albert Camus, and The Breakfast Club by John Hughes. The Stranger is a book written about a young man whose mother dies, which soon leads him to becoming acquainted with the feeling of not caring about what his actions do to others or himself. The main characterRead MoreEssay about Art, Liberation, Rebellion and Relevance868 Words   |  4 PagesThe evolutionary advantage of creativity has an early manifestation in the form of decorative body art. Art is creation, not to say that every creation is necessarily art. The seed of creation is thought. â€Å"To think is first of all to create a world (Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and other essays, 1955, p. 99).† The creative process is an undoubtedly a psychological one and therefore ultimately rooted in the physiology of the human body. The human psyche is faced with a duality and it is in this thatRead MoreExistentialism And The Beliefs Of The Movement1454 Wo rds   |  6 Pagescentury. Some basic foundational ideas of existentialism are found in early Buddhist and Christian writings, which may have been the starting point for the movement. Also, like existentialism’s previous philosophical ideas that came before it, it rebels against traditional Western thought that believes rationality and consciousness are the key points to understanding the human condition. According to Jean-Paul Sartre, a famous existentialist, â€Å"existence precedes and rules essence† (Andrea 665). ARead MoreThe Stranger Critical Analysis1788 Words   |  8 Pages Works in Translation Assignment: The Stranger by Albert Camus In society, many people will reach a stage in their life where they encounter an â€Å"existential crisis† and begin to seek answers by questioning the meaning of their existence, or whether a meaning truly exists. Absurdism is the school of thought which argues that meaning is inherently absent in the universe, but that one must embrace this to live freely. Albert Camus uses this philosophy to masterfully craft The Stranger