Introduction
Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe; it regards the human existence as unexplainable and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts.
It is a philosophy that found its public beginnings in the 19th and 20th century, but can also be found in ancient biblical writing as well as Grimm's fairytales in 1812.
Task
Situation: You are high school student and a member of a cohort of three or four students who have been assigned a presentation to teach Existentialism through a study of The Stranger and the short story “The Metamorphosis,” which you will independently read.
Working together, you will present a Prezi presentation to the class. Each group will present an assigned theme of existentialism to the rest of the class, and how that aspect ties into each story's characters.
1. You will be assigned into groups of 4
2. You will be presented with 1 of these 5 major themes of existentialism:
•Existence Proceeds Essence
•Absurdity
•Nothingness
•Death
•Alienation
Once you have received your theme, your group must find examples in "The Metamorphosis" and The Stranger and contrast the presence of your assigned theme in each.
You will present your ideas via Prezi presentation. The Prezi must be visually appealing, contain accurate information about existentialism, and each group member must present a segment of the presentation.
Each group member will have a different role; they will be assigned a position:
One will find examples in The Stranger.
One will find examples in “The Metamorphosis”
One will record the findings and compare.
One will find Existentialism in other art forms and will manage the construction of the Prezi, but all will help to contribute.
Process
Use the Internet to find out the answers for questions 1-9 and 11. Do a search for “Albert Camus” and "Jean Paul Sartre" to find the most appropriate articles. I am looking for complete answers to each question. Record your sources after each answer. These sources will be listed on your Prezi's Works Cited frame.
1. When and where was Albert Camus born? What do you know about the climate of this place? (You may have to do a separate search for this question.)
2. What was his family like?
3. What is The Stranger about? Write a short summary.
4. When was The Stranger published? What language was it originally published in?
5. What major world events were happening around this time?
6. How did people respond to the novel?
7. Explain Camus’ notion of the absurd. What is it?
8. How and when did Camus die?
9. What existentialism? Who were the major players in this philosophical movement? You can use the following links for #9.
https://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/existentialism.htm
http://classes.kvcc.edu/jcorbin/PHI106/OptRdngs/SixBasicThemesExistentiali.htm
10. In The Stranger and “The Metamorphosis,” Camus and Kafka both illustrate that human existence is absurd and lacks any grander significance. Therefore, the main characters (Meursault and Samsa, respectively) in each story are free to fit into their lives whatever meaning they choose. However, this can only happen after becoming aware of life's transience: Meursault is able to fulfill life and give it meaning by accepting his mortality as part of the "gentle indifference of the world." Similarly, Gregor Samsa succumbs to the absurdity of life and can enjoy living only when he accepts his need to disappear completely.
In your designated groups, your task is to compare the protagonists of each novel to one another and how both conveyed the theme of existentialism through their character.
11. Find examples of Existentialism in other art forms and explain why it is considered Existential.
Evaluation
|
Appearance/Presentation |
10-9 -Professionally attractive (strong use of font and pictures) -Easy to read and follow -Free from errors -All participated in creation and presentation |
8-7 -Visually attractive (good use of font and pictures) -Reading and/or following may be difficult -Several errors -Participation in creation and presentation was unbalanced |
6-0 -Minimally attractive (poor use of font and pictures) -Reading and/or following are difficult -Many errors -Participation in creation and presentation was one sided |
| Author Content | - Provides a complete answer to all asked questions in the web quest. | - Provides a partial answer to all asked questions in the web quest. | - Provides an incomplete answer to all asked questions in the web quest. |
| Existentialism Content | - Provides a complete answer to all asked questions in the web quest. | - Provides a partial answer to all asked questions in the web quest. | - Provides an incomplete answer to all asked questions in the web quest. |
|
Examples of Existentialism from stories with an explanation |
3 examples from each story given with complete explanations | 3-2 examples from each story given and/or with partial explanations | 3-1 examples from each story given and /or with incomplete explanations |
|
Examples of Existentialism from other forms of art |
2 examples from another form of art with explanations | 2-1 examples from another form of art and/or with partial explanations | 2-1 examples from another form of art with incomplete explanations |
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have become a master of Existentialism. You can read it, understand it, analyze it, make comparison between two Existential pieces of literature, and find it in other art forms.
Unlike Existentialism, may you always have a meaning and purpose for your life!