325 8A

ENG 325 Week 8 Unit A: Sartre and de Beauvoir

1. Discussion board (200 words)

 

Reading: Jean-Paul Sartre

Attached Files:

·  The Wall by Sartre.pdf (136.324 KB)

Reading: Simone de Beauvoir

"Personal Freedom and Others" from The Ethics of Ambiguity

https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/ethics/de-beauvoir/ambiguity/ch02.htm

Reading: The Famous Couple

Jean Paul Sartre & Simone de Beauvoir: An Existential Love Affair

https://bonjourparis.com/memoirs/jean-paul-sartre-simone-de-beauvoir-existential-lo/

Discussion question:

In de Beauvoir's essay, she identifies and defines certain types of men:

· the serious man

· the sub-man

· the nihilist

· the adventurer

· the passionate man

Which best describes Pablo?  Explain your answer with support from the text.

2. Weekly wiki (150 words).

Students will choose a short excerpt / quote from one of the readings of that week, type it in, then add a short (150 words or so) explanation for your choice. Was your selection important because it:

· is an example of beautiful or striking language?

· exemplifies a particular theme or character?

· makes the reader think about something in a new way?

· is typically "American" in some way (and in what way)?

· was just something that you liked?

Try not to use the same quote that someone else already has; if you must, make sure that what you say about it is original.

For example:

"My country is the world, and my religion is to do good."  Thomas Paine.  

I chose this quote because I think it is a good example of Enlightenment thought which was very popular during the late 1700's.  Paine is rejecting formal ties to any specific country or any particular religion (humanist world view).  He is focused on the here and now, not an afterlife, and this concern is evident in his writing about social and political systems that influenced the thinkers behind the American Revolution.  The language is simple and straightforward.

3. Write responses for other three student’s work. (50-75 words Each)

First student:

I found the ending both satisfying and unsatisfying.  Since Moliere gave Tartuffe no redeeming qualities, I think that the audience is glad to see him get what is coming to him.  The deux ex machina didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the play.  Itwas a little too convenient to be plausible, but it fit with the rest of the play which isn’t exactly realistic.  Somehow though, I was disappointed that the royal intervention meant that everything worked out for Orgon after being so gullible and so mean to his family. 

I think that I would have preferred an ending more like this: 

Mariane marries Valere.  She and Dorene go to live on his family’s estate.  Orgon loses his estate to Tartuffe and has no choice but to go and live with his mom, Madame Pernelle.  Damis gets angry and kills Tartuffe using that big cross that was hanging on the wall by the stairs.  Damis gets arrested.  Cleante takes in Elmire and helps her find a less gullible husband. 

Second student:

The ending of Tartuffe was satisfying for me. In the end Tartuffe was arrested by the king on account of his history of mischievous activities and wasn’t allowed to take away the properties by right of deed that rightfully belonged to Orgon and his family. It’s in our human nature to want to see wrong doers punished or see some kind of vengeance delivered on them; this ending was satisfying in that the wrong doer got what was coming to them all along. I think that this film was the opposite of realism unfortunately. In reality, wrong doers get away with their crimes far too often. Moliere seemed to think that wrong doers will ultimately be punished in the end, often times this isn’t that case but sometimes it is. You could also see Tartuffe getting punished at the end and his plots ruined as a form of divine intervention as well, a kind of “God is watching so follow your conscience” or you’ll get what’s coming to you.

Third student:

I enjoyed watching the ending of the play of Moliere’s Tartuffe as it was a happy ending. I was shocked how Orgon could get arrested by some random things that Taruffe found that could serve as evidence that Orgon was disloyal and could eventually led him to execution. It really surprised me when King Louis XIV showed up as I wasn’t expecting the king to be involved. I was thinking that his family would be the detectives and find evidences that could get Tartuffe arrested. Therefore, I would think that this part is when a deus ex machinetechnique was used in this play. I was excited to see that Tartuffe was finally arrested and the king found out that he was the liar and forgives Orgon for the hateful letters. The king also returned Orgon’s property and wealth.

I thought the play would be more interesting and creative if the happy ending didn’t come so soon despite how much I enjoyed watching it. If Orgon had knew about the plan that Taruffe had made to get him arrested and have prepared the revenge it would be more enjoyable to watch. It would turn the play around and the audience would be happy to see what a fool Taruffe was thinking he had everything under control. None the less, either way the ending was a pleasure to watch to see that Taruffe was finally arrested and seeing that the king had forgive Orgon from his good services.