AP+P2+2014-15+Albert+Camus

Historical - Katherina Albert Camus was born in French Algeria on November 7th, 1913, to a pied-noir family. He had a meager beginning, as his father died in the Battle of the Marne in World War 1 and his mother was an illiterate house cleaner. Despite this, he earned a scholarship to continue his schooling. He excelled in his school work, however in 1930 he caught tuberculous and could not continue attending school. To avoid infecting his brother, he went to live with his aunt and uncle Gustave and Antoinette Acault. He would later attend the University of Algeria in 1933. A biography on his life states, “Camus studied for two diplomas and in 1935 received an honorable mention in History of Philosophy and Logic” ("Albert Camus Biography" 1). Unfortunately because of his tuberculosis, he could not continue to play football and enjoy other activities in schooling. His illness would eventually lead to his seclusion in the north for months. His uncle took a particular liking to anarchist politics and philosophical studies, however the rift in the relationship would later cause Camus to leave his uncle to live with his brother. Camus was notoriously apart of two controversial political groups, such as the French Communist Party, and would eventually allied with anarchists in 1956, “[remaining] an active advocate for human right, increasing his political activities throughout the 1950s” ("Albert Camus" 1). Camus had married twice, however continued many extramarital relationships up until his death. The Stranger and Caligula are two of his most famous works, which would be published in 1942 and performed in 1945, respectively. In addition to this, Camus was known to be a philosopher of absurdism and existentialism, however he denied any associations with being an existentialist.

"Albert Camus Biography." //Albert Camus Biography.// n.p., n.d. Web. 5 Jan. 2015. "Albert Camus - Biography." //Albert Camus.// European Graduate School, n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2015.

Austin- Audience Camus was a French Algerian writer and philosopher between 1913 and 1960. In the 1930’s Camus attended the University and in his time there he worked to found the Workers Theater, which was a group of left wing students that worked together to create socialist plays for the algerian workers. However his writings were used for much more than just entertainment purposes as time went on. He became a journalist writing about Muslims causing an uproar in the algerian government until they took action. In the next couple years Camus moved to North Africa and began writing about the war that was raging against Europe and was “advised to leave the country and considered a threat to national security,” (Albert). When he moved back to Paris during the war he began to write and appeal to socialist, existentialists and philosophers alike, focusing his work on his idea that is was impossible for one person to make sense of someone’s experience and that mortality has made human life meaningless. Not only this, but he was also viewed as a spearhead for the French working and social change as he lead them through his rejection of Marxism, which was met with much opposition by the communist party that he was a part of. Overall, the author is highly considered to be part of the existentialists and to have a large audience among other existentialists, due to his “ habitual and intense interest in the active human psyche, in the life of conscience or spirit as it is actually experienced and lived” (Simpson). Many of the authors own values that came out in his writings over the years aligned with these beliefs and solidified his position as one of the existentialist philosophers, all the while during his career he continued to deny it. Whether he was in denial or not, Albert Camus was a major influence on existentialists, socialists, the working class, and philosophers during his time and in the years thereafter.

__Works Cited: __ "Albert Camus - Biography." //Albert Camus//. European Graduate School, n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2015. Simpson, David. "Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy." //Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy//. DePaul University, n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2015.

Alexis - Aim 

A self proclaimed pacifist, Camus became a threat to the security by writing about stopping the war in Europe and was asked to leave Algeria based on his beliefs. He returned to France and continued to write about his thoughts on the entire wartime situation by joining the //Combat,// an Parisian newspaper where, “He became its editor in 1943... and it was during this period of his life that he formalized his philosophy: that no matter how inexplicable existence might be, human life remains sacred” (“Albert Camus - Biography” 1). Camus is known for his contemporary nihilistic views within his works and his purpose of writing is to try and pinpoint what the meaning of life is, if there is one. He believes that there is no point to it, yet that societies are bigger than one person alone and acknowledges that there is a will to survive. Another philosophy of Camus is the absurdism which is that humans must accept the idea that only death is certain and no one can escape it. His plays and other published works gives a different view on life and brought on the whole evolution of existentialism in modern literature to help shape what is known today and raise more thoughts about life. The focus on most of his essays and books are about being an outsider and how being an outsider contradicts society’s morals. Living for religious purposes does not make sense to Camus if all life ends the same no matter what happens to a person and this is why his views are controversial yet worth trying to understand. Camus’ perspective is unique and interesting to explore when trying to find answers about how the world works for humanity.

Works Cited: "Albert Camus - Biography." //European Graduate School//. Web. 6 Jan. 2015.

Marshall, Jim. "Albert Camus: Philosopher of the Absurd." //The Encyclopaedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory//. 1 Dec. 2000. Web. 6 Jan. 2015.

Christian- Cultural The renowned author of The Stranger and The Plague, Albert Camus, is regarded as one of the 20th century’s greatest existentialist authors and for his furtherment of absurdism. Although the author passed away more than half a century ago, his works continue to impact modern society through their reverence in high school to college classrooms as they are used to analyze the effect man’s mortality and his meaning in life have on the individual. Recently, Ed Vulliamy of The Guardian, described Camus’ role in modern society and in relevance when he wrote, “. . . none described man’s confrontation – and cohabitation – with death so vividly and on such an epic scale as La Peste. . . Most of us read The Plague as teenagers, and we should all read it again. And again: for not only are all humankind’s responses to death represented in it, but now – with the advent of Ebola – the book works on the literal as well as metaphorical level” (Vulliamy 1). Through his article, Vulliamy explains that Camus’ words have already penetrated deep within American culture as they are standard novels in the course of high school education. Additionally, Camus’ influence spreads into the current generations of Americans who have witnessed more than a decade of war in the middle east. Recall that Albert Camus’ rose to fame in the midst and after the second world war. This is because he appealed to a world facing the aftermath of a world war through his confrontation with death and the reinforced moral beliefs in his novels (Zeledon 1). Now that the country faces similar circumstances as a result of war, the influence of Camus is ever present. Additionally, modern culture celebrates the novelist and essayist for writings because they are applicable to current times. For this reason, Camus’ absurdism penetrates culture through his own novels and through the works of author’s whom he influenced.

__Works Cited:__
Vulliamy, Ed. “Albert Camus’ The Plague: a story for our, and all, times.” //The Guardian //. Guardian News and Media, n.p. Web. 5 Jan. 2015.

Zeledon, Maximo. “The strangers: Albert Camus and American pop culture.” //The Raw Story //. The Raw Story Media, n.p. Web. 5 Jan. 2015.