Albert+Camus

**Albert Camus**

**Aim** by Ashley Summerset
Camus’ purpose in his writing is to reveal the idea of the absurd; that the only thing in life that is certain is death. In the Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory it described that absurd saying, “He has been titled as the writer of the absurd which, in his thought, can be described as the confrontation between our human demands for justice and rationality with a contingent and indifferent universe. Hence life is meaningless” (Marshall 4). People are striving to exist in life and stand out, but Camus argues for what reason should people try. If people thought “rationally” then they would know that death is what humans live for. This philosophy is seen in his works such as //Myth of Sisyphus// and the //The Stranger.// In the //Myth of Sisyphus,// Sisyphus is dammed with rolling a rock up a hill over and over. In the story his demeanor is described as, “A face that toils so close to stones is already stone itself” (Camus 2). Although he was charged with a suffering task, Sisyphus knows that there is nothing, but death. He is “already stone”, stuck in a life with no meaning. In a paper written about the philosophy of the absurd in //The Stranger// it says, “The loss of life would have no significance-no affect on life as a whole; and the universe itself is apparently totally indifferent to everything” (Gullette 11). Camus portrays in the main character no emotion to the thought of life versus death. Living in the absurd “the loss of life would have no significance” just as living life has no significance. In many of Camus’ works death is the significant theme promoting is philosophy of the absurd.

Works Cited Camus, Albert. "The Myth Of Sisyphus." //Albert Camus: THE MYTH OF SISYPHUS//. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. Gullette, Alan. //Death and Absurdism in Camus's The Stranger//. //Alan Gullette//. N.p., 5 Mar. 1975. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. Marshall, Jim. "Albert Camus: Philosopher of the Absurd." //The Encyclopedia of Educational// //Philosophy and Theory//. N.p., 1 Dec. 2000. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.

**Audience** by Nicolette Gomez

Albert Camus was born in Mondovi, Algeria and the childhood that followed was plagued with death and poor living conditions that ultimately acted as a major source of influence in his future writing. For one, his father died one year after his son's birth, his mother was then left to care for him alone. Due to the fact that his mother was nearly death and impoverished, the two had no choice but to move in with his grandmother in Belcourt, near the Arab quarter of Algiers. Growing up in this environment as a child allowed Camus to be sympathetic to those living in poverty this was shown later in his life when he had his first experience in play-writing even then: "depicting on a philosophical scale man struggling to survive in an absurd cosmos and on a political scale the individual making a stand against all forms of modern tyranny" (Wixon). Though before this Camus became a member of the Communist Party the plays had an intended socialist audience which depicts the beliefs of Camus. Due to the fact that the plays were written and put- on by Camus and other left- wing students at the University they were able to establish the intended audience. As shown in the name of the Theater "Théatre de l'Equipe" (European Graduate School), the whole intent of the plays was to appeal to the Algerian Workers. This shows the sympathy Camus still showed for those living in poverty and having to labor. After this experience though Albert became an integral part of French journalism having been exiled to Paris due to his journalism at the Alger- Republicain because of his open pacifist beliefs. At the same time of his exile though Germany invaded France. He then became part of Combat a newspaper designed for underground intelligence and sabotage it was in this occupation that he "formalized his philosophy; that no matter how inescapable existence might be, human life remains sacred" (European Graduate School). This philosophy is then shown in his first novel, which he was working on at the same time. The Stranger depicts both the philosophy that human life is sacred despite the inescapable nature of existence as well as themes of resisting tyranny. Due to the childhood of Albert Camus, as well as the experiences of war, The Stranger grips its readers. Not just due to the incredible plot line but because it mirrors parts of the life of Albert Camus himself; the protagonist is Algerian pied-noir just as him, and a parent dies in the story. The death of a parent shows the ideals of a sacred life despite inescapable existence and the fact that the main character is accused of a crime on grounds completely unrelated to the crime shows his ideals of modern tyranny. Overall, the impoverished childhood and being raised by one parent, as well as experiencing and reporting on war cultivated the themes of The Stranger. Through this though, he reaches a broader audience, making it such a classic today. He connects to those who have been victim of tyranny of some sort, those growing up in an poor society. Also, those that may have lost a parent. Finally, reaching the broad group of those who believe though life is sacred, it is also torturous because of its inescapable nature to some extent or another. Work Cited; Belanger, Craig. "Albert Camus" Albert Camus 2006, 1. EBSCOhost. 18 October, 2012.Web. Wixon, Kathryn. "Albert Camus." Research Guide to Biography and Criticism. 1982,80,7. EBSCOhost. 18 October, 2012. Web. "Albert Camus- Biography" European Graduate School (egs).edu. 18 October, 2012. Web.

**Historical** by Di Le
 Albert Camus was a journalist, playwright, novelist, philosophical essayist, and a Nobel laureate whose literature contributions impacted the world significantly during his lifetime. One of Camus’s notable influences in the literature world were his themes, like “the Absurd, alienation, suicide, and rebellion that almost automatically come to mind whenever his name is mentioned…and his place in modern philosophy would be incomplete without at least a brief discussion of these ideas and how they fit together to form a distinctive and original world-view” (Simpson). This author pioneered ideas that were “original” and was almost new to the generation at the time. He introduced fresh writings imprinted with modern philosophies and, in the process, brought forth a new outlook on life. Albert Camus channeled his experiences and shared it with his people. He “was a spokesman for a generation scarred by two world wars. His writings addressed the issues of the isolation of man in the modern world, the difficulty of defining evil and death” (Evans). Living through bloodshed and violence, his writings are a way for the people at the time to relate to. Camus documented the “isolation, evil and death” in his works on behalf of all those who experienced the same misfortune. Furthermore, his works that emerged from experience will transcend many generations later, retell the unsung stories of war, and impact the modern world. Albert Camus influenced people to question about life and the act of living itself. According to Camus, “There is only one really serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Deciding whether or not life is worth living is to answer the fundamental question in philosophy.” (Aronson). He brought awareness of death and motivated the people at the time to question their own lives. Because of Camus, people were driven to wonder about the “worth” of living. He swayed the generation to look at their own lives and determine whether or not it is meaningful. Albert Camus truly influenced people to seek meaning in life.

Works Cited:

Aronson, Ronald. "Albert Camus." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N.p., 27 Oct. 2011. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.

Simpson, David. "Albert Camus (1913-1960)." Camus, Albert. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 21 Mar. 2005. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.

Evans, C.T. "Camus." Camus. Novaonline, 27 Dec. 2011. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.

**Cultural** by Dallas LaRoque
 Albert Camus was born in 1913 in Algeria and became a French literature. He grew up in poverty in Algiers. His influence in writing was the origin of Algeria in the thirties. His uncle and other people impacted how he wrote. “Uncle Acault had already introduced Camus to anarchist ideas and Jean Grenier would introduce revolutionary syndicalism and the idea of jointing the Communist Party” (Lea). He then joined the resistance movement after the liberation was a columnist for the newspaper. The French resistance movement was huge that lead up to D-Day. “The resistance movement developed to provide the Allies with intelligence, attack the Germans when possible and to assist the escape of Allied airmen” (History Learning Site). This was huge to French people because in 1940 France surrendered that lost pride in France. Camus then later wrote The Myth of Sisyphus (1942) that was one of his best essays. It brought the notion of absurd into his writing. The Stranger (1942) illustrated the absurdity in this novel. It was based on a man that led to death on an Algerian beach. He uses his own culture to express in his novels. This theory of the absurd later expressed to others. His death was in 1960 and has left new theories and admirable works for years to come.

Works Cited:  “Albert Camus – Biography”. Nobelprize.org. 17 October 2012. Web.

Camus, Albert. The Stranger. France: Libraine Fallimard, 1942. Random House.

 Lea, Simon. “The Albert Camus Biography”. Albert Camus Society. 2005. 17 October  2012. Web.

 Trueman, Chris. “The French Resistance”. HistoryLearningSite.// 2000. 17 October 2012. Web.