Literature and Human Condition
Nipun Dhanraj
Mr. Newell
AP Eng.12, period 2
May 2nd, 2008
Literature and Human Condition
God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
- (Genesis 1, 26-27).
God’s command to Adam was:
You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die"
- (Genesis 2, 16-17)
Adam ignored God’s command and thus begins our nature. Human nature is characterized by ignorance, selfish desire and craving, desire to do good and evil, and greed. Human condition is characterized mostly by suffering, war, oppression, poverty, vain striving, and disappointment. Humans have free will and determination. The determination of humans is why we have achieved our many goals.
In Candide, by Voltaire, Candide succeeds in finding Lady Cunegonde only because of his shear determination. He was prepared to do anything and he did everything he could do to get her back. He sold all his jewels, traveled long and hazardous journeys, and even risked his life. His determination makes him do whatever he has to do. His mind was prepared to get to his goal: his motivation evolved from his determination to find his love, and he succeeds in it also. Determination is also seen in athletes and adventurers. Its there determined mind—the decision that they have to win—that takes them to their success. Without determination humans cannot succeed. Determination and ideas play a crucial role in our human condition.
According to God, man was made, in likeness to God, to rule over the whole earth. Now , that is what man is doing. Man has taken over the whole earth, and making all other living beings as its slaves. Our ruling over all the living beings has even brought many animals to extinction. The recent domination
Mr. Newell
AP Eng.12, period 2
May 2nd, 2008
Literature and Human Condition
God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
- (Genesis 1, 26-27).
God’s command to Adam was:
You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die"
- (Genesis 2, 16-17)
Adam ignored God’s command and thus begins our nature. Human nature is characterized by ignorance, selfish desire and craving, desire to do good and evil, and greed. Human condition is characterized mostly by suffering, war, oppression, poverty, vain striving, and disappointment. Humans have free will and determination. The determination of humans is why we have achieved our many goals.
In Candide, by Voltaire, Candide succeeds in finding Lady Cunegonde only because of his shear determination. He was prepared to do anything and he did everything he could do to get her back. He sold all his jewels, traveled long and hazardous journeys, and even risked his life. His determination makes him do whatever he has to do. His mind was prepared to get to his goal: his motivation evolved from his determination to find his love, and he succeeds in it also. Determination is also seen in athletes and adventurers. Its there determined mind—the decision that they have to win—that takes them to their success. Without determination humans cannot succeed. Determination and ideas play a crucial role in our human condition.
According to God, man was made, in likeness to God, to rule over the whole earth. Now , that is what man is doing. Man has taken over the whole earth, and making all other living beings as its slaves. Our ruling over all the living beings has even brought many animals to extinction. The recent domination
Cited: Arouet(Voltaire), François-Marie. Candide. 1759. Becket, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1957. http://www.humancondition.info/Beyond/AcquiredConsciousness.html. 2008. Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. USSR: Signet Classic, 1963 The Holy Bible.