Camus discusses his opinions and philosophy in both “The Plague” and “The Myth of Sisyphus” which partly reflect my own personal ideology. In “The Myth of Sisyphus” the character is alright with his predicament, and is at peace with it, which demonstrates how Camus believes you should deal with crisis. I do not believe in this way of thinking, as I think that people should fight with as much strength as they can. This way the people can stay hopeful, and help end the crisis. In Camus “The Plague” I support the actions of Dr. Benard Rieux as he spends almost all of his free time trying to help those around him. Even though he has a wife outside of the closed city of Oran, he does not let that distract him from his work and continues to…
When Sisyphus was taken back to the underworld after failing to exact revenge on his wife, he was given what the Greeks perceived to be the cruelest punishment of all. He was required to push a rock up a mountain, only for it to…
Once there was a man who cheated death. The Myth of Sisyphus is an essay by Albert Camus relaying and explaining the myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus cheated death, a crime only to be punished by the gods. The most dreadful punishment conceivable by the gods was an eternity of futile hopeless labor. Sisyphus was to spend the rest of eternity pushing a boulder up a mountain just to watch it roll back down. An unbearable punishment at first glance. When scrutinized, the truth could easily be the complete opposite.…
The gods seem to believe that mortals can for the most part control their own fate and that they are merely there to punish those that do wrong or to sometimes help those that may be meant for greater things and begin to stray from their intended path. They can control the fate of the mortals but do not always choose to. Only when such a mortal is important to the future of a certain situation will the gods interfere. They do however very much so act as sort of a justice system to punish but also reward. Poseidon severely punished Odysseus when he blinded the Cyclops by sending him to Calypso’s island for 10 years and not letting him return home. He then sank the Pheacians ship as it was returning to the harbor to punish them for helping get Odysseus home. Yet at the same time Athena helped Odysseus by going to Zeus and pleading with him to let Odysseus return home. If it wasn’t for Athena’s interference with Odysseus’ fate he would have never completed his journey home. What happened with Odysseus shows perfectly that the gods do not have a set code of morals. They do as they please and punish who they feel deserving, they even contradict each other’s punishments. If one god feels a mortal should be punished, but then another god thinks they shouldn’t the gods will work against each other so that each of them can have their way.…
The pattern that emerged from myths that were comprised of male gods punishing male and female offenders alike was one that involved an unforgiving and eternal sentencing. Not only were these interminable, many of the punishments were very harsh and monotonous. One example of this is when Zeus punishes Sisyphus for his trickery, when he outsmarts death. While imprisoned in the underworld, Sisyphus manages to trick Death and imprison him, allowing himself to escape and rejoin the upper world to live out another life. Zeus retaliates by returning Sisyphus to the underworld, forcing him to forever push a boulder, with all his might, up a hill, only to have it roll back down again.…
Judgment of the death penalty is both express also verifiable in as much compositions. For example, in the stranger Meursault’s long restriction throughout as much trial what's more as much consequent execution would introduced Concerning illustration and only an elaborate, stately custom move directing, including both general population Furthermore religious powers. The grim reasonability about this procedure about legalized homicide contrasts markedly with those sudden, irrational, very nearly unintentional way for as much genuine wrongdoing. Similarly, in the myth from claiming Sisyphus, the would-be suicide aerial attacker will be contrasted for as much deadly mishap opposite, the man censured with death, also we would continually reminded that a sentence for demise may be our basic destiny for a absurd universe. The existentialism inside as much meets expectations shapes as much characters, by…
Upon Odysseus' return to Ithaca from his long and dangerous crusade, he discovers suitors raiding his palace. Due to the fact that these suitors are posing a great threat to Ithaca, Odysseus is justified in taking his revenge. Since these suitors try to steal his property, assume his wealth, and threaten the royal family of Ithaca, his right to defend himself is just.…
In the Odyssey, I think the Gods role was to function as spiritual guides and as support for the hero. Examples being Hermes warning Odysseus of Circe's witchcraft and then Circe giving him directions. Yet, I also feel as if they punish for poor behavior. An example of this being Poseidon delaying Odysses's boat journey with challenges/weather for blinding his son, the cyclops, and then bragging about how great he was.…
In Ancient Greece, there was a man named Hetromethous. Hetromethous was a bad man, he always got into trouble for stealing or even crimes he did not commit. He was always accused and thought to be the culprit. Hetromethous wanted to change his ways, but it was too late. The Gods already saw Hetromethouses actions and they were not pleased. Zeus demanded that Hetromethous be escorted to the underworld as punishment for the crimes he has committed. When Hetromethous entered the underworld he was scared to death, never did he want to be in the underworld one more minute. Hetromethous pleaded for forgiveness and to be sent back to earth.The Gods made a deal with Hetromethous. They said that they will only let Hetromethous…
When a character in the Odyssey chooses to go against the gods, he will face the wrath of the immortals following his decision. The power of the gods is shown through their ability to bring pain and suffering to mortals. Characters throughout the Odyssey go against the gods, but are punished to show their weakness in the face of the immortals. When Odysseus arrived on the island of the Phaeacians, they provided him with the typical xenia that was followed in ancient Greece. After telling the great Phaeacians about his journey from troy, they safely transported Odysseus back to Ithaca. The war hero’s homecoming was against Poseidon’s desires. Even a nation that was depicted in the Odyssey as exceedingly secure and powerful could not do anything to prepare for or prevent the punishment of the Earthquaker on the people of Phaeacia. “Their ocean-going ship he saw already near, heading for harbor; so up behind her swam the island-shaker and struck her into stone, rooted in stone at one blow of his palm, then took to the open sea.” (Page 234-235, line 201-206. (Robert Fitzgerald)) The god of the sea showed his power over the mortal Phaeacians by turning their ship into stone before the eyes of everyone as the vessel entered into the harbor after its voyage to and from Ithaca. This act of punishment also showed the mortals how weak the mortals are in the face of the immortals.…
Both Nietzsche's "The Madman" and Camus' "The Myth of Sisyphus" have absurdist elements. While "The Madman" deals mainly with a man who professes that "God is dead" and the effects of that death to a group of people, "The Myth of Sisyphus" entails an analysis of the effects of a man forced to roll a rock up a mountain and watch it roll back down for eternity. Throughout their texts, both authors make the argument that despite life being meaningless, we must continue to search for meaning. However, the authors' arguments diverge when it comes to the matter of what is needed to live out a meaningful existence; while Nietzsche believes that we need some illusion, such as a God, to embrace the absurd, Camus believes that we must reject such illusions…
Ex. Her rage to Gilgamesh sends the Wild Bull of Heaven to Uruk. “ The goddess Ishtar heard these words, she went up to heaven in a furious rage. … ‘Father, give me, please, the Bull of Heaven, so this dwelling I may slay Gilgamesh!’” (Tablet VI pg.50)…
The Ovidian opinion of human nature is that humans will always do something wrong. When this wrong-doing offends one or more of the gods, the punishment typically results in negative changes in the person’s life, and often their ruin or death. In the myths Ovid presents in his Metamorphoses, the wrong-doing is brought about in one of three ways. The first of these ways is by an act of the gods, seen in the myths of Io and Tiresias. The second way is through bad luck, as we see in the myth of Actaeon. The third and final of the ways the wrong-doing comes about is through intentional wrong-doing, in which the humans choose an action that they know is offensive to the gods, as we see in the myths of Lycaon and Pentheus.…
Storytelling is a way to explain the unknown, provide moral and ethical guidelines, and put good and bad human interactions into context for children. With the gods, heroines, and villains in Greek Mythology, children can be taught about values, courage, treachery, weakness, and the flaws of human nature. While the myths of the Greek gods are centered in the religion and culture of the ancient times, the stories continue to be parables to teach and entertain children today. The mystery and supernatural fears of ancient Greece have been overtaken by modern times, but the fundamentals of human nature remain unchanged and create opportunities to teach in a way that captures the imaginary…
Zeus caused oaths to be sworn by the water of Styx. If any of the gods drinks of her water and is untrue, he/she lies breathless for a year, never tastes Ambrosia and Nectar and lies down spiritless and voiceless. After spending thus one year in sickness he/she is cut off for nine years from the gods' councils and feasts and cannot return until the tenth year.…