Themes:
-Death should not be feared because it is imminent.
-The act of independent thought is the mark of an individual and therefore of human consciousness.
Subjects:
-Alienation
-Death
-Consciousness
-Indifference
-Judgement
Conflicts:
-Man vs. court
-Man vs. society
-Conformity vs. individualism
Vehicles:
-Imagery
-Paradox
-Irony
-Flashback
Quotes:
-"Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know. I got a telegram from the home: 'Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.' That doesn't mean anything Maybe it was yesterday."
-"Nothing, nothing mattered, and I knew why. So did he. Throughout the whole absurd llife I'd lived, a dark wind had been rising toward me from somewhere deep in my future, across years that were still to come, and as it passed, this wind leveled everything that was offered to me at the time, in years no more real than the ones I was living."
-I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn't dissatisfied with mine here at all.
-She said, “If you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and then catch a chill inside the church.” She was right. There was no way out.
-A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn't mean anything but that I didn't think so.
Summary:
-Camus' novel opens up with the death of the narrator's mother. From a start, readers realize that he is different and completely unaffected by his mother's death. He goes through a series of obstacles which end up in society questioning his moral values towards the end. He starts dating his girlfriend and questionable fiancee Marie, becomes entangled in the middle of a confrontation between his neighbor, Raymond, and his strumpet and her Arab brother, and ends up shooting the Arab. This all leads to a trial where the magistrate, prosecutor, and chaplain become misled in their assumptions about Meursault's morals. The novel ends with the death of Merusault.
Major Characters:
-Raymond
-Arab
-Perez
-the prosecutor
-the chaplain
-the magistrate
-Marie
-Meursault
Title's Significance:
-The title, The Stranger, is exemplary of the relationship between Meursault and society, as well as Meursault and himself. To both himself and society, he is a stranger because makes a decision to not conform or follow any rules.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
S.M.E.L.L.
Driving a Mercedes Benz stereotypically connotes wealth, high class, and superb taste. If you own a Mercedes Benz then you are among the elite and your car says all of this to the world as you zoom by others driving their run of the mill trucks and mini vans. You’re different, or so the manufacturers would lead you to believe.
In this commercial Mercedes Benz strives to give off the impression that their car will make you appear smart because of your vehicle choice. The woman who attempts to order fast food in the library obviously lacks in the common sense department, even though she strikes one as an attractive woman. Mercedes Benz compares their car to her, saying that not only is a Mercedes striking to the eye, but is also a smart choice because of its performance ability. This message, however, is entirely subjective in that some feel that choosing a Mercedes makes you ignorant rather than smart. The statement, “Beauty is nothing without brains.” is also subjective. Depending on the person choosing, lacking in brains may be preferable.
The ethos of the commercial comes in the form of disdain for those who lack common sense and a longing to have both beauty and brains. The look on the librarian’s face evokes the first. Speechless at first, the librarian has a bewildered facial expression. The silence of the library places emphasis on the woman’s ignorance as the place is obviously not a restaurant. Mercedes encourages the viewers to pay closer attention as the woman proceeds to whisper while those around her remain silent. Once the attention is captured, the commercial proceeds without words and relaxing, elegant music is played as the car being sold is displayed. The viewer, still in a state of mockery of the woman, is now receptive to how they can avoid becoming like her. The solution: Mercedes Benz has both beauty and brains.
Mercedes’ advertising strategy is ingenious as it first makes one self conscience as to whether or not they have beauty and brains, and then proceeds to offer a solution. For the insecure, the situation is perfect. They can have it all if they just buy the car.
In this commercial Mercedes Benz strives to give off the impression that their car will make you appear smart because of your vehicle choice. The woman who attempts to order fast food in the library obviously lacks in the common sense department, even though she strikes one as an attractive woman. Mercedes Benz compares their car to her, saying that not only is a Mercedes striking to the eye, but is also a smart choice because of its performance ability. This message, however, is entirely subjective in that some feel that choosing a Mercedes makes you ignorant rather than smart. The statement, “Beauty is nothing without brains.” is also subjective. Depending on the person choosing, lacking in brains may be preferable.
The ethos of the commercial comes in the form of disdain for those who lack common sense and a longing to have both beauty and brains. The look on the librarian’s face evokes the first. Speechless at first, the librarian has a bewildered facial expression. The silence of the library places emphasis on the woman’s ignorance as the place is obviously not a restaurant. Mercedes encourages the viewers to pay closer attention as the woman proceeds to whisper while those around her remain silent. Once the attention is captured, the commercial proceeds without words and relaxing, elegant music is played as the car being sold is displayed. The viewer, still in a state of mockery of the woman, is now receptive to how they can avoid becoming like her. The solution: Mercedes Benz has both beauty and brains.
Mercedes’ advertising strategy is ingenious as it first makes one self conscience as to whether or not they have beauty and brains, and then proceeds to offer a solution. For the insecure, the situation is perfect. They can have it all if they just buy the car.
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