Slaughterhouse-Five Post

My big question is: in a world where media and other people tend to shape us, how do we define our self and let our true self shine? In Slaughterhouse-Five, the main character Billy defiantly strays from the ordinary and allows his experiences to shape him. He is unique because he claims that aliens abducted him and took him to a planet that does not believe in free will, ignores war, and believes that a person can never die because they are alive in the moments that they lived in. Billy has allowed the alien's ways to define his personality, he is unlike everyone else in that he can time travel and is not necessarily afraid of death. Billy knows when he is going to die, and has experienced it. Billy has encountered many unfortunate events, such as the death of his wife and the happenings at Dresden. So it goes. Although it may be argued that the aliens defined him, I believe that they simply helped Billy find his true self and understanding. We never do know, though, if the alien abduction is meant to be true, or if it is simply a part of Billy's imagination. Either way, it has allowed Billy to separate himself from others, and live in the moments of his life.

Beloved Blog Post

My big blog question is: In a culture where media and other people tend to shape us, how do we define our character and allow our true self to shine? This question applies to Beloved by Toni Morrison, because Sethe allows her past and Beloved to keep her from finding her true, free self. Sethe is a slave to her past, specifically to the ghost of her third child Beloved. Beloved defines Sethe, by keeping her from accepting her past and moving forward. For example, Beloved runs Paul D out of 124. Paul D is a symbol for a hopeful future, and Beloved takes complete control after he is gone. We find though, that near the end of the novel, Sethe’s community helps exercise 124, riding it of Beloved. With Denver’s help, Sethe begins to recover and Paul D returns to assure Sethe that she must love and forgiver herself. This is important because we finally feel that Sethe is free of her past, and can learn to trust and love again. Acceptance of the past or oneself may be the answer to my big blog question. Maybe we can allow our true self to shine after we accept who we are and are ready to move on in a positive direction.

Connecting to The Stranger

My big blog question asks: In a culture where media and other people tend to shape us, how do we define our character and allow our true self to shine? Albert Camus’ The Stranger connects to this question because Meursault, Camus’ main character, allows himself to reject the expectations of society through his hedonistic beliefs and strange attitude. Meursault defines his character by allowing himself to be a pleasure seeker. Although we find Meursault to be odd, his way of life does in fact let him shine. I have been blogging about how we can define ourselves trying to find some answers and so far, Camus’ work has been the most helpful. Though we don’t need to become hedonistic to be true to ourselves, Camus’ displays that living to please ourselves may be the first step to defining our character. When you understand your wants and goals, you can create a lifestyle that permits you to be true to yourself.