Two central themes to understanding the human condition are suffering and morality. Humans contrive morality to be a set of values deemed right or wrong in a society, and are often defined by institutions. These guidelines shape the way people live and how they react to life’s circumstances. Suffering is one emotion crucial to the understanding of existence. In a time of pain, an individual often seeks direction from a higher power, like the church. Institutions such as religion are a way of expressing morality and a means to cope with suffering, a crucial understanding of the human condition. In “The Plague” by Albert Camus, his construction of the human condition is centered on the catastrophic plague in the town of Oran. Dr. …show more content…
Morality provides answers and comfort during suffering, and institutions are one vessel through which it is available. Religious institutions are integrated into the human condition as they provide guidelines on how to live. Father Paneloux represents the institution of the church throughout the novel and reverberates themes of Christianity. In his second sermon to the people of Oran, he feels states “we must believe everything or deny everything. And who among you…would dare to deny everything?” forcing the people to make a decision about their religious views (Camus, 224). The institution, in this case, the Christian church, gives direction to Paneloux by forcing him to hold steadfast to Christianity. His principles guide him through his pain and help him process powerful emotions that would otherwise be too agonizing. He must hold onto faith in order to survive this tragic event.
Suffering shapes morality through the way an individual responds to a situation. Dr. Bernard Rieux’s reaction to the death of a child differs from those of Father Paneloux because of their views on morality. While Rieux “is concerned with a man’s health; and for [him] his health comes first” Planeloux is “working for a man’s salvation” (Camus, 219). So, as Rieux lashes out the priest, he is expressing his suffering in an earthly manner, knowing the final pain in the human condition. Rieux sees the agony of people on a daily basis,
The plague affected people not only on a physical level but a mental one as well. The mental health of the citizens of Oran was amongst the plague's many victims, it suffered of exhaustion as well as being forced to handle mental confrontations. When the citizens dealt with these issues, some people lost their capacity to love as intently, but overall the general capacity of people to uphold their devotion remained resilient to the challenges the plague provided.
"The Black Death" is known as the worst natural disaster in European history. The plague spread throughout Europe from 1346-1352. Those who survived lived in constant fear of the plague's return and it did not disappear until the 1600s. Not only were the effects devastating at the time of infection, but during the aftermath as well. "The Black Death" of the fourteenth century dramatically altered Europe's social and economic structure.
A book of horrors, fear and death. “The Plague” is a book by Albert Camus which weaves these emotions and events into one suspenseful tale. Each paragraph and section is written and structured in such a way as to give the reader insight into the feelings of the victims of the plague, and to show somewhat of a theme. The passage from section 4, part 4, line number 1 to line number 35 gives us a glimpse of the melancholy of the people of Oran to their dead loved ones to the extent that they do not attend All Souls' Day, for they were thinking of them too much as it was. Albert Camus fills this passage with figurative devices, including, diction, personification, pathetic fallacy, metaphors, irony and a turning point. The first two paragraphs
One of the most outstanding characteristics of humans is that we have a moral conscience- the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, as well as understand the consequences of actions beforehand. Nonetheless, religion remains important to society because it helps to refine and provide a deeper understanding of humans’ moral responsibility. There are instances where either people ignore religious practices in favor of reason and logic or follow only religious teachings that suit a particular situation. Chronicle of a Death Foretold is a novella that typifies the failure of religion to unify people and provide a common course for understanding life. The story talks about Santiago’s fight against fate and the probability of escaping death that is foretold beforehand. The priest symbolizes religion in the novella and readers observe that his actions are similar to those of ordinary people. Ordinarily, we expect the priest to uphold religious practices and bring people together when society is divided on an issue.
The reappearance of the plague virus was utterly unexpected in Camus’ novel. The Algerian government involvement with the epidemic was lackadaisical. They refused to address the new, hastily spreading virus as the bubonic plague. Through this denial the infected city of Oran was completely quarantined. Those that were infected with the deadly virus were transported into sick isolation wards that were equipped to provide patients with immediate treatment and ensure the “maximum prospect of recovery” (Camus 26). The people were isolated in “quarantine camps” (Camus 115), and the majority of those that were infected with the plague died painful deaths. After a prolonged period of experimentation, the serum to cure
The book When Plague Strikes, is about 3 deadly diseases. It 's about the Black Death, Smallpox, and AIDS. Each of these diseases can cause a serious outrage of death. The book also tells about how doctors try to come up with treatments, medicines, and antibiotics to try and cure these diseases. All these diseases got the best out of everyone. Some people reacted differently than others with these diseases. All the diseases came in play in A. D. 1347, when the Black Death broke out for the first time in what’s today is know. As southern Ukraine.
The theme of suffering will be talked about throughout this essay. Even though it isn’t the most pleasant topic to talk about, it is part of our lives. The dictionary defines suffering as “The state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship.” This essay will examine suffering and how it shows up in different printed sources, as well as in my personal life.
There is one question that everyone asks but to which no one knows the answer: "Why do bad things happen to good people?" The misfortunes of good people raise problems not only for those who suffer, but also for everyone who wants to believe in a just and livable world and in a fair and compassionate God. Rabbi Kushner, author of "Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People", attempts to bring light to this difficult question. In doing so he evaluates past attempts to explain suffering, offers his own approach to the justification of suffering in today's society, and makes suggestions for how one can deal with suffering and continue his or her journey into the future. This essay will examine these
Suffering. All of us have encountered suffering and many of us wish we never would have to again; however, what many people do not see is that since we have suffering, we have happiness. One can not exist without the other. Without this feeling of suffering or unhappiness, we would not be able to understand happiness or even know it as a pleasant feeling, since we would never have experienced a life of unhappiness. Journalist David Brooks in “What Suffering Does” and Buddhist Monk Matthieu Ricard in “The Alchemy of Suffering” gave their own input upon the relationship between suffering and happiness. They seem to mention how every person endures suffering, but what is important is not the suffering itself, but the way a person changes or reacts to the suffering. While one may hate suffering, we have to understand that one can not be happy without having suffered. The characterization of emotional suffering as “rewarding” to people fails to account for individuals who have undergone the death of their spouse and have come out of it a changed person. In fact, in the 21st century, pervasive media advertising through television advances western cultural expectations of “perfection”, that in part advance suffering.
The purpose of this research paper is to compare the public view of suffering in the Old Testament with the public view of suffering in the modern world. In order to properly achieve this comparison, I will explain the relationship between God and His believers in the Old Testament. More specifically, I will elaborate on the opinion that God is the cause of everything, including suffering and relate it to the first poetic book in the Old Testament, the Book of Job. However, influenced by the changes in science, upbringing, and multiculturalism this commonly held view changes. Therefore, I will explain the meaning of each of these three factors as well as their negative impact on religion. Finally, I will use three television shows as examples
In Algeria, including Oran, the main religion is Muslim. There is a very small population that call themselves Christians. Both religions are incorporated into the inhabitants of the city in The Plague. Father Paneloux, the town’s priest, believes the plague has been sent to Oran by God to punish the sinners of the town, but that is will not harm him. He gives a sermon in which he preaches that everybody will suffer from the plague and his sermon scares a large portion of the congregation. He says the plague’s cessation will depend upon repentance. In his sermon, Father Paneloux mentions a passage from the Golden Legend and then claims:
His own justification cannot even convince him completely, and he begins to doubt if a god truly exists because he simply cannot understand. Nevertheless, he retreats to religion and acts upon his faith in order to combat the Absurd. Father Paneloux remains true to his faith; however, he ultimately succumbs to death, which raises questions about religion’s success in withstanding the Absurd. Because priests dedicate their whole entity to God, Father Paneloux refuses to develop close relationships or seek for medical assistance because it “was against his principles” (234). He embraces his death if it supports God’s divine plan, and as a result, his condition worsens.
It is essential to establish whether we have a right to decide a person’s capacity to endure suffering. The experience of suffering differs from person to person. Are there any rational ways of determining what suffering consist of for a group of people? Is it ever morally acceptable to allow a person to suffer? Do we have the right as a nation to step in to mitigate a person’s suffering?
“Suffering” is a word which carries negative connotations, used to incite pity, empathy or fear. Why would it not? Is suffering not simply agony, defined justly by the Oxford Dictionary as “the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship” (“Suffering)? Yet, we accept suffering as part of life, a fundamental aspect that defines living. Nietzsche tells us that the very act of living is suffering itself, but to survive is to find value in that suffering. Yet, what sort of value can be attached to an idea so negative? Pico Iyer’s editorial in the New York Times explores the value of suffering, likening suffering to passion and “[p]assion with the plight of other’s makes for ‘compassion’” (________________).I began to think upon the cohesive
To many individuals, morality and religion are two related but distinct ideas. To be specific, morality consists of principles set by societal norms concerning the distinction between right and wrong and good and bad behaviour among persons. Alternatively, religion involves the relationship between human beings and a transcendent reality or a superhuman controlling power, God. In many societies in the past and present, the idea of God is used to help reinforce moral codes as valuable and vital through rituals and methods of presenting the teachings of God. By many, religion is used to instil fear