What is
absurdity? What do you immediately
think of when you think of the word? What
comes to mind? Do you use the word,
or a derivative of the word, often in your everyday speech?
What have you called “absurd” in the last week?
A particular situation? The
actions of a particular person? The
decisions of the government?
The
dictionary defines “absurd” as “contrary to all reason or common sense;
laughably foolish.” This week we
will be discussing selections that contain some elements of “absurdity.”
It will be your job to determine what about the situation is absurd, or
how it could be perceived so.
In
Jackson’s “The Lottery,” be prepared to answer the question of
absurdity—what about/in the story is absurd?—but also how this absurdity
applies to you/us today. What about
this story interests you? Shocks
you? Makes you think?
An absurd piece in literature is designed to do just that, after all. Many times, the author will purposely write something absurd
to force you to investigate. What
do you think are the author’s intentions in this story? What is the theme;
what is this story REALLY about? How
is this selection similar or dissimilar to other selections we’ve read thus
far?
Be
prepared. Williams’ “The Red
Wheelbarrow” is deceptively short, so much so that many students first
experiencing it assume that it is absurd (in the “laughably foolish” sense): Why would anyone write something like this?
What on earth was the author attempting to say?
But that’s the point. You’re
going to have to “dig in” for these answers.
Begin by asking yourself: What
is the setting? How could that be
important? What’s HAPPENING in
this poem? Identify the ACTION of
the poem. (There is action,
just look for it.) What is the
author’s POINT? How does this
work together? What is symbolic in
this poem? Analyze
words—think about the selections: why
a chicken? why not a giraffe? why
the farm? why not an inner-city?
Sometimes it helps to think about the choices the author DIDN’T choose.
In
Auden’s “The Unknown Citizen,” really focus on how this applies to us
today. Do you think this is an
accurate portrayal of our society? In
general, or as a whole? Really
think about what this poem says.
What is absurd, would you think, about what the poem itself and/or what
it has to say? What is the author’s intent, do you think?
Do you think things have changed since the author wrote this?
Why or why not? Be sure to relate this to what is going on today—in what we
read and see. What does this poem remind you of?
Having
said all this, I would like to further encourage you to consider the literary
definition of what is Absurd:
“In
contemporary literature and criticism, a term applied to the sense that human
beings, cut off from their roots, live in meaningless isolation in an alien
universe. Although the literature
of the absurd employs many of the devices of expressionism and surrealism, its
philosophical base is a form of existentialism that views human beings as moving
from the nothingness from which they came to the nothingness in which they will
end through an existence marked by anguish and absurdity. They live in a world in which there is no way to establish a
significant relationship between themselves and their environment” (from A
Handbook to Literature, by William Harmon and C. Hugh Holman, 8th
edition, Prentice Hall, 2000).
How
does this alter your views on absurdity in the selections we’re reading for
this week? How does this definition
change the way you perceive the individual selections?
Be sure to respond to the differences between the dictionary’s
definition of absurdity and the literary definition of absurdity. How does this enhance your views on the particular
selections?
DIRECTIVE:
Write three one-page responses to the readings and one Creative Response.