Culminating Essay Prompt

"Refrain to-night;

And that shall lend a kind of easiness

To the next abstinence, the next more easy;

For use almost can change the stamp of nature,

And either master the devil or throw him out

With wondrous potency." 

~William Shakespeare Hamlet Act 3, Scene 4

Nature, the nature of humanity and physical nature itself, is explored in almost every novel. Some feel that as humanity separates itself further from nature, we lose morality. That to improve humanity, we must leave standards of society and become closer to our natures, as well as physical nature. They feel society is evil and nature is good. Some feel that we can not change our natures at all. On the other hand, some feel that we must strive to change our natures: that we can and should improve upon what naturally would occur.  Compose an essay, using you wonderful knowledge of literature and the arts, that argues for the need to change nature in order to achieve morality through meaningful relationships.

Fire and Ice by Robert Frost

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Lear by William Shakespeare

Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card

The Stranger

Meursault seems to represent the unique morality of existentialists. They believe that as we become more abstract, especially as it relates to nature, we lose something important to humanity. Meursault seems to be connected to nature. He loves walking outside during certain times of the day. He in a very sensory being, and reacts perhaps in an animalistic way to physical stimulus. Camus seems to believe that becoming more at one with nature is good. That the separation of humanity from nature is dangerous, that by separating the two, we lose our humanity. Camus would argue, that the individual is responsible for their own actions. This is how we treat animals with regards to morality, although humanity comprehends more fully the concept of a "greater good." So he would not argue for the survival of the fittest, just that having society standards is not how nature works. “I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings.” Meursault is aware of the physical world more than social constructs and emotions. He is very natural if you will. I tend to agree to some extent with Camus. I feel it is the individuals responsibility to be moral, I just disagree with the idea that social norms and standards are bad. I feel some moral codes are better, and it is one's moral responsibility to chose the best moral code. And perhaps this is what separates humanity from nature, is our ability to see other's morality as better than ours and try to improve ourselves.

Invisible Man Post

I have had a hard time thinking about how this book relates to my big question, so I am just going to make this a sort of stream on conscience sort of writing. I guess this quote could relate. “Life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat.” This argument could be taking to mean that the laws of nature control us, or interferes with the making of the person we want to be. Another interpretation could be the exact opposite, that we create societies within societies which require conformity, whether good or bad, to succeed, and this does not let us be true to ourselves. Ellison seems to take the opinion of the later argument. He shows that as the narrator becomes a part of different social structures, he becomes invisible. He understands that all of those people who have been accepted into those social structures are blind. This brings out an interesting observation about nature vs. humanity. That animals are not social at all like humans. Animals are social to help get more food, water, land, etc. Humans are willing to sacrifice a lot to become more social or acceptable. Although Ellison seems to think that uniting humanity with nature would be beneficial, I tend to disagree. Society as a whole knows better than individuals what is worth doing, and what will bring happiness (although I feel like I have been becoming less trusting of society as of late.) So perhaps this need for relationships and connection that is not seen in animals is what separates us from them.