Many of the great works of fiction sit at the intersection of philosophy and literature. They ask questions that need to be asked, about the nature of life and the human condition, and run through moral rehearsals to try and find answers. One of the these perfect storms of ideas is Albert Camus’ The Stranger. In only 123 pages, Camus whittles away any of the pablum and platitudes found in long-winded works, and is left with the most refined form of fiction. When reading The Stranger, one feels, that the author is in complete control, and that his message is perfectly communicated without any traces of didactic condescension.

The plot of the book is quite simple. The protagonist, Meursault, is wholly indifferent to the events of his daily life. This is exemplified with the famous first lines of the book, “Aujourd’hui, Maman est morte. Ou peut-être hier, je ne sais pas.” This means, “Today mother died. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know.” As our hero copes with, or rather rationalizes, this loss, we learn more about his lifestyle and his character. He lives in French Algiers at some point in the 1940s, works as a clerk, spends a lot of time at the beach, and cares deeply about none of it. The only emotion we see him indulge is lust, masquerading as his girlfriend Marie. He lives entirely in the moment, and never seems to see much value in his life or any of its elements. One searingly hot afternoon, this detachment leads Meursault to make a decision that few individuals could make. His actions eventually force him into an environment where all he can do is reflect on his life, the people he is surrounded with, and his ultimate fate, the same one that  none of us can escape. 

Meursault is the purest form of apathy, and his perspective provides a truly objective lens with which to view the ideas that Camus wrestled with throughout his entire career. The primary concept explored in the book is the Absurd, Camus’ most enduring addition to the field of existentialist philosophy. In this context, the Absurd is the disconnect between the unrealistic expectations that man harbors for the universe, expectations of meaning and objective truth, and the “benign indifference of the universe.” In spite of Camus’ rejection of the label, the idea falls perfectly into place in the spectrum of philosophies churned out by the French philosophical community in the middle of the last century. 

Throughout his life, Camus kept such company as Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre, Pascal Pia and Jean Grenier. Together, they honed the ideas of existentialism, originally put forth by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, into a body of work that revolutionized the way that man interacts with the universe. Their view was that any consideration of philosophy had to start with the consideration of man, and that all philosophy was subjective, as it must be created by man. Their focus on these ideas was likely a result of the horrors of the second World War, which sat heavily on so many minds at that time. After years of wanton global violence and chaos, the imperfection of mankind was unavoidable, and the ramifications of that idea are profoundly present in much of Camus’ work. 

Stylistically, the book adheres to the same minimalism Camus utilized when creating the plot. The sentences are of a nearly uniform length. The style is languid and unenthused for the majority of the book, mirroring Meursault’s utter apathy. Only when his emotions rise, at the climax of the book, does the style change to accommodate his mentality. While this simplicity can lull the reader into a sort of monotony, it is an intentional monotony. With this uniformity of style, Camus induces in the reader a much-diluted form of the same indifference that plagues his protagonist, so thoroughly that one accepts, even agrees with the distant, possibly sociopathic perspective espoused. 

The Stranger sits firmly outside most readers’ comfort zones, yet 70 years after its publication, the book continues to draw an appreciative audience. Why? Because in addition to answering several fundamental questions of existence, The Stranger is a great book. It is consistently engaging, as well as humorous and even poignant, in its own twisted way. It is enough of a philosophical revelation and easy enough to comprehend to have amateurs and academics reassessing their thoughts on life. It is entirely unique, unparalleled before and since its publication. Despite all its gloomy morbidity, it even ends on a sort of pervertedly optimistic note. For all these reasons, I would suggest The Stranger to anyone who has ever asked themselves why they are here. I would also suggest it to anyone who has not yet asked themselves that, because questioning the human condition is an integral part of the human existence. 

The Stranger

Albert Camus, translated by Matthew Ward

First published in 1942

123 pages

Philosophical Fiction

Creative Piece:

Para mi, arte es una forma de expresión. Ideas que una persona no puede expresar con palabras pueden ser expresadas en arte. Temas como la vida y la muerte, y preguntas como que significa vivir son demasiado profundos para conversación, y pueden ser explorados en arte. Además, arte puede ser una forma de celebración. Con arte público, como los murales y el grafiti, una persona puede conmemorar una figura importante, diseminar un mensaje o empezar una revolución. La pregunta si el arte es hermoso o no no es importante, sólo importa si expresa su mensaje.

Yo vivo en un vecindario llamado Graduate Hospital. El área fue poblada primero por comunidades Holandeses y Británicos. El segundo grupo de residentes fue los Irlandeses, y después de los Irlandeses, el barrio se convirtió en un vecindario Afroamericana. Desde el fin de la guerra civil, Graduate Hospital fue el centro de la comunidad afroamericana de Filadelfia. Porque estas culturas estan vinculadas a sus religiones, hay muchas iglesias; unas creadas por los Irlandeses, y unas creadas por congregaciones Afroamericanas. Marian Anderson, una cantante celebrada del siglo veinte, se crió en este barrio. Cuando ella era una niña, cantaba en la iglesia más cercana a mi hogar, Union Baptist. Ella era una activista de los derechos civiles, y fue la primera persona raza negra que cantó en la Ópera Metropolitana de Nueva York. Su visión de igualdad para cada raza es visible en Graduate Hospital hoy, pero hace diez años, esta área era muy pobre y segregada. 

Mi vecindario necesita retener su carácter, y mi mural sería una representación de este carácter. Marian Anderson, una persona muy importante en el barrio, sería representado. Los ventajas y los inconvenientes de aburguesamiento sería representados también. Porque yo quiero incluir edificios importantes del área, el fondo del mural incluirá edificios como una iglesia, y el YMCA de Christian Street. Además, el mural será en una pared del centro de recreación llamada Marian Anderson. Más de cualquier edificio, el centro de recreación es el centro de Graduate Hospital, y por eso es ideal para un mural. Jóvenes y adultos pasan el rato en el centro de recreación, y cada persona se beneficiaría de arte adicional. Porque el proceso de gentrificación ha integrado mi barrio, este mural debería enseñar la aceptación de diferentes culturas. Este mensaje es el proposito de me mural. 

Para mostrar la integración y la aceptación, mi mural tiene cuatros niños en el centro. Cada joven es de una raza diferente. Hay un niño blanco, y un niño negro. Hay una niña asiática y un niño hispano. Los niños se tienen de las manos, y estan caminando por una calle en Graduate Hospital juntos. En frente, Marian Anderson les muestra el camino. Todo el mural es marrón. No hay colores en el mural, y esto simboliza el hecho que somos lo mismo cuando retiramos la raza. Esto es arte. Tiene un mensaje y un objetivo. Mi mural comunica su mensaje por su ubicación, sus imagenes y la historia que cuenta.

http://southofsouth.org/community/history

http://www.visitphilly.com/philadelphia-neighborhoods/graduate-hospital/

​Hay muchas facetas de mi personalidad. En el superficie, creo que mi personalidad es maduro, culto y seguro. Por otro lado, soy un poco egotista, comúnmente perezoso, y a veces grosero. Físicamente, me veo muy ario. Mi pelo es casi rubio, y mis ojos son azules. Soy alto, casi seis pies, y un poquito gordito. Necesito anteojos gruesos, porque aunque mis ojos son bonitos, ellos no funcionen. Ademas, aunque solo tengo quince años, parezco más viejo. Creo que es la culpa de mis gafas. Mis amigos dicen que con mis anteojos, me parezco un estudiante de filosofía, o un activista de derechos civiles. Hay otras caracteristicas que me caracterizan.

Mi familia es muy única también. Mi padre nació en Quito, Ecuador, y mi madre nació en Nueva York, Nueva York. Mis padres me educan, y por esto tengo opiniones políticas como suyos. Somos muy liberales. Cada persona en mi familia tiene opiniones fuertes, y por esto argumentamos a menudo. Yo argumento con mi hermana. Mi hermana argumenta con mi padre. Mi padre argumenta con mi madre. Mi madre argumenta conmigo. Aunque nosotros argumentamos, tengo cariño para cada persona en mi familia.

Mi máscara es la cara de un hombre viejo. Yo elegí esto porque debajo del superficie, soy como un hombre viejo. Soy cínico y filosófico. Me gusta beber té y leer. Soy perezoso. Llevo anteojos y suéteres. Me gusta sofás. Soy un hombre joven, pero también soy un hombre viejo.

The novella Of Mice and Men is one of America’s most enduring pieces of literature. In spite of its mere 107 pages, the story has attracted readers for more than seven decades.  Perhaps this is because the allure of this book is in its characters, rather than in its plot. In the book, John Steinbeck explores the relationship between a lumbering, yet loving dimwit, Lennie Small and a brooding dreamer, George Milton. The two are peripatetic, journeying seemingly aimlessly from ranch to ranch across the western United States. While Lennie and George appear to be just two of the thousands of other nomadic farmhands drudging through through every month just to blow their ‘stake’ on cheap booze and hookers and return to the ranch life, the protagonists of Of Mice and Men distinguish themselves by a few novel traits. The first is their relationship, the second their aspirations and the third the burden they bear. 

When first introduced, Lennie and George are indistinguishable. The book states “Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders.” As the chapter progresses, however, and they begin to converse, the author makes clear that these two are not the same in this relationship. 

Through Steinbeck’s illustration of Lennie’s behavior, we see a blissful, yet wildly unintelligent giant of a man, unable to fend for himself. He clings to George as a child to a parent, imitating George’s mannerisms and opinions. Lennie is burdened with the intelligence and personality of a small child, and a mountain of a body. His love of soft things leads him to incessantly accidentally hurt and kill the animals he is so enamored with. He wants nothing more than George’s companionship, and perhaps a few rabbits to pet. Throughout the book, this remains constant. Lennie is static.

George appears to be an average man of the 1930s. He is often abrasive, a naturally solitary creature. His burden is that of Lennie’s companionship. It is left unclear how Lennie came into George’s stewardship, but it occurred long before the events of the book. George lives his life constantly running, constantly talking Lennie out of the trouble Lennie lands them in. While George may often complain about his station in life, fending for both himself and for Lennie, he is shown as truly caring for Lennie. The two share a relationship that the other gruff and independent farmhands around them have never known. 

In these brief 107 pages, Lennie and George’s relationship brings them each immense anguish and sporadic moments of joy. It is the central plot device, and the harrowing ending would be void of emotion without it. This is what sets this book so far above the rest, and makes it accessible to people from every corner of life. This book is not about a series of events. This book is about people, and it is about the relationships that two people might forge with one another when neither one fits quite right into the mold that society has formed for them, or into society in general. Lennie is an inherent outcast, left behind because of his unintelligence, and often misunderstood. When other characters see Lennie’s hulking frame, and those hands that could crush a man’s bones, they see a fighter. They see a bitter, cruel oppressor. Lennie, however, is far from that. Lennie is an easily frightened lover, an stalwart companion and good soul. George is nothing particularly impressive physically, and others in the book treat him as such. George is much more than average though. Others accuse him of “playing” Lennie, of extorting money from him and of taking advantage of him, but the truth is that George has fought, ran and argued Lennie out of countless mishaps, simply because it is the moral thing to do. Because as Lennie puts it, “Not us, George, because I... see, I got you to look after me, but you got me to look after you.”

Of Mice and Men ends in heart wrenching tragedy. In quick succession, a series of events leave a single broken soul where once stood a friendship. These last scenes are among the most emotional that I have ever read. As the story comes to a close, you are left with a disjointed band of unhappy undesirables and misfits on an unknown ranch somewhere near Soledad, CA. These are not important people. John Steinbeck, however, through their passion and grief, joy and hope, shows us that these too are valuable people. They tell a valuable story. Even if society refuses to acknowledge them, they are just as real as the wealthy farm owners and aristocrats among us. This situation can be found in countless moments in history. This story could take place anywhere that people live on the fringes of civilization, from the untouchables in India to the slaves of America to the Jews of the Holocaust. 

This theme of not fitting society’s image of you, or into society at large made this book easily relatable for me, as well as for so many other readers. They are what allow me to recommend the book to anyone who feels ready. These themes are also what I chose to portray in the creative piece. I drew Lennie and George as they appear physically, however I used their posture to emulate their true selves. Lennie, with broad shoulders and defined muscles, crouches down, petrified in fear by some unseen attacker. He clutches a pup just a little too close to his chest. He is huge, but in reality, so small. George stands, legs wide and arms outstretched, attempting to shield Lennie. He is not especially strong or cunning, yet he stands to protect his friend from any dangers that may arise. 

So I made a decision. I have had the fortune of being raised in a family where the environment was always a primary concern. My father, a LEED certified sustainable architect, has always been absolute in his devotion to the environment, a trait he passed on to my sister and me. Because of this privilege, I decided to stop griping to the internet, go out into the world and impart some of my knowledge to someone who otherwise wouldn’t be so informed. At first, I reached out to one of the plethora of under-funded public elementary schools in my hometown of Philadelphia. Unfortunately, because of scheduling issues, I had to move my operations to an established and well-funded private elementary school. The impact though, was hopefully the same. 

I ended up teaching a series of mini-courses on environmental citizenship to a group of children from second through fifth grades. These grades seemed optimal because a second grader is mature enough to see and understand problems in the world, and a fifth grader is old enough to make a difference. In the classes we watched clips from documentaries, such as Anne Leonard’s polemical ode to sustainability The Story of Stuff, played games, did hands-on activities and creative pieces. The classes were intended to show students some of the things they can change in their own lives to minimize their negative impact on the planet. They learned how easy it can be to make a difference. 

a. What is one thing that your learned specifically that you did not know before.

In spite of nine years of school art classes and many extracurricular courses, I had never been taught the intricacies of one-point perspective drawing. THe entire concept is new to my work. 

b. How did leaning this thing make your drawings better.

While one-point perspective may not be evident in my nude sketches or figure studies, such techniques may come in handy portraying realistic landscapes and spaces. As we have been studying in my figure classes, negative space and positive space are intrinsically linked, and portraying each of them is equally important for a finished art piece. Perspective drawing will help me create lifelike and almost tangible backgrounds and negative spaces. 

c. If you did this assignment again, what would you do differently?

Given another chance I would certainly allot more time to the basic mapping of my drawing. While I understood the concept, I don’t believe that, or much artistic skill, are represented in the sketch. 

d. What is your advice to someone who has never drawn a one point perspective drawing before?

Make sure to get other people’s opinions on wether or not your drawing makes sense. In all drawing it is common to get so wrapped up in the piece that you are unable to see it from an outside perspective. This can happen even more with formulaic drawing such as perspective. 

e. What resource helped you the most and why?

I’d say that my t-square made this project possible. It’s nice to know that he’ll always be there for me, providing right angles and plane surfaces...

This video is intended to portray the evolution and progression of the character Lady Macbeth, from Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The video illustrates the hubris with which she is originally presented in the play, and the way in which her character crumbles with each murder she or her husband commit. Throughout the play, the woman gains a sense of humanity which she lacks at the outset. The cost of losing her strong facade, however, is the guilt she is saddled with. In the video, her character simulated through her posture. With each name that flashes on the screen, another life is taken, and Lady Macbeth is crushed, until, completely deflated, she is gone. 

To achieve the silhouette effect, I used a set of broad construction lights, an unused bed sheet, and a startling amount of duct tape. My mother, Arden Kass, was drafted as Lady Macbeth. Between each shot, I would model for her the poses she would go through to pantomime the character. Some difficulty arose in the editing stage, and as a result the final video is not nearly as elegant as the original footage. I have been instructed to tell any viewers that my mothers is not, in fact, as wide as iMovie ’09 shows her to be. 

At the outset, supplies were hard to find. After prepping to begin filming, the camera broke, and the rest of the process was completed using an iPhone. Unfortunately, iPhones are a bit of a pain. Next, the tape, the sheets and the wall refused to cooperate. In between each shot, much time was spent re-hanging the sheet, re-applying the tape, and even re-filming shots in which the sheet fell. The lights nearly burnt a hole in the floor, and the sheet was discovered to be spotted with large, mysterious black spots. Finally, the video was shot in a doorway, so I was forced to use the vertical video function of my phone. Apple products are not nearly as compatible as you might think, and the final movie is irreparably distorted. 

This project is certainly as dramatic, intense and communicative as I hoped it would be, if a little poorly edited. A good first attempt at silhouette filmmaking

Given more time, I would find a way to tile the video, so that I could use it without distortion. I would also put a little more time into the editing, as the transitions are a little funky. 

I was very impressed by the creativity of the other projects. People saw Macbeth in a very different light from me. 

I learned, unfortunately, that I am capable of handing in a project where I’m not 100% proud of the aesthetics of the final copy. I hope this doesn’t have too much of an impact on future projects.

The interview went as follows:

Q: What is your position within The Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia?

A: Manager of Education for Sustainable Development Programme

Q: What inspired you to enter the field of environmental education?

A: My own education and the level of pollution of my country and in my city.

Q: What is the status of environmental education in Central Asia? How widespread is it, and how is it incorporated into standard education?

A: You will find more information at the CAREC web-site: www.carecnet.org

Q: At what age is environmental education introduced into standard education in Kazakhstan?

A: We have a mandatory course “Ecology & Sustainable Development” in Kazakhstan for bachelors of all specialties [majors] of all Kazakh universities.

Q: How does CAREC approach environmental education, and what individual issues are considered most important to teach to students?

A: You will find more information at the CAREC web-site: www.carecnet.org

Q: Do you believe the world as a whole can benefit from widespread environmental education?

A: I do believe. I do not have any other choice, otherwise I should leave my job! 

Unfortunately, Ms. Shakirova was leaving for vacation at the time of writing this, but kindly took a moment to give her opinion. Despite the brief nature of the interview, Tatiana’s passion for environmental education, and the personal nature of her cause resonates after reading her responses. Pollution and climate change should be a personal matter to all of us. Every one of us can see the pollution that litters our grounds, darkens our skies and infects our waters. We can feel the erratic and dangerous weather changes. And so what do we do? According to Tatiana and the CAREC website, we spread the word. Apart from the mandatory Ecology & Sustainable Development course Tatiana mentioned, CAREC has organized educational lectures and courses for government officials from all over the central asian region, as well as many other programs for students. These are patterns we in the U.S. should be following. Unfortunately we’re are far from widespread mandatory environmental education. Courses stateside remain optional, obscure and poorly funded, but more on that next time. 

Environmentally yours,

Leo

One of the book’s primary idiosyncrasies is that the titular character and protagonist, the invisible man, also serves as the story’s antagonist, and is shrouded in mystery for the majority of the book. Despite the narrative focusing almost entirely on him, little is known or revealed about the mysterious, bandage-clad stranger who arrives in Iping, West Sussex in the dead of night. The story follows this secretive man and hostile interactions with all others during his tenure in the town. Eventually he is shown to be a brilliant research scientist, who sought to create a race of perfect humans by making the first invisible man. In a fit of impatience, the man took the medicine he had created himself, rendering his body entirely invisible, and retreats to the quiet of the English countryside to reverse his condition. 

While these events are not particularly the most relatable, considering my current visibility, I find the concept of the pursuit of invisibility to be a very human one. After all, who hasn’t wanted to disappear before? This, coupled with the charming depictions of quiet life in the English countryside made this a surprisingly easy book to relate to. It is this pairing of the mundane with the extraordinary that makes this book so unique and so much fun to read. 

I can recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a thrill. It is fast paced and slow paced, funny and terrifying. It is a perfect illustration of a psychopath, and you will not regret it.

Speedy scientific advances in the 1800s allowed humans to delegate unpleasant tasks to fossil fuels, and we began to innocently extract these resources from the earth in many different forms. There is a twist to this happy fairytale though. Human greed, lethargy and corruption drove us deeper and deeper into a spiral of addiction. We pillaged and plundered the very earth that provided for us. We grew fat, as individuals and as a race, creating unhealthy lifestyles and living conditions for ourselves. We have crippled the Earth, making it less and less supportive of life as we know it by spewing toxic chemicals into the air, destroying habitats and unbalancing ecosystems. The most impressive part? We have utterly redefined what it means to be a living creature by demanding that the Earth provide every little amenity for us at the lowest personal cost - all in the last 200 years.

To me, it makes perfect sense that the group we need to focus on educating first and foremost is children. This generation of kids will be among those facing the most drastic human-caused changes in our world that we have seen yet. It seems natural that these people should know the intricacies of sustainable living by heart. It should be their first instinct. Despite this, environmental education is still lacking severely in public school systems in high schools, let alone in middle schools and elementary schools. The EPA has given out more than 3,500 grants for environmental education programs since 1992, a nod in the right direction, but one organization giving out grant money can not turn the tide of a massive country like the United States. What we need is a revising of our priorities. Environmental education programs should not be optional individual programs, they should be mandated and integrated into schools of all economic or racial statuses. As of 2007, only 12 states require integration of environmental education and environmental literacy programs in K-12 schools. This cannot be accepted. Its time to spread successful environmental education to every corner of the United States, before its too late.

An ongoing bibliography