1. Ivan Ilyich–Read and annotate Chapters 7 and 8! Please be prepared to discuss:
- The lie
- Gerasim’s characterization
- Ivan’s evolving view of his death
2. (Due Tuesday, May 3rd) Existentialism is a Humanism–(Print as soon as you can) This reading sets us up for the last two plays of the year. Let it be known that this essay is conceptually/philosophically difficult. Jean Paul Sartre is often the first name to come to mind when one considers Existentialism. His brand of atheistic existentialism so dominates the existential landscape that one forgets that the “first existentialist” Kierkegaard was indeed a theist. Nevertheless, Sartre’s essay most clearly defines the existential mindset. It becomes a fundamental piece of the year’s final unit. Additionally, his essay establishes some of the tenets of existentialism that are universally applicable.
