Essay about The Angst of Existence

Submitted By fivelettername
Words: 658
Pages: 3
Open Document
The Angst of Existence
The Human Condition has applied to humans, regardless of the time period in which situations take place. Often, through literary works we see themes relating back to the Human Condition, making the piece of work relatable and often successful. The Novel "The Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller and the poem "The Story of Old Women" by Tadeusz Różewicz shares the theme of existential anxiety – that there is angst of existence that we struggle to free ourselves from. Różewicz shows that there is a constant of hope even in dire situations proving it is possible to be free from angst, whereas Miller portrays hopelessness regardless of circumstance. The contrasting views bring light to the aspect of the Human Condition in which we as humans struggle to free ourselves from fears of life. Together, both the poem and the story touches on the different aspects of existential anxiety through the literary elements of setting, point of view and character, with Różewicz expressing hope regardless of the situation and Miller portraying the inability to see hope in any circumstance.
The setting of a piece of work often creates the groundwork for the theme to begin to build, often strengthening the message. In his poem, Różewicz creates a timeless setting from the start when he writes old women as “salt of the earth” (line 4). Although “Dictators…come and go” (line 11-12), “old women are immortal” shows the strength and hope that old women carry throughout troubles. Furthermore the poem states “civilization dies / old women get up at dawn” (line 31-32) creating imagery of entire civilizations dying and moving on, yet the constant strength and perseverance of old women exist. Różewicz makes it a point to keep descriptions of civilizations dying brief, bringing focus to the old women who continue to wake up at dawn and resemble hope. In contrast, Miller, with detail depicts the scene during the ten-year war of Troy “… of corpses, and burning, and our faces streaked with pus,” (Miller, 276) painting a negative picture and focusing on the hopelessness.
The characterization of old women, Patroclus and Achilles brings insight to the angst of existence itself. Death is the root of existential angst, as it only exists because death itself exists. Różewicz takes death and portrays it as a final peaceful goodbye, showing the beauty old women bring to death when they "plant flowers / on graves" (lines 39-40). The strength of Różewicz character of old women proves to readers there is hope even when
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about The Angst of Existence

In Time: Existential Themes Essay

In Time: Existential Themes The existential themed film I am going to work on is called In Time. This movie exemplifies the authenticity and inauthenticity of life, and how angst gives us meaning. Being in the world, and finally existence preceding essence. These themes are some of the few that we have discussed in class and are from the very similar existentialists Martin Heidegger and Jean Paul Sartre. The specific writings from which I examined these themes are Being and Time and Existentialism…

Words 1482 - Pages 6

Existentialism 2 Essay

of nothingness and meaninglessness in human life, and the angst or anxiety and depression which are ever-present in all of our lives. Although existentialism officially emerged around the early and mid 1900s, many authors expressed such ideas centuries before. One such author is William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s longest piece of work is a tragedy titled Hamlet. In Hamlet, a young prince (Hamlet) struggles with the meaning of his existence while attempting to cope with his father’s death. Throughout…

Words 1366 - Pages 6

Essay about Existentialism in Waiting for Godot

Samuel Becket’s existentialist play Waiting For Godot, he puts forth an idea that all of humanity is wasting their lives in inaction- waiting for the salvation of a deity, when that divine being may or may not even exist. As inferred from the phrase "existence precedes essence", there is no pre-existent spirituality or soul; no god, Christian or otherwise; no cosmic compassion for human life; no salvation in heaven and damnation in hell; neither preset destiny nor inevitable…

Words 951 - Pages 4

Why Did Nietzsche's Existence Precedes Essence?

1.The historical background: not only the period, but explain what happened that led to these new ideas. Existentialism focuses on matters such as choice, individuality, subjectivity, freedom, and the nature of existence itself. The initial existential ideology first put forward by Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, and Martin Heidegger, but it was widely popularized in the 20th century by French philosopher and writer Sartre. The reason why existentialism became so popular at that time was inseparably intertwined…

Words 1114 - Pages 5

Essay on T. s. Eliot and Alfred Prufrock

is suggested metaphorically by ‘’the yellow fog.’’ This proves as a critique of modern society; a place where inane social rituals prevail and a sense of individualism is alienated causing the speaker to no longer be in contact with a purposeful existence. Eliot further objectifies the urban decay as an exemplification of early modernism through the underlying sense of loneliness experienced by the persona in Rhapsody on a Windy Night. In concern of humanities sensibility, the protagonist is painfully…

Words 1066 - Pages 5

Essay on Life an exploded diagram

Elena Winstanley ‘Life: an exploded diagram’ by Mal Peet ‘Life: an exploded diagram’ by Mal Peet is a historical fiction novel set mostly in Norfolk around the events of the cold war. The storyline follows the forbidden relationship of the daughter of a wealthy landowner and a working class boy. The novel weaves around events of historical significance and ones of significance to Clem: his birth is started because of a Nazi plane, he loses his virginity at the peak of the cold war, and he is propositioned…

Words 1434 - Pages 6

What Is Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's Description Of Marriage

first poem Montagu writes as Mrs. Younge, in protest to a familiar seducer, who legally separated from his wife and cashed in on the love affair by recovering damages from her seducer, then by divorcing her and remarrying as revenge. Montagu expresses angst that wives have no legal recourse in the case of their husband’s infidelity, and she notes that for women, options to do so are unattainable: “All bargains but conditional are made; The purchase void, the creditor unpaid; Defrauded servants…

Words 831 - Pages 4

Essay Bullying: Abuse and Bullying Behavior

Bullying is the use of force, threat, or coercion to abuse, intimidates, or aggressively dominates others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception, by the bully or by others, of an imbalance of social or physical power. Behaviors used to assert such domination can include verbal harassment or threat, physical assault or coercion, and such acts may be directed repeatedly towards particular targets. Justifications and rationalizations for such behavior…

Words 1270 - Pages 6

Salem Witch Trials Self Preservation Analysis

of which was the fear of death leading to self-preservation. Self-Preservation is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as the “natural or instinctive tendency to act so as to preserve one's own existence” (2016). This instinct remains innate inside a person until brought about by extreme angst or stressful situations, including life-or-death circumstances. However, in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, over 200 men, women, and children (and even some animals) were accused of some form of witchcraft…

Words 1196 - Pages 5

The Meaning Of Life

of life or existence in general. It can also be expressed in different forms, such as "Why are we here?", "What is life all about?", and "What is the purpose of existence?" It has been the subject of much philosophical, scientific, and theological speculation throughout history. There have been a large number of proposed answers to these questions from many different cultural and ideological backgrounds. The meaning of life is in the philosophical and religious conceptions of existence, social ties…

Words 3304 - Pages 14