Plague #4

The plague revealed itself, and the city of Oran was isolated. No interaction was allowed with any other cities. People react to the situation differently. Some paniced and some rather liked the isolation. Rambert planned on escaping the city to meet his wife. Dr.Rieux, who was in the similar siutation with Rambert, decided to stay in the city to do his duty as a doctor.
In the middle of confusion, Father Paneloux sermoned that the city was cursed with the plague because of the sin of the citizens.
I was surprised to see some of the characters' reactions to the situtation. The city is isolated and there are rumors that the government will nuke the city to wipe out the plague. People are dying out, hospitals are full of patients. I expected the characters to lose their minds. I thought the rules, moral standards and laws would vanish and slowly the citizens would turn into 'animals.' Yet, the life goes on in the city just like normal days. Although more people transgressed laws than usual, the citizens did not lose their rationality. Rather, they help each other to go through the catastrophe. I learned that men do not easily give up rationalities and moral judgements. The holocaust can be good example. Jews were in the situation where they were treated like animals, they did not give up their rationarities and moral principles. I heard that even in the concentration camp, there were rules and laws and the Jews lived accordingly. Overall, I think Camus tried to point out what makes men different from animals.

The Plague #3

Michel's death marks the starting of the epidemic wiping out the city of Oran. The number of people showing the exact physical symptoms as Michel started to increase dramatically. Suddenly, no more rat appeared in the city. The figure was yet too small to panic the residents, however, was large enough to make people uncomfortable. The doctors of the city held a meeting and decided to discuss about the new disease that visited their city. They knew it; they knew it was the plague. Yet, the doctors were hesitant to claim the disease as so. When one of the doctors suggested if it were not the plague, it sounded as if he was trying to deny the truth.

Albert Camus illustrate how people react to situations that are too shocking or too harsh. The doctors knew what the consequence would be. They knew it from the parallel case that mankind had gone through; the plague wiped out one third of Europeans during the medieval period. Seeing the disease reappeared in their town, it was too shocking not only for the doctors but also the entire city. As a result, although they did claim the disease to be the plauge in the end, the doctors tried to deny it in the beginning. I could find myself among the doctors during the meeting. In other words, just like the doctors, I had several occasions when I refused the reality. When I first arrived at America when I was in sixth grade, I acted as if I was in Korea. I visited a lot of Korean markets, and did not try to blend into the American society. I guess the cutural shock was what made me deny that I was in America, not in Korea.

In my opinion, the plague in the novel represents the fear we have. It is the fear of death, fear of future, and all the fears we have. When fear intrudes in our minds, it erase our hopes, good memories, and ourselves just like how the plague knocked down the residents of the city one by one. We don't realize what the fear is causing in our minds until the 'casuality' skyrockets. Then we see thinigs have changed. When we see ourselves in the mirror, we find out that we are not the person once we were. In my case, I feared about my future whe I first moved to TCIS. I saw my friends preparing for their future in a 'Korean' way. Then I found myself off from the 'mainstream'; I wasn't doing what ordinary Korean highschool students were doing. I wasn't going to any Hakwons, and was no more a student of a Korean school. The students of TCIS had various backgrounds, yet non of them matched mine. I was worried about my path. Then I saw the unwelcomed guest in my mind: the fear. I did not realize any change until the moment I saw a stranger in the mirror. I wasn't who I was before; I lost my passion, self-esteem, courage, and finally myself.

The Plague#2

Dr.Rieux is notified that concierge Michel came down with fever. He visited the man and found out that his neck was swollen, and he had red dots on some parts of his skin. The doctor leaves the house, commanding Michel's wife to stay with him for the night, and made sure tha she would let him drink much water. The doctor couldn't pay much attention to the patient because his mind was caught up wit his wife going to a different place for a better medical treament. The day after his wife left, Michel died of the unknown disease that is suspected to be started from the rats. Michel's death was just a beginning of the chaos; more and more people started to die.
I could find out situational irony in this part; a doctor is sending his wife because he cannot take care of her. The irony gave me a feeling that doctors are 'human beings',too. People often regard a doctor as Aesculapius; an extremely talented doctor who could rise people from death. Human beings, however, have limitations after all, and so do the doctors.
I was surprised to see how Camus described the death so indifferently. The novel does not give any specific illustrations of his death and does not create any lamenting mood. There is only one sentence that notify the readers of Michel's death; "He is dead." I suppose Camus wrote to foreshadow in a way. Compared to the plague literally wiping out the population, an individual's death would not seem that shocking.

The Plague #1

The Plague

Albert Camus

Part 1

The book is based on the writer's perpective, his observation of the city, and some secondary sources he obtained. Dr.Rieux saw some rats lying on the floor when he was walking out of his room. Thinking of his sick wife, he did not give great attention to it. M.Michel the concierge decided to wipe out the corpses. More and more rats were found in the city of Oran where Dr.Rieux dwelled. The number of the corpses were increasing rapidly, and people started to worry.

In the first part of the novel, Albert Camus was excellent to protray people's worried minds. Although it is not stated directly in the book, as I was reading through, the novel created an eerie atmopshere as if I was one of the citizens of Oran, watching the dead rats lying on streets. I could also found out a dramatic irony; as soon as the bunch of rats dying and bleeding, an image came up in my mind, that is, the plague. The title of the novel also foreshadows that the novel has to do something with the plauge. However, the characters in the novel did not seem to notice the disease.

The Stranger #2

In the second of the novel, Meursault is arrested. He is accused for murder and sentenced to death. During the trial, his lawyer asked him the motive of the murder. Meursault replied so honestly that the lawyer did not seem to understand him; Meursault told the lawyer that he simply shot the gun because the sun was burning too hot. He was sent to jail, and yet, he wasn't bothered living there expect he couldn't spend time with Marie. The magistrate claimed that Meursault is the threat to the society; he was indifferent for his mother's death, did not have rightful reason to attack the Arab. Meursault in fact, did not feel guilty; rather, he said he felt comfortable that the court assigned him a lawyer. Finally, the novel ends with Meursault hoping to see angry crowd on the day of his execution.

I was totally lost in the second part of the book. I did not understand the intention of the author writing such story. Especially the end of the second part, where he talks to himself, and how he could understand his mother getting a lover at such old age, and how he wants to see angry crowd on the day of his death. However, the novel gave me an idea that in order to survive in the society in which we are belonged to, we must follow and act as if we understand the moral standards and general rules of the society. Meursault was sentenced to death ultimately because he did not act according to the rules and moral principles that his society imposed him to have. His society expected him to weep for his mother, and wanted him to have more 'persuasive' reason for killing the Arabian. Meursault, the stranger to the society, did not understand those things, or acted as if understood them. As a result, the consequence was death. Camus showed how 'strangers' of the world are still being punished and killed. Although it is not as strict as once it was, Korean society was very closed to accepting any idea that is related to communism. Anybody who 'seemed' to be a stranger-with communistic minds-was publically criticized and condemned. My father who experienced such atmosphere in 70's and 80's often tells me that it was madness when he thinks of the old days. Overall, Camus tried to tell the readers that a closed society makes a lot of 'strangers' and that we should be more open minded.

The Stranger #1

The novel is quite weird; Meursault is a man who just had his mother died. However, the day after he burried his mother, he went to a beach to enjoy himself. There, he met Marie, who was once his co-worker. He and Marie deepened their relationship as the story goes on. Marie was serious about their relationship and asked if Meursault would marry her. Meursault, however, did not feel the need to get married, and does not know if he loves her or not. Meursault also encountered a man named Raymond, who lived above his apartment. Raymond wasn't more like a local pimp; he hit his ex-girlfriend, and finally got in fight with Arabians. One day when Meursault and Raymond went to a beach, they saw the Arab and his friends who attacked Raymond. Meursault then shot the Arab and the first part of the novel ends.



I did not understand why did Camus created such a weird character like Meursault or what message did he want to tell the readers through Merusault. According to the text, he shot the Arab, because his eyes were hurting from the sun. This can not be a good reason to shoot someone. Meursault did not know his only mother's age nor moaned for her. He was not serious with any kind of relationships, including the one with Marie. He is portrayed a hallow and empty character. As I was reading through once again, I thought that the author tried to point out how people made some standards of 'how to react' to certain situations. For instance, we expect someone to be in very dismal mood when their family member dies. People also expect others to

Independent Reading Journal #4

Benjamin set off to London to make money. He earned a new job as a worker in a printing office. He worked hard, and gained more and more money. Benjamin was also promoted to compose articles. When the owner decided to cut Benjamin's wages, he quit and returned to Philadelphia. There, he started living his life as a owner of a successful printing house. He started to think about getting married, but it was hard to find a woman that would decide to marry him. This part of his autobiography shows that those who endure some hardships and sufferings in their lives become influential. Benjamin Franklin, was a mere poor boy when he was young. However, he went through the difficulty of poverty and became a influential person until now.