Waiting for Godot Essay

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JennyBohensky

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Can I get opinions as to whether my central idea is focused, and all other things an essay needs?


The Endless, Echoing Hunt

Finding our purpose in living is not something we automatically look inward to find. In fact, many people look there last, and while preoccupied with observing their environment, most will never think to look inward. Just like Sartre suggested, humans must individually create their own purpose, as there is no set purpose for all of mankind, no objective. Both Sartre and the play refer to existentialism, and the idea that along with being, there is non-being, and both are possible, Vladimir and Estragon are in constant cycles of struggling with their existence, what Sartre calls anguish.

The two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, are in different degrees of anguish due to their tedious, wearisome existence. They have not found their personal meaning, and they also are extremely dependant on each other, which may be what is keeping them from being able to find themselves, amongst many other reasons. In the midst of the ongoing cycles, Vladimir says, “This is becoming really insignificant” (Beckett 59). They are stuck in a state of non-existence, as Sartre would say, “...we simply find ourselves existing by no choice of our own and have to decide what to make of ourselves, so each of us must create his or her own nature or “essence” (Stevenson &Haberman: 187). They seem to be relying on Godot for something more important than anything else, it appears. He might have led them to believe he knows their purpose because seeing how they have the time to wait for hours on end everyday, never giving up, they must not have any ties back wherever they are from.

“Human reality must be what it is not, and not be what it is” (Stevenson &Haberman: 191). Vladimir and Estragon are being what they are and have not begun the quest for personal meaning, and so they are in distress. In fact, they have briefly thought of the possibility of meaning and decided that, “V: Nothing you can do about it., E: No use struggling, V: One is what one is” (Beckett 13). They have concluded by default that what they are is all they can ever be and that is that. Like the text supports, “Thus, conscious beings who can think and say what is the case can also conceive of, and act to bring about, what is not the case (Stevenson &Haberman: 187). According to this statement, when it comes to a concept, there must be an opposite in order for the concept to be. Vladimir and Estragon addressed that there could be a meaning to existing, but decided that there is none. They never thought to create their own, and their anguish has planted suicidal thoughts in them. They gave up and are trapped in their bland lives and feel there is nothing deeper about it other than it is inevitably bland.

This is indeed a tragic story, but also exists in reality, in most humans, because the idea of finding one meaning to live your only life is so overwhelming, most of us cannot handle it and just go about as is, like zombies. Although this is an art piece, which is not meant to be realistic, it truly is, and is truly tragic.
 

shannico

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Can I get opinions as to whether my central idea is focused, and all other things an essay needs?


The Endless, Echoing Hunt

Finding our purpose in living is not something we automatically look inward to find. In fact, many people look there last, and while preoccupied with observing their environment, most will never think to look inward. Just like Sartre suggested, humans must individually create their own purpose, as there is no set purpose for all of mankind, no objective. Both Sartre and the play refer to existentialism, and the idea that along with being, there is non-being, and both are possible, Vladimir and Estragon are in constant cycles of struggling with their existence, what Sartre calls anguish.

The two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, are in different degrees of anguish due to their tedious, wearisome existence. They have not found their personal meaning (I don' think find is a suitable verb as they have never been actively looking for it), and they also are extremely dependant on each other, which may be what is keeping them from being able to find themselves, amongst many other reasons. In the midst of the ongoing cycles, Vladimir says, “This is becoming really insignificant” (Beckett 59). They are stuck in a state of non-existence (and staticity) as Sartre would say, “...we simply find ourselves existing by no choice of our own and have to decide what to make of ourselves, so each of us must create his or her own nature or “essence” (Stevenson &Haberman: 187). They seem to be relying on Godot for something more important than anything else, it appears. He might have led them to believe he knows their purpose because seeing how they have the time to wait for hours on end everyday, never giving up, they must not have any ties back wherever they are from.

“Human reality must be what it is not, and not be what it is” (Stevenson &Haberman: 191). Vladimir and Estragon are being what they are and have not begun the quest for personal meaning, and so they are in distress. In fact, they have briefly thought of the possibility of meaning and decided that, “V: Nothing you can do about it., E: No use struggling, V: One is what one is” (Beckett 13). They have concluded by default that what they are is all they can ever be and that is that. Like the text supports, “Thus, conscious beings who can think and say what is the case can also conceive of, and act to bring about, what is not the case (Stevenson &Haberman: 187). According to this statement, when it comes to a concept, there must be an opposite in order for the concept to be. Vladimir and Estragon addressed that there could be a meaning to existing, but decided that there is none. They never thought to create their own, and their anguish has planted suicidal thoughts in them. They gave up and are trapped in their bland lives and feel there is nothing deeper about it other than it is inevitably bland.

This is indeed a tragic story, but also exists in reality, in most humans, because the idea of finding one meaning to live your only life is so overwhelming, most of us cannot handle it and just go about as is, like zombies. Although this is an art piece, which is not meant to be realistic, it truly is, and is truly tragic.


I took a very quick look at the first paragraph. I would stress the inactivity of these two characters' human condition as well as their utter lack of identity which makes them an ultimate emblem/stereotype of mankind.
 
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