fandomhigh | Build Your Own Philosophy, 3/22/10, Period 2

Nothing seemed true; I felt surrounded by cardboard scenery which could quickly be removed. - A. Camus

Never let it be said that Tyler was afraid to touch on his own issues in picking quotes for the class to think about.

"Welcome to class," he said, once everyone seemed to be gathered. "You had all week to read Nausea by Sartre. If you didn't ... basically it's about a guy who stops enjoying everything he loves. Everything -- friends, sex, his own body -- just starts making hm sick. To get happy again, he has to stop thinking the material world will make him happy, and start taking responsibility for how he feels. He's losing something -- but he's also gaining the chance for a meaningful life, and not just an existence. The philosophy behind all of this is called existentialism." And look, there was a handout.

"My question for you today is a simple one: Do you think Antoine was right to decide there's no meaning in life except what we create for ourselves? Or do you think this is just a book about a depressed French guy with too much time on his hands? Talk about it. I'm here."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Screaming into an existential void.

Calvin

Effy Stonem

Yamanaka Ino

Raven

Joan Girardi

Dinah Lance

Priestly

Mulan

Jak

Hayley Fitzpatrick

Marco

Listen, chat, take notes, pass notes ... fall into existential angst. Whatever works.

Ino? Ino was tired.

But she was in a marginally more genuine good mood than she'd been this time last week so Ino was... going to consider that a win.

And contemplate the quote on the board. That was... interesting.

Raven was all too familiar with not being happy about things -- that would be Azarath. Of course, no one was sad there, either.

Joan had done the reading. She wasn't sure if she understood it, but she had done it.

Jak, having tried to read Plato recently, mostly just stared.

A little vacantly.

He was trying, honest.

Nausea: Work of genius, or annoying, pretentious French book? Ping off each other.

Dinah made a face. "Okay, I'd agree that life has the meaning we bring to it, but-- Antoine needed to lighten up. Or get prozac. Or something." She added, "But the writing was good, and really intense."

Who is more nihilist than existentialist, but still thinks Camus was on to something.

"I had to go home for a thing." Marco said without any kind of polite introduction.

Tyler eyed him. "And now you're back?" he asked. "And not a chimpanzee this week?"

"Nah, that was last week." Marco replied casually. "I'm thinking anteater tomorrow."

"Don't come to class that way, write 200 words on Camus, and we'll call it good," Tyler decided. "Okay?"

"Can I come as a polar bear?" Marco checked and grabbed a pen to scrawl the name on his arm. "Uh...how do you spell that?"

"I'd like to be able to teach without having anyone worry about being eaten," Tyler said, shaking his head. "C-A-M-U-S. It's all over the handout you got an hour ago."

"Shouldn't be a problem as long as no one shows up as a baby sea lion." Marco said with a perfectly serious face and scrawled the name on the back of his hand.

Once she pings in!

Joan was there and sadly missing her co-TA.

Tyler offered Joan a cup of coffee after class. "So I got a note from Liir. Understand you're on your own for a little bit."

He'd picked up that the co-TAs were friends, at the least; this was his way of offering sympathy.

Joan wasn't a coffee drinker, but the gesture was kind and it made her smile anyway.

"Thanks," she said. "Yeah, he had some things to take care of. Hopefully he'll be back soon."

Tyler nodded. "I'm sure you can hold down the fort until he's back."

"Oh, definitely with class stuff," Joan agreed.

It was the more personal aspects of his absence she wasn't crazy about. But she certainly wasn't going to tell that to her teacher.

And Tyler's capability of asking about the personal side was ... effectively nonexistent. Comfort wasn't really his thing; he'd said what he had to say on that path.

"Glad to hear it," he said, on the verge of wandering off again.

Edited 2010-03-22 14:50 (UTC)

Joan sensed that he didn't want to discuss it further and that was perfectly okay with her so she smiled.

"Thanks. I'll see you in class next week."

We read this book & The Stranger in 11th grade English.

I liked them much better than The Red Badge of Courage.

Build Your Own Philosophy, 3/22/10, Period 2

Sign in [3/22]

Re: Sign in [3/22]

Re: Sign in [3/22]

Re: Sign in [3/22]

Re: Sign in [3/22]

Re: Sign in [3/22]

Re: Sign in [3/22]

Re: Sign in [3/22]

Re: Sign in [3/22]

Re: Sign in [3/22]

Re: Sign in [3/22]

Re: Sign in [3/22]

General Class Stuff [3/22]

Re: General Class Stuff [3/22]

Re: General Class Stuff [3/22]

Re: General Class Stuff [3/22]

Re: General Class Stuff [3/22]

Discussion [3/22]

Re: Discussion [3/22]

Talk to Tyler [3/22]

Re: Talk to Tyler [3/22]

Re: Talk to Tyler [3/22]

Re: Talk to Tyler [3/22]

Re: Talk to Tyler [3/22]

Re: Talk to Tyler [3/22]

Re: Talk to Tyler [3/22]

Re: Talk to Tyler [3/22]

Talk to the TA [3/22]

Re: Talk to the TA [3/22]

Re: Talk to the TA [3/22]

Re: Talk to the TA [3/22]

Re: Talk to the TA [3/22]

Re: Talk to the TA [3/22]

Re: Talk to the TA [3/22]

Re: Talk to the TA [3/22]

OOC [3/22]