Week 5 Study Questions

Tuesday: (Kafka, "In the Penal Colony," Course reader pp. 66-79)

1. What's the point of the punishment? Why doesn't the officer just quickly execute the prisoner?

2. This form of punishment takes place in a "penal colony" -- a prison camp located in a colony that is governed by a foreign empire. Presumably, this extreme form of punishment can only be found in the colonies, not in the ruling nation. How do you think the officer would justify this inconsistancy?

3. Halfway through the punishment, the prisoner supposedly experiences a form of redemption or enlightenment. Why? Is this enlightenment worth the suffering it requires?

4. Why does the officer put himself into the apparatus? Why does it go to pieces?


Thursday: (Sartre, Existentialism and Human Emotions, pp. 9-24)

1. What does Sartre mean when he says "essence precedes existence"? What is the important difference between a human being and a manufactured object, such as his paper-cutter example?

2. Why does Sartre think existentialism involves a feeling of "anguish"?

3. In answer to the question "What if everyone acted that way?", Sartre says it's dishonest to answer: "Everyone does not act this way." Why does he think that?

4. Why does Sartre say we are "condemned" to be free?