...provide critical, informed solutions to social issues and in turn improve the human condition. Fyodor Dostoevsky conducts an assault against this notion in Notes From the Underground, making this work one of the most famous anti-enlightenment novels. Through this novel he showed what he believed were gaps in the idea that the mind could be freed from ignorance through the application of reason, and the rejection of the idea that humankind could achieve a utopian existence as a result. The narrator in this novel also known as the underground man is a pessimistic man who symbolizes what could happen to mankind should endless application of reason take over. Without any care for his health or well being out of spite, he becomes a perfect character for Dostoevsky to illustrate his argument against the enlightenment ideas. The narrator decides upon actions that oppose his interests for the sole reason of proving that he is an unpredictable man who enjoys his own free will and ability to make voluntary decisions of his own, without being restrained by the ideas of rationality and reason. Dostoevsky seems to be making the statement that rationality is indeed useful for analyzing situations but is ultimately damaging if focused on constantly. Reason does not, as many Enlightenment thinkers believed, free man but reduces us to something that can be scientifically explained, forcing us to lose a fundamental piece of what makes us human in the process: “All human actions will then...
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...Nietzsche would find the underground man as relatable but misguided. The underground man is not concerned with morals and reason as much as he is concerned with autonomy. Likewise, Nietzsche felt that we should not look to morals and ethics when we make decisions. However, Nietzsche did believe that should affirm life with their actions. The underground man felt that when presented a situation where one should act in a specific way, that individual should occasionally act in a different way to exercise one’s autonomy. Throughout Notes from the Underground, the underground man demonstrates self-spite and an inability to act. For instance, the underground man starts his writing with, “I believe my liver is diseased,” and continues with,...
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...At the close of Crime and Punishment, Raskolinkov is convicted of Murder and sentenced to seven years in Siberian prison. Yet even before the character was conceived, Fyodor Dostoevsky had already convicted Raskolinkov in his mind (Frank, Dostoevsky 101). Crime and Punishment is the final chapter in Dostoevsky's journey toward understanding the forces that drive man to sin, suffering, and grace. Using ideas developed in Notes from Underground and episodes of his life recorded in Memoirs of the House of the Dead, Dostoevsky puts forth in Crime in Punishment a stern defense of natural law and an irrefutable volume of evidence condemning Raskolnikov's actions (Bloom, Notes 25). Central to the prosecution of any crime, murder in particular, is the idea of motive. Not only must the prosecutor prove the actus rectus or "guilty act," but also that the criminal possessed the mens rea or "guilty mind" (Schmalleger 77). The pages of Crime and Punishment and the philosophies of Dostoevsky provide ample proof of both. The first is easy; Dostoevsky forces the reader to watch firsthand as Raskolnikov "took the axe all the way out, swung it with both hands, scarcely aware of himself, and almost without effort, almost mechanically, brought the butt-end down on her head" (Crime and Punishment 76). There is no doubt Raskolnikov caused the death of Alena Ivanovna and, later, Lizaveta, but whether he possessed the mens rea is another matter entirely. By emphasizing the depersonalization...
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...group expression and self assurance.” Harlem became the center of a “spiritual coming of age” in which Locke’s “New Negro” transformed “social disillusionment to racial pride.” Ralph Ellison was born on March 1, 1914 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He died of pancreatic cancer on April 16, 1994 in New York City. (Ralph Ellison, 2015) Richard Wright was born on September 4, 1908, in Roxie, Mississippi. Richard died from experiencing a heart attack on November 28, 1960, in Paris, France. (Richard Wright, 2015) Both of the authors made a major impact on society during their lifespan. According to Biography.com, Ralph Ellison was a 20th Century African American writer and scholar best known for his renowned, award winning novel “Invisible Man”. Ellison’s role in the Harlem Renaissance is his reputation as a deeply ingrained writer and a philanthropist that exceeded even the most esteemed circles of the American History. In addition, according to Biography.com, pioneering African American writer Richard Wright is best known for the 1940 Bestseller “Native Sea” and his 1945 biography “Black Boy”. Wright’s role in the Harlem Renaissance was as an inspirer. He is respected and known to many writers as an inspiration. His life-like fiction no longer has the standing it once enjoyed, but his life and word remain admirable. From the year of 1903 to present day, double...
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...Edith Wharton’s novel, Ethan Frome, tells the depressing and bleak story of a New England native living with unfulfilled dreams and desires. The title character of Ethan Frome is very similar to the Underground Man in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 1864 existentialist novel, Notes From Underground as both of them contain similar characteristics. Delving deeper into these comparisons of the two characters, it becomes clear that these two pieces of literature share a similar theme. This shared theme was the suppression of the individual and their emotions. Clear examples that help to suppress the emotions of the characters in these novels are the depressing settings and the relationships they form with other characters in the story. In Ethan Frome, Ethan lives in the dreary New England town of Starkfield, caring for his sickly and abusive wife, Zeena, all while developing feelings for her newly arrived cousin, Mattie. Throughout the novel, Ethan expresses his love for Mattie to himself, never to her or anyone else directly until the end of the story. This has lead Ethan to become a shell of a...
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...The Rude Realizations of Russian Romantics “How strangely, how mysteriously does fate play with us! Everything seems to happen contrary to our hopes and expectation” (Gogol 200). These words of jaded exasperation embody the main idea found in the works of Russian writers Nicolai Gogol and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. While it may be debatable whether it was intended as means of reverence or ridicule, Nicolai Gogol’s Nevsky Avenue was redesigned and repurposed by Fyodor Dostoyevsky in his work Notes from Underground. Analogous plot structures and characters are developed by these authors to portray parallel observations and viewpoints regarding the corrupting influence of civilized conformity and the heartless, materialistic nature of society. Gogol’s...
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...describes the sickness that is the fallen human nature. The Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky also wrote about this condition in his novella entitled Notes from Underground. In it, he invents a tale of a man who has fallen victim to the human paradox. Through his novella, Dostoyevsky illustrates a concept that finds itself in alignment with the Biblical perspective of sin. While Notes from Underground as a whole reflects this perspective, the protagonist of the story, The Underground Man, shows little comprehension of it. In 1 John 1:9-10, the apostle John depicts the ubiquitous nature of sin and the necessity of...
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...The Insulted and the Injured, also to critical acclaim. It is the story of a young student of middle-class origins, a person of sensibility and talent, whose life is ruined by the ill will of a cynical aristocrat. The novel features a complicated plot with many separate lines and many characters. This book inspired the leftist critic N. A. Dobroliubov to epitomize Dostoyevsky's leading quality as his "pain for man, his impassioned defense of the moral and human worth of downtrodden people." In 1863 Dostoyevsky promptly disillusioned his supporters in the liberal camp with his next work, "Winter Notes on Summer Impressions," an essay concerning his tour of Europe. In this essay, he attacked the west European dream of the triumph of reason. He resisted the idea...
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...The Underground Railroad led more than 100,000 slaves to freedom during the 19th century. Many of those who have heard about The Underground Railroad do not know exactly the history behind it, where it ran, and who was involved in the movement. The Underground Railroad was a series of safe houses that traveled North towards Canada, and allowed slaves a path to freedom. Individuals who only knew of local efforts to aid the fugitives and not of the whole operation ran it (“Underground Railroad 1”). “George Washington was the first one to realize that a system was in place when one of his slaves got freed with the help of a society” (The Underground Railroad)”. The system started around the end of the 18th century, but ran all throughout the 19th century. Between 1810 and 1850, most of the 100,000 slaves were freed (“The Underground Railroad”). It was a very long and risky path for both the slaves and the northern abolitionists who helped them. If a conflict arouses between them and a slave owner, it was very violent and could be deadly (“The Underground...
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...She remembers taking care of the baby at night, making sure the baby wouldn’t cry. She would have to constantly rock the baby’s cradle so that the baby wouldn’t cry. Every time the the baby’s cry was heard Miss Susan, her slave owner at that time would whip her around the neck. These were the first scars that would remain with her for the rest of her life. At the age of 12, Harriet was considered strong enough to work in the fields. At that age she was hired by a man named Barrett. Harriet would rather work in the fields than to do domestic work. At this age Harriet was strongly determined to gain her freedom at any cost. One day Harriet was going the store when she saw a young man who had gone there with no permission from his overseer. When he returned to the plantation the overseer wanted to whip him. The overseer asked Harriet to help but she denied to. When the young man started to run away, the overseer had picked up a heavy iron weight and threw at the young man. The weight...
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...Deep in an underground cavern, hid a secret demigoddesses who was greatly admired by her underground world of subjects. About 45-50 feet down below in the ground, lived a hidden city in a underground cavern. This cavern is the biggest cavern ever made at the north border of France. The ruler of this underground city lived a secret demigoddesses named Amethyst beau. Her subjects love to called her “Amethyst The Beautiful” because beau means beautiful in french. Many people have heard of this underground cavern city, but only the most highly trusted can enter the cavern. Their also lived a secret scroll that people think is just an old legend, but the demigoddesses herself has the rightful power of this magical scroll. Many UN-loyal subjects have tried to steal the scroll because of its unnamed powers, but nobody ever succeeded and nobody will ever come to know the secret of the scroll. “Your highness,” said Amethyst most trusted guard. “Humans are digging in the eastern part of the east gate and are getting closer to the main east gate to enter your kingdom. What are your orders?” Their sat the goddesses herself,...
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...Sandusky, Ohio is a Great Lakes port town located on the shore of Lake Erie. It has a rich history dating back to wilderness days pre-dating the War of 1812. It has never been a large city but it has always held a central role in the historical events of the nation. Not the least of these was as an important stop for slaves seeking freedom on the Underground Railroad. Sandusky’s Tradition Was Steeped in Anti-Slavery Sentiment Sandusky’s leaders' views against slavery took root early on one of its earliest scions, an opinionated and fearless Irishman named John Beatty who served as Sandusky's Mayor from 1833 to 1836. Beatty carried his unswerving stand against slavery as a public banner. A staunch member of the Sandusky Methodist church, Beatty...
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...Arit Nosa-Igiebor. Humanities 202. Professor Denise Rose. February 20th, 2013. THE MAN WHO LIVED UNDERGROUND. The year the book was first published: The Man Who Lived Underground is a story about a man who makes a home in city sewers after he is falsely accused of a murder. It was written by Richard Wright and was first published in the journal Accent in 1942. It was originally written as a novel, but Wright did not find a publisher for it, so he shortened the story to a length that would be suitable for a magazine. Two years later, the editor Edwin Seaver, a friend and admirer of Wright, included a longer version in an anthology, Cross Section. In 1960 the anthologized version of the story was included in Wright’s collection Eight Men. Since that publication, the story has been consistently and widely anthologized and discussed. Major events that happened: Some of the major events that happened include: World War II also known as the second war.was a global war[->0] that was underway by 1939 and ended in 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's nations[->1]—including all of the great powers[->2]—eventually forming two opposing military[->3] alliances: the Allies[->4] and the Axis[->5]. It was the most widespread war in history, with more than 100 million people serving in military units. ...
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...John Fairfield… scoundrel, con-man, criminal, or hero? You decide. Born into a slaveholding home in Fairfield, Virginia that’s where Fairfield’s hatred for slavery began. John Fairfield was a unique abolitionist, he was the member of the Underground Railroad, used creative ways to help slaves escape to freedom, and he made many enemies along the way. To get the sun shining, John Fairfield was a member of the Underground Railroad so he could help slaves escape. Fairfield was admired yet shocked by his tactics. For example, he charged people for his work, but let’s keep in mind that he never took on quarter for his pocket. Fairfield was a very high profile abolitionist and he was the only one who charged people. In addition, he exploited slaves...
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...was Josiah Henson. Similar to the thousands of African-Americans enslaved during this time, Josiah grew up to be a man. A man who envisioned a life of freedom. And like thousands of slaves during this era, Josiah Henson found this freedom in Upper Canada. *Freedom and hope. Words that had only been thought of and never said by slaves throughout the Americas. With Canada being one of the few places of hope, many fleeing slaves were traveling north in the anticipation of becoming free. During the late 1700’s to the early 1800’s, Upper Canada found itself the safe haven for thousands of African American slaves fleeing from the Americas. With its ruling in 1793, the Act to Limit Slavery permitted any slave who reached Upper Canada to become free upon arrival. Therefore, with the help of many dedicated people, both black and white, all of which risking their lives, the Underground Railroad was created. The Underground Railroad was made up of a secret network of safe houses and routes from the slaveholding American states, all the way to the freedom in Upper Canada. *Then in 1833, the Slavery Abolition Act was established. Despite its creation to abolish slavery throughout the British Empire, the Act merely resulted in the liberation of slaves as it only emancipated...
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