Existentialism: AP Literature and Composition

       Existentialism is the philosophical theory that an individual has free control over their choices, actions, and their existence in the world. This allows for a person to determine their own development through free will.

      The theory of existentialism exists in Beowulf, the poem. While chaos and adversity is happening in the poem, Beowulf knows he has control over his actions and chooses to help better the existence of the world for himself as well as better the lives of other people. Beowulf knows he is great and most people know that he was a hero, his actions throughout his life were determined by his very own choices which helped him develop his heroic figure. Even though the task of defeating Grendel might cause his own death, it is his personal goal to kill him off. 

"None of them expected he would ever see

his homeland again or get back

to his native place and the people who reared him.

They knew too well the way it was before,

how often the Danes had fallen prey

to death in the mead-hall"(691-696.)

     Chris McCandless had been a recently graduated college student who would have been well off if he chose to live out his life that his parents helped set up for him. He left everything behind except for a few essential items that would only last him a little while. In Into The Wild, his story was shown to the world and through it, existentialism is clear. McCandless was in search of the meaning of his existence. It was his own choice to venture of into the wild even though it was fatal. He was trying to develop his sense of self through an existential search once he left everything he had ever had in front of him and left.  

      “At long last he was unencumbered, emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security and material excess, a world in which he felt grievously cut off from the raw throb of existence” (Krakauer.)

Bathos: AP Literature and Composition

      Bathos is a literary effect in which an author heightens the action to be very passionate and intense but then abruptly falls into an absurd or trivial idea or phrase.

      In Rape of The Lock, bathos is used when Pope steals the lock of hair from Belinda. The quote is set up to very intensely describe how triumphant Pope feels when he gets this precious item but the 'glorious prize' turns out to be extremely absurd and trivial because it is merely a lock of hair. “Let wreaths of triumph now my temples twine (The victor cry'd) the glorious Prize is mine!”(Pope, Canto III).

      Bathos is also used when describing the object that did the damage and stole the prized possession from Belinda. "The Peer now spreads the glitt'ring Forfex wide, T' inclose the Lock; now joins it, to divide"(Pope, Canto III). The magnificent 'glittering forfex' is simply just a pair of scissors.

      In The Great Gatsby, bathos is used to characterize how over the top Gatsby is, “Then came the war, old sport. It was a great relief, and I tried very hard to die, but I seemed to bear an enchanted life” (Fitzgerald, 66). The war is a harsh time but Gatsby abruptly brings up how wonderful his life is now after stating how he wanted to commit suicide.He wanted people to have sympathy towards him so they would believe his feigned story about his life.