Simone de Beauvoir, French writer and philosopher, led an interesting and controversial life. Though categorized as a feminist, Beauvoir did not refer to or categorize herself as such until much later in life, and paved the way for women in France in the 20th century by starting a movement for women to be more equal with men. Because of this, women across the world have had better opportunities, though their struggle continues.
Background
Simone de Beauvoir was born on January 9, 1908 in Paris, France. She was the eldest daughter of George Bertand de Beauvoir and Francoise Brasseur de Beauvoir. Simone’s father earned a degree in law and worked as a civil servant, but had dreams of pursing acting, which he never accomplished. George de Beauvoir
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During World War II, the Nazi invasion of France and occupation of Paris fundamentally changed daily life for Parisians, and stripped de Beauvoir of her occupation and lover. Jean-Paul Sartre was captured and held prisoner by the Germans for 9 months. De Beauvoir was deeply saddened, and wrote many letters to Sartre during this time. The war had a major impact Simone de Beauvoir’s existentialist philosophy. De Beauvoir states that we “exist,” “we are here.” De Beauvoir believed that life should be lived to the fullest and that decisions made without knowing outcomes defines “freedom.” Simone de Beauvoir often wrote about the human struggle to be free, and what this means. World War II was a dark time which changed the Parisian view of life. Parisians focused on daily survival, awaiting the return of loved ones. De Beauvoir’s philosophy reflects this.
Philosophy
De Beauvoir was an existentialist philosopher. The Oxford Dictionary defines the word existentialism as “A philosophical theory or approach that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will.” (Oxford Dictionary, n.d.) De Beauvoir focused on the human struggle to be free. She believed that to be human is to be free, and to be free is to make choices. (Cecil, 2012). De Beauvoir argues that the choices are specific to the individual. (Cecil,
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D. (2011). The Second Sex (1st ed., Vol. 11) [Ebook]. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
Cecil, W. (2012). Life and Philosophy of Simone de Beauvior. Modern Philosophers Lecture Series. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efWqbzRB-1k&feature=youtu.be.
Definition of existentialism in English:. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2016, from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/existentialism
Dolske, G. (2014). Existential Destruction: de Beauvoir's Fictional Portrayal of Woman's Situation. Women's Studies, 43(2), 155-169. doi:10.1080/00497878.2014.863104
Maguire, L. (2016). Simone de Beauvoir. Retrieved April 25, 2016, from http://www.philosophytalk.org/community/blog/laura-maguire/2015/04/simone-de-beauvoir
Mussett, S. (2016). Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved April 20, 2016, from http://www.iep.utm.edu/beauvoir/
Scarth, F. (2004). The Other Within: Ethics, politics, and the body in Simone de Beauvoir. Lanham, MD: Rowman &
You always hear about the events that occurred during WWII in Germany, but you never really hear about the terrible things that happened in France. The essay is based off of the book “Sarah's Key”, this story told about the events that occurred in France during WWII. This essay will first provide historical context about France during WWII. This essay will then provide a brief summary of “Sarah’s Key” by Tatiana de Rosany. Finally, this essay I'll analyze the themes in the book: loss of innocence and human suffering.
Review of a Half-French Essay The essay by Gretchen van Slyke “Women at War: Skirting the Issue in the French Revolution” is an interesting essay, but for common readers this is not an essay for them, for there is French phrases that may not be commonly known. This essay was written for L’Esprit Créateur a journal that specializes on “Exploring all periods of French literature and thought …” (The John Hopkins). Even with all of the French phrases one is able to get the gist of the article.
The twentieth century was being turned on its head as the civility of wars, we're focusing on a broader spectrum; the world, the ideologies that were once known for centuries had to question the cultural norms, and a woman was changing the world’s longstanding views of them. In the midst of the ever impending world, yet, one trial in France was attracting the attention of its people, that the problems surrounding the world, seemed less significant. The name Henriette Caillaux plastered on every front page of the French newspaper, as she had come on trial for murder. Caillaux had murdered her husband’s longtime enemy, Gaston Calmette after Calmette published a letter from her husband and his first wife in his paper Le Figaro. Calmette had sparked
Throughout history, women have constantly been objectified and forced into submission by the male dominated society. Simone de Beauvoir’s philosophical work, The Second Sex, echoes the intense oppression of women and reflects the first wave feminist movement. Her existentialist decoding of genders resulted in the idea of the Other, which explores the phenomenon of women forced into the role of an object, while men are the subject. In the second chapter, “The Girl”, Beauvoir further studies the idea of this oppression during one’s transition from a girl into a woman. Beauvoir states that no matter how much freedom and sense of self a girl holds, she is always forced into the role of the Other in society. Beauvoir 's idea of the Other held
Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir, more commonly known as Simone de Beauvoir, was a French writer, intellectual, existentialist philosopher, and political activist, feminist and social theorist. She was born to a respected bourgeois family in Raspail in Paris. During the early years of her life Beauvoir managed to complete her bachelorette in mathematics and philosophy. Later in life, Beauvoir met and shared her life with Jean Paul Sartre. Beauvoir was not the writer of one but many literary works that had a profound influence on many readers and other feminist thinkers. Some of her best works include, L'Amérique au jour de jour (America Day by Day), which talks about the social problems, class inequalities and racial problems
The basis of De Beauvoir’s principle argument can be found in the first section of part three (The Aesthetic Attitude) when she writes, “every man has to do with other men”. The meaning of human existence cannot simply be
The Merriam – Webster Dictionary defines existentialism as a chiefly 20th century philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines but centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad (Merriam, 2011). In other words, an existentialist believes that our natures are the natures we make for ourselves, the meaning of our existence is that we just exist and there may or may not be a meaning for the existence, and we have to individually decide what is right or wrong and good or bad for ourselves. No one can answer any of those things for us. A good
Existentialism is a philosophy that puts emphasis on the existence of a person’s freedom or life. In a human point of view, it means to believe in oneself, not a group or religion. (33)
Beauvoir states, “…hence, freedom takes a positive and constructive step which causes being to pass to existence…” Although individuals enter into a pre-made world, they create their own identity through their choices and actions. According to Beauvoir, “… actually it is not a question of giving men time and happiness, it is not a question of stopping the movement of life: it is a question of fulfilling it.” Free beings should value their lives and thus, live life instead of standing by. Therefore, Beauvoir asserts that it is important how individuals spend their lives, not how much time they have. If people do not value their lives, which encompasses the desire to make their own choices, they will allow others to dictate and oppress them.
653. This is the same mindset that Sartre applies to the anti-Semite- the refusal to consider the complexity of the world in favor of a system that provides easy answers to all life’s questions. Only, unlike the anti-Semite, the woman is turning her hatred inward; does she hate herself because she fears freedom or because she feels she is not worthy of it? De Beauvoir seems to believe that fear is the primary cause for this willing dependency. She cites the psychoanalytic view that women’s obsession with love does not comes from a desire for men at all, but from a desire to return to the secure dependency of childhood. This explains the lifelong refuge some women take in infantile (“cute”) behavior and appearance, but psychoanalytic explanations for human behavior have proven to be far less than perfect, and a woman’s self-worth (or, in this case, lack thereof) has far more complex roots than a Freudian theorem.
Existentialism is a philosophy in which people believe that their actions determine their own expansion as a person. The Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia states, “Sartre nevertheless insisted that his existentialism is a form of humanism, and he strongly emphasized human freedom, choice, and responsibility”
Jean Paul Sartre is a philosopher that supports the philosophy of existentialism. Existentialism is a twentieth century philosophy that denies any crucial human nature and embraces that each of us produces our own essence through our free actions. Existentialists like Sartre believe there isn’t a God that determines people’s nature. So, existentialists believe that humans have no purpose or nature except the ones that they create for themselves. We are free and responsible for what we are and our engagements; even though we are mindful that this can cause agony.
The following text comes from Simone de Beauvoir called “The Second Sex,” which discusses the ideas of the feminist
Some critics' opinions, Simon de Beauvoir: “ I identified myself passionately with Jo, I shared her horror of sewing and housekeeping and I shared her love of books “
Existentialism is a Humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre, was published in 1945 at the height of Existentialism's cultural resurgence. As Sartre states in his opening line, his purpose is to “offer a defence of existentialism against some charges that have been brought against it.” (Sartre, 1945) At a time where Existentialism was heavily associated with wearing black and smoking (Fahlenbrach, 2012) Sartre felt the need to draw attention to its philosophical and more meaningful aspects, beyond it simply being a passing trend. Sartre outlines, “Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself. That is the first principle of existentialism” (Sartre, 1945) This is rooted in what Sartre believes to be the basis of all Existential