The Stranger Theme Card

5 Quotes: "Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know..." (pg. 3)
"My whole body tensed and I squeezed my hand around the revolver. The trigger gave..." (pg. 59)
"I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and they greet me with cries of hate." (pg. 123)
"For the first time that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself up to the gentle indifference of the world." (pg. 122)
"'Have you no hope at all? And do you really live with the thought that when you die, you die and nothing remains?' 'Yes,' I said." (pg. 117)

4 Vehicles: Imagery, Irony, Diction, Symbolism

3 Conflicts: Individual vs. Society, Physical stimuli vs. Emotional stimuli, Reason vs. Ideals

3 Subjects: Nihilism, rebellion, religion

2 Themes: True order cannot be created when surrounded by complete chaos, no matter the rationality or reasoning. All people are born to die and are meant for no other purpose than to achieve this goal.

Plot Line: Meursault, a man with little ambition or enthusiasm for the status quo, kills an Arab for no other reason but the sun's presence over him and deals with the harsh reality of a biased trial.

Title: Meursault, an extremely detached person from the world, looks at the visages of life through a window, rather than truly pursuing it. This spectator aspect of the main character provides the meaning of the title The Stranger, for Meursault never truly understands life's purposes until at the door of Death.

Characters: Meursault, Raymond, Marie, Salamano, Maman, Perez, the chaplain, the magistrate, the prosecutor, the Arab.

Stop the SMELL - Quit Smoking!

With more than one billion people smoking around the world, anti-smoking awareness has been on the rise. One commercial ad from Australia produces a catharsis, enabling and suggesting for the amelioration of our future, to stop smoking. Playing with emotions through the usage of a crying child calls into question how important smoking could be to an individual, if it's worth causing throes onto others for their addiction to a substance made up of 4,000 chemical agents and 60 carcinogens, including tar, ammonia, and lead.

The sender of this message is Quit Victoria, an Australian group created in 1985 that is dedicated to the eradication of pain and suffering caused by tobacco. Due to intense advertisement and shocking tactics, Victoria's smoking rates have fallen and also the ban on smoking in workplaces has taken place. The main message wished to be shown and presented to the world is that smoking effects everyone, not just the individual. Suffering is inevitable for all when a loved one is concerned and the smokers' indifference to such consequeneces for their actions will not be tolerated when even the youth are affected.

The young boy's bravado slowly cracks upon realization that his mother has disappeared into the crowd of pedestrians. The commerical ends with the boy having an anxiety attack, severly searching for his mother, breaking down into tears. When all of this is occuring, the piano accompaniment slowly becomes more pronounced as the commercial progresses, heightening the disquietude and worry experienced by the child.

The language used in this commercial, although diminutive, packs a heavy punch to those being spoken to. The commercial plays on the emotions of parents, especially those with young children but perdure to smoke. Simplistic language, short, blunt questions, drop the cold hard facts and reveal the severity of the truth. Causing the population to question their actions, if their child's potential trauma is worth an addiction that can be easily abdicated.

Regardless of the amount of people that have stopped smoking since the start of Quit Victoria, results are not yet desireable; The brutal effects smoking has on those around us holds no bounds. Despite the good intentions of such commercials provoking self-actualization, people are still offended by the stalwart questions and images used within the commercial, using the human instinct to protect children against those who pursure smoking. The Australian Advertising Standards Bureau received 65+ complaints for the commercial, surprisingly giving it the echelon of 5th most controversial of 2008.


amelioration: improvement
throes: upheaval, tumult, chaos, turmoil
eradication: removal
bravado: a real or pretended show of courage or boldness
disquietude: state of uneasiness
diminutive: small; little; tiny
perdure: to continue or last permanently; endure
abdicated: to give up or renounce
stalwart: firm, steadfast, or uncompromising
echelon: a level of command, authority, or rank

Late Start Ritual (Sestina)

The morning begins with the rising sun.
The couple ventures out to get a drink
by the use of a compact blue car.
The girl feels used and played like a toy
and sees the future filled with tears--
over the horizon, a looming silence.

Not even a minute into the ride, the silence
consumes the atmosphere inhabited by the sun
leading the girl to break down into tears
for what the boy thinks is just a trip for a drink,
not knowing the girl feels like an abused toy
whose only purpose is to drive the car.

Acting as a shield and barrier, the car
protects the girl from utter and complete silence
with the tick-tick-ticking engine from a toy
driving straight towards a raging sun.
An innocent drive to get a soda drink
has now begot hot hurt and cold confused tears.

"Why are your eyes brimming with tears?
You aren't fit to be driving a car,
Just park here, and we can get a drink,"
the boy said to break the still silence.
The girl shook her head. With disapproval the sun
frowns and looks down unto the battered toy.

"No. I don't know why you care for a toy.
You shouldn't have to deal with tears,"
cried the girl, once as bright as the sun.
Putting the vehicle in park, she stopped the car.
"I don't want to sit in silence,
We came here to get a drink

So let's go get some Dr. Dew to drink,
Don't you dare think you are a toy.
Stop leaving me alone in this silence.
Stop crying. You're beautiful. Stop the tears,"
the boy said pulling the girl out of the car
into the light of the radiant sun.

The cascading tears stopped at the sight of the sun.
His smile broke the silence of the dead car.
Not another toy, the couple went and shared a drink.

I saw him

Under the dark lights pulsating to the crowd,
I saw him.
Peach parfait skin with ferrari black hair,
His haute chocolate eyes pierced my soul.
Recovery was not an option,
My heart was captive to this Calvin Klein chapel of love.
He sent my heartbeat skyrocketing,
Freezing time with his always ascher gaze locked on me.
He had me under his radar within seconds,
My heart racing rubies throughout my body.
The luminous moon illuminated his skin
Giving a china glaze to the slate of perfection.
His very essence, his cool silver ice demeanor
Matched with a paradiso inferno gaze,
A walking contradiction of hot and cold,
Stole my heart and my breath away.
Not a single word exchanged or spoken,
Our destinies intertwined,
The pieces were set in motion.
The love story began when Romeo and Juliet met.