The Human Condition

The Human Condition

I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in –

Mickey Newbury

Definition

• The positive and negative aspects of existence as a human being, especially the inevitable events such as birth, childhood, adolescence, love, sex, reproduction, aging, and death – Dictionary.Reference.com

Various Theories

The human’s capacity for good and evilThe ultimate concerns with existence –

meaning, loneliness, freedom, and mortality – D. Yalom

“ "the agonizing, underlying, core, real question in all of human life, [is] are humans good or are we possibly the terrible mistake that all the evidence seems to unequivocally indicate we might be?“ – Jeremy Griffith

Meaning of Life

Loneliness

Mortality

The Human Condition in Literature

• Addressing the human condition is what separates literature from pulp fiction

• The discussion of the human condition is any thematic concern about human nature, human society or how we live our lives. In other words, it's about the fundamental issues of human existence. One of literature's central concerns is to comment on these issues.

Theme and the Human Condition

• If you are asked to make a theme statement about a piece of writing, the easiest way to identify a theme is to look for some challenge to the human condition. Look for common problems that any person - you included - might face sometime in his or her life.

Theme and the Human Condition Continued

• Some authors will merely describe these issues, while others will provide their particular perspective and beliefs.

Here are some examples

• How do we deal with death?• How do we deal with alienation from those

around us?• Are we naturally evil or good?• Are we selfish or altruistic?• What's the best way to live together?• Is civilization positive or negative?

In your war poetry essay conclusion

• Ask yourself – what do my poems say about the human condition?

• Think about the tone – bleak, comforting, depressing, hopeful – and you will have a big clue to help you answer that question.

• Think about the poet’s purpose or meaning in the poem. What point is he trying to make to his readers about the human condition?

What is the theme?