I just finished my last journal for the book we had to read in AP Literature, Crime & Punishment....I don't know if I've ever been happier in my life. I really didn't enjoy that book. For this last journal entry, we had to write about the themes in the book. Here is a section of what I was thinking about this week. I finally got it down on paper :)
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Whether or not the ends justify the means has been a concept wrestled with for centuries. Raskolnikov [the main character in the book, he commits two murders and struggles with psychological punishment] believes wholeheartedly in this concept, as he believes that by killing Alyona Ivanovna he will be able to spread her wealth and will remove a stain from his society. This seems to make logical sense, but then he must kill Lizaveta Ivanovna, and this adds great severity to the situation. Now, he has killed an innocent woman and he must pay the consequences. This brings into question the ability of man to kill. At what point will we revert to our basic, animalistic instincts? I believe that when in a situation that forces us to act in a split second and quickly decide between saving ourselves or saving someone else, we will choose our selves. Not necessarily always, or for everyone, is this true, but this is always in our minds. We are truly animals and therefore our instinct will always be to protect ourselves and those we love. To become civilized is to learn to act outside these instincts. Being cultured, being religious, being intelligent, all these things give us a reason to act outside instinct. Creating a civilization and a society in which we live for more that just survival has given us a way to develop into more than just animals. However, this concept of civilization brings into consideration another aspect of the human mind, the need for advancement, but as Fyodor Dostoevsky said, "That might be the subject of a new story, but our present story is ended."
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Just some light thinking ;)
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