Essay on Ecce Homo

Ecce Homo by Nietzsche is ironically a reflection of himself. It is extremely sarcastic and is a reflection of himself as a writer and philosopher in a self-deprecatory manner . The book is as though he is putting his life on trial to which the title alludes. The words "ecce homo" (behold, the man) were proclaimed by Pontius Pilate in the New Testament of the Bible when he gave up Jesus to the Jews to have them do what they liked with him. Likewise Nietzsche is giving himself up to his readers and explaining himself. Nietzsche is attempting in his book to show that he is equal to all other men. This is obviously apparent when he describes himself as a Dionysian. The usage of Dionysian is an attempt to show that he is equal to all other men in his exploration of self; this stems from the Greek meaning of Dionysian. Additionally Nietzsche offers his own perspective on himself as a philosopher, author and human being. He writes on page 7, "Under these circumstances I have a duty against which my habits, even more the pride of my instincts, revolt at bottom — namely, to say: Hear me! For I am such and such a person. Above all, do not mistake me for someone else!" He goes on in the first three chapters judging himself. The latter half of Nietzsche's book deals with reviews and criticisms of his various works including: The Birth of Tragedy, The Untimely Meditations, Human, All Too Human, The Dawn, The Gay Science, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Beyond Good and Evil, On the Genealogy of Morality, Twilight of the Idols and The Case of Wagner. It's is interesting the way he writes about himself, but I don't find it worthy of much comment. The final chapter of Ecce Homo, Nietzsche gives a scathing review of Christianity. On page 112 Nietzsche writes, "The weak and the misfits shall perish: first tenet of our love of man. And we should even help them to do so. What is more harmful than any vice? Active sympathy for all the misfits and the weak — Christianity..." He goes on