cool hand luke study questions
William Dugan
English 216: Literature and Film
Professor Conklin Study Questions on “Sisyphus” and Cool Hand Luke
1. The charges against Sisyphus that earn him his fate are:
a) Having Levity towards the gods, or taking them lightly
b) Stealing the god’s secrets
c) Preferring the beauty of the earth, the sea, over the power and majesty of the gods.
d) Putting death (pluto) in chains.
Sisyphus harbors scorn and resentment towards the gods. He thinks he can get the better of them, as evident by remaining on earth for many years when he told them he wanted to go back to just chastise his wife.
2. Sisyphus is considered absurd because he believed that “what is right” is better and more important then what authority claims. He also preferred life over death, the earth as opposed to the afterlife, he has a passion for life. His passion for life also leads to hatred of death, and his scorn for the gods. Sisyphus’ attitude towards his fate is that he becomes one with his task, his makes the rock his own. His consciousness and lucidity of what he is doing allows him to see his fate as something other than hopeless and futile, he is stronger than the rock. Sisyphus makes his fate a human matter, not one the gods can control.
3. There are so many parallels that we workers today can draw between Sisyphus and ourselves. The jobs that many of us work are about service, service to people who very often are rude to us and see themselves as our superiors. I know I’m not the only one who has worked half of their shift, looked at the clock, and felt a sinking feeling thinking of the hours to go. Our labor seems endless and hopeless, I’m a barista at Starbucks, and sometimes when I see a line out our door I just think about how there will always be customers, there will never be a point where we have served enough people, then it’s over, it will go on and on without variation, there are breaks but always another task ahead.
4. If we imagine Sisyphus as happy
English 216: Literature and Film
Professor Conklin Study Questions on “Sisyphus” and Cool Hand Luke
1. The charges against Sisyphus that earn him his fate are:
a) Having Levity towards the gods, or taking them lightly
b) Stealing the god’s secrets
c) Preferring the beauty of the earth, the sea, over the power and majesty of the gods.
d) Putting death (pluto) in chains.
Sisyphus harbors scorn and resentment towards the gods. He thinks he can get the better of them, as evident by remaining on earth for many years when he told them he wanted to go back to just chastise his wife.
2. Sisyphus is considered absurd because he believed that “what is right” is better and more important then what authority claims. He also preferred life over death, the earth as opposed to the afterlife, he has a passion for life. His passion for life also leads to hatred of death, and his scorn for the gods. Sisyphus’ attitude towards his fate is that he becomes one with his task, his makes the rock his own. His consciousness and lucidity of what he is doing allows him to see his fate as something other than hopeless and futile, he is stronger than the rock. Sisyphus makes his fate a human matter, not one the gods can control.
3. There are so many parallels that we workers today can draw between Sisyphus and ourselves. The jobs that many of us work are about service, service to people who very often are rude to us and see themselves as our superiors. I know I’m not the only one who has worked half of their shift, looked at the clock, and felt a sinking feeling thinking of the hours to go. Our labor seems endless and hopeless, I’m a barista at Starbucks, and sometimes when I see a line out our door I just think about how there will always be customers, there will never be a point where we have served enough people, then it’s over, it will go on and on without variation, there are breaks but always another task ahead.
4. If we imagine Sisyphus as happy