comment on sophia's

Wendell Pfeffer

Comment on Sophia’s

Sophia I actually really liked the opening statement of your term paper. I like how you relate his actions with religion and how when he commits the murder “assumes all powers of god.” The idea of religion is really unique I never would have thought about that idea. This is definitely not an easy paper to write but it seems that you have a good grasp on everything.

Term paper - part 1

Wendell Pfeffer

4/6/14

Term Paper part 1

Wendell Pfeffer

4/6/14

Term Paper part 1

            The sheer power of guilt can be chaotic to the human brain, however in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment Raskolnikovs change in character is not driven solely by pure guilt but by the possibility of being physically punished as well. The psychology of why Raskolnikov ever committed the murder in the first place relates to the concept of tablerosa. Although each and every human is born with a clean slate or tablerosa we have always had a tendency to commit to doing violent things. We find pleasure from killing, hurting and destroying things. Since the beginning of our time each and every human has fulfilled this desire of violence through war and fighting etc. Now even though we have evolved into more sophisticated human beings violence is still brought up through common sports such as football, soccer, and MMA etc. Don’t get me wrong war is still a common thing in our time but the reasons aren’t sufficient. Back then men went to war to save their home country from extermination not corrupt politicians. 
             Going back to nineteenth century Russia, Raskolnikov thought that he was wasting his time and thought that he needed to do something that benefitted everyone. He believed that he can make society a better place if he gets rid of the pawnbroker lady. The pawnbroker lady had been basically stealing poor peoples possession’s by offering an incredibly low price. A price that seemed incredibly unfair for the seller but suitable for her. She had no feelings of contempt for the lower classes coming to her door and selling their items. Raskolnikov was one of her victims and he felt cheated. Knowing that her death will create a positive atmosphere among his society he feels it is okay to kill her. Raskolnikov kills her but does so without a clear conscious. He doesn’t think about the possible consequences to his actions. The reason for this also lies behind the idea that I discussed earlier about the psychology of the human brain. Yes the pawnbroker lady was screwing him and everyone else over but the main concept here lies behind our natural behavior. He killed her because he had the desire to do so. If he didn’t have such a great desire to commit a violence act then he would have thought out the consequences to the crime he was about to commit. Raskolnikov didn’t do that and thus when he committed the murder realized the seriousness of his position. He didn’t know exactly what was going to happen to him following the crime and worse didn’t know what his friends and family were going to think of him. All he knew was that the outcome was not going to be good if he was found guilty of the murders. As a result this put him into a state of desperation. He kept thinking over the details of the crime hoping that there wasn’t any evidence to convict him. Unfortunately, Raskolnikov couldn’t take it and thus was left delirious while lying in bed for a good couple of days.

Intro

      Raskolnikov has always been a prideful man, prideful enough to reject God. After the murder Raskolnikov is overcome by his guilt knowing that he has committed one of the greatest sins. He chooses to ignore God and live in sin until Sonya reassures his faith in God and helps Raskolnikov confess his faults. Before Raskolnikov perpetrated the murder, he had never alluded to believing or following any sort of religion. The thought of eternal punishment or a "God-like" figure never came across his mind as he thought of his hatred towards the old pawn broker, Alyona Ivanovna. Raskolnikov was enraged by the thought that this women had so much money which could ultimately benefit so many of the unprivileged members of society. Captivated by his anger towards her lack of selfness, Raskolnikov convinces himself that he is doing his city a favor by murdering "the old louse". Raskolnikov then assumes all powers of God himself as he takes matters into his own hands and decides when one deserves to live or die. Needless to say, the guilt eventually begins to plagues Raskolnikov as the news of the murder circulates the town. Raskolnikov is now petrified that people will suspect him of the murder. He abandons the idea of taking the money for those who need it and leaves all of the expensive items behind; defeating the whole purpose of the murder in the first place. His mental instability worsens causing Raskolnikov to become physically ill due to his inability to cope with his spontaneous maneuver to get rid of the old pawn broker. At this point, Raskolnikov has lost all connection with not only himself, but God as well. When others inquired about his religious standpoint Raskolnikov always claimed to be a strong believer of God, but never acted upon this claim. He enables himself to isolation from most of his friends and family as he battles with his own conscious. Eventually, Raskolnikov knows that he can not continue to live in this manner. He is now desperate for salvation and longing to clear his conscious. Raskolnikov finds himself caught between Svidrigailov and Sonya. The two have complete contrasting intentions for Raskolnikov but he is determined to end this situation the righteous way. Together with the help of Sonya, Raskolnikov is able to confess his sins and restore his neglected relationship with God after having cleansed his conscious once and for all. 

Comment on Davis

     I think you did a good job with your first body paragraph. You stated your argument without summarizing the plot of the book. You wrote about all the details and events that cause Raskolnikov to basically go insane, which is all due to his guilt. Besides describing the immense guilt Raskolnikov had to bear, you also mention the thoughts he developed in order to help himself feel as if he did the right thing. Raskolnikov attempts to convince himself that he is a hero and not a murderer, but towards the end of the day he cant deny the fact that he killed an innocent old lady, resulting a guilty conscious that eventually adds up to his mental instability.

Body Paragraph 1

From the beginning of the novel, readers are made aware of the power of guilt both within the novel as a theme as well as in the mind of Raskonikov, a representation of a guilty conscience. What is odd, however, is that the act that causes the guilt is not only premeditated, but intricately planned and discussed within Raskolnikov’s mind. This not only demonstrates the main character’s obvious mental instability, but it raises doubt about the guilt in question. Having thought through the murder of the old pawn lady in such a detailed manner, the question of why Raskolnikov feels guilty cannot help but come into mind. After all, he visited the scene of the crime several times before the actual murder, decided how actually it would happen, and eventually stated he would “‘Kill her and take her money, so that afterwards with its help you can devote yourself to the service of all mankind and the common cause(66)”. The full magnitude of what he has actually just done, meaning the murder, has clearly not been solidified in Raskolnikov’s mind just quite yet, not nearly as much as it will in later portions of the book. At the beginning of the novel, the deranged Raskolnikov is still trying to tell himself that what he did was the right thing to do. Whether readers agree that the old pawn lady is an innocent bystander of a lunatic’s rathe or a greedy individual who had it coming from someone else if not Raskolnikov, surely it can be agreed upon that murder may not be the best of methods to deal with the problem. Raskolnikov, however, still tries to convince himsel of thise, assumably to offset the guilt that would soon destroy his life saying “Of course, she doesn’t deserve to be alive(66).” By making this statement, Raskolnikov demonstrates to readers that he still has a relatively strong grasp on what he is actually doing, meaning that had he been in a murder trial at this instant in the book, he most likely would have been found guilty for the murder as it was premeditated by a well-spoken, clearly intelligent Raskolnikov whose mental state has yet to fall into a state of delusion. Later points in the story, however, would surely result in a different verdict. Undoubtedly the trial would still find Raskolnikov guilty of the murder, but the jurors would plainly see a deranged lunatic who killed for no reason as they would be incapable to tell that it was truly the guilt that made Raskolnikov into this entirely different person, much different than the country student trying to make it in St. Petersburg that he presented himself at the commencement of the novel. 

Outline

detailed outline

Wendell Pfeffer

3/2/14

The sheer power of guilt can be chaotic to the human brain, however in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment Raskolnikovs change in character is not driven solely by pure guilt but by the possibility of being physical punished as well.

Outline:

1.     Humans are born into a state of violence, which makes peace almost impossible for us to attain. We find pleasure from killing, hurting and destroying things.

a.     Raskolnikov realizes that he is wasting his time.

b.     He believes that he can make society a better place if he gets rid of the pawnbroker lady.

c.      He kills her but does so without a clear conscious. He doesn’t think out the possible consequences to his actions.

2.     Raskolnikovs character completely changes as he thinks over the consequences to his actions.

a.     What if the police find out he committed the murder let alone his family, what will they think?

b.     He goes into a state of paranoia as he over thinks every detail of the crime.

c.      He becomes afraid that he will be thrown in a Siberian prison and thus becomes delirious, sick and mentally ill. He stays in bed for the next couple of days.

3.     People are beginning to become suspicious of Raskolnikov due to his change in character and bizarre behavior, especially Porfiry.

a.     Every time anybody brings up the topic of the murder Raskolnikov turns pale and begins to act in a strange manner.

b.     He goes and visits Porfiry and almost makes it evident that he is guilty.

c.      He Leaves in a disturbed state realizing that he is in trouble

4.     Downfall

a.     He gets called into Porfirys office and goes into a state of frenzy.

b.     A man named Nikolai falsely confesses to the murders.

c.      Raskolnikov finds relief and believes for a short time that he is decisively a free man, he will not have to suffer from any physical punishment.

d.     Porfiry visits him and tells him that he is the murderer and if he confesses his punishment will be taken less severely.

e.     He thinks it through and with Sonya’s help confesses to the murders.

f.      Raskolnikov never really cared about the people he killed. All he really cared about was himself and his fate. The aftermath of his crime would have gone much smoother if he knew there wouldn’t be any punishment afterwards.