Outline Thus Far

Philosophy Essay Section 1

I) Section 1: My Question and Me

A) Question is nothing new for me

1) Thinking about this for years

(a) Not about inability to control anger

(i) About unawareness that anger can be controlled, crafted into a more constructive emotion

(b) People must work hard to know themselves, those around them

(i) This will work to avoid unnecessary confrontations

2) Around Anger all the time

(a) Friends, family, etc.

(i) Feel sorry for people who don’t realize they can control their anger/emotions

· Could be much happier

3) Wonder why people have to be angry all the time

(a) Never necessary

(b) Always alternative emotions

(i) These would be more constructive

4) Attempting to rid negative anger from my life

(a) Making a conscious effort to stay positive/happy

(i) Somewhat like self-therapy

(b) Want to start confronting others to teach them control

(i) Difference between enthusiasm/competitiveness and getting angry at yourself

II) Section 2: My Question and Literature

A) Compare/Contrast the two stories

1) Man’s Search for Meaning

(a) Shows why not to be angry from the passive side

2) Things Fall Apart

(a) Shows why not to be angry from the aggressive side

B) Man’s Search for Meaning

1) Needed to think positively in order to survive

2) Anger would get them nowhere

(a) Would only cause misery

3) Needed to keep reminding themselves that they could survive, though they still needed to accept the fact that they would never escape

(a) Suicide was futile, pointless

C) Things Fall Apart

1) Anger only leads to bad things

(a) Beats His wife during the week of peace

(i) Causes irreparable damage to his reputation

(b) Tribesmen burn church to the ground because they are angry about the unmasking of an egwugwu

(i) Causes the leaders of the tribe to be thrown in jail

(c) Okwonkwo attacks the messenger, and kills him

(i) Leads to his realization that resistance is futile

(ii) Ends up hanging himself

III) Section 3: My Question and a Philosopher or 2

A) Marcus Aurelius

1) Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

(a) Thoughts and Reflections

(b) Embraced stoicism

(i) Source of Guidance and self-improvement

(c) Wiki: He claims that the only way a man can be harmed by others is to allow his reaction to overpower him. Rationality and clear-mindedness allow one to live in harmony with the logos. This allows one to rise above faulty perceptions of "good" and "bad."

IV) Section 4: A Dialogue

V) Section 5: A Summation