1. What is the narrator’s purpose in writing these “confessions”? How do you know?
2. For Rousseau, what is the relationship between feeling and thinking?
3. How does Rousseau describe his childhood? What significance can we draw from this description
4. Why do you think Rousseau chooses to include the anecdote about stealing from his employer?
5. Using your own language, how would you describe the narrator, given his self-presentation in The Confessions?
The narrator’s purpose in writing the “confessions” is to explain his own story to some of his critics. Rousseau is hoping to absolve himself of guilt for moments he views as failings in his life. The preface to Confessions tells us that he left all 5 of his children in an orphanage, but at the same time he was very critical and outspoken of the way children were educated and raised. When the public found this out, Rousseau was seen as a hypocrite. He wrote confessions in response to the public outcry over this. What I found interesting is that he doesn’t address any of this in Confessions, but instead he described stealing from his employer as his greatest and most shameful moment that shaped who he became. Maybe he was using this moment to explain why he abandoned his children, and that he compared his future moral failings to this moment and viewed later transgressions in his life with less guilt.
Rousseau makes a clear connection between feelings and thinking. As he being the educated writer and philosopher that he is, Rousseau understands that feelings come first before we think about and realize why we are feeling that way. He connects this reasoning with youth. Rousseau claims that because of the feelings that were produced as children when we encountered a certain situation, we are able to make connections and think about why we feel that way as an adult as well. In other words, children have feelings but fail to think about why they are feeling that way; They only react. However, as an adult, the same person may feel the same way in that certain situation, but is now able to think about why that feeling occurs, and perhaps, react differently.
1. What is the narrator’s purpose in writing these “confessions”? How do you know?
Rousseau wrote these “confessions” with the purpose of explaining some of the things that happened in his life and explain some of his mistakes and the way he thinks. I think that the need to write these is to put reason behind some of the things that he has done in his life and allow people to see why he has made some of the decisions he has made and why he has made the mistakes he has made.
The narrator’s purpose in writing these “confessions,” is to explain his embarrassing experience of his life and his imperfections. Rousseau wanted to present to society during that time how childhood experiences may shape up the adulthood in the later future. The definition of the word confessions is to admit that one is guilty of an action, and Rousseau is a influential philosopher, who wanted to express his content of introducing his life experiences. The main point is that Rousseau’s past mistakes and wrongdoings were key to developing/shaping into who he truly was; One should confess their poor decisions in life and make better decisions moving forward to feel better about themselves/ to be a better person.
1. What is the narrator’s purpose in writing these “confessions”? How do you know?
Through writing the first modern autobiography, Rousseau attempts to explain himself to an audience who he is hoping after reading will be able to understand the decisions he made in his lifetime. He begins by differentiating himself from other men, stating that he was “not made like any that exist”. He then goes on to state how this is a true account of his life, and that he is including both the positive and negative aspects of both his life and himself. He mentions that this is an honest version of his life and repeats it several times, making it clear that it is very important to him that the reader know this. He ends his introduction of sorts by declaring that after reading it no man would be able to say that he was “better than that man”, similar to the biblical-” Those who have not sinned, throw the first stone”. This introduction is a response to it becoming public knowledge that all five of his children were abandoned in orphanages although at the time he was very vocal about the way he believed children should be raised and educated. He used his autobiography to try to refrain from a hypocritical image and try to explain to the public the reasoning behind the actions he took.
What is the narrator’s purpose in writing these “confessions”? How do you know?
I don’t think that Rousseau was trying to set things straight or clear the air with his past but rather just reflect. I do not think he has any regrets about how things went. Confessions seems to be like a compilation of confessionals of Rousseau reflecting on significant moments in his life and what he was thinking at the time of them. Whether the instances were good or bad he does not show much regret or remorse. He doesn’t ponder on what he felt much either. It is just “this is what happened and this is what i did and that is that”. It is almost like a tell all but without much insight into why he was the way he was. He does not psycho analyze himself or think about things too much. Just says them as it is. It is very conversational.