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?
What is the narrator’s purpose in writing these “confessions”? How do you know?
Rousseau purpose in writing these “confessions was mainly to show the different sides of normal human being ( good and evil). Of courses theses confessions were published after his death. Rousseau was not just trying to confess here , the big idea is that all human beings are sinners and all these confessions he brought out to the people and the readers will relate to them in someway. Everyone commits sins like me and do good at the same time but, these events differ from one person to another. He mentioned all the bad and evil things he did since he was a child. From “ peeing into the kettle belonging to one of our neighbours” to stealing a ribbon “I stole it, and since I made little attempt to conceal it”. He basically mentioned everything that he did wrong from his childhood to being an adult not for being sorry, is to show how having a certain childhood will definitely affect your character as an adult. For example, for him being left out without a mother and being raised by his aunt lead him to have sexual attractions towards older women. Rousseau wanted to show his people and readers that the is not the best and perfect example and all these events that occurred during his life are because of his childhood.
I believe Rousseau’s purpose for writing “The Confessions” was to show everyone that he is not really a bad person. He does not really discuss the terrible things he has done in his life, like leaving his five children in an orphanage. He discusses minor wrong doings, so that the readers do not think badly about him. He writes this autobiography as a way to repent his sins and become a saint. He thinks he is worthy of being a saint. He writes about his wrongdoings as a child to tell the readers that the things that happen in one’s childhood shapes the person’s character as an adult. He talks about how his mother died ten days after he was born. The loss of his mother causes him to seek a mother figure in other women as he grows older. The purpose of this autobiography is to make the readers believe that he is confronting all his mistakes, even though he avoids talking about the serious terrible things he has done, so that they believe he is not a terrible person.
Good description, but to work off of that. I think that Rousseau was in denial of how tragic his childhood actually was so he made up in his mind how it could’ve been better and how he would’ve wanted it to be portrayed. Fast forward to his book he is able to re write his life story and make it sound not as bleak and depressing. The point is to come across as someone who is a victim and is atoning for his wrongdoings. I feel as though on the surface he seems a bit shallow but in retrospect deep down I believe he does feel bad about the bad things he’s done in his life.
For Rousseau, the relationship between feeling and thinking can be compared to how we contrast our sense of reason with our primitive instincts. In Confessions he states his feelings came before his thoughts. We are all conditioned and trained to abide by the rules set by our culture, family and government at the expense of our own carnal desires. When Rousseau starts discussing the formative experience he had stealing a ribbon, he let his desire get in the way of making a morally sound decision (admitting he took the ribbon and not blaming it on the girl he liked). Through the use of shame, a tool that people use to make others compliant with rules, Rousseau developed a fear of shame and learned to behave in a proper manner.
There could be several reasons why Rousseau wrote these confessions. For starters when thinking about the word confessions, it’s a Catholic religious practice, a way to admit one’s own wrong doings. Rousseau is admitting that he’s done many shameful acts or sins. He shows that he is not at all a perfect person and like everyone else he’s fallible. He stated,
“Let the trumpet of judgement sound when it will, I will present myself with this book in my hand before the Supreme Judge.”
He expresses that once he dies he will present this book to the Supreme Judge. whether he’s religious or not I’m not sure; but if he is, he knows that only God can decide whether he goes to heaven or hell. I got a sense that he is not afraid of the fate God chooses for him, his life will vindicate the Supreme Judge’s decision.
He also stated,
“I entreat you, in the name of my misfortunes, of your compassion, and of all humankind, not to destroy a unique and useful work, which may serve as a first point of comparison in the study of man that certainly is to be begun.”
Here he shows that what he wrote is different than what has previously been written about in the past. He is someone who is well versed in several books as we know from his childhood, and sees the potential that Confessions have, for it’s uniqueness. He says it could be useful for the study of man. It has indeed been studied several years later. When he says the study of man he doesn’t mean in a biological sense, but in the psychological.
Why do you think Rousseau chooses to include the anecdote about stealing from his employer?
I believe Rosseau chose to include the anecdote about the stealing, because that incident was a significant part of his life. He explains how that one incident served as a guide to him, so that he never thought of committing such a crime like that ever. Also, like he said, this was a confession, so in order for it to be complete, he had to include all his shortcomings, and this was part of it.
For Rousseau, he definitely put feeling as a priority above thinking. For example, when he describes his childhood, he tends to narrate it a way that shows his feeling of love from his father, aunt and brother, rather than logically thinks about his miserable situation. And I think this feeling may not be the real feeling when the things happen years ago, but rather the feeling that he has when he writes this essays. I don’t think he also feel beloved when he was young. It’s his recollection of the past things that selects only the good things to remember.
For Rousseau, what is the relationship between feeling and thinking?
For Rousseau, feeling is the end all and be all and is ranked much higher than thinking, especially in his own personal life in which he notes that he felt everything and could feel before he could think. He gives the example that he remembers what it felt like to read for the first time and the progression of learning to read, but he doesn’t remember ever learning to read. Most children don’t feel things in such a complex way but Rousseau believed that before we can even think, we feel way before. Rousseau was a writer within the genre Romanticism so it makes sense for him to think more with his heart than logically, since more romantics rely heavily on their feelings, which his own ability to feel made him such a great romantic writer.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s purpose in writing the “Confessions” is not, as the title suggests, to confess a wrongdoing that he has done so that he will not have regrets after death or to clean him from his sins, but rather to show the duality of man. He wants to tell his readers that there are always two sides to a coin: good and evil. He chooses to tell about his act of stealing the ribbon as a way to vindicate the difference between the two. Despite of the relatively evil deed, Rousseau says that he just like any other human being who can do such bad actions but could be justified as good, and ‘confesses’ that he is imperfect just like any other.