Reading Questions for Sartre

(1) Autobiography and biography look at a life as an expression of ideas, values, influences, etc. Which of these stand out most to you in Sartre’s autobiography?

(2) Given that Sartre grew up to be a famous author, playwright, and philosopher, what in his childhood might foreshadow his adult life?

(3) As mentioned in the Ethics section, Sartre has argued strongly that heredity and environment are only influences on us if we choose to let them influence us, and that as adults we can always go back and “rechoose” how we respond to those influences. Which of the events of his early life do you think Sartre might have reevaluated as a grown man writing his autobiography? In other words, might he have felt differently about the absence of a father or other events as a child than he suggests in looking back at his childhood from the perspective of an adult?

(Threaded Discussion Question) Think about the events of your own life. Briefly discuss one event of your life and how you think it expresses “YOU.” Alternative: If you would prefer to share that only with the instructor, you may e-mail your autobiographical analysis to the instructor and post a “biographical” analysis instead—briefly discuss one event of someone else’s life and explain how it might express him or her.