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  • Essay / Lightness vs. Weight: Kundera's persuasive argument in The Unbearable Lightness of Being

    The Unbearable Lightness of Being is as much a philosophical work as a fictional story, not following a typical plot. The novel includes several intertwined plots surrounding different characters, with the same events told multiple times from different characters' perspectives. Due to the non-chronological and non-linear nature of the work, it cannot be divided into plot stages. The work can instead be seen as a sort of three-part persuasive essay in which the author, Milan Kundera, attempts to prove his philosophy of "lightness versus weight." Following the three-part persuasive essay template, the author first explains the basic idea behind his philosophy and defines the terms to be used in his essay, then discusses his position and the views of other scholars and once this is established, he refines the argument with fictional characters in whom he has intervened to control their actions and validate his point of view. The first and second parts serve as an "introductory" segment to the three-part essay, putting the reader on equal footing with the author in preparing his argument while establishing his position on the conflict. against weight”. Say no to plagiarism. . Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayKundera claims that eternal return is a false premise in order to explain that our lives cannot have weight because of the the idea of ​​Einmal ist keinmal, which he translates as “what only happens once, might as well not have happened at all.” If we only have one life to live, we might as well not live at all. » (8) He explains this further through the characters of Tomas and Sabina. As Tomas returns to Czechoslovakia to be with Tereza, she attempts to make meaning of his actions and their relationship; however, she ultimately fails because he does not reflect on his past and chooses not to carry that weight. Likewise, Sabina chooses the path of "Lightness", abandoning all aspects of her life that weigh on her, as evidenced by her choice to leave Franz behind as he begins to seek commitment. By bringing this abstract concept to life through these characters, Kundera establishes a solid foundation for his thesis. He then reinforces this concept through the small dictionary of “Misunderstood Words” (89), which allows the reader to become sufficiently familiar with the terms and understand them in a predefined light. Due to the metafictional quality of the work, external scholars are usually referenced, namely Nietzsche and Parmenides, to add a sense of verisimilitude and create a basis for the author's position on the "Light versus Weight" conflict. In Part 3, the author begins to delve into the “Light versus Weight” debate, approaching the subject from several angles. Ironically, at this point, Kundera rejects the theories of Nietzsche and Parmenides in order to elevate his argument by implying that their beliefs and ideas do not apply to the characters in the novel. In this second segment of the novel, the author uses both fictional anecdotes and introspection to tell the story of each character's journey. Additionally, Kundera sometimes steps out of the novel to discuss the actions of these characters and explain how they reflect on his life and the alternative paths he could have taken. Through these self-created examples and his attempts to self-justify his actions, Kundera hopes to persuade the reader to accept his opinions, "but is it not true that an author cannot write than on himself? » (221) As the novel draws to a close,.