"Freedom and Resentment" and Other Essays Literary Elements

Philosophy, Essays

The collection is set in the 20th century, and the essays were written while Strawson was working at the University of Oxford.

The narrator is Strawson, and the point of view is his own personal perspective and opinions on the philosophical topics he addresses in the essays.

The tone of the essays is academic and intellectual, as they are written by a philosopher and address complex philosophical concepts. The mood of the essays may vary depending on the topic being addressed, but overall they have a serious and thoughtful tone.

There is no traditional protagonist or antagonist in the collection, as it is a compilation of essays rather than a narrative with characters.

The major conflict in the collection is the philosophical debate surrounding various concepts and theories, such as determinism, free will, and moral responsibility.

The climax of the collection occurs when Strawson presents his final conclusions on the philosophical debates addressed in the essays. For example, in the essay "Freedom and Resentment," the climax occurs when Strawson argues that moral responsibility is not incompatible with determinism, despite popular belief to the contrary.

Throughout the collection, Strawson hints at his eventual conclusions by presenting counterarguments or alternative perspectives on the topics he addresses. For example, in the essay "Freedom and Resentment," Strawson foreshadows his conclusion by presenting the counterargument that determinism is incompatible with moral responsibility before ultimately rejecting this view.

Strawson uses understatement in the collection to downplay the significance of certain ideas or to emphasize the importance of others. For example, in the essay "Freedom and Resentment," Strawson downplays the significance of the traditional free will/determinism debate by stating that it is "not the central problem of metaphysics" and that it is "a little trivial in comparison with the great metaphysical issues."

Strawson uses allusions to other philosophical works or concepts in the essays in order to build upon or challenge those ideas. For example, in the essay "Freedom and Resentment," Strawson alludes to the philosophy of Immanuel Kant when discussing the concept of moral responsibility.

Strawson uses imagery in the essays to help the reader better understand abstract concepts or to create a more vivid and engaging reading experience. For example, in the essay "Freedom and Resentment," Strawson uses the imagery of a person being pulled in different directions by their own desires and the expectations of others to illustrate the concept of moral responsibility.

Strawson presents paradoxes in the essays as a way of challenging traditional ways of thinking and encouraging readers to consider alternative perspectives. For example, in the essay "Freedom and Resentment," Strawson presents the paradox that moral responsibility is both a necessary condition for the existence of resentment and a concept that is incompatible with determinism.

Strawson uses parallelism in the essays to emphasize the similarity or contrast between different ideas or to create a more structured and cohesive argument. For example, in the essay "Freedom and Resentment," Strawson uses parallelism when discussing the concepts of determinism and moral responsibility by stating that "if determinism is true, then moral responsibility is an illusion; if moral responsibility is real, then determinism is false"

Strawson uses metonymy and synecdoche in the essays to refer to complex concepts or ideas through the use of related words or parts. For example, in the essay "Freedom and Resentment," Strawson uses the term "the will" as a metonym for the concept of free will, and he uses the term "the body" as a synecdoche for the person as a whole.

Strawson uses personification in the essays to help the reader better understand abstract concepts or to create a more vivid and engaging reading experience. For example, in the essay "Freedom and Resentment," Strawson personifies the concept of moral responsibility by stating that it "stands over us," implying that it has a guiding and controlling presence in our lives.