Absurdity and Meaninglessness of Life in the Poems of Eshetu Chole

Abstract

Being an interdisciplinary field of study in the humanities, literature serves as a vehicle to varieties of philosophical thought. The purpose of this paper is to examine the theme of absurdity and the meaninglessness of life that manifests in the poems of Eshetu Chole. The article particularly deals with selected poems that correspond to the twentieth century absurd philosophical thoughts typically advocated by Albert Camus in his essay The Myth of Sisyphus. Although the notion of the absurd seems to be fading as a result of contemporary technological advancement, human beings cannot completely and permanently be deceived from the feeling of the absurd. The thematic analysis thus, significantly explored the fundamental absurd nature of human existence and sparks how individuals, once they are conscious of the absurd, should respond to it in day to day life. To achieve this, through an examination of the central point of the poems, the paper illuminates typical absurd characteristics of human nature squarely facing a life of infirmity, ignorance, helplessness, hopelessness, nostalgia, and the futility of searching for meaning in an ignorant world.