Letters to a Young Contratian 6 & 7

          In chapter 6, I was drawn to the following quote from page 41: "The universe may well be Absurd, and one's life is in any case certain to be a short one. However, this need not mean that we do not reserve the term 'absurd' for the self-evidently irrational or unjustifiable." First of all, I was confused as to why Hitchens capitalized "Absurd" in the first sentence. But as I read the rest of the quote and the entire chapter, it made more sense. In previous chapters, Hitchens talks about how it is our duty as inhabitants of this earth to improve and change the world around us to avoid "Perfection". I think "Absurd" is a term to describe the nature of the world. How often have you sat around and pondered what life is? Why are we here? What is our relationship to our surroundings? Hitchens encourages us to question human nature, and it seems that the more we question the world, the less answers we get. That is because life is 'Absurd". It is a mystery, there are no answers or definitions or explanations to define our reality. All we can do is observe and learn from our existence, and use what we learn to make the world a better place.
          Another topic arises in chapter 7 on page 49, "I said, quite simply, that if the main subject of Castro was off-limits then, in effect, there could be no real satire or criticism at all". The way this is worded shows Hitchens was full of surprise and almost disbelief when he realized there could be no satire or criticism of Fidel Castro during the Cuban Revolution. When people censor or forbid the public to speak out against a ruler, they are diminishing the expression of human nature. Hitchens would obviously be appalled at the restriction of conflict or argument, and most people should feel the same. Criticizing rulers when they deserve it is a pivotal part of any strong nation, as it proves unity of the people and awareness of their government. When governments put restrictions on the freedom of speech of people, they stop the people from having a say in the society they live in, which hinders Hitchens goal of conflict and argument for the sake of bettering a community.