Can One Exist Without Seperation?

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Recommended: Strength and weaknesses of dualism

I have recently been introduced to several different essays including; Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.], The Sunflower, and Memento (film). These essays and film are very diverse in subject matter ranging from segregation, the holocaust, violence and opposition. Although the titles mentioned above are all very diverse, they are all linked together through the theme of dualism. Dualism is a separation between two strongly opposing objects and whether one knows it or not, dualism is all around them every day (Comer). Denying respect to a contrasting group or idea one does not believe in is also a way to describe dualism. Dualism is presented in many ways throughout everyone’s life; it is a part of our own identity which makes it almost impossible to exist in today’s world without separation from an opponent or an object.
Dualism exists through many factors, one in which can be violence. The entire theme of the film Memento revolved around an extremely violent man, Leonard Shelby (Nolan, Memento). Memento is a great example of dualism because it exists directly in the plot itself. As a member of the audience to the film Memento, I was put through a similar experience to that of Leonard Shelby. In the film, Leonard Shelby has suffered from short-term memory (Nolan, Memento). Our lack of short-term memory makes it near impossible to have a realistic representation of what has happened through Leonard Shelby’s life. I believe that in the film, Leonard manipulates his loss of memory to try to bring a purpose to his life. Leonard states, “I can remember the past before the accident but now I only exist for revenge (Nolan, Memento).” I believe the purpose he tries to bring to his life is to get revenge by killing the man who murd...

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... an enemy? In today’s society our lives revolve around dualism, everyone has their enemies or rivals, and there is disagreement across the border. Our enemies and disagreements are the separation which creates dualism. Dualism is a separation between two strongly opposing objects. We must always have an opponent or an object to fight against, because without it in today’s world we would not exist.

Works Cited

Comer, Todd. “Dualism.” Arts and Humanities: Writing the World. Defiance College, Defiance, OH. 14 February 2014. Class Lecture.

Memento. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Joe Pantoliano. Newmarket Films, 2001. Film

Wiesenthal, Simon. “The Sunflower.” The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness. Eds. Harry J. Cargas, Bonny V. Fetterman, and Simon Wiesenthal. New York: Schocken Books Inc., 1998. 3-98. Print.

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