Machete Season: A Report By Jean Herzfeld

915 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Rwandan genocide

The book Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak: A Report by Jean Herzfeld presented several statements from an interviewed conducted with the nine Hutu killers who contributed to killing over 50,000 Tutsis communities with machetes. Throughout the book, these nine killers narrated their experience/opinion on several topics asked how the Rwanda genocide began to how they participated in the genocide. For those who do not have prior knowledge of the history regarding the Tutsis and Hutus, one may wonder why would Hutus participate in violent acts against the Tutsis. In addition, question how could these people continuously harm this same group of people, especially when the victims are people they know or seen before. Based on the different …show more content…

Élie, who is one out the nine killers reflect on his experience about victims suffering during that time period. He states, "Making someone suffer was up to each person, as long as he did his job. The Intimidators gave no particular order to encourage or discourage it. They repeated, ‘Just kill, that is the main thing. ' We didn 't care" (131). This statement demonstrates how the importance of carrying out orders being valued over moral values dictates the judgment for wrongdoings. Élie addressing how making someone suffer did not matter much as long as "he did his job" highlights those in power reconstructing moral values. Moral values represent an individual 's standard that contributes to that person 's behavior and choices. Taking that definition into consideration, allowing perpetrators to think it is acceptable to harm someone as long as directions are followed could possibly reshape that person 's moral values. Before, physically harming someone may have been understood as morally wrong. However, observing that nobody "encourage[s] or discourage[s] it" and the assigned job is complete may shift that actions like this can be considered moral. Overall, a person witnessing actions not being held accountable and physical harm being deems as acceptable can have an effect on someone feeling encouraged/motivated to engage in mass murder when the opportunity is

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Savages By Joe Kane

    1192 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Huaorani are the bravest people in the Amazon. It says so throughout Savages by Joe Kane. It is about the indigenous group called the Huaorani residing deep in the rainforest of the Amazon. They have their culture that struggles to maintain tradition, “Though Moi hit the streets of Washington D.C., at the evening rush hour, he walked in the city as he does in the forest-in slow, even strides “(Kane, Savages). The small indigenous group that reside in the Amazon are fighting against outer forces. The petroleum companies are destroying the land of the Huaorani people. Joe Kane who is the author and narrator of the book, tells the story of the Huaorani people and their struggles in the outer world

    Read More

  • Summary Of Scott Straus The Order Of Genocide

    2481 Words  | 5 Pages

    He places a lot of his emphasis on fear and intimidation as the main drivers of the violence and says that no matter what reason perpetrators gave for their individual participation, there was one main rationale that drove genocidal violence. That one rationale was that the violence occurred in the following way: “the RPF killed President Habyarimana; RPF soldiers had invaded to kill Hutus; all Tutsis were RPF supporters or potential supporters; ergo, Hutus had to kill Tutsis to prevent being attacked by them” (Straus 153). The most common reason respondents stated was the cause of the genocide was the death of their president, but some said it was because elites desired power. As a reader, it is hard to understand why perpetrators chose to kill people who did not pose any immediate threats when the perpetrators themselves feared insecurity. The Hutus believed that the Tutsis wanted to take back their power so the Hutu extremists had a goal of terminating them, but it is still difficult to interpret the happenings of the genocide because there were so many dynamics. But regardless of all that went on, in sum, The Order of Genocide maintains that three dynamics lead to the killing: war, race, and power. Without a war in Rwanda, the genocide may have just been unable to take place. But the war resulted in “fear, insecurity, rage, revenge, and self-defense” and tensed up the country to perform violent acts of killing (Straus, 173-174). Race allowed all Tutsis to be labeled as the enemy. And finally, power gave hardliners an ability of control to issue the elimination of all Tutsis and authorize the

    Read More

  • Distrust Paradigms in the Ender's Game Novel

    1759 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kessel, John. " Creating the Innocent Killer: Ender's Game, Intention, and Morality."Creating the Innocent Killer. Foundation, 2004. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • Modern Genocide in Africa

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    The state-sponsored massacres of Hutus by the Tutsi-dominated Burundian army in 1972 was one of the most significant post-Holocaust genocides and as such received appropriate levels of international attention due to a lack of political distractions within western nations. The genocide broke out as a Hutu-lead rebellion in which Hutu insurgents massacred Tutsis and resisting Hutus in the lakeside towns of Rumonge and Nyanza-Lac. As many as 1200 people killed in this initial incident, the Tutsi-dominated government responded by declaring martial law and systematically proceeded to slaughter Hutus (Totten 325). After hundreds of thousands of Hutus had been massacred by the Burundian government, the neighboring nation of Zaire aided the Hutus in a counteroffensive attack on the Tutsi-controlled army. Having succeeded in their effort, the genocide was quickly brought to international attention within a few days. The United Nations invested $25,000 from the World Disaster Relief Account’s fund...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Connaught Man Who Killed His Father

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    ' The notion that punishment is needed as an example asserts that the punishment for murder, or the punishment any crime for that matter, should be employed as a deterrent and to inspire fear that will prevent others from fulfilling the said crime in the future. This illustrates a depressing and gloomy view of human nature, as being corrupt at its core and that fear remains the only thing that prevents us from committing evil acts. Rather, I believe that laws and the punishments associated with the infringement of laws are an agreement between a citizen and the society they live in about what is appropriate and agreeable behavior that protects the basic rights of all citizens and holds all citizens as equal in front of the law. Thus, if someone kills another person and the circumstances of the crime are not within the previously established laws, then the person should be held responsible regardless of whether one would kill that person if they could help it or

    Read More

  • Queenie Keithley's Guilty Killings

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    People who are in court for committing a crime, like killing someone, are sometimes found guilty. Some people feel inclined to kill their spouses because an argument, marital problems, or because of money. There are other people that kill just for the satisfactory or pleasure they bring of themselves, when they do it, like if it was an accomplishment. Many people kill other people when they hate each other, dislike one another, or do not have a good relationship. Queenie Keithley is guilty of killing Joe because, Queenie left her house after having an argument with her husband (Joe), there was no evidence of water in his glass, and she arrived ten minutes before her friends did.

    Read More

  • Rwandan Genocide

    1007 Words  | 3 Pages

    Africa has been an interesting location of conflicts. From the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea to the revolutionary conflict in Libya and Egypt, one of the greatest conflicts is the Rwandan Genocide. The Rwandan Genocide included two tribes in Rwanda: Tutsis and Hutus. Upon revenge, the Hutus massacred many Tutsis and other Hutus that supported the Tutsis. This gruesome war lasted for a 100 days. Up to this date, there have been many devastating effects on Rwanda and the global community. In addition, many people have not had many acknowledgements for the genocide but from this genocide many lessons have been learned around the world.

    Read More

  • The Death Penalty:Social Ethics: Morality and Social Policy

    1734 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mappes, Thomas A., Jane S. Zembaty, and David DeGrazia. "The Death Penalty." Social Ethics: Morality and Social Policy. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 105-53. Print.

    Read More

  • The Movie Machuca Sparknotes

    3083 Words  | 7 Pages

    Klein, throughout various accounts of U.S. involvement overseas, explains that the U.S. commonly engages in a practice of ‘shock therapy.’ The U.S. brings bloodshed and warfare to foreign nations in order to restructure their economies and governments to serve U.S. interests. In the case of Chile, Klein argues that the U.S., in the midst of Cold War paranoia, wanted to maintain its political and economic hegemony in South America. Washington accordingly whipped the Chilean army into an anti-Allende, anti-communist frenzy, bringing about the bloodshed of ‘the Caravan of Death’ as well as the years of tyrannical military dictatorship. Also significant was the fact that the neoliberal economics implemented in Chile were taught to Chilean economists of the junta by Americans at the University of Chicago.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Killings By Andre Dubus

    1332 Words  | 3 Pages

    Is murder ever truly justified? Many people might proclaim the adage, "Two wrongs don't make a right,” while others would argue that the Old Testament Bible states, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (Deuteronomy 19:21). Andre Dubus explores this moral dilemma in his short story, Killings. The protagonist, Matt Fowler, a good father and husband, decides to take revenge for his son's murder. Richard Strout is a bad man who murders his soon-to-be ex-wife's lover. These facts are complicated by the complexity of interpersonal relationships when seen through the lens of Matt’s conviction, Strout’s humanity, and ultimately Matt’s personal sacrifice on behalf of his loved ones. Though on the surface this tale might lead someone to think that Dubus is advocating for revenge, a closer look reveals that this a cautionary tale about the true cost of killing another human as readers are shown how completely Matt is altered by taking a life.

    Read More

  • The Death Penalty and Violations of Human Rights

    1742 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ethics and morality are the founding reasons for both supporting and opposing the death penalty, leading to the highly contentious nature of the debate. When heinous crimes are com...

    Read More

  • Machete Season: THe Rwandan Genocide

    640 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the case of genocides, there are many factors that motivate the perpetrators to kill. In the Rwandan genocide there are many reasons why the Hutus would be motivated to kill the Tutsis. There were reasons, of long standing hatred toward Tutsis, fear of authority and repercussion, economic and many other motivating factors. In the book, Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak, Jean Hatzfeld explores these many reasons for genocide through interviews with killers. Even though were many motivating factors for the Rwandan genocide, the main motivation for the perpetrators were for economic reasons.

    Read More

  • Rape as a War Tactic in the Rwandan Genocide

    2041 Words  | 5 Pages

    “The sweetly sickening odor of decomposing bodies hung over many parts of Rwanda in July 1994: . . . at Nyarubuye in eastern Rwanda, where the cadaver of a little girl, otherwise intact, had been flattened by passing vehicles to the thinness of cardboard in front of the church steps,” (Deforges 6). The normalcy of horrible images like this one had cast a depressing gloom over Rwanda during the genocide, a time when an extreme divide caused mass killings of Tutsi by the Hutu. Many tactics such as physical assault or hate propaganda are well known and often used during times of war. Sexual assault and rape, however, during times of war is an unspoken secret – it is well known that rape occurs within combat zones and occupied territories, but people tend to ignore, or even worse, not speak of the act. There have been recorded cases of rape and sexual assault in almost every war in human history. Genocidal rape was used as a gendered war tactic in the Rwandan genocide in order to accomplish the Hutu goal of elimination of the Tutsi people in whole, or part.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Rwandan Genocide

    1104 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Rwandan Genocide “It is our responsibility to empower the powerless while giving voice to the voiceless” -(Irwin Cotler “Six Lessons from the Rwandan Genocide”) When the Rwandan Hutu majority betrayed the Tutsi minority, a destructive mass murdering broke out where neighbor turned on neighbor and teachers killed their students; this was the start of a genocide. In this paper I will tell you about the horrors the people of Rwanda had to face while genocide destroyed their homes, and I will also tell you about the mental trauma they still face today. Hutu and Tutsi Origins When Rwanda was first settled, the people there raised cattle, the ones with the most cattle were considered “Tutsi” and everyone else was ‘Hutu”.

    Read More

  • Ethical Issues in Hotel Rwanda

    961 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are several ethical issues surrounding the decision by the Hutu politicians to start the genocide. It is unfair and unethical for the Hutus to blame the entire Tutsi tribe for the president’s death. The Hutu politicians are so much driven by hatred that they fail to consider the innocent lives to be lost in the planned genocide. Instead, they organiz...

    Read More

More about Machete Season: A Report By Jean Herzfeld

Open Document