Synthesis Essay On Fear

One of the most controversial topics of the century hinges on one simple question: What makes the world go round? Most will jump to say money. Some will argue in favor of their religion. Others will point out scientific facts. The truth is, none are correct. One emotion, one aspect of life shines above the others, extending its light on merely half of our beloved globe, leaving the other semi-circle to deal with pitch black: fear. To understand its impact, society’s definition of fear must be perceived. Fear is officially defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something dangerous will harm him/her. However, with his classic novel, Alan Paton shows that it extends far beyond that. An old man by the name of Stephen Kumalo leaves the comfort of his tribe in Ndotsheni, and embarks on a

One of the most complex emotions in existence, fear is the primary emotion that triggers any kind of change, as it is capable of linking with any existing emotion to create entirely different lives upon lives. For any change that happens, fear is always present to turn the tide whichever way it pleases. One of the primary causes of fear that leads to change is the lack, loss, and gain of power. Shortly after Stephen Kumalo learns that his son, Absalom, murdered Arthur Jarvis, Kumalo is horrified and approaches Msimangu for support and advice. Even upon doing so, Kumalo is thoroughly shaken, with only one thought in his head at the moment, “What broke in a man when he could bring himself to kill one another? What broke when he could bring himself to thrust down the knife into warm flesh, to bring down the axe on the living head, to cleave between the searing eyes, to shoot the gun that would drive death into the beating heart?” (79). In his questioning of “what [breaks] in a man” to trigger cold-blooded murder, Kumalo is face-to-face with a direct product of a