There are many people in the world who can obtain anything they want in life, until a major life change occurs, and they suddenly start to act unjustifiably. This is comfortably backed by Graham Greene’s short story “The Destructors,” where a little boy who was once part of the upper class, suddenly has to grow up in the era of recovering from the Blitz, and acts unlawfully towards a fellow citizen. In “The Destructors” by Graham Greene, Trevor (“T”) is unjustified in destroying Old Misery’s house based on the reader's perspective. T. wrongly destroyed the home of a man who acted kindly toward T. , and the gang was pretty harmless until T. entered into it, and that should have not been an excuse to destroy Old Misery’s home to the full. …show more content…
was not even part of the gang because he was so high class in the society. Because of the Blitz, T. had to experience a major life change as “his father, a former architect and present clerk” came “down in the world” (Greene 49-50). However Old Misery did not come down in the world, even his house stood tall and proud in the middle of all the crumbles. But that should not have been a reason to destroy Old Misery's home. Old Misery offered chocolates to the gang, and even “showed it [the house] to me [T.]” (Greene 51). Old Misery showed kindness to all of the gang, while they destroyed something that was so valuable to
Irish Playwright, George Bernard Shaw, once said, “The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity.” Inhumanity is mankind’s worse attribute. Every so often, ordinary humans are driven to the point were they have no choice but to think of themselves. One of the most famous example used today is the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night demonstrates how fear is a debilitating force that causes people to lose sight of who they once were. After being forced into concentration camps, Elie was rudely awakened into reality. Traumatizing incidents such as Nazi persecution or even the mistreatment among fellow prisoners pushed Elie to realize the cruelty around him; Or even the wickedness Elie himself is capable of doing. This resulted in the loss of faith, innocence, and the close bonds with others.
During World War 2, Adolf Hitler referred to the Jewish people as “vermin” or “rats” dehumanizing them. Similarly, the people living in Brave New World and “Harrison Bergeron” also live in a degraded state. The controlling of society through technology makes the citizens of the Brave New World and “Harrison Bergeron” live a dehumanized life. Oxymorons, which are contradicting terms that are combined, are used in both stories, and help explain how technology dehumanizes people. The stories’ inventions and advancements and the censoring used in the society of the stories show this as well.
The first barrier to a better life had to do with surviving poverty or the absence of certain privileges. In Angela’s Ashes, Frank, the protagonist of the book, along with his family had to endure persistent rains, exposure to disease and starvation. Frank and Malachy Jr. had to resort to stealing food several ...
The pages of history have longed been stained with the works of man written in blood. Wars and conflicts and bloodshed were all too common. But why? What could drive a man to kill another? Many would say it is man’s evil nature, his greed, envy, and wrath. And certainly, they all have a roll in it. But in reality, it is something far less malevolent, at least at first. The sole reason why conflicts grow and spread comes from the individuality that every human cherishes so dearly. This can easily be shown in the story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, in which a society has been created where everyone of talent has been handicapped so they are not better than anyone else, all for the sake of equality. This text will show that Individuality
Another huge historical impact with dehumanization is shown profoundly in A Lesson Before Dying. Ernest Gaines does a great job of showing dehumanization in the 1940’s. A young man named Jefferson, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, is on trial for robbery and murder of a gas station clerk. While Jefferson’s lawyer is supposed to be defending him, he instead makes him out to be a dumb hog who couldn’t possibly have the brains to carry out such plan. He later goes on to say “oh, pardon me, pardon me, I surely did not mean to insult your intelligence by saying ‘man’ would you please forgive me for committing such an error?” He dehumanizes Jefferson by saying he is no longer a man but now a hog. Dehumanization is a very serious issue and it is shown profoundly in these two readings Maus I, Maus II, and A Lesson Before Dying. The authors do a grand job of using this theme in their writings and keeping the reader’s interest by making the reader unable to put down the book. These two writings impact the characters greatly both similarly and differently. Some characters can handle it and let it make them stronger where others cannot bear to live
T abides by his sayings at the beginning of the project while he announces that nothing will be robbed or taken from the house. He burns the pound - notes found stashed in Old Misery's bedding along with Blackie. Upon questioning, Blackie discovers that T doesn't burn the bills in an act of retaliation against Old Misery, but rather just to keep faithful with the principles he set forth at the beginning of the destruction.
Never would I thought that we have a dystopian-like society in our world. Don’t know what a dystopia is? It is a society set in the future, typically portrayed in movies and books in, which everything is unpleasant. The novel Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut is a dystopian story of a fourteen-year-old boy named Harrison who grows up in a society that limits people’s individuality. When he is taken away from his parents, because of his strong idiosyncrasy, his parents do not even recall his presence because of the “mental handicaps” that the government forces onto them. Harrison eventually escapes from his imprisonment and tries to show others that they can get rid of the handicaps and be free. Though the government official, or Handicapper
From German to Nazi In her poem “Woodchucks”, author Maxine Kumin tells a story of a woodchuck and an average person turned killer. She speaks about how one’s humanity can be easily lost and turned into violence. She compares this to the transformation of Germans to Nazis. She displays that hatred such as the speaker experienced can lead to a loss in humanity and dramatic change in behavior. The speaker in the poem was a pacifist who was corrupted and now is reflecting on their actions.
In J.M. Coetzee’s novel Waiting for the Barbarians, the Magistrate comes to discover the humanity of the barbarian through his interactions with the blind girl, which eventually leads him to learn about the nature of his own humanity. Although the Magistrate is more lenient on the Barbarians than Colonel Joll, he still unknowingly objectifies them, while placing himself above them. It is only when he is imprisoned that he comes to realize the fragility of his own humanity. Ultimately Coetzee uses the magistrate’s journey from empirical leader to broken and fearful prisoner to express that peace and stability between people can only be obtained when all humanity is valued.
Julian Symons suggests that the murder of the old man is motiveless, and unconnected with passion or profit (212). But in a deeper sense, the murder does have a purpose: to ensure that the narrator does not have to endure the haunting of the Evil Eye any longer. To a madman, this is as good of a reason as any; in the mind of a madman, reason does not always win out over emotion.
The position to choose between forgiving one’s evil oppressor and letting him die in unrest is unlike any other. The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal explores the possibilities and limitations of forgiveness through the story of one Jew in Nazi Germany. In the book, Wiesenthal details his life in the concentration camp, and the particular circumstance in which a dying Nazi asks him for forgiveness for all the heinous acts committed against Jews while under the Nazi regime. Wiesenthal responds to this request by leaving the room without giving forgiveness. The story closes with Wiesenthal posing the question, “What would you have done?” Had I been put in the position that Wiesenthal was in, I would ultimately choose to forgive the Nazi on the basis
Guilt is an extremely powerful emotion that can consume one from the inside out. In the novel Night, written by Elie Wiesel, everybody, including the Jews act out against each other and do not stand up for one another. In this story, Jews are forced from their homes and brought to concentration camps with rough conditions. Elie’s persecution occurred in the following concentration camps: Auschwitz, Buna, Gleiwitz, and Buchenwald. The Jews took on an overwhelming amount of hardships, but the most difficult obstacle to conquer was man's lack of humanity to man. Throughout the book, the inhumanity against man develops from widespread prejudice to terribly personal punishments.
One’s past affects the way one views unjust behavior that will continue to occur in today's society. In “Hope, Despair, and Memory” Ellie Wiesel repeats, “it would be enough” to express his frustration that words are not “enough” to explain the time of hate he lived through. Wiesel’s point of view differs from Solzhenitsyn oration in “One Word of Truth Outweighs the World” because Solzhenitsyn believes lying and violence are inseparable. However, Wiesel and Solzhenitsyn compare in that they are both frustrated with our society not learning from past mistakes. In “Children Without Pity” by Nancy Traver, her work contrasts to Wiesel’s oration because she demonstrates how humanity continues to hurt each other. Traver, Solzhenitsyn, and Wiesel all choose to cope with injustice differently or in a
A small glimmer of hope in an imperialistic world is only taken away in order to ensure equivalence in an imperfect society. Harrison Bergeron is a classic sociological tale written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. that is based on the sociological aspect of everyone being equal - not one individual could be above another. This short story focuses on the idea of symbolism by using masks and handicaps to force the social norm of being the same while foreshadowing the courage of being unique in a seemingly perfect world, all while displaying irony through the way in which our society runs today. This story relates to today’s society in that both are alike in that individuals want to break free from societies constraints of social norms.
If This Is a Man or Survival in Auschwitz), stops to exist; the meanings and applications of words such as “good,” “evil,” “just,” and “unjust” begin to merge and the differences between these opposites turn vague. Continued existence in Auschwitz demanded abolition of one’s self-respect and human dignity. Vulnerability to unending dehumanization certainly directs one to be dehumanized, thrusting one to resort to mental, physical, and social adaptation to be able to preserve one’s life and personality. It is in this adaptation that the line distinguishing right and wrong starts to deform. Primo Levi, a survivor, gives account of his incarceration in the Monowitz- Buna concentration camp.