August 16th 2010
Rather ironically the idea of society affecting people's perspectives and reactions take place more than thought; seeing that is also takes place in everyday life. The picture above, coming from the article titled "Nicholas Anelka laughs at 'nonsense' 18-match French ban" is a primary example, since it just shows how often the statement has occurred. Looking at all the points in the article I can fairly conclude that unlike Mary in Lamb to the Slaughter, others are not always willing to be considered as "innocent" and aren't inclined to please certain people, as Anelka states "These people are clowns. I'm dying with laughter." Looking at the facts from a different angle you can also extrapolate that since his society being his professional football team, Chelsea, they have supported him so therefore he is willing to brace the problem with ease and in unity with them since they too " refused to train after the row" and faced the consequences. Chelsea seems to have shaped Nicholas because it seems as if they have certain standards to how their players should respond to certain situations.
Looking at how both real life and novel circumstances can shape people's identity this finalizes that your natural reaction may be scattered and adjusted to what you think you should be rather than what you are. It also brings forward that according to how society raises you it changes your interpretation. In Mary's case her fear was facing dilemma and admitting the truth. Whereas, in Nicholas's position he was willing to put a serious front and forget about his mistakes with the help of his team.
Showing Compassion builds character - The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas
Showing compassion builds character is a theme that is constantly expressed in the short story “Thank You Ma’am”. If compassion is given it can transform the life and personality of in this case Roger into something much better than expected; it can make the person more empathetic and lead their actions towards a much better path. Compassion has been persistently been shown by Mrs. Luella Washington Bates Jones in Thank You Ma’am towards Roger. She is willing to provide him with everything he needed and set the risk of anything happening aside by offering him to come home with her. When he answered “No.” to if his face was washed she offered to provide him everything in order for him to be able to do so and had done her best for him to pass as acceptable even though he isn’t someone who can easily be trusted due to him earlier attempted to steal her purse. However, once she showed compassion towards him he altered from his main accomplishment being escaping Luella’s surroundings into proving to her that he could be trusted; “sit(ting) on the far side of the room where he thought she could easily see him in the corner of her eye.” These actions clearly indicate the transition of Roger previous behaviour to his present behaviour being significantly improved. Additionally, concluding the story with Mrs. Jones handing Roger the 10 dollars he initially wanted truly conveys her compassion and altruism. On the other hand, Thank You Ma’am is not the only source that reveals compassionate behaviour from the protagonist; the movie The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas does exactly the same.
The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne is based on the combination of the most unlikeliest of friends; the son of the Nazi commandant, Bruno and a young boy by the name of Shmuel in a Jewish concentration camp. It is set during The Second World War and begins when Bruno is told he must move out of his beautiful house in Berlin to a new house in an unknown place called “Auschwitz”. As the story progresses Bruno is instructed not to enter certain areas but soon his temptation takes over and his attention diverts to the crowd of people all wearing the same clothing that consist of tattered blue and white pyjamas with a cloth cap. Consequently this curiosity lead to him developing a strong friendship with Shmuel and eventually he starts bringing him food and a variety of games to play; but when a promise is kept a series of unpleasant actions take place. In this novel Bruno’s innocence and non-biased opinion of Jews unlike his father’s and sister’s steer him towards a direction of great understanding and leniency of Shmuel’s circumstances even though he is unaware of what is really happening behind the other side of the fence. Bruno faces high risks by seeing him everyday but nevertheless he is intrigued by his absurd life and unusual things that he does. Bruno and Shmuel become close friends rapidly despite the huge contrast of their lifestyles and he is willing to listen and be supportive towards him. These actions were pure acts of kindness and when it came to helping a friend in need there was no hesitation to Bruno’s response of helping Shmuel find his father; which justified his characteristics.
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| Bruno and Shmuel |
