Crime against Humanity: Struggle of Human Beings for Their Mutual Survival - Essay Example

Crime against the Humanity: Struggle of human beings for their mutual survival Yes, n how many times can a man turn his head, Pretending he just doesnt see? … Yes, n how many ears must one man have Before he can hear people cry? Yes, n how many deaths will it take till he knows That too many people have died? The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind, The answer is blowin in the wind. (Dylan) Which is the greatest plight for the human civilization? Across centuries philosophers, sociologists and humanists have come up with different ideas and novel reflections to find a proper answer to this question. Despite the fact that they have introduced several theories, including their personal reflection but all those approaches lead to one direction, that crime of human beings against humanity is the only plight of the human civilization. Since the time people have perceived the overwhelming effect of gaining power and come under its intoxicating spell, they have not hesitated on a single occasion to reject any single possibility to attain it, even at the cost of inflicting unimaginable effect of harm to their fellow human beings. Such desperate attempt of power mongering commenced centuries ago but as the civilization has progressed it has taken a more brutal and naked form. Aristotle perhaps visualized the ongoing process of crime against humanity; thus, he remarked prophetically, “The fact is that the greatest crimes are caused by excess and not by necessity. Men do not become tyrants in order that they may not suffer cold; and hence great is the honor bestowed, not on him who kills a thief, but on him who kills a tyrant.” (Aristotle, Part VII) On the other hand it quite astonishing to see that no matter how much the tyrants and power mongers attempt to inflict the torture over humanity but they have not been able to destroy the spirit and essence of humanity completely. Human beings, even in today’s world of moral corruption as well as mutual distrust are ready to stretch their hands for helping others. Through literature, music and different other forms of arts they protest against such senseless process of crime against humanity by their human counterparts. Through analysis of certain stories and a movie Born on the Fourth of July, we will try to understand whether mutual struggle of human beings has really been able to retain human nature and values. At the same time we will also see to which magnitude crime against humanity has extended its scope to violate the bond of human fellowship. 1. Born on the Fourth of July/ This film was released in the year 1989 and has been made by deriving inspiration from the autobiography with the same name, from a veteran of Vietnam War, Ron Kovic. Though Ron was born and brought up in a family, having a strong patriotic background but after observing the reality of the Vietnam War though his own eyes, Ron was completely disillusioned about the act of warfare. He realized no matter how much the war mongering misanthropes try to represent the act of warfare in terms of patriotism but actually it nothing but an act of crime against humanity. Thus, in his book Ron Koivc has clearly suggested, “What’s happening in Vietnam is a crime against humanity, and I just want the American people to know that we have come all the way across this country, sleeping on the ground and in the rain, to let the American people see for themselves the men who fought their war and have come to oppose it.” (Kovic, 77) This film helps us to see how gradually Ron has stopped looking at the act of warfare though the colored glasses of patriotism. Despite he never meant to kill Wilson but he finally takes the blame of killing him and confesses his guilt to Wilson’s family members. Though he did not receive forgiveness for his act from Wilson’s wife but his parents have forgiven him. Father of the deceased even sympathizes with Ron’s condition also. The act of sympathizing with someone who is responsible for the death of their son and finally Ron’s joining of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) are clear evidences of the fact that humanity will always survive against the growing magnitude of crime against humanity. It is through the psychological insight that Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have realized as well as sympathized with Ron’s condition. Ron’s joining with the VVAW not only signifies his quest for survival of humanity but at the same time it also shows his tremendous urge to respect dignity of all those human beings, who were treated in an inhuman way by the government as well as power mongers of the nation. 2. A Time to Break the Silence by Martin Luther King/ The shameless from crime against humanity that has been reflected though the Vietnam War has been mocked and severely criticized by Martin Luther King in A Time to Break Silence. Attack of the United States over Vietnam has vehemently questioned by him mainly due to two reasons: first, that the war has done no good to the people of both these nation. It has only destroyed lives of numerous people directly or indirectly and the second reason appears to at the very beginning of the A Time to Break Silence, where Luther King States, “A few years ago there was a shining moment .... It seemed as if there was a real promise of hope for the poor both black and white through the Poverty Program. There were experiments, hopes, new beginnings. Then came the buildup in Vietnam and I watched the program broken and eviscerated as if it were some idle political plaything of a so- ciety gone mad on war, and I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive suction tube.” (Luther King) Through this speech it clearly appears that exploitation of human dignity in the hands of politics has tormented the poet most. The bond of human fellowship has been a matter of great interest for Luther King but during the Vietnam War he witnesses to which extent that bond has been humiliated by human beings. Martin Luther King never seems to have gone beyond his boundaries but at the same time he has provided perfect stress over those aspects that need to be come to attention of common people immediately. This speech gives compels the audience to break their silence against such inhuman treatment against humanity and to the sense of universal brotherhood. 3. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce/ The story opens with the shocking lines that describes execution of an individual by hanging till death, “A man stood ... looking down into the swift water twenty feet below. The mans hands were behind his back, the wrists bound with a cord. A rope closely encircled his neck. It was attached to a stout cross-timber above his head and the slack fell to the level of his knees. Some loose boards laid upon the ties supporting the rails of the railway supplied a footing for him and his executioners....” (Bierce, 1) The author has adopted the technique of focusing over intricate details that on one hand makes a reader visualize the whole situation and on the other hand it elaborates the agonizing process of a person towards his end. Story telling technique of the author persuades a reader that Peyton Farquhar, who was about to be executed has already escaped and despite being badly injured he has been able to reach his home beyond the forest, until a reader comes to the end of the story, “As he is about to clasp her he feels a stunning blow upon the back of the neck; a blinding white light blazes all about him with a sound like the shock of a cannon--then all is darkness and silence! Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge.” (Bierce, 7) The story opens with a grim note, and then with an impression that the victim has been able to escape a message of optimism reaches to reader but the final lines comes as a shock to the reader. At the same time a reader is awestruck by visualizing the kind of brutality that the executioners adopt to kill a civilian. This part has been presented to a reader though imaginative journey of Peyton Farquhar to his liberty but the reader understands such process of haunting human beings like beasts are often followed by the soldiers. The tyranny of dehumanization against humanity prevails in the story but at certain point a reader receives impression of optimism and desperate quest of human beings to come out of the ambiance of fear. Helpless plight of individuals in such an ambiance has been stressed by the author with his humorist approach as he says, “The liberal military code makes provision for hanging many kinds of persons, and gentlemen are not excluded.” (Bierce, 1-2) This story can be regarded as a perfect reflection that how an act of warfare dehumanizes an individual and at the same time the brutal process of inflicting crime against humanity has been reflected from the story. Artistry of this literary piece appears not only with the use of perfect words, right flow of events or focus over simple details but also through the expression of pathos fused with humor. 4. Blue Winds Dancing by Thomas S. Whitecloud/ Blue Winds Dancing commences with at an optimistic note and with a feeling of freshness, “Going home.” However, in later part of the story we see that the storyteller is actually torn between his modern and ancestral existence. As he has hailed from a Native Indian background but for appeal to fulfill his basic desires has drawn him to adopt the ways of modern Western existence. Though he has finally decided to going back among his own people, his nostalgia, his memory and to the place where he actually belongs, he suffers from the uncertainty whether he will be accepted among them in the same old familiar way. Futility of the civilized way has been masterfully yet very simplistically represented by the author as he states, “I am weary of trying to keep up this bluff of being civilized. Being civilized means trying to do everything you dont want to, never doing everything you want to. It means dancing to the strings of custom and tradition; it means living in houses and never knowing or caring who is next door. These civilized white men want us to be like them--always dissatisfied--getting a hill and wanting a mountain.” (Whitecloud, 1) Perfect use of vocabulary, measured expression of emotion and overwhelming description of the natural settings are certain aspects that reflect artistry of the author. Though we do not find explicit connotation of crime against humanity but the author has clearly suggested the importance of realizing and respecting bonds of human fellowship to relish the essence of human existence. Finally, as the storyteller is welcomed by his fellow human beings he feels that universal connection between microcosmic and macrocosmic human existence, “Everyone is happy …. I am happy. It is beautiful. I am home.” (Whitecloud, 4) 5. August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury/ Futility of the mechanized and superficial human existence has been reflected in this story in an imagistic manner. What Thomas S. Whitecloud has suggested about the plight of modern existence, it seems, as if, the story has focused over the same theme of hostile human existence. Tone of mockery of the author about the daily hectic work schedule of a modern man becomes conspicuous as he shows how in the future people will be dependent over technology even to remember their daily schedule, “Today is Mr. Featherstones birthday. Today is the anniversary of Tilitas marriage. Insurance is payable, as are the water, gas, and light bills…. Eight-one, tick-tock, eight-one oclock, off to school, off to work, run, run, eight-one!” (Bradbury, 1) But what purpose is served through this way? It only elaborates submission of the humanity in the hands of devices. It is not signifying the progress of the mankind but actually exposes the nihilism and dehumanization. People, who are habituating themselves with such ways of life, are not satisfied their existence also and for that reason they need to take help of poetry that reflects optimism and avenues of peace, “There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,/ And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;” (Bradbury, 3) Throughout the story we receive the impression that inhabitants of the modern society are living in a suffocating existence where there is no connection with other people. It seems that people are not living in a free world but they are actually confined with separate cells, constructed by them only. Artistic appeal of the story lies in its narrative, use of symbolism and through the stains of pathos fused with satire. 6. The Grapes of Wrath (Chapter 21) by John Steinbeck/ The gloomy world of pathos, human suffering and deprivation from their rightful claims as human beings, have been reflected from this particular chapter of The Grapes of Wrath. Since the initial line of this chapter we understand that people have been forced to migrate from their land and it has been caused due to human act of determining territories, “THE moving, questing people were migrants now. Those families which had lived on a little piece of land, who had lived and died on forty acres, had eaten or starved on the produce of forty acres, had now the whole West to rove in.” (Steinbeck, Chap. 21) At the same time evil effects of both capitalist and industrialist aggression also becomes clear. The power mongers of all ages have denied respecting the human entity of people as they are staying at the top of the hierarchical power structure of the society. Blinded by their power, earned over the foundation of money and tyranny, they do not even hesitate to cause all sorts of tortures to their human counterparts. The same theme of crime against humanity has been emphasized in this chapter. At the same time the novelist has clearly shown that none other than human beings are responsible for causing misery to fellow human beings, “Men of property were terrified for their property. Men who had never been hungry saw the eyes of the hungry. Men who had never wanted anything very much saw the flare of want in the eyes of the migrants.” (Steinbeck, Chap. 21) This chapter brilliantly represents shameless exploitation of human dignity. Ambiance of this chapter is so gloomy that no ray of comes to us that would give hope about the betterment of people, who are living at the bottom of the power structure, created by the human society against its inhabitants. Human beings have become mere playthings in the hands of their own people, “On the highways the people moved like ants and searched for work, for food.” (Steinbeck, Chap. 21) 7. I have a Dream by Martin Luther King/ To which extent crime against humanity can extend, Martin Luther King’s famous speech I have a Dream is a brilliant example of that. Though through this speech Luther King has actually reflected the matter of concern that how discriminative approach of white people against their black counterparts can be stopped but at the same time, in order to give emphasis to the fact of reckless hatred against the black the speaker has provided examples from real life. Since adaptation of the U.S Constitution and the noble philosophy integrally associated with it, the slavery process over back men was ended, only theoretically but in reality the discrimination was prevailing. Martin Luther King, in is famous speech has emphasized over this aspect, “…one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. (Audience: My Lord) One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, (My Lord)[applause], the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.” (Luther King, Jr., 1) The great leader has made it clear trough his highly spirited and compelling speech that without collaborative effort it would not be possible to attain the desired goal. Back people are also human beings and God has given them the equal rights to live in the society with equal respect of a white man. Together, as human beings they would build a new nation, “…for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.” (Luther King, Jr., 2) 8. The Butchering at Wounded Knee by John Gneisenau Niehardt/ Lust for power and desperate effort to receive an upper hand over others leads to commitment of horrible crimes against humanity. Through the story The Butchering at Wounded Knee, author John Gneisenau Niehardt has portrayed the act of commission of such crime through the eyes of a Native Indian who tries to protect his community people from the attacks of ‘civilized’ soldiers. Narrative style of author in the story is quite interesting as he uses simple sentences to express the situations. It seems as if a person has learnt the language newly is using it to describe the situation and it immediately gives the effect of that a Native Indian is actually speaking in English to express his emotions about the onslaught that has occurred before his eyes. In this story the author has emphasized over the theme of meaningless torture that the American soldiers have inflicted over the native Indians. The theme of crime against humanity has been stressed further as we witness through the eyes of the Native Indian warrior that helpless people like women and children were mostly brutalized by the soldiers, “…the dead women and children and babies were scattered. When I saw this I wished that I had died too, but I was not sorry for the women and children. It was better for them to be happy in the other world, and I wanted to be there too.” (Niehardt) The author has not used any symbolical or satirical approaches in his narrative but pathos has definitely played a great role in the narrative of the story. The protagonist has tried to help the people as he respects the factor of human dignity. He does not overstep the boundary but the spontaneous humane feelings in him have urged the warrior to fight in order to protect the dignity and respect of humanity. 9. The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich: This story can clearly be divided into two separate segments: pre-war and post war. Comparing and contrasting between both these parts the author has actually elevated the main theme of the story, that is, how the act of war can create devastating effect over the family life as well as can bring complete change in an individual’s outlook to the world. First part of the story is full of life and illumination of vitality in the life of individuals. In this part the author narrates that how in the pre war times both the brothers have enjoyed life to the full. Through their relationship the theme of human bondage, brotherhood and human positivism is reflected as if both of them belong in the prelapsarian cosmos. When the war was over and Henry came back home effects of the war over him is clear from the author’s description, “When he came home ... Henry was very different, and Ill say this: the change was no good. You could hardly expect him to change for the better .... he was quiet, so quiet, and never comfortable sitting still anywhere but always up and moving around. (Erdrich, 107) Restlessness in him, fear of being taken away from his existence and sadism was clear from his behavior. The bond of brotherhood was weakening and it was characterized by the lack of communication between both of them. It is clear from his behavior that the world he was in and the world he passed into completely disillusioned him about his own existence. However there is a strong human desire to live, to survive and it has it becomes conspicuous through his desperate effort to mend the car. This dilemma to choose between life and non living plagued him so much that he finally chose death as the sole way for seeking solace. Crime against humanity is a vicious trap as it engulfs innocent people within grasp with its apparent glitter. The red convertible actually symbolizes the lost vitality of life and finally it drowns into darkness of death. The protagonist attempted his level best to support Henry not only as his bother but also with the dignity of his human entity but fails finally as the evil effects of the crime against humanity has severed the bonds of brotherhood. 10. Report by Donald Barthelme: This story, in a simple non passionate way, demonstrates a situation where human values and mutual dependence are lost completely. Structurally this piece of literature contains within its scope a great deal of successful experiment by the author to represent dehumanization process of the human beings. Subject of the story is a group of engineers who have suffered, brutalized and tormented by the war. In this context, the author’s choice of subject is remarkable as engineers are basically technocrats. Choosing such subjects the author has made the backdrop of his story grim. Moreover, their worn out and dehumanized gathering provides a reader with the impression as if he is standing amidst a grim ambiance, “I noticed many fractures among the engineers, bandages, traction. ... I noticed numerous fractures of the humeral shaft, of the os calcis, of the pelvic girdle. I noticed a high incidence of clay-shovelers fracture. ...The engineers were making calculations, taking measurements, sketching on the blackboard, drinking beer, throwing bread, buttonholing employers, hurling glasses- into the fireplace.” (Barthelme) Their dehumanized qualities have further been emphasized through their mechanized work, ignoring their physical agony. However , such refusal of expressing human reactions cannot be glorified as superhuman quality as they were engaged in smoothing the path of aggression. These people are the products of crime against humanity and they only understand the language of aggression. Human emotions, values, mutual dependence and dignity do not carry any meaning for them have allowed themselves as inhuman creatures and such inhumanity is reflected though their denial of friendliness and trustless approach to the others, “They didnt believe me.” (Barthelme) 11. Leap by Brian Doyle: This short story from Brian Doyle can be considered as an excellent medium to show a reader in a symbolic manner, the importance of love in the lives of every individual human being. The most striking aspect of the story is that the writer has found elements of immense optimism amidst a completely bleak setting. If we look at the main event of the story then the point of interpretation of love; rather the way the author has cited elements of love in this story is not very convincing but at the same time there is no denial of the fact that approach of Brian Doyle is unique and at the same time such an approach creates a compelling effect in the mind of readers that they can assert their faith over the immortal essence of humanity and love between individuals. The story commences with a striking line that immediately incites pathos at the psychological level of a reader, “A couple leaped from the south tower, hand in hand. They reached for each other and their hands met and they jumped.” (Doyle) Until we come to the description that “A kindergarten boy who saw people falling in flames told his teacher that the birds were on fire.” (Doyle), we do not understand that he is actually narrating desperate attempt of people, trapped in a building that has caught fire. Simultaneously, application of sharp humor makes plight of the human situation grimmer as he says, “The mayor reported the mist.” (Doyle) Helplessness of people who are trapped by fire in the building has escaped the mayor’s attention and the only thing he is concerned about is the pink mist. This is the author’s mockery against intentional indifference of statesmen, who pretend to show their concern about the people. However, amidst such grim setting he finds overwhelming effect of humanism and mutual love that encourage people to fight for the survival of humanism, “Their hands reaching and joining are the most powerful prayer I can imagine, the most eloquent, the most graceful. It is everything that we are capable of against horror and loss and death…. to believe against such evil hourly evidence that love is why we are here.” (Doyle) During their lifetime people search for love, trust and mutual dependence that most of time they do not find but standing face to face with most horrible death they experiences all these human virtues that are considered to be long lost. People are seeking help from their counterparts, whom they do not even know; yet amidst such a situation this act of mutual human dependence clearly show that in times of great danger all people become equal forgetting their apparent differences. While concluding it can be said that analyzing the stories, speeches by Martin Luther King and the movie, Born on the Fourth of July, we realize that humanism is an essential human virtue that cannot be denied or ignored. People may or may not accept the truth behind presence of this virtue but the reality is without presence of humanism the whole idea of organic human activism will surely fail. There is no denial of the fact that fellow feeling between human beings and the ongoing process of mutual trust has received a great deal of setback in this era of moral corruption as well as distrust but it is not possible to eradicate the existence of humanity from the world entirely. All the pieces that have already been analyzed in the paper deal with different types of human situations as well as over the theme of responsibility of human beings in the context of inflicting criminal acts against humanity. At the same time all these pieces have also suggested, both explicitly and implicitly that if people wish to develop the condition of their existence in this world better then they must entrust their faith over the philosophy of universal brotherhood as well as mutual dependence. It is only possible for human beings that their fellow people can enjoy a better existence on this earth. All that is required to ensure this goal is mutual love and positive desire of making the situation better for the others. As the civilization will progress, crime against humanity will take more severe form. If human beings are able to retain the feeling of brotherhood among them, forgetting the apparent differences, it will not be impossible for them to ensure a better future for the upcoming generation of the mankind. Works Cited 1. Aristotle, Jowett, Benjamin, Politics, 350 B.C.E., available at: http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/politics.html, retrieved on: 8th July, 2009 2. Barthelme, Donald, Report from Sixty Stories, New York: Penguin, 1983, available at: http://www.jessamyn.com/barth/report.html, retrieved on: 9th July, 2009 3. Bierce, Ambrose, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, The Millennium Fulcrum Edition, 1988, available at: http://www.fullbooks.com/An-Occurrence-At-Owl-Creek-Bridge.html, retrieved on: 8th July, 2009 4. Bradbury, Ray, August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains, published in The Martian Chronicles, Toronto: Bantam Books, 1985 5. Doyle, Brian, Leap, 2002, available at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/faith/questions/leap.html, retrieved on: 8th July, 2009 6. Dylan, Bob, “Blowin’ in the Wind, 1962, available at: http://www.bobdylan.com/#/songs/blowin-wind, retrieved on: 8th July, 2009 7. Erdrich, Louise, The Red Convertible, available at: http://www.mindquestacademy.org/literature/LINKFILE/The%20Red%20Convertible2.doc, retrieved on: 9th July, 2009 8. Gneisenau Niehardt, John, The Butchering at Wounded Knee, available at: http://www.firstpeople.us/articles/Black-Elk-Speaks/Black-Elk-Speaks-The-Butchering-at-Wounded-Knee.html, retrieved on: 8th July, 2009 9. Kovic, Ron, Born on the Fourth of July, Brooklyn: Akashic Books, 2005 10. Luther King, Jr., Dr. Martin, I have a Dream, Atlanta: The King Centre, August 28, 1963 11. Luther King, Jr., Martin, A Time to Break Silence, Delivered 4 April 1967, available at: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm, retrieved on: 8th July, 2009 12. Steinbeck, John, The Grapes of Wrath (Chapter. 21), 1939 13. Whitecloud, Tom, Blue Winds Dancing, available at: http://blog.forrestcroce.com/blue-winds-dancing-by-tom-whitecloud/2007/12/24/, retrieved on: 8th July, 2009 Read More