Category: Forgiveness

The article “Old Rape Kits Finally Got Tested. 64 Attackers Were Convicted.” is about how a women, Maisha Sudbeck, was raped in 2012. She had a rape kit tested on her that went untested. The case was eventually forgotten and left behind. In 2017 the kits were tested by a lawyer and found that the test came positive and a man was arrested on 6 accounts of rape on different women.

This incident caused an additional 55,000 rape kits tested, 165 prosecutions, and 64 people were convicted. This gave Maisha the justice that she deserved and needed. Forgiveness would be hard to give to the rapist for most people. Rape is a crime that can personally affect someone’s life negatively forever. Many victims are mentally scarred for life from being raped. In most people’s mind that would be unforgivable. I wouldn’t blame them because forgiveness to someone who changed your life negatively and made a person scared just to trust another person in my eyes would be unforgivable.

Therefore I believe that justice and forgiveness do not go hand in hand in most scenarios. I couldn’t imagine forgiving a person who raped six innocent women and nearly got away with it. My idea of forgiveness is being able to completely not care about the event that occured and put it behind them. When something to that extent would happen it would be immensely impressive to completely forgive someone for it. Justice is getting what someone deserves being good or bad. The rapist eventually got caught and convicted for his crimes. He got what he deserved even though it took longer than it should have. Justice and forgiveness can not go hand in hand in most cases because they all have consequences that will always be remembered and a grudge will always be kept even if it is to a very small degree. That being said, this article is a great example to show that justice and forgiveness are near opposites when it comes to personal lives of someone.

In conclusion, justice and forgiveness do not go hand in hand and are near impossible to coincide with each other. They are one sided and usually only have one or the other. It is like this due to their inability to keep both and completely have one of them without have a little of one without the other. Therefore they are not hand in hand.

People are asking, can justice and forgiveness go hand in hand? This is mostly depending on the situation, like if somebody killed someone that you knew for a really long time or they killed a family member of yours then in that case it would be justice. That’s just my opinion because I don’t think I would be able to forgive a person that killed someone I knew my entire life. It sucks to think about someone you knew and thought you would be with for the rest of your life is just gone in a second because of the killer. All those memories with you and your friend are now just memories and never able to see them again, your never able to spend time with them ever again. In Brazil two teenagers opened fire at their school in Sao Paulo the teenagers killed a couple of other students.

The shooting happened at 9:30 on a tuesday. The students were on spring break but when the students came back they shot the school. The gun mans killed seven other students and killed one employee. The gunman killed themselves because they didn’t want to get arrested and be killed by the jail. They didn’t want to serve justice but they knew they wouldn’t be forgiven. The gunman also injured 10 other people but once they knew they did this there was no turning back. They didn’t want to wait and wait and be stuck in a prison for the rest of their lives so they just killed themselves.

People are just being mean to others and treating others with no respect. Everybody is making enemies and making friends. Justice is basically have consequences to what you did wrong. Forgiveness is basically saying its okay just don’t let it happen again. People are being forgiven everyday for something very little but if they did something over the charts than I would think they would deserve justice and be taken to court or jail. Everybody is making the world a terrible place and everyone needs to switch that around and make their enemies their friends.

Friends or not friends everyone needs to get along. People need to clean up their little attitude and treat others with respect. I know for a fact everybody has a good heart no matter what they did or how they did it. Deep inside everyone has feelings they just need to find it again. In my opinion, justice and forgiveness can go hand in hand it just depends on who it is and what they did. Some people that are mean and make people in pain not physically but mentally deserves forgiveness. Nobody deserves pain no matter what they did wrong no matter how they did. Everybody in the world deserves happiness and deserves a good life but they just need to earn it. Every person on this planet needs to work together and clean this world up by being happy and not depressed. I don’t know if you agree with me but I think everyone deserves an apology and deserves respect no matter what they did. In my opinion, justice and forgiveness can go hand in hand, what do you think about justice and forgiveness?

Justice has this invisible string that ties itself with mercy and forgiveness. In The Crucible, there are a lot of innocent people who die due to false accusations that don’t receive any justice from the Salem court. They were sentenced to death because of accusations of them being witches and practicing witchcraft. They were killed without having any definite evidence that proves the court’s claims. Justice often quarrels between law and people’s rights. Real justice will not occur if there’s no mercy. With no mercy, people are going to forget how to be kind and forgiving. As seen with multiple characters, justice is difficult to achieve without having mercy and forgiveness.

There’s a lot of definitions that can fall under the word justice. It can be defined as lawfulness or rightfulness. In The Crucible, justice here focuses more on the lawful side as Danforth, the Deputy Governor of the Province, decides the punishment for people’s actions. When the rumor of witchcraft started to spread around, the “town’s gone wild.” They’ve been putting innocent people in jail without any proven evidence. If those who got taken away don’t confess, “the court has the power to hang them.” When Giles’s and Proctor’s wife get taken away, they try to prove their innocence and ask the governor for real justice. They fail because Danforth won’t “accept no depositions,” which sounds pretty ironic because he’s supposed to let people speak, have their perspectives, and listen to what they have to say to the court. This only proves that in the process of attaining justice, with or without having your rights, it’s hard to question what kind of power the law and having an authority holds since they can pretty much do anything to you and decide for you whether you like it or not.

Justice without mercy equals brutality plus cruelty. It creates conflict and chaos between individuals. In The Crucible, Danforth doesn’t show mercy towards the people in jail and those who are trying to free them. Since he has a narrow-mind, people have trouble fighting for justice because he “accepts no depositions” and “judges nothing,” which means he likes to stick with his principles and doesn’t let others have a chance to speak out their side of the story. Everyone thinks it’s an injustice not to be able to give a statement to prove their innocence. They find it unfair that Danforth doesn’t take any “single plea for pardon and postponement.” Characters like Giles Corey and John Proctor ended up losing their lives while fighting for justice and truth. People who fight for justice won’t win since the government favors the law more than people’s rights. In order for justice to be achieved, mercy must exist.

When mercy and justice fail to correspond with each other, it affects individuals who declare and seek justice. It transforms people and it changes their minds. In The Crucible, an example of this is Danforth thinks that Proctor’s “extravagance in defense of his wife” is only a part of his tenderness. However, that’s not the case because he is telling the truth and the governor just doesn’t wanna believe any of it. Another example is when Proctor and Abigail commit adultery. Even though they both contributed to this deed, only one of them got punished for it. It’s discriminatory how Danforth forgives Abigail, but sentences Proctor to death. This shows that having too much pride and power can result in forgetting how to forgive and reconsider other people’s mistakes.

As shown above, there’s no doubt that real justice can’t possibly happen if it wasn’t for mercy and forgiveness. All of them are linked together and work with one another. The world is cruel and unfair, so there will always be some kind of injustice in life. Things might not be in the direction you want them to go; they can either follow a straight path or a curved path. There are times when people don’t receive the justice they asked for, but it all happens for a reason. Bad things occur to teach us a lesson and to balance out our life decisions. Even with all these things considered, blessings still come to those who wait.

Violence is not a cure for any problems, instead, it is the disease of that problem that spreads and destroys you rather than heals you. Throughout the tragedy of Faye’s revenge, it is a recurring theme, amongst all the characters. Whether the revenge is in a physical form or mental form, it is equally hurtful. Mahatma Gandhi said, “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” Gandhi is asserting that if one person commits a revengeful act, it will create a permanent reaction of cynicism and violence throughout everyone. This quote is extremely notable throughout the continuance of ‘The Bodies We Wear’ as it portrays almost exactly, both the plotline of the story, as well as the termination. From the murder of Christian to the murder of Faye’s innocent their tragedy is filled with a lot of catastrophes.

Today our bodies define our outlets. We color our hair, tattoo our skin, pierce our ears, brows, and noses. We lift weights, run miles, break records. which makes our bodies define us and who we are as a person, but what if that outlet does not happen for everyone? Several people are obliged to dress and act a certain way such as Faye in the book ‘ The Bodies We Wear’, Faye has been addicted to Heam or Heaven’s Dream, as they say, which functionally kills its users, allowing them a glimpse of what appears to be heaven. When four drug dealers seeking to punish Faye’s father force-fed the drug to Faye and her friend Christian in a dark alleyway where the crime would not be seen and would be hidden from the world, Faye saw a hellish vision instead of seeing heaven. Her chest was then covered in the red, blue web of scars that mark survivors of a Heam overdose, Faye has later spent the past several years becoming a skilled fighter in hopes of murdering the four men she holds responsible for her downfall in life. Throughout Faye journey of seeking revenge on the four men who killed her innocent and her best friend Christian, she meets three people, a young Heam user, the sister of a missing Heam addict, and a mysterious boy who pops up every time Faye follows her targets and try’s to kill them, while Faye is on this eventful journey she begins to question whether revenge is truly the right course of action?

Faye goes through three main thoughts throughout the book; her motto, justification, and her dilemma. Faye goes through each and every one of these thoughts because of her predicament, the first thought she goes through is Faye’s motto- ‘when you have nothing left to live for, you have nothing to lose’. building your life and then watching it get destroyed right in front of your eyes, is hurtful. In this case, it can be a huge danger to your future, and your health, but what if you already lost everything in life, your family, friends, your inner peace then you have nothing to lose you have nothing to give up, it’s just your soul that’s left. Whether revenge is in a physical form or mental form; it is equally as hurtful. A meaning full quote by Aesop ‘He who plots to hurt others often hurts himself. ‘ Aesop is literally saying that if one person sketches a hateful act, towards another person it follows them to create a permanent reaction of harshness and violence throughout everyone, such as Faye, Faye trains day in and day out in the hopes that one day she’ll be ready to take her revenge on each and every one of them who took her life away from her. one main evidence of this is under (chapter 1 – page 13) “My last stop of the night takes me past the dark bar on the corner where my life ended six years ago. I’ve never been inside the place but I can imagine it. The mirror is cracked with dirt, the kind that no longer washes/spends their time speaking of the days when the city was a better place. /back before Heam addicts, and dealers took over. /There’s also, a dead man sitting inside tucked away in the corner he doesn’t know he’s dead yet, but none of that matters. His days are numbered. I’m going to kill him.’ In this quotation, Faye is stating that she is a survivor of a Heam overdose, though it is no fault of her own. Her father was a Heam dealer and when things went wrong on his end, his boss went after Faye in retaliation, four men force-fed the drug to Faye, her chest spontaneously moved up and down, her heartbeat stopped instantly her eyes were left open, later surfaced on her chest were dark red, blue web of scars that mark survivors of a Heam, While Faye’s best friend died, she survived. Unfortunately, her mother kicked her out, and eventually, Faye was taken in by a former detective. because of this Faye was driven by revenge against the men responsible for ruining her life and killing her best friend. Each day she would go to that bar to see if the man that killed her was still alive, Each breath he took was painful for Faye to watch she wanted to end his life the way he ended hers.

A different example of Faye showing signs of extreme pain and acts of violence is when she tries to kill Trank This is Faye’s justification- ‘They destroyed her future, her family, her best friend’ Faye attempts to kill Trank at the party, this party was hosted by one of Faye’s new friend at school, even though Faye is not allowed to have friends at school because of her disturbing past, the school had reclined regarding Faye’s past and put her in the school because of her addiction. So when Faye was approached by Paige at school with an offer, which was if Faye came to the party to protect Paige from Trank she would pay Faye A thousand dollars, Faye accepted this deal and goes to the party, over there Faye sees teenagers her age having fun, drinking and hooking up with each other, Faye questioned herself and the meaning of life, while Faye is watching all of this she sees a guy named Cheal which she has seen earlier outside the same bar where she goes to, Cheal seems to be an immeasurable guy with a generous heart but Faye thinks otherwise; to her, Cheal seems to be a creeper and an over the top person. At the party when Cheal comes to Faye to talk to her Faye tries to keep a firm personality, and talks with him, As they are talking Trank shows up with four men all holding weapons, They all approach Faye to fight her Cheal offers Faye from some help but Faye rejected his help immediately not because she needs it but because she does not what to be depended on anyone for help all her life she was fought her own fights she did not what anyone to help her out now. After the fight and kids yelling and cheering on, the police show up and everyone runs including Trank, Faye tries to follow Trank within the crowd of teenagers hastening out, Faye flows Trank out to the dark quiet streets.

‘There are very few streetlamps and plenty of trees to add to the shadow. As we get further away from Paige’s house, everything grows quieter too. the perfect place for revenge I start walking faster. the train is still at least five blocks away. A lot can happen here and there’ (chapter- 8, page 125) In this quotation Faye has found the perfect place where she wants to eliminate Tank from her list of people she wants to get revenge on she knows exactly what she has to do in order to kill Trank, but while she is on this journey of killing Trank, Cheal shows up and tries everything he can to stop Faye from killing Trank, he tells her that if she does this she won’t find peace, she won’t be able to look at herself in the mirror she will be unbearable to herself, he also tells her that if she does this where will she hide the body, the blood, the smell, the knife, the drops of her DNA where will all of that go, Cheal further tells Faye that her revenge will destroy her it’ll eat her up from the inside unless she is a monster, to begin with, taking a life destroyed you, it’s like cancer, festering in and cranny, there’s no escape. Cheal tries everything that he can to convince Faye not to kill Trank, Faye agrees to this and lets him go but before they know it fate has something else in plan, Trank is destined to die either by Faye or by anything else and that is what happens a car came and hit

Trank his head was wide open, his hand was broken, and blood was everywhere, Trank was dead not by Faye but by a car accident.

The last and final stage that Faye goes through is her dilemma, ‘A stranger, who just may have given her something to live for after all’ That stranger is Cheal, Cheal had a big impact on Faye’s life, he was there whenever Faye tried to do a hurtful act toward the people how took her life, he tried to stop her and if things got rough he helped her fight them, by the time she knew it she fell in love with him, no one ever helped her cared for her or been there for her the way Cheal was, she let her tough hardcore guard down and let Cheal in her life, they went on dates and do want any lover would do, but little did they know there love would end fast. Cheal invited Faye to his house for a lovely dinner, they talked, laughed, and had fun they were in deep love, Cheal convinced her not to kill anyone or even get her revenge but Faye said no she felt empty in the beginning and now she wanted this she spent every day every minute, second, she wanted this more than anything, Cheal understood her point of view and gave her space, he put her in bed and Faye fell asleep and when she woke up in the middle of the night Cheal was gone she had no idea what happened after dinner all she remembered was that Cheal said ‘you haven’t seen everything I’m capable of.’ Faye was furious because she thought that she went to kill Ming the main guy whom Faye wanted to kill from the beginning, The door was locked and the window was jammed there was no way out unless someone opened the door Faye waited Cheal and finally he came, the moment the door opened a bit Faye went running towards the door she hit Cheal and told her that they are over she wants nothing to do with him anymore. Cheal did not argue and let her leave he knew his love was strong and she would come back soon. Faye left in the middle of the night home on her way there she stopped and thought about what happened at Cheal’s house, while Faye was thinking about what happened Rufus showed up and from the corner of the street, Faye saw him and went still he could not move, she thought Cheal killed him, but she was wrong, In (chapter 17- page 280) ‘Cheal lied to me. He killed someone but it wasn’t Rufus, Ming? Phil? I open my mouth to speak but Rufus shoves me against the wall again and my head cracks hard against the brick, / This is it. I’ve failed my revenge/ I pick up a switchblade’ In this quotation Faye is in complete shock that one of her murders was face to face with her and she could not move, all of her training from the age of 7 to the age of 17 was all gone to waste. Faye was devastated after this incident Faye thought that her revenge was not worth it, there was no point in taking revenge until Ming broke into Faye’s house and killed Cheal with the drug Heam. Faye then immediately picked up a gun and pointed it at Ming She gave him a clear-cut threat that if he did not leave she would shoot him in the chest, Ming’s life to him was more important than killing a girl and risking himself getting in the process. Faye was a person of her word and let him live, She let him leave, and after a few weeks, Faye heard that Ming was arrested for wrongly handling drugs.

In consultation, the best strategy that often comes to our mind when offended or erred is either of ‘eye for an eye’ people nowadays find it very hard to forgive but very easy revenge. Erring to people around us in the present world that we live in common. forgiveness is the compassionate act of not having the desire to punish those who offend us in one way or another. Forgiveness is the quality that separates human beings from animals and is essential in overcoming anger inflicted on us by others. Revenge, on the other hand, offers no solutions to disputes, it breeds anger and resentment and leads to wars and separations. forgiveness is the best revenge

According to McCullough et. al., the inclination to retaliate or seek retribution after being personally victimized is something that is heavily rooted in all levels of human nature, whether biological, psychological, or social. This statement makes perfect sense because when we feel attacked by another person, whether they are a friend, lover, or an enemy, we find ourselves wanting to respond to the transgression by perpetrating further transgressions onto the person who wronged us first. However, when we do retaliate, and get revenge, we tend to go all out, and therefore the original perpetrator of the first act of violence will then view the revenge as greater than the original offense and may also retaliate, thereby creating a nasty cycle of vengeance. A mechanism that can help break this vicious cycle of revenge is forgiveness, which McCullough et. al., define as “natural negative responses to transgressors and become increasingly motivated to enact positive ones instead” (p. 447).

According to McCullough et. al., their research indicated that people who are quick to forgive differ greatly from those who are hesitant to practice forgiveness on many personality attributes. For instance, in their research, they discovered that forgiving people reported fewer negative effects such as anxiety, hostility, and depression than their unforgiving counterparts. This shows that those who forgive benefit greatly from forgiving their trespassers and are compensated for their willingness to forgive with a healthy mental state of mind. At the same time, I believe that the effects of forgiveness on the person being forgiven are also positive and crucial for the well-being of the perpetrator.

I believe that forgiveness is a way of showing the perpetrator compassion by letting them know that although they wronged you, you will not allow the bad behavior to affect and determine the relationship moving forward. Guilt is not a feeling that the perpetrator can simply shake off especially if they wronged you by accident. Receiving forgiveness it allows the perpetrator—if they are truly sorry—to attain some sense of genuine comfort or it allows the perpetrator—if they are not sorry—to believe that they were right in their actions and move on without expecting a backlash from the victim. In many cases, the person being forgiven has a troubled or untroubled conscience to be soothed.

There has not been much study to date examining a perpetrator’s psychological or behavioral response to receiving forgiveness from a victim. However, I believe that not being forgiven—especially by a loved one—will increase the perpetrator’s psychological tension and hurt their physical well-being. This is because the mental state of the perpetrator will be stuck in a place of hostility and negative discomfort in which they will be seeking justification for their wrongful behavior and thus displaying defensive maneuvers. And research demonstrates that a negative mental state hurts our physical health. Therefore, a victim who does not forgive and a perpetrator who does not receive forgiveness is prone to negative emotional states, heightened tensions, and negative partner interactions while dealing with a transgression, which can produce heightened physiological arousal.

In their chapter McCullough et. al. concludes that the extent to which a perpetrator apologizes and actively seeks forgiveness for their wrongdoing can influence the victim’s likelihood of forgiving the perpetrator. In the end, forgiveness affects both the victim and the perpetrator in a way that is not healthy either mentally or physically.

Our worldly existence is determined by the continuous exposure to challenging experiences that shape our perception of ourselves, empowering us to perceive ourselves and our societies in unique and complex ways. The nature of embarking from a state of power and grief can entail the most meaningful and transformative discoveries as they are provoked by reflection and reconciliation. Both William Shakespeare’s tragicomedy The Tempest and Margaret Atwood’s Hag-Seed resonate in appraising an individual’s ability to reconcile vengeance and grief. However, while Shakespeare portrays characters as a means of prompting and eliciting reflection and redemption particularly in Prospero, Atwood, influenced by her contemporary secular context, asserts that individuals will only appear repentant when their self-interest is threatened. Through the examination of these texts, it allows an individual to comprehend how exposure to new experiences acts as catalysts for characters, to develop and formulate new understandings of their world.

The power of magic in The Tempest catalyzes Prospero’s unexpected and confrontational encounter with the value of forgiveness, which transforms his widely held beliefs and perceptions of humanity. Shakespeare’s character Prospero embodies a man of the Renaissance era to depict the rebirth to enlightenment at that time, displaying that Prospero’s bestowment of ‘his godly right to be divine ruler’ is an outdated ideology. Shakespeare uses emotive language in ‘It was my art…That…let thee out’ to signify the value of magical powers that hold Prospero as superior. However, the anagnorisis of the limitation of his magical power transforms his perceptions as his ‘art’ is unable to change those who are unwilling to. This gives rise to the inspiration that Prospero receives from Ariel to forgive his enemies at the end of the play as he states, ‘The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance’, whereby the juxtaposition of ‘virtue’ and ‘vengeance’ reinforces the significant change in Prospero’s mindset as he can experience catharsis. Thus, by achieving the capacity to forgive those who have betrayed him, Prospero reflects the significance of forgiveness as a vital part of human interaction.

The representation of human error through the preoccupation with power is furthered by Atwood, who effectively warns how hubris and arrogance warp the perception of power, leading to one’s marginalization and seclusion from their world. Atwood uses an intertextual reference to ‘The Tempest when ‘A shadow, a wavering of the light,’ whispers, ‘I would, sir, if I were human’, paralleling Ariel’s statement in The Tempest as he persuades Prospero to forgive in ‘mine would sir, where I human.’ This ironic phrase alludes to the concept of Renaissance humanism, prompting Prospero to relinquish his magical powers and embrace humanist values such as forgiveness. Similarly, Miranda is Felix’s ‘Ariel’ who ultimately convinces him to forgive, metaphorically reflecting his subconscious. In adding such detail, Atwood adopts a sense of psychological realism to allow modern audiences to comprehend his transformation from ‘vengeance’ to ‘virtue’. This prompt is similar to Prospero and causes Felix to ‘break out of his cell,’ metaphorically representing how Felix was imprisoned by his vengeful plan. In deliberately crafting the text in this way, Atwood enhances the idea that both protagonists were imprisoned by their lust for revenge, however, their eventual freedom is achieved through the forgiveness and realization of their oversights, illuminating the universality of human error.

Individuals’ interactions with one another can have a cumulative effect on perception, as they gain a better understanding of their impact on others’ lives. The Tempest explores the impact of one’s life on another in the ‘Banquet’ scene where Antonio and Alonso are confronted with their crimes, forcing the lords to reflect on their past misdeeds. This is reflected in ‘You are three men of sin…Upon your heads – is nothing but heart’s sorrow’ where the metaphor illustrates how God’s authority was seen as the final stage of all justice, reflective of the Christian humanism behaviors. The illusion and threat of retribution generate remorse within Alonso, as he believes that Ferdinand’s ‘death’ was rational, emphasized in ‘It did bass my trespass, therefore, my son i’ th’ ooze is bedded’ where he believes that his crimes and actions have resulted in Ferdinand’s death. Gonzalo states that their ‘great guilt is like poison’, where the simile exhibits how their guilt is only now starting to immerse in, leading them to make the transformative discovery of the hardships that they have caused others. Therefore, we understand the negative impact of our actions on others, which in turn offers us a renewed perception of ourselves and the world around us.

On the contrary, Atwood appropriates Shakespeare’s depiction of performance as a means of asserting how individuals may only repent when their self-interests are threatened, revealing the flawed complexity of human nature within secular societies. Her postmodern portrayal of Tony and Sal’s corrupt ambition is foregrounded by the absence of a Great Chain of Being, prevalent in Shakespeare’s context, which discourages the pursuit of status in one’s self-interest and accentuates the greed and selfishness prevalent within the modern world. Atwood condemns Tony’s repentant facade in his deposition of Felix through the repeated subject pronoun ‘They feel you’re losing… your edge… They think you have mental health issues suggesting that individuals may use deceitfully apologetic theatrics to mask their corrupt self-interest and shift blame to third parties. Moreover, Atwood uses Tony’s performance in deceitfully deposing Felix as a means of exposing Felix’s short temper through the abrasive sibilance ‘You devious, twisted, bastard.’ She does this in direct juxtaposition with Shakespeare, who depicts Prospero exposing Antonio’s shortcomings through performance to reiterate that the illusive manipulation of reality can cause individuals to lose their inhibition. Through disputing Shakespeare’s depiction of an individual’s capacity for redemption, Atwood highlights the centrality of performance in exposing human flaws, ultimately criticizing the toxic corporate culture of deceit and self-advancement in today’s world.

Through the textual conversation between The Tempest and Hag-Seed, both composers offer a deeper insight into the complex nature of revenge and how the transformation of self can be attained through the reassessment of our perspectives. Both texts highlight how confrontational experiences are capable of stimulating an individual’s ability to reassess their perceptions of themselves; as well as human flaws being a catalyst to reflect on and reconcile internal struggle.

What would I have done? “Forgiveness is an act of volition, and only the sufferer is qualified to make that decision”. Forgiveness requires two people, he who has done wrong and is seeking to do anything to amend their wrongs and he who is offended and willing to correct the wrong done to them. To accept an apology is to understand their wrongs and commit to an act of healing. When you forgive a person, you are not forgetting their actions it does not mean you are making excuses for their sins and it does not mean you seek revenge after. I believe that forgiveness can be created with time. I will argue that Karl should be forgiven because forgiveness is the imitation of God. Punishment too is an imitation of God. God punishes and forgives, in that order. But God never hates. Teshuvah is a religious practice meaning regret of misdeed, decision to change, and verbal expression of one’s sins. Ephesians verse 4:31 says, get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (The New Revised Standard Version).

Simon Wiesenthal, a Jewish survivor of the Nazi concentration camp described his story of how the 22-year-old SS soldier Karl, who is lying on his death bed stared a confession and asks for forgiveness. Wrapped up in a white bandage with only his mouth nose and ears revealing he says, “I am resigned to dying soon, but before that, I want to talk about an experience which is torturing me. Otherwise I cannot die in peace “. He starts by speaking about his family who were not supportive of him joining the Hitler Youth and how he wants his mother to hold on to that good image she had of him. During the confession, Simon is dreading the time he is there but something inside of him will not allow him to get up and leave so he stays and listens allowing Karl to continue. Karl confesses to many horrendous crimes but Simon holds Karl’s hand as he confesses, which is a clear recognition of Karl’s humanity and an attempt to give him comfort despite not being able to forgive him. Simon also waves away a fly that is bothering Karl and realizes with some surprise that he was trying to “lighten a lot of an equally defenseless superhuman, without thinking, simply as a matter of course.” Perhaps Simon’s kindest gesture lies in listening to this man’s confession at all since the act of listening threatens both Simon’s physical and emotional health, but Simon remained silent but there was a moment when Simon realized that his feelings towards the dying man had tended toward sympathy. He believed that Karl was not born a murderer nor did he want to be one. It was the Nazis who turned him to be the man he was, and who ordered him to kill thousands of defenseless people.

What would I have done? It’s the question that everyone who read The Sunflower sat and contemplated about. Part two, “The Symposium” is responses from over 53 distinguished men and women answering the question. I would forgive but Mary Gordon believes otherwise. She states “If the dying Nazi soldier wished to atone, he should have insisted that he be placed in the camps so that he could die in the miserable circumstances of those in whose name he is asking forgiveness”. In my opinion, two wrongs never make a right, so responding that he should replicate the damage towards himself seems invalid and just as cruel as the act committed. Karl mentions in the beginning of his story that they were given literature about the Jews and Bolsheviks “but that was not the sort of thing I cared for”, he did not care for the whole discrimination against the Jews, he was thrilled about going to war with Russia as I had mentioned before. He also mentioned how the Jews would clean up their Quarters and he would deliberately leave food behind for them to find. These young boys were manipulated and lied to being told that the killing of the Jews was revenge to get back at the Russians. Karl admits to the atrocious crimes committed but behind every action is a trigger. Although his actions will never be forgotten and will never be acceptable I do agree if he had gone to a priest his attempt to seek forgiveness would have been a bit more appropriate, but to go kill himself and repeat the atrocities would just be redundant.

What would I have done? A responder who supported my opinion was Dith Pran, a survivor of the genocide in Cambodia that occurred under the rule of the Khmer Rouge. Pran places the blame on the leaders of the Khmer Rouge and not on the men who committed the murders. He says,” Pulling away from the Khmer Rouge leadership, I can forgive the soldiers of the Khmer Rouge, those soldiers who did the killing, although I can never forget what they did” (Pran 231). The reason he can forgive the soldier is because he feels that the soldiers of the Khmer Rouge were dragged out of the forest, brainwashed, taught, and forced to kill. If they did not follow orders, their families would have been killed along with them. Pran says that they were very poor uneducated, and extremely afraid of dying. Pran’s opinion does not take all responsibility off of the soldiers and onto the leaders, instead, he says that he can forgive the lowly soldier because he can understand his situation. But even though Pran says he would have forgiven Karl he does not place any moral judgment on Simon; he simply notices the inner confusion created by this situation. His opinion supports mine because Karl speaks of joining because it was the right thing to do in the modern time, he was influenced by wanting to see the world like his uncle, who would come and tell him exciting stories of being in Russia fighting in the war. These young boys joined thinking they were going to war with Russia. I felt sorry for Karl, to me he was a victim of Hitler’s evil ideology that turned him into a murderer and shattered his faith in God. From Karl’s confession to Simon, “When I was a little boy I believed with my mind and soul in God and the commandments of the Church. Then everything was easier. If I still had that faith I am sure death would not be so hard” For many people of diverse religions, their faith in their God defines them. Most of us are told to trust in our God. We should take after God and show the same mercy that God shows us.

What would I have done? Again, I would forgive because a story is not complete without all sides of the story. Karl and many other children were manipulated and brainwashed. At the end of the day, not all of them will ask for repentance, but Karl was one of those who said “Forgiveness must always be granted to the sincerely repentant…and should always be granted”. I believe that the dying Nazi soldier recognized his sins and felt sincere remorse, withholding forgiveness is cruel and a sin. I believe as we grow forgiveness should be something we can all learn to do. The question itself will always be relevant though it can feel very comforting or powerfully releasing to be forgiven, make no mistake. We do not forgive for the other person; we forgive for ourselves. Simon is a perfect example of why we should forgive because now he contemplates his decision years later.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” We all need forgiveness, and we all need to give forgiveness. Forgiveness can transfer anger and hostility into peace and healing. Forgiveness can help people overcome feeling of depression and anxiety and help them to not prison themselves into what they’ve wronged to themselves or other. Many religious leaders around the world agree that forgiveness of oneself and others is the key factor to clear the mind and the soul and may result in harmony and peace. Forgiveness is a way to self-fulfillment. People who easily forgive themselves and others tend to have more inner peace than those who carry out the hostility during their life.

What makes self-forgiveness so difficult for people? People usually tend to punish and blame themselves over minor mistakes that they have done during their life. This attitude can lead people to have the feeling of regret and continue to have the sense of guilt and hate themselves as they move on their personal life. Some people tend to have easier dealing with their negative feeling. Self-forgiveness basically relates to the fact that a person must tend to change the wrong behavior. Therefore, people who are not ready to change their attitude might find it harder to truly forgive themselves. Those types of people have the mindset that they just justify their wrong action rather than engaging to self-forgiveness and courage to change their wrong attitude.

Research has shown that those who practice self-forgiveness have better mental and emotional well-being, more positive attitudes and healthier relationships. They have higher levels of success, productivity, focus and concentration. Petoskey said ‘Learning to be self-forgiving is a skill that requires practice. Over time, you will notice that you are more relaxed, open and happy. You will be able to notice and appreciate how much pleasure can be found in a simple moment, how much there is to be grateful for in everyday life, and how much the world needs you and your special gifts and talents.’

A person who has the high self-esteem tend to forgive others easily, but a person with low self-esteem with a tendency to blame his/herself might find it much more difficult to achieve self-forgiveness and forgiving others. There are in fact 4 important key factors that play a role in stages of self-forgiveness. The first step of self-forgiveness is the ability to accept the responsibility of the action that a person has done. By taking the responsibility and accepting that a person has done an action that hurt others, he/she can avoid negative emotion such as feeling guilt or regret. The second step is that a person should feel remorse about her/his wrong action. Guilt is not always a bad thing. It allows the person to find him/herself and to find ways to improve the wrong action.

It is good for people to feel remorse without blaming themselves. The third step is a person should try to improve and correct the wrong action. One way to improve past mistake is to apologize to whomever a person has hurt and try to compensate the wrong action with good things to convince person who has hurt. The fourth step is that a person must find positive actions that motivates him/her to move on. Self-forgiveness usually requires that a person should learn from experience and grow as a person.

Forgiveness can be powerful factor to healing, but the process is not the same for both genders. Men and women respond differently in process of forgiveness. The study showed that men are more revengeful than women. (Miller, Worthington, and Mcdanle, 2008). There is such a difference in socialization: in contrast to men women usually focused on emotion and relationships. (Bakan, 1966; Tylor et al.,2000). Research has shown that women tend to be more empathic than men. Empathy is the main factor that lead a person toward forgiveness. Women have a greater capacity for understanding others feeling and emotions. Therefore, women have the ability to forgive others easily than men do. In different conditions most men and women react differently. It is not completely right to say that because women are more empathic therefore, they tend to forgive others easier that man.

Forgiveness can be a challenge for several reasons. Sometimes forgiveness can be confused with forgiving what someone has done to person. Even for people who understand the differences between accepting someone’s bad behavior as ‘okay’ and accepting that it happened, forgiveness can be difficult because these two are easily confused. Forgiveness can also be difficult when the person who wronged the person doesn’t seem to deserve the forgiveness.

It’s important to remember that forgiveness allows person to let go of a connection that has to those who have wronged him/her and help the person to move forward—with or without them. forgiveness is challenging because it’s hard to let go of what happened. Forgiving someone who has committed unacceptable behavior can be difficult when the person having trouble letting go of anger or hurt around the event itself.

Some people see forgiveness as a sign of weakness, but Mason Turner, MD, describes forgiveness as a powerful act that can have lasting health benefits. Dr. Turner is Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s director of Outpatient Mental Health and Addiction Medicine. In a recent interview, he said the process of forgiveness for a serious offense can be long and difficult, but research shows forgiveness can lower your stress levels, boost your immune system, and help you to be a better friend, family member and colleague.

Psychological benefits are the rewards of forgiveness for the person. People who tend to forgive others easily are less likely distressed and they are more likely to be happy. People should consider the cost of not forgiving others. Not forgiving others often lead to hostility toward the person and anger and sadness that could deep rooted into one’s life. hostility makes levels of the stress hormone cortisol raised in body, which can have bad consequences such as high blood pressure, immune system disorders, and the ability to gain weight. Forgiveness is good for the heart. One study from the Journal of Behavioral Medicine found forgiveness has the correlation with lower heart rate and blood pressure as well as stress relief. This can bring long-term health benefits to the heart and overall health.

A later study found forgiveness to be positively related with five measures of health: physical symptoms, medications used, sleep quality, fatigue, and bodily complaints. It seems that the reduction in negative affect, strengthened spirituality, conflict management and stress relief one finds through forgiveness all have a significant impact on overall health. A third study, published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, found that forgiveness not only restores positive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors toward the offending party, but the benefits of forgiveness result in positive behaviors toward others outside of the relationship.

Getting stuck in hostility might have mental and psychological results as well. It can give a person a feeling of the victim that could prevent a person form forgetting the bad experience and increase the level of anxiety and depression. A person who holds on hostility might feel that his/her life lacks meaning and purpose. Research also show that participating in forgiveness reduce the circulation of cortisol which lead to many physical benefits attributes such as lower blood pressure, cholesterol and heart attack risk, and having better sleep during night. Forgiveness can increase happiness in relationship and leads people to have better social life. when a person starts to regularly practice forgiveness, he/she can see the improvements in relationships with co-workers, neighbors and managers.

Forgiving and forgetting might seem difficult things to do but having the true conception will help the person to accomplish the forgiveness. In most cases, it might be easier to forgive than to forget, although both is not a simple task. It might seem offensive to the people to forget about the wrong that they faced during their life. It is literally impossible for people to completely remove the past wounds from their mind. Moreover, if people don’t get their lesson from their past wounds, they might confront the same condition in present that can’t deal with it easily. There is common phrase which said: “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me”. Many people don’t forget the hurt they’ve been experienced by others. However, when a person understands that not all humans are perfect, and there might be situation that a person might not act properly, then it will be easier for the person to forgive the one who has hurt him/herself.

It is easy to forgive someone since it has been fixed into our mind from childhood, that it is okay to make a mistake. People never taught to forget, like how they taught to forgive. No one tell people that they should erase that mistake from their memory. Forgetting is hard task that a person can accomplish. It doesn’t matter how many times a person say it is fine and try to continue, but still it will at the back of the mind. Research show that not forgetting can be a good thing. Event though it may seem painful to remember all the details of the time that someone hurt a person, but it is good to make sure that painful feeling doesn’t happen again. Moreover, how these things make people feel will help them to prevent others from experiencing the same way.

People are supposed to learn from their mistake and all they have been suffered through their life in order to grow and move on. However, they are not supposed to forget their mistake and what hurt them. Learning form mistake and set up boundaries will help people to strengthen their feeling and they can better take care of themselves in future.

It is still needing to discover how forgiveness can be better raise in society at large. It is important that schools, parents, and sports coaches work together in communities to promote cooperation and forgiveness instead of violence in society. Given the role of forgiveness in religious traditions, youth programs should be created to promote forgiveness at churches and mosques. Conflicts seems an inevitable part in human life, but a person can avoid negative effects of conflicts by applying forgiveness to the life and try to ignore those conflicts. political and religious figures, such as Nelson Mandela and in South Africa, have demonstrated the beauty and effectiveness of forgiveness in action. Through a harmony of research and practice, people can continue to promote forgiveness and continue to study the positive effects of forgiveness to bring health to individuals, relationships, and societies.

Forgiveness might be different journey for each individuality. It is not something that can happen over a night, but it has the power to help people to let go of many negative feelings and emotions that have destructive impact on their future path in their life. Forgiveness is the way to peace, freedom and greater ease in life.

The introduction: the meaning of forgiveness

While analyzing forgiveness in Simon Wiesenthal’s work The Sunflower, I would like to consider some basic points concerning such psychological action or process as forgiveness. So, first of all, I would like to point out that forgiveness is mostly associated with such related matters as mercy or regret, etc.

Of course, the topic, which is to be discussed, is recognized to be an ethical issue. Taking into account the major themes of the book The Sunflower, one is to make a conclusion that such response to atrocities as forgiveness is considered to be the key aspect of humanity. In other words, I suppose that Wiesenthal’s work allows reconsidering the notions of beliefs concerning justice.

Generally, the action or the process of forgiveness is not unusual. Moreover, nobody will deny the fact that all people make mistakes and in most cases, do not consider moral obligations.

However, the most interesting point, which is to be discussed, is the question whether people should forgive everything, or not? The Sunflower is not related to such universal issues as life and death, and the biggest mistake of most of the readers is their confidence that the work reflects the above-mentioned concepts. In my opinion, the author didn’t want to draw the readers’ attention to the interdependence between life and death, but he wanted to show something, which could remind persons of interim issue between the two.

The thesis statement

Simon Wiesenthal’s work The Sunflower seems to have a symbolic meaning. The interdependence between people, who have already died and those ones, who are still alive is recognized to be the key aspect of the author’s work.

The body: the analysis of Simon Wiesenthal’s work

To confirm the thesis statement, I would like to rely on the quotation taken from a review by Ruth Pluznick. Thus, a narrative therapist states that according to Wiesenthal’s book “A sunflower was planted on each grave as straight as a soldier on parade.

Butterflies were moving from one flower to the next, and it seemed to the author that they were carrying messages from one soldier to another” (30). This sentence gives us an idea about the author’s inner state. He was sure that for him there was no opportunity to feel free, there would be no light or butterflies.

The period the author highlights in his work is the Holocaust. In my opinion, Simon Wiesenthal reflected the sufferings of people who experienced Holocaust events. In other words, he depicted cruel reality of the Second World War. Pluznick is of the opinion that “The reader is drawn into a world of unimaginable horrors – extreme deprivation of basic rights and needs, the constant presence of brutality

and degradation and death, the absence of any justice” (30). When analyzing the issues disclosed by the author, one is to make a conclusion that forgiveness is considered to be unnecessary issue. Moreover, I suppose that psychological and political aspects of forgiveness are both to be omitted, while analyzing atrocities. So, the moral right of an individual to forgive for a group is considered to be wrong.

Here, I would like to consider the so-called limits of forgiveness. Much as religion perennially advocates for forgiveness on an infinite scale, repeat offenses can be quite hard to forgive, in light of the fact that the society may construe that the acts are carried out to take advantage of the fact that, the doer of the abominable deed, will always go scot free after seeking pardon for the atrocities committed. Ultimately, every human being has a breaking point beyond which they cannot forgive.

In my opinion, the purpose of forgiveness seems to be for both personalities: the forgiver and the person being forgiven. Although is it mostly appropriate for the one being forgiven, I suppose that the proverb an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth should take place, when speaking about forgiveness.

Generally, the relationship between forgiveness and personal responsibility is another point of discussion. In my opinion, if a person takes decision to punish the aggressor, nobody can speak about responsibility. Responsibility for what??? It is a person’s legal and moral right to take vengeance or retaliate, especially, when speaking about Holocaust.

Don’t you think so? “We were told that everyone in the shtetl, family and neighbors, were rounded up and taken to the edge of the town. They were lined up and shot and buried in a mass grave” (Pluznick 30). So, what responsibility are you talking about??

The conclusion: the right choice

When writing a conclusion, I would like to highlight some points, which are related to moral, social and personal values of forgiveness. Thus, one is to keep in mind that forgiveness is considered to be stress reducing value; however, in spite of the fact that the psychological action provides the forgivers with emotional piece, greater cooperation, or helps to resolve various conflicts, clarifies the choices, etc. don’t you want to teach the enemies a good lesson? Don’t you know that there will be no result, if you turn a blind eye to unjust actions?

Works Cited

Pluznick, Ruth. The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness, 2005. Web.

Introduction

Student loan forgiveness programs are intended to partly or fully alleviate the current and past students’ financial burden of pursuing certain education degrees. They include but are not limited to Teacher Loan Forgiveness, Closed School Discharge, Perkins Loan Cancellation and Discharge, Discharge in Bankruptcy, and Unpaid Refund Discharge (Student Loan Forgiveness). However, the most famous program is Public Service Loan Forgiveness which was introduced in 2007 and was specifically directed at those who work in the public sphere or for non-profit organizations (Lieber). Nevertheless, despite the existing opportunities for students with loans, there may be a need to create special programs that would target the reduction of racial inequalities.

Indeed, the financial burden from the loan is not distributed equally among the people of various ethnical origins. Especially, that difference is evident in African American population. As such, black students on average graduate from college with $52,726 in debt, whereas their white classmates owe around $28,000 (Scott-Clayton and Li 2). Moreover, it is found that having a college degree is associated with wealth accumulation significantly less for African Americans than for other groups (Meschede et al. 121). Thus, the necessity for a targeted student loan forgiveness program is evident. In this regard, the current research seeks to answer two questions. Firstly, it is necessary to study the public sentiments toward the potential student loan forgiveness initiative for African Americans. Secondly, it is crucial to investigate to what extent such programs would benefit the latter group.

The Research Significance and Design

The research into this topic seems highly significant as the reduction of racial inequality was one of the most debated topics in the U.S. for the last several decades. Therefore, in my opinion, the research on targeted student loan forgiveness programs can provide another perspective on the solution to the issue mentioned above. For this reason, it is important to understand what other people think concerning this initiative. For example, the opinion poll may entail such topics as the fairness of providing benefits to certain groups based on ethnic origin. Furthermore, another topic may include the fear of possible moral hazards. As a result, this research’s contribution to scientific knowledge would be twofold. On the one hand, it will help to evaluate the overall support for these types of programs. On the other hand, it will allow determining the weak and controversial parts of this issue that could be further improved.

Additionally, the potential benefits of such programs for the material well-being of African Americans are important to evaluate as the final aim of targeted programs is reducing inequality. For example, the research can follow a similar logic as Mezza et al., who found that the $1000 increase in student debt reduces homeownership by 1.5 percent (245). However, this research necessitates the extension by considering the debt increase or reduction effect on homeownership for different minority groups, especially African Americans.

Personal Motivation

I have chosen to pursue this topic because I have been interested in how American society can address the problem of inequality for quite a long time now. Therefore, when I saw the news that senators Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren were asking Joe Biden to cancel $50,000 of student loan debt, I had the idea of this research (Cooper). I wanted to know whether targeted student loan forgiveness programs could help our society solve historical injustice. Thus, this research will primarily satisfy my curiosity.

Conclusion

Finally, I wanted to briefly discuss the methodology of the study and the schedule for completing the project. Firstly, I plan to conduct a focus group study concerning the topic with two groups – college students and non-college students. It will help me to collect first-hand opinions from the people. Then, the received information can be used to create an online survey and collect more representative data. For the second part, I will need to analyze statistical data from such platforms as U.S. Census Bureau. Finishing all the steps would require from two to three months.

Works Cited

Cooper, Preston. “The Case Against Student Loan Forgiveness”.Forbes, 2020, Web.

Lieber, Ron. “A Guide to Big Changes for Public Service Loan Forgiveness”. The New York Times, 2021, Web.

Meschede, Tatjana, et al. “”Family Achievements?”: How a College Degree Accumulates Wealth for Whites and Not For Blacks.” Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review, vol. 99, no. 1, 2017, pp. 121-137.

Mezza, Alvaro, et al. “Student loans and homeownership.” Journal of Labor Economics, vol. 38, no. 1, 2020, pp. 215-260.

Scott-Clayton, Judith, and Jing Li. “Black-White Disparity in Student Loan Debt More Than Triples After Graduation.”Economic Studies, vol. 2, no. 3, 2016, pp. 1-9, Web.

“Student Loan Forgiveness.”Federal Student Aid, Web.