Fathers And Sons Essay, Research Paper
THROUGH TIME FATHERS AND SONS HAVE SHARED MUTUAL FEELINGS OF LOVE, RESPECT,
HONOR, AND AT TIMES HATE IN THEIR LIVES.
THE WRITER OF THIS PAPER WILL TRY TO EXEMPLIFY THIS RELATIONSHIP USING THE
STORIES NARRATED IN NIGHT, A CHOICE OF WEAPONS, AND DEAD POETS SOCIETY. A
SHORT SUMMARY OF THE THREE STORIES IS NEEDED TO GIVE THE READER A GENERAL
UNDERSTANDING OF THE PLOT.
NIGHT WRITTEN BY ELIE WIESEL IS AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT OF THE
DREADFUL EXPERIENCE OF A JEWISH BOY AND HIS FAMILY GOING THROUGH THE
HOLOCAUST. THE AUTHOR NARRATES HOW HE AND HIS FATHER STRUGGLED SIDE BY
SIDE AFTER BEING TAKEN BY NAZI SOLDIERS AND SEPARATED FROM HIS MOTHER AND
SISTER. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK ELIE IS MOTIVATED AND WILLING TO
CAPTURE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HIS RELIGION AND WANTS TO IMPROVE HIS
RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS GOD. THE TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE OF THE HOLOCAUST
CHANGES HIS PERCEPTION OF LIFE AND DESTROYS HIS FAITH IN GOD AND HUMANITY.
THE SECOND BOOK, A CHOICE OF WEAPONS, WRITTEN BY GORDON PARKS IS ALSO
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY. AN AFRICAN AMERICAN BOY SUFFERS FAMILY LOSSES AND MANY
MISFORTUNES DUE TO POVERTY, PREJUDICE, AND HATE. HIS NARRATIVE DEPICTS HOW
HE STRUGGLES THROUGH IT ALL AND BECOMES A FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPHER AFTER TAKING
ON OTHER JOBS SUCH AS BUSBOY, PIANIST, JANITOR, PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL
PLAYER, AND MANY OTHERS. GORDON IS THE VICTIM OF MANY RACIAL PREJUDICES
THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE, BUT HE ALSO MEETS MANY UNUSUAL AND INTERESTING PEOPLE.
HE STRUGGLED THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE TO WIN SUCCESS AND BE THE BEST FATHER,
HUSBAND, AND PHOTOGRAPHER THAT HE COULD BE.
DEAD POETS SOCIETY IS A FILM DIRECTED BY PETER WEIR. THE STORY EVOLVES
AROUND A GROUP OF ADOLESCENTS AT A TRADITIONAL NEW ENGLAND PREP SCHOOL IN
THE FIFTIES. THEIR LIVES ARE DRAMATICALLY SHAKEN BY THEIR NEW TEACHER MR.
KEATING WHO IS AN IDEALIST ISOLATED IN A TRADITIONALLY REALIST SCHOOL. THE
FIVE OTHER MAIN CHARACTERS IN THE MOVIE, TODD ANDERSON, KNOX OVERSTREET,
CHARLES DALTON, CHRIS NOEL, AND NEIL PERRY ARE CAPTURED BY A PHRASE
MR.KEATING TELLS THEM “CARPE DIEM”(SEIZE THE DAY). THESE BOYS INTRIGUED BY
THEIR NEW TEACHER ARE PUSHED TO INQUIRE ABOUT HIS PAST AND SEARCH THROUGH
OLD YEARBOOKS TO DISCOVER THAT HE WAS ONCE A MEMBER OF A GROUP CALLED THE
“DEAD POET’S SOCIETY”. THE BOYS FASCINATED BY THE THOUGHT OF A SECRET
SOCIETY DECIDE TO MAKE THE GROUP THEIR OWN. EACH BOY HAS HIS OWN DILEMMA
IN THE FILM AND THEY ALL TURN TO MR. KEATING’S “CARPE DIEM” PHILOSOPHY FOR
THEIR RESOLUTION.
EACH OF THESE STORIES HAS A COMMON THEME IN THEIR PLOT: THE FATHER AND SON
RELATIONSHIPS. THIS RELATIONSHIP HAS A BIG ROLE IN THE THREE STORIES THAT
HAVE BEEN UNDER DISCUSSION.
IN NIGHT ELIE WIESEL’S RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS FATHER EVOLVES THROUGHOUT THE
STORY. PRIOR TO THE ARRIVAL OF THE NAZI TROOPS HIS FATHER WAS A RESPECTED
MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY. DURING THAT TIME ELIE RESENTED HIS FATHER FOR
CONCERNING HIMSELF WITH THE COMMUNITIES PROBLEMS RATHER THAN THE WELL BEING
OF HIS OWN FAMILY. AFTER BEING TAKEN FROM HIS HOME AND SENT TO THE
CONCENTRATION CAMP THE RELATIONSHIP CHANGED. ADVERSITY BRINGS THEM CLOSER
TO EACH OTHER. HIS FATHER TRIES TO HIM BY PROVIDING MORAL SUPPORT AND EVEN
SOMETIMES SACRIFICING SOME OF HIS OWN FOOD
BETWEEN HIS FATHER AND SON INCREASES MORE AND MORE EVERY DAY THAT THEY PASS
CAPTURED BY THE GERMANS.
ELIE’S LIFE WAS MISERABLE. CONSTANT FEAR, DESPAIR, AND HUNGER CAUSED HIM
TO LOOSE THE FAITH IN EVERYTHING THAT HE BELIEVED IN. AT MOMENTS HE EVEN
NEGLECTED TO CARE ABOUT HIS FATHER’S CONDITION AND ONLY CARED ABOUT
HIMSELF. BY THE END OF THE STORY HE FELT MUCH GUILT ON HIMSELF FOR NOT
TAKING CARE OF HIS FATHER AND TRIES EVERYTHING TO KEEP HIM ALIVE.
NEVERTHELESS, AFTER ALL THE LOVE AND CARING THAT HE GAVE TO HIS FATHER, IT
WAS NOT ENOUGH TO SAVE HIM FROM THE PAINS AND SORROWS HE HAD SUFFERED, AND
HE PASSED AWAY.
IN A CHOICE OF WEAPONS THE FATHER/SON RELATIONSHIP APPEARS TO BE
NON-EXISTENCE. WHEN GORDON WAS ONLY 16 YEARS OLD HIS MOTHER PASSED AWAY
AND ASKED THAT GORDON BE SENT TO LIVE WITH HIS SISTER. HIS FATHER ACCEPTS
HIS MOTHER’S WILL PROMPTLY AND SENDS GORDON AWAY TO LIVE WITH HIS SISTER.
GORDON’S FATHER WAS A VERY LONELY AND QUIET MAN. A BARRIER OF SILENCE
SEPARATED HIM FROM HIS SON, EVEN AT THE TIME OF HIS WIFE’S DEATH. THE LACK
OF COMMUNICATION GAVE GORDON A SENSE OF ABANDONMENT AND HE COULD ONLY RELY
ON HIS MOTHER’S TEACHINGS TO SURVIVE. ALL THE IMPORTANT THINGS THAT GORDON
LEARNED ABOUT LIFE HE LEARNED FROM HIS MOTHER. HIS FATHER WAS SO
CONCENTRATED IN PROVIDING SUPPORT TO HIS FAMILY THAT HE DID NOT HAVE THE
ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH HIS OWN SON NOR TO UNDERSTAND HIM. THE ONLY
POINT OF CONTACT BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM APPEARED TO BE THE LOVE AND
ADMIRATION FOR GORDON’S MOTHER. IN THE WORDS OF HIS OWN FATHER “IT AIN’T
THE SAME WITHOUT YOUR MOTHER.”
IN DEAD POETS SOCIETY MR. PERRY HAS A DICTATORIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS SON
NEAL. HE WOULD COMMAND AND HIS SON HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO OBEY. THERE WAS
NO ROOM FOR DISCUSSION, COMPROMISE OR TOLERANCE. MR. PERRY HAD TRACED THE
PATH FOR HIS SON TO FOLLOW AND HE WOULD NOT ACCEPT ANY DEVIATIONS FROM IT.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR NEIL WAS THE EDITOR OF THE SCHOOL
NEWSPAPER AND WAS VERY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT IT. NEIL’S FATHER COULD NOT
TOLERATE THAT THE REMOTE POSSIBILITY OF THIS EXTRACURRICULAR RESPONSIBILITY
WOULD AFFECT NEIL’S PERFORMANCE IN SCHOOL AND FORCED HIM TO RESIGN.
NEIL WAS NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE DREAMS OF HIS OWN. HIS FATHER HAD ENVISIONED
HIM AS A DOCTOR AND NOTHING ELSE. NEIL HAD MANY TALENTS NON-RELATED TO
THAT PROFESSION. WHEN HE MET MR.KEATING HIS EYES OPENED AND HE DISCOVERED
HIS DREAMS. HE REALIZED HE HAD A PASSION FOR POETRY AND FOR ACTING.
THE URGE TO PURSUE THOSE FIELDS WAS VERY STRONG AND HE DEFIED HIS FATHER’S
AUTHORITY TO FOLLOW HIS DREAMS. WHEN HIS FATHER FOUND OUT THAT HE HAD
DISOBEYED HIS INSTRUCTIONS TO STAY OUT OF THE SCHOOL PLAY, HE WAS OUTRAGED.
HE COULD NOT FORGIVE NEIL AND THE PUNISHMENT WAS DISPROPORTIONATE TO THE
DISOBEDIENCE: HE TRANSFERRED NEIL TO A NEW SCHOOL WHERE HE COULD NOT WASTE
ANYMORE OF HIS TIME IN SILLY DREAMS. THIS DISPLAY OF POWER DROVE NEIL INTO
SUCH A STATE OF DESPERATION THAT HE ENDED HIS OWN LIFE.
MISERY, POVERTY, AND PREJUDICE DID NOT SURROUND NEIL’S LIFE. HE WAS NOT
PERSECUTED NOR PHYSICALLY ABUSED. NEVERTHELESS HE WAS NOT ABLE TO FIND A
WAY TO CONFRONT HIS FATHER AND MAKE HIM UNDERSTAND HIS NEEDS. HE LOST THE
BATTLE AND WITH IT HIS LIFE.