The Molding of a Man

“He felt his pocket; the gun was still there. Ahead the long rails were glinting in the moonlight, stretching away, away to somewhere, somewhere where he could be a man…”

Richard Wright
"The Man Who Was Almost a Man"

As an African American living during the early twentieth century, Richard Wright was well aware of the consequences of prejudice and discrimination. The quote is the last line of his short story which relates the tragic story of a young African American boy who mistakenly believes that he will gain respect and acceptance through the power of a gun.

When people are denied basic respect, rights, and acknowledgement, they seek it in whatever ways that they find available to them. This is not only the case with people of different ethnicities, but also of those who find themselves denied these rights because of their economic or social position within the community. The urge for acceptance and basic rights becomes so great that many have turned to violence in an effort to force acknowledgement. Sadly, the result is not respect, but simply pain for both the target of the violence and the aggressor.

Debate about accountability and the degree to which we should acknowledge special circumstances like prejudice can be seen throughout history and is quite evident in today’s courtrooms. Arguments about accountability aside, the quote and the title of the short story point out an important message; violence should never be part of the criteria for making someone a man or respected person. Whether or not you believe that some wars are justified or that people have a right to carry guns is your own opinion, but when people define themselves through a tool of violence, they loose respect for the lives of others.

The young boy in Wright’s story is trapped in an impossible predicament. He cannot truly be a man simply through the ownership of a gun, but neither can he be a man in the eyes of white society because they refuse to see him as an equal. In the present time, we can learn from Wright’s story by remembering that a lack of respect for another’s life, whether it is through violence or prejudice, causes pain on both sides.

What are some current examples of people’s use of violence in an attempt to be acknowledged?

Although the message of tolerant respect is a simple one, why is it a lesson that people still struggle with today?

Despite the fact that violence does not make someone a “man,” when, if ever, is violence an acceptable means to achieve an end?

--Carrie

Looking Beyond the Mirror

“Oh roses for the flush of youth,
And laurel for the perfect prime;
But pluck an ivy branch for me
Grown old before my time.”

Christina Rossetti
“Song”

The saying, “old before one’s time,” has become a cliché that many people take for granted today. However, we see the relevance of its message everyday. What does “growing old before one’s time” really mean? I believe it can mean many things, but in all cases, it is the failure to live one’s life with purpose, goals, and happiness. I have seen many people who lack a sense of confidence in themselves. They may feel insecure about their appearance, their intelligence, or their ability to relate to others. Sadly, all of these insecurities often lead people to lock themselves away from the world that they fear in an attempt to shelter themselves from the sorrow that they think has been caused by a loss of youth and youthful accomplishments. How many times have we heard, “If I was young again…” or “When I was in my prime…”

We grow old when we sorrow for things that we can never change. The “what if,” the “maybe,” and the “should have” keep us from moving forward in life. Many people have the mistaken idea that if they stand still, no harm will come to them, but in standing still, people grow old without experiencing a life really lived. People may see youth as beauty or as past accomplishments during adolescence, but growing old in this sense has nothing to do with chronological age and everything to do with state of mind and pursuing goodness and happiness for ourselves and others no matter what the age.

I have seen individuals in their seventies who were beautiful people in their prime, and I have also seen people in their twenties shriveled in bitterness and lack of purpose. There is nothing wrong with feeling pride in the accomplishments gained in youth, but as we grow older that does not mean that the accomplishments should end there. American society is dominated by the idea that youthful appearance is essential for happiness. People spend millions of dollars each year to keep their appearance looking “young.” However, this obsession with a youthful appearance often makes individuals neglect youth in mind and spirit. They may hate their job, their relationships, or feel insecure about their abilities, yet it is the physical youth that they continue to seek and try to regain. They do not realize that the most fulfilling form of youth is found in stable relationships, goals, and purposes that can only be found by stepping out of one’s comfort zone. It may be easier to spend money on the face lift rather than work on deeply rooted insecurities, but true youth is found in a security gained by breaking out of one’s shell and by looking beyond the mirror for a definition of satisfied youth.

What do you think defines youth and how is it retained?

--Carrie Goertz

Power's Evil Paradox

"Instead of a Dark Lord, you would have a queen, not dark but beautiful and terrible as the dawn! Tempestuous as the sea, and stronger than the foundations of the earth! All shall love me and despair!"

Galadriel
Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The theme of power’s corrupting influence haunts the pages of literature in all eras and cultures. Tolkien’s the Lord of the Rings exposes the corrupting affects of power through the symbol of a magical ring. In the quote above, the great queen, Galadriel, is offered the ring of power, and despite her overwhelming goodness, the temptation of ultimate power makes her forget herself and her virtuous qualities for a time.

The quote at first appears to be contradictory. She wishes people to love her and despair, to be beautiful and terrible, yet when we look at modern dictators and totalitarian governments we find the same opposing desires. Many people become corrupted by power because they lack a sense of security with their own identity. Therefore, dictators seek to deny others their own sense of self in an attempt to feel powerful and secure with their own identities. Although people often seek power as a form of security, they also crave the love of those who they wish to dominate. This explains the wish for all to “love me and despair.” This statement illustrates why absolute power can never really bring a sense of security or happiness. The constant need for people to fear them in order to keep control denies power hungry individuals the love that all human beings crave. The people that they dominate will never truly love them because they seek freedom. Freedom and love compliment one another; however, love and slavery will remain opposites that bring misery to not only those dominated, but also to the dictator as well.

After being confronted with the ring of power, the immortal Galadriel understands this fact. She understands that domination denies one the ability to truly love. With all the wisdom that immortality has brought her, she is still tempted by power…let us learn from this example rather than hope to live so long.

What are your thoughts about the quote and the motivations and influences that power holds over people?

What are some other books that explore the theme of power, and how have they affected your view of its influence?

--Carrie Goertz

Counting by numbers cannot cancel blame.

“The average man don’t like trouble and danger. You don’t like trouble and danger. But if only half a man-like Buck Harkness, there--shout ‘Lynch him, lynch him!’ you’re afraid to back down-afraid you’ll be found out to be what you are--cowards--and so you raise a yell, and hang yourselves onto that half--a--man’s coat tail, and come raging up here, swearing what big things you’re going to do.”

Mark Twain
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Mark Twain is famous for his many quotes that emphasize the dangers and ignorance of “mob mentality.” The influence that others can have on an individual is disturbing and frightening. It is a tool that has been used throughout history to promote violence. Its devastating consequences are seen in the Holocaust, the lynching of African Americans in the South, and in present day riots sparked by things as shallow as lost football games.

This quote illustrates the sad irony that motivates mob mentality. People comment crimes and acts of mob violence when influenced by others which they would never do as individuals. The fact that Sherburn, the speaker in the quote, points out that the members of the mob feel brave when committing these terrible acts illustrates this irony. The brave thing would be to stand up against the leader of the mob and to refuse to participate in the lynching; however, peer pressure and the excitement sparked by the instigator’s words cause the mob members to abandon all common sense and reason. They associate the truly cowardice act of simply “following the leader” with a brave deed of manhood.

People often ask what motivates gangs, riots, and state sanctioned violence like the Holocaust. The answer is clear when one reads books such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It is the need for acceptance and the desire to prove one’s self to those that they perceive as admirable or ranking in authority. One member of the mob justifies his deed because of other members’ participation. They make the unreasonable assumption that guilt can in some way be divided up among the group as though it were a simple mathematical figure. However, when people look back at the consequences of mob violence, they are not canceling out guilt through numbers; they are counting the lives devastated because of each member’s individual cowardice and conformity.

Each person must decide when to respect and follow another’s authority. Certainly, in many instances, respecting leaderships is an admirable quality which helps to promote order. Also, group protests centered on reform and social change are things of an entirely different matter; they are not simply mindless riots bent only on destruction. It is up to each person to think for themselves and consult their own conscious and values when given an order. It is not difficult to figure out that lynching a person for the color of their skin or executing a person because of their ethnicity is wrong. It is a split second consultation and a gut feeling that tells us the difference between a legitimate respect for authority and mindless mob mentality.

Are there other motivations for “mob mentality?”

Where do you draw the line between respecting authority and speaking out against those in positions of power of influence?

--Carrie Goertz