Hey guys this is my mates essay on conflict (C+P)
she's wondering if this is applicable for the exam (style etc) and can you provide comments and so on ?
i'd also like to know
she'll appreciate ! thanks
“Conflict brings out the best and worst in people.”
Good morning ladies and gentlemen.
I am here before you today to enlighten you on an aspect of a manner which we encounter everyday. That is, conflict. Have you ever wondered what caused many infamous characters in history, such as Hitler, to exhibit such terrifying and anti-social behavior? Or for instance, how would you react if you had the power to save innocent lives at the expense of your own life? Through history, we have seen that conflict tends to cause individuals to demonstrate unjust behavior often associated with greed and prejudice. However, there are minorities who demonstrate true courage and empathy towards others in times where individual human survival is essential, and often make the ultimate sacrifice.
One of the more recent conflicts in history that triggered both extraordinary tales of courage and kindness, and on the contrary, rather unsettling tales of deception and prejudice was the Holocaust. During this dark period of time, acts of cruelty and torture were initiated on feeble human beings. But through this grim period, minorities of people who refused to conform to the torture provided a glimpse of hope within all victims. Elie Wiesel, a young Jewish boy, was a part of this minority. Right from the beginning of his journey, Elie stood in stark contrast to the majority of the victims who could not maintain a clear perception. Throughout his journey from the Warsaw Ghetto to the concentration camps, Elie was able to remain resilient to the torture he was subjected to, and did not break his sense of humanity in the face of death. Throughout his time in the concentration camps, Elie did not conform to the abuse and death threats, and was able to lend a helping hand towards his weakening father, giving up his own food for him, and even to complete strangers. Despite being rigorously warned of the consequences of being compassionate towards others in the camp, Elie continues to maintain his sense of humanity and realizes that the only way to survive is to work together.
In contrast to Elie Wiesel’s mentality, the majority of the legendary tales to come out of the Holocaust were ones of betrayal and beastly behaviour. Consider a situation presented in Elie’s memoir, Night. On a shipment train, Elie witnessed a young boy pounce on, and murder his father with his own hands, all for a mere piece of bread. This horrific act of animal-instinct was caused by the continual conflict this young boy was put through. The constant torture had reduced the child to an animal, only with the instinct to look after himself and annihilate any person or thing that impeded his chances of survival, even a loved one. One can only think, how was Elie able to withstand the deliberate torture tactics initiated by the Nazi’s, and keep a clear mind through which he was able to shield people around him? This is something we can never understand, and the answer lies within Elie Wiesel himself and his own mentality. One thing can be certain though. It can be seen through this indifferent period of suffering that many different qualities were brought out in people. Those who stood in stark contrast to those who were robbed of their morals, such as Elie Wiesel, ultimately portrayed how conflict can indeed bring out the best aspects in humanity.
Furthermore, history has shown us that conflict has regularly been used by selfish individuals to fulfill certain desires and manipulate innocent people to their advantage. The Crucible offers a prime example of how the hysteria that developed from the ordeal was used by certain characters to benefit themselves only, in complete disregard for other innocent lives. One such character was Thomas Putnam. Putnam used the hysteria of false accusations to fulfill his greediness for land ownership and settle ancient disputes. He intentionally used his daughter, Ruth, to accuse George Jacobs of witchcraft, in an attempt to acquire Jacob’s confiscated land. Why on Earth would you use your little daughter to selfishly acquire land at the expense of an innocent man’s life? In doing so, Putnam’s self-centered act had also lead to the death of Giles Corey who tried to expose Putnam. Although Putnam was present at Corey’s death, he made no attempt to step in and try to save Corey’s life. Instead he watched as an innocent man was killed primarily because of his own greed and cowardly act. The selfishness of the Putnam family does not stop there. Thomas’ wife, Anne Putnam, also used the frenzy that had enveloped the town to settle an underlying dispute. Acting out of blind vengeance, Ann accused Rebecca Nurse of murdering her seven babies; an accusation which shocked most of the town. Ann acted out of revenge on an old woman who only intended to lend a helping hand, and who was considered the perfect Christian. But the conflict had blinded her, and gave her an opportunity to settle the hidden grudge fueled by her selfish jealously of Nurse having many grandchildren. This act of self-centered revenge and the greediness of her husband’s land ownership obsession ultimately provided the groundings in portraying the darker side of humanity as we know it.
In the midst of the grim acts coming out of the witch trials, the Crucible also offers a perfect example of a minority of people who maintained their integrity and remained strong in keeping their set of morals and values. They obtain their courage to make such decisions from their strength in being able to uphold their underlying principles and uphold justice within themselves. John Proctor was one of these characters who in the end, was able to remain strong and make the righteous and selfless decision. Proctor suffered from immense inner conflict as he struggled to come to terms with a decision. He was contrasted from the majority of the town, who conformed to the courts and the Theocracy, and ultimately accused their neighbours of practicing witchcraft due to their constant fear of being accused themselves. But unlike these individuals, Proctor was able to remain strong and instead of conforming to the courts and accusing his fellow neighbours, he was able to make an honest and righteous decision. Proctor was actually faced with the choice of saving his own life by confessing, at the expense of his reputation and other innocent lives, or refuse to confess and save his good name, but at the expense of his life. How would you react if you were faced with this kind of choice? Saving innocent lives and dying with dignity is heroic, but in reality many people would act on the basic animal instinct- to live at all costs. But in fact, Proctor came to the decision to refuse to succumb to lies and sign away his good name, and paid the ultimate price; his life. His decision would’ve been one in a million, as not many people would possess the strength and courage to sign away their life. Also Proctor held very unique values of integrity, truth and honesty and more importantly, he possessed a great need to restore his sense of self after feeling immense guilt over his affair.
So after all of these examples and evidence are presented, only can we now speculate on the different decisions made by individuals faced with a similar conflict. Would you be able to remain strong through immense torture placed on you in the camps? Could you muster the strength to sign away your life for a greater cause and higher truth? We must always remember that conflict indeed does have a severe impact on individuals and it is through this that we are able to witness the different aspects of humanity.
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