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 ON HIS SONS BEHALF. THE BOND

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.