Violence is violence, whether it is committed by armies in the semblance of patriotism or terrorism. Eventually, individuals from both sides will suffer. After the first death by Robert Cormier, published in 1979, is a book about how adolescents are influenced by their elders. It is a book about a bus full of innocent children being held hostage by a group of four terrorists fighting for their unspecified country; somewhere from the middle-east. Cormier in the guise of terrorism, discusses many other issues such as patriotism, betrayal, innocence, and the effects it has on personal relationships. In this essay, I will be exploring these issues through the characters of Artkin, Miro, Mark and Ben. Artkin is depicted as being a terrorist while …show more content…
Ben is a naive teenager who is the son of the General. He was used as a pawn by a father he scarcely knows. Ben did not know much about his father and they both hardly talked and therefore he was not comfortable with him. “Will I be able to look him in the eye?” (pg 16). Ben and General Mark did not talk much; at least not as a father and son. “Not talk to me but address me. As if I were not his son but a stranger who had suddenly become important to him.” (pg14) This implies how Ben only became important when the General needed him. Ben was happy since he taught at least because of this he and his father will be close. However, his father sends him to the terrorist as a bargaining tool considering the terrorist who had asked for someone nonprofessional, “I suggested you”-General Mark (pg 225); even after knowing he can be “intensively tortured”. The General deliberately feeds Ben with false information so they could trap the terrorists and ultimately it was successful at the cost of Ben’s death. Ben was “expected to act as a coward” (pg 266) by his father and thus was fed the false information which he was to reveal to the terrorist after being tortured. Even after being shot with a bullet, the guilt of betraying his country and his father’s trust was too much to handle for him hence, he jumps off the bridge and suicides. When in reality it was actually his father who betrayed him by feeding …show more content…
In this novel, the readers are faced with many issues that were and are still occurring today. After the first death by Robert Cormier, is a novel about the hijacking of a school bus by a group of four terrorist from an unspecified country. Through the characters of Miro, Ben, Artkin and Mark, Cormier explores the issues of betrayal, patriotism, how innocence can be lost and the relationship of a father and son. This book falls in the thriller genre since we learn about the loss of innocence with the guidance of adults. This novel is truly a great piece of work since it makes its reader think about the issues portrayed. I really respect Cormier since he was brave enough to write about the dark reality of life and shows how there is darkness within all of us that lurks beneath the things we are
Ben went from a highschool superstar, to a team leader for a war, yet still had the same love and loyalty he had before everything
Nevertheless, eighteen years old is the age of a man, and Ben and his father both know that he’s going to be taking off from his family one day. “Opening his locker, Ben unpacked his uniform and stared at the new Converse All Stars Bull had bought him, a purchase that had gone unreported to the iron-fisted keeper of the books, Lillian Meecham.” (Conroy ___) Bull Meecham wants the best for his children, which is why he is a strong disciplinarian, a firm martinet both at home and with his
We see Ben questioning his future here. “His parents were criminals, so he must be likely to become one. Like father, like son. Did he have a choice, or was it written in his DNA?” pg. 225
With his dad gone there was no adult there to protect him from Ben. Without his dad Matt was virtually defenseless against Ben, especially when Ben was inside their small, one-room cabin. And if he was able to defeat Ben, he would probably just return with backup to get revenge on
In this book there is mystery, terrorism and a whole lot of suspense. In this journal I will be evaluating, visualizing and clarifying. I like this book for several reasons, but I also have my problems with this book too.
It also came to the point in the scene were one of the Military’s son was involved. II. Summary Ben Marchand, the son of General Mark Marchand was waiting in the Castle in his room. He was waiting for his father’s arrival or visit to discuss some important matter.
This relationship was very much like Rabbi Eliahou and his son’s. The man had taken some bread and he had brought some to share with his son Meir. Meir killed his own father to get the bread, then he was also killed over the bread. Both this relationship and Rabbi Eliahou and his son’s were similar. Both relationships had loyal fathers, and those fathers were betrayed by their sons in the times of extreme hardship.
This way, the judgement of Charlie’s life is made in half an hour, based on unfair and unjust statements. Throughout the book, “Private Peaceful”, Michael Morpurgo, portray us a message of injustice in three parallel situations, school, homefront, and the battlefront. The battlefront exposes the injustice of the relationship between powerful and powerless people. This story also demonstrates the powerful victimise the poor and
His parents were rarely mentioned. Their names, personalities, and many more important factors are left unknown to the reader or analyzer. If he were truly responsible or caring, he would be thankful for his
Betrayal is an issue many can relate to, whether it is done by a family member or a friend. In the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, we witness betrayal play a vital role in the downfall of the main character’s Amir and Hassan’s friendship, and how betrayal was the reason for why Amir sought redemption in hopes to move on. The novel begins with Amir as an adult, recalling an event that took place in 1975 in his hometown Kabul, Afghanistan and how this event was what changed the rest of his life and made him who he now is. Despite this heartbreaking occurrence of Amir’s reluctance to help Hassan while he was being raped, it was the reason for why Amir later decided to be brave and stand up for what he believes in.
If he saw something that needed repair, Ben immediately started ameliorating it, and did not stop until he was satisfied with the result. Many principles can be gleaned from this passage, and it is a powerful reminder to work our best at every task, no matter how
Why did they rejoice when an ‘enemy’ was met with it? Why were they wanting it for themselves? Even my own mother would rather him die than have her son save a life; I simply couldn’t comprehend it. As soon I managed to wriggle my arm free from her grasp I was off again bolting towards the site of the crash. I wasn’t thinking of how I was to save him, I just knew I had to try my absolute best.
Since his father is a huge role model for him, he puts in blind hope towards the military and how his father will “make
His idiosyncrasy remains loving and understanding, even when his younger son returned home after many of been away with not a penny to his name. The young son showed disobedience to all the goodness his father had offered to him. The young son showed traits such as selfishness as well as being ungrateful. He had no worth for his father’s property nor did he want to work alongside his father on the family farm.
They also make fun of Ben’s inability to use new technology, relating this to the fact that he is older. The second topic which was also covered in our class would be the idea of life transitions, which all older people go through. As one ages, there is a risk of losing connections to daily life when one retires or loses a spouse or friends to death. At the beginning of the movie, Ben has the risk of losing this connectivity because he has retired from his long-term job at the phone book company. He has also had the funerals of both friends and his wife.