ipl-logo

Teiresias: Why Good Men Receive Their Mistakes

702 Words3 Pages

We all make mistakes. The difference between good and evil seems to be the gravity of these mistakes. Teiresias, however, believes that good men are those that recognize their mistakes and fix them. The only crime is being too proud to admit your mistake. While I agree that good men admit and attempt to fix their mistakes, I don’t believe that the only crime is pride. In U.S. history, the U.S. made the mistake of removing thousands of Native Americans from their homes. They were forced to walk down the Trail of Tears in harsh conditions so they could make room for white settlers to move in. Later on, the U.S. admitted its mistake, and now there is land set aside for Native Americans to live on, and many of them receive money on their 18th birthday. The U.S. both admitted its mistake and attempted to repair it, but does this make the United States good? According to Teiresias, it does, but I think Teiresias is missing one key element: good men learn from their mistakes. The United States may have realized its wrongdoings, apologized, and attempted to repair them, but the U.S. did not learn. They did it again to the Japanese during World War II, sending them to internment camps and treating them badly, all because of their race. Later on, they apologized again, and compensated them. …show more content…

There’s something to be said about good intentions, but good intentions don’t do anything if your actions are bad. Looking at it Teiresias’s way, it would almost be better if you did it on purpose, because then you would be halfway done with his steps. All you would have to do is “repair the evil.” But it’s not like that. In the courts, motive in a murder is a big factor in deciding your sentence. If it was an accident, the punishment is better than if it was planned. Either way, it’s still bad, but if it was the former, then at least you had good intentions. Some people know their course is wrong, but continue on

Show More
Related

  • Case Study: Korematsu V. United States

    1119 Words  | 5 Pages

    Even though reparations were made, the wrongdoing can never be undone. To this day, the internment

    Read More

  • The Role Of American Imperialism In Late Nineteenth-And Early Twentieth Century

    912 Words  | 4 Pages

    All throughout history, America did not have much care for other people when they sought out land. Americans would gladly risk their reputation and even war for the gift of gaining land. The Native Americans were a prime example of this, as Americans had massacred and chased them away from their homeland solely for the purpose of expansion. Manifest Destiny had advocated and influenced this action, saying that they were predestined by God to expand from coast to coast. This belief in America’s right to land continued.

    Read More

  • Westward Expansion In The Way To Rainy Mountain

    495 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the text, The Way to Rainy Mountain by Momaday, Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose, and Chief Joseph Speaks by the Nez Perce Chief they all claim and support westward expansion and its influences on the people around them. n the text, There Is No True History of the Westward Expansion, Robert Morgan was saying that history is hard to predict, not to mention we have to study it and find out the mistakes of other people and learn from them. In 1831, James H. Hackett a play that was about westward expansion. History and what people's actions were can impact and influence what the future citizens will do. Robert Morgan’s claims that that Thomas Jefferson was responsible for westward expansion were reasonable.

    Read More

  • Research Paper On The Dade Massacre

    766 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mistakes were made by both parties of the short lived battle. Most of which were completed by the United States army and government. For starters, the United States government had no right to eradicate the Native Americans from their tribes. Attempting to move these people was a bad call and should not have been made. All of the Native Americans that stood up against the government made the right call.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Jewish Concentration Camps

    1494 Words  | 6 Pages

    World War Two was an extremely harsh and brutal for everyone involved. As many as fifty to eighty million people lost their lives in this time period, for the simple reason that they wanted others to be happy, healthy, and free; or more commonly, they were discriminated against for things they could not control. Soon after the war started, America swooped in with the intent and purpose to distribute equality, freedom, and justice throughout the world where it was not currently readily available (due to the repercussions and new worldviews caused by the war.) At least, that’s what most people think. Much like the cruel and horrific ongoings of what happened in Jewish Concentration Camps created for the Christians, Jews, Homosexuals, and their supporters; America had practiced similar ideals and treatment towards the Native Americans in our country long before this time.

    Read More

  • How Did Technology Affect Territorial Expansion

    794 Words  | 4 Pages

    “In 1817, Americans burned a Seminole village on the border (Florida), killed five Indians, dispersed the rest.” (Shi and Tindall, 306) This comes to show that the trail of tears was not the first ruthless obtainment of territory on America’s part, and as shown throughout History, it was not the last. Territorial expansion helped raise the population and diversity of white men and women, but through the expansion of America in unscrupulous ways millions of Native Americans and black slaves were killed. America’s hunger for more territory was not always satisfied by the thieving of other ethnic group’s territories, soon America began pioneering west once more.

    Read More

  • Race Racism And White Privilege Time Wise Analysis

    594 Words  | 3 Pages

    This is true we do not focus on what is or has happened in our country as much as we focus on what has happened in other places. In many cities across the country there are numerous Holocaust memorials and other memorials for various wars and tragedies that happened outside the United States. Though we memorialize tragedies that happened to Americans like the attack on Pearl Harbor and 9/11 we do not memorialize what we have done in this country and to other countries. I believe that Americans have this mentality that we can do no wrong and how that if America is involved its for the right reason. Wise made me think of all the unjust in this country and it isn’t just based on race.

    Read More

  • American Policies During The 1800s Essay

    583 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thousands of them did not survive. By 1840, thousands of Native Americans had been driven from their lands in the southeastern states. These actions by the US government gave white settlers many thousands of acres of desirable

    Read More

  • The Spanish American War Summary

    761 Words  | 4 Pages

    The American government’s mission to “create a more secure, democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community” rarely impacts their actions in the 19th and early 20th century. The American government holds the wishes of the American people as paramount. International community generally received consideration when it involved other European countries such as Britain and Spain, yet held little bearing when in regard to Native Americans or Filipinos. The American Civil War involved almost no foreign intervention, yet American foreign policy still played a part. In 1861 with the threat of Britain entering the Civil War Captain Charles Wilkes, a Union naval officer, coordinated a search

    Read More

  • Native Americans In The 19th Century Essay

    832 Words  | 4 Pages

    From colonial times until the end of the Indian Wars in 1890, the people in America went through a series of unfair and unfortunate events. Mainly for the Indians which are also called the first peoples. These events could have been handled with much more consideration for the Indians. There are many times when the Americans went too far including the Removal Act of 1830, the Reservation System, and the Act for the Government and Protection of Indians.

    Read More

  • Cherokee Forced Removal

    527 Words  | 3 Pages

    It was wrong to invade and claim forcefully, through unfair treaties, and cruel action. We can’t go back time to change anything, but the scar left for the Cherokees should always remind us, of the serious consequences, and prevent any further

    Read More

  • Chief Tecumseh: The Mistreatment Of Native Americans

    472 Words  | 2 Pages

    While it may seem that Americans neglected Native Americans it might not be important now throughout the world, but society does not realize the conflicts that it has caused. Although, the Cherokee tribe did not get treated equal, and were forced out of there land, and perhaps most of their people got killed during the trail of tears. For Instance, Chief Tecumseh states, “When such great acts of injustice have been committed by them upon our race, of which they seem to have no manner of regard or even to reflect”. The Cherokee tribe was getting criticized, but it did not stop them from celebrating their culture and religion. It was not right that the Cherokee tribe was criticized most of the time because they had about 3,000 of their people

    Read More

  • Self Control In The Odyssey

    747 Words  | 3 Pages

    In fact, many quotes have been written about judging people from their mistakes, one of many being “To judge a man by his weakest deed is like judging the power of the ocean by one wave” (Elvis Presley); in the end, Odysseus was a hero, not a

    Read More

  • Western Expansion In The 1800's

    1236 Words  | 5 Pages

    After looking at the evidence it can now also be said that if the government had had a better understanding of the native people then many of the pains of western expansion could have been prevented. I believe that if the government had spent six to ten months getting a better understanding of the native’s lifestyle then much of the tragedies they caused could have been prevented. Either way Western Expansion made our country the way it is today, only now we can debate if it was worth

    Read More

  • Native Americans In The 19th Century

    951 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the 19th century Native Americans were treated far less than respectful by the United States’ government. This was the time when the United States wanted to expand and grow rapidly as a land, and to achieve this goal, the Native Americans were “pushed” westward. It was a memorable and tricky time in the Natives’ history, and the US government made many treatments with the Native Americans, making big changes on the Indian nation. Native Americans wanted to live peacefully with the white men, but the result of treatments and agreements was not quite peaceful. This precedent of mistreatment of minorities began with Andrew Jackson’s indian removal policies to the tribes of Oklahoma (specifically the Cherokee indians) in 1829 because of the lack of respect given to the indians during the removal laws.

    Read More

More about Teiresias: Why Good Men Receive Their Mistakes

Open Document