Comparing Selflessness In Foreskins Lament By Greg Duff And Boy

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My report examines the concept of selfishness vs selflessness and how it is portrayed in the text. The texts I have chosen are Foreskins Lament by Greg McGee, Dunkirk by Christopher Nolan, Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff and Boy by Taika Waititi. I felt that all these texts displayed aspects of selfishness vs selflessness that work together and can create a picture of what it means to be selfish or selfless in our society today. Being selfish means you lack consideration for others and are focused on things only for your own benefit. Being selfless is the opposite of being selfish, selfless people are concerned more about the needs of other people than their own. The first text I would like to focus on is the 1981 play ‘Foreskin’ by Greg McGee. …show more content…

Tupper shows an act of selfishness in ‘Foreskins Lament’ when he forces Ken to take part in rugby with the knowledge that it could make his previous concussion worse. Jake and Beth in ‘Once Were Warriors’ show selfishness since they prioritise their social life and partying over the responsibility of their six kids. Alamein acts selfishly by going back to Boy and Rocky’s grandmother’s home to retrieve money he buried instead of visiting his children. Alex demonstrates selfishness by how he accuses Gibson of being a German spy and insists that he should leave the boat. All these texts reveal various reasons behind being selfish. For instance, Tupper is motivated to be selfish because he wants his team to win at rugby at all costs, even if it means that Ken gets into injury risks. Jake, Beth and Alamein prioritise their own wellbeing over their children and have a lack of responsibility. Alex’s selfishness is driven by survival instincts because he doesn’t want to have to get off the boat, so he accuses Gibson of being a German spy so everyone will agree with him that Gibson should get off the boat. In the texts we’ve seen, characters tend to show either selfishness or selflessness characteristics which can easily be noticed. Selfish characters often appear disrespectful towards others and self-concerned. Selfless characters often seem more innocent or nave, and usually can easily be taken advantage of for their

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