The concept of trust is important in John Widemen’s short story, “Whose War: The Color of Terror.” Specifically, the trust that people have in the United State government that results in greater power for the government. As a result of this empowerment and trust, the government is able to distract Americans from the realities that surround them in their own home. In the story, Widemen refers to this trust, “Even if he tells me all good Americans have nothing to fear but fear itself and promises he’s gonna ride over there and kick fear’s ass real good… Don’t expect too much too soon. These things take time. Their own good time. You know. The sweet by-and-by. Trust me.” (Americans believe what the news media has to say but they also believe what …show more content…
the president has to say. The major key in this concept of trust is the automatic power the government earns from it. As American citizens, we are inclined to believe that the president and the government are handling it, so thus we can relax. If the government retained no trust with the American people, they would not be able to do anything because of the lack of power and respect. No one would abide by the rules or listen to anything the president had to say. This story highlights that people realize the necessity of change in the country and are no longer blind to what is happening around them. Not only does it highlight these realizations, but also citizens recognize that all the trust in their government is unjustified, because of the sugar-coated promises, like to “beat fears ass.” Wideman discusses how the president and government are not changing things for the better; “…when power confronts the inevitability of change. By promising to keep things as they are, promising to freeze out or squeeze out those not already secure within the safety net of privilege.” Because that is what society is opening its eyes to- the government keeping the traditions that benefit only those with power instead of making a change for the better of the general society. Article one “Explaining African American Political Trust: Examining Psychological Involvement, Policy Satisfaction and Reference Group Effects” by Maruice Mangum discusses the amount of trust that African American people have in the government.
Three models are used throughout the article to describe what this trust entails and how it has been effected. The first model is psychological involvement which “...captures the effects of individual efficacy, group efficacy, political ideology, and party identification” (Mangum 4). This model relates the lack of trust African Americans have in the government to their shortage of participation in politics. If a group of people or an individual do not feel as though the government is being responsive for their needs, they will refuse to participate as they feel they will not be able to make a change. The article mentions that the party in government directly affects how African Americans feel toward the government. When the democrats have control they feel as though their rights will be better protected and improved. Whereas if the republicans are in power they feel as though these rights may be infringed upon. The second model that is mentioned is Policy Satisfaction. This model states that if a group of people are not satisfied with the policies that control government then they will be less inclined to respect them as a governing body. The main policy that affects African Americans is dealing with and ending discrimination. The third model is Descriptive Representation. This pertains to the idea of not being represented in government. The current representation in government is majorly white. This makes it difficult for African Americans to have hope for change. For example, a white congressman may be less inclined to address issues such as institutional and systematic racism than that of a black
congressman. Article two “Trust and Distrust in the Achievement of Popular Control” by Yann Allard- Tremblay explains how trust may be preferred but is not necessary to maintain popular control. The article defines trust using “a three-part relation: A trusts B to do X (or with respect to X)” (Allard- Tremblay 376) this module will not work if A fails to comply with what B wants due to lack of commitment. It is also stated that trust is the reliance on the commitment of others, this allows for willful cooperative schemes to be possible. Keeping in mind that “democracy relies on voluntary compliance and voluntary compliance relies on trust, trust is central to democracy” Yann says that “democracy is not the sole regime that vitally relies on voluntary compliance” therefore making his point that you don’t need trust in the government for democratic decision making to be possible. The next section of the text defines what democracy is and how the definition of democracy differs from that of other cooperation based regimes. Democracies are unique to the fact that each person is a decision maker- everyone is a source of claim and everyone has to also be able to address others’ claims. A democracy is also unique due to its distinct type of trust called “guarded epistemic trust” which relies on agents being competently committed to decent epistemic practices. The article ends by arguing that though democracy and trust are closely linked “the supposed necessary relationship between the actual enabling of popular control over government and any specific type of generalized trust” are different than the type of trust needed for a scheme of cooperation. The article concludes by saying “… the relationship between trust and democracy is more ambiguous than we are often led to believe” and that when it comes to popular control over government trust depends on a contextual and realist assessment. Article one aids you in understanding “whose war the color on terror” differently in a few ways. The first being it proves that African American people generally trust the government less than the majority. This changes the story because when Widemen speaks about the president asking the people to trust what the government is doing you feel as though it is being directed at African Americans and not the population as a whole. The president knows he has the overall trust of the people, by asking that we as Americans trust him he is addressing the people he knows need the reassurance that the government is doing what it is supposed to do. When he asks the people to trust him it no longer feels sincere, it feels forced. Trust is gained and instead of proving he and the government are trustworthy he is forcing them to feel as though they need to trust him or they won’t be considered good Americans. Article two aids you in understanding the short story “Whose War: The Color of Terror” differently as it puts into perspective the idea of trust. There are many different types of trust and
“Tomorrow When The War Began” is a novel written by the author John Marsden which includes valuable lessons of resilience when hardships arise and courage over fear to save other lives. Two characters that portray these themes are Ellie and Robyn. Ellie overcomes the hardship of killing young soldiers and Robyn overcomes fear in order to save other lives, by putting her life at risk. John Marsden’s story emphasizes the life lessons which Ellie and Robyn have to experience to save their hometown of Wirrawee.
Hahn discusses both the well-known struggle against white supremacy and the less examined conflicts within the black community. He tells of the remarkable rise of Southern blacks to local and state power and the white campaign to restore their version of racial order, disenfranchise blacks, and exclude them from politics. Blacks built many political and social structures to pursue their political goals, including organizations such as Union Leagues, the Colored Farmers’ Alliance, chapters of the Republican Party, and emigration organizations. Hahn used this part of the book to successfully recover the importance of black political action shaping their own history.
Within his novel The Wars, Timothy Findley, deconstructs the concept of friend and enemy. Jacques Derrida, the founder of deconstruction stated, “Deconstruction takes place, it is an event that does not await the deliberation, consciousness or organization of a subject, or even of modernity. It deconstructs it-self. It can be deconstructed.” (Mapp, 781). Jacques Derrida believed deconstruction happens on its own, and therefore one does not need to consciously deconstruct a text, as it is an unconscious process that one need not deliberate. In the text The Wars, Findley makes the assumption that one’s enemy is their closest friend. Oxford Dictionaries defines the term “enemy”, as a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something. Within a war the concept of friend and enemy is certainly evident; soldiers are deployed from all around the world fighting alongside their country and their allies, this being their “friends”, to ultimately defeat the “enemy”. In the text, the protagonist, Robert Ross and his men are commanded by Captain Leather to set up gun beds close to the German lines. While setting up, Robert Ross and his men are unmasked by the Germans, and after luckily surviving a gas attack, Robert Ross and his men encounter a German sniper sent to watch and kill them, who instead, ended up risking his own life to free them all. “He could have killed them all. Surely that had been his intention. But he’d relented. Why” (Findley, 131)? Robert Ross realizes that the German soldier had a rifle beside him the entire time, which he could of used to kill them all, but did not. As an enemy of Ross and his men, this young German soldier should have, being inimical to these soldiers, shot and killed them as he intended....
Capturing the realities of war is not everyone's cup of tea. One has to be feel the emotions that inspire vivid imagery in words. True war stories can be written based off of true events that have occurred and bring out emotions in the poets who witness them. Brian Turner, author of 2000 lbs, stated in an interview that while in Iraq, he felt “very isolated from the relevance of what felt like a prior life”(poemoftheweek.com). Its seems like a split from life at home to a warzone with conflicting feelings. He began capturing his experiences of the war in the form of poetry. Brian Turner turned his Iraq war experience and his masters degree in literature and poetry into an opportunity to oppose the resolution of conflict through war. Tim O’Brien is a Vietnam Warr veteran who struggled with PTSD and Turner’s opinions in his story, “2000 lbs,” share similarities with “How To Tell A True War Story”. Turner’s poem 2000 lbs describes a suicide
War has been a constant part of human history. It has greatly affected the lives of people around the world. These effects, however, are extremely detrimental. Soldiers must shoulder extreme stress on the battlefield. Those that cannot mentally overcome these challenges may develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sadly, some resort to suicide to escape their insecurities. Soldiers, however, are not the only ones affected by wars; family members also experience mental hardships when their loved ones are sent to war. Timothy Findley accurately portrays the detrimental effects wars have on individuals in his masterpiece The Wars.
“Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair. - Anonymous”. If you have ever felt isolated from society, or feel that you are constantly begging for the mercy of your own subconscious, then you know the pain accompanied by expending trust. It is imperative for humanity to cultivate trust; if we lose it, we will simply degenerate into insanity. For instance, in the texts “On the Sidewalk Bleeding”, “The Tell-Tale Heart” as well as “The Landlady”, characters were tasked with uncovering the role that trust plays in conquering challenges. In doing so, they also suffered through fluctuating degrees of tailored hardships.
In addition, to understand the obstacles for justice that African American constantly face. President Johnson tries to influence the citizens appealing to the people’s emotions and also stating facts. In the passage it states, “ It really rests on his right to be treated as a man equal in opportunity to all others...and that he shall share in freedom, he shall choose his leaders.” In that quote he stated that he felt as if African Americans should be treated fairly and he tried to connect to their emotions and gives valid points. In addition, the president tries to make the reader understand that blacks won’t give up no matter what obstacles are thrown in their way my stating, “every device of which human ingenuity is capable has been used to deny this right, negro citizen may go to register only to be told the day is wrong, or they are an hour late or maybe even given a test”(paragraph 18). This quote shows that the government tried every way to keep African Americans from voting and it did not work because they will go through that every time until they get their right to
Skepticism about government is, in many respects, part of the DNA of Americans. This skepticism is not without reason – the actions of American politicians in the 1960s and 70s caused much of America to wonder about the motives of elected officials. However, such skepticism is rarely brought up when discussing the government’s participation in denouncing oppression against the African-American community. Most assume the government enforced equal opportunity for minorities out of compassion and humanity. However, much like the other major actions of the government during that era, the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a groundbreaking law condemning segregation, was not devoid of personal motives. The Black community was not oblivious to this fact, and voiced its outrage through different mediums. Within the literary community, James Baldwin stands out as an author who especially attacked the government, claiming all the benefits his community was now receiving was not the result of compassion, but rather was the result of politics as usual.
Many people say that the metal of a man is found in his ability to keep his ideals in spite of anything that life can through at you. If a man is found to have done these things he can be called a hero. Through a lifelong need to accept responsibility for all living things, Robert Ross defines his heroism by keeping faith with his ideals despite the betrayal, despair and tragedy he suffers throughout the course of The Wars by Timothy Findley.
Categorical terrorism, according to Jeff Goodwin, is defined as “the strategic use of violence and threats of violence, usually intended to influence several audiences, by oppositional political groups against civilian or noncombatants who belong to a specific entity, religious or national group, social class or some other collectivity, without regard to their individual identities or roles.” More so, in terms of definition, according to a study done by Jeffrey Record in 2003, there was a count of over 109 definitions of terrorism, covering 22 different categorical elements. During the 70s and 80s, the United Nations struggled to define the term, finally coming up with the following definition: “Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them.”
Du Bois urged African Americans to involve themselves in politics. Gaining this power would be essential to immediate beseeching of rights. Political association would prevent blacks from falling behind because "when the Negro found himself deprived of influence in politics, therefore, and at the same time unprepared to participate in the higher functions in the industrial development which this country began to undergo, it soon became evident to him that he was losing ground in the basic things of life" (Doc I). Du Bois also directly challenged Washington when he stated "that the way for a people to gain their reasonable rights is a not by voluntarily throwing them away and insisting that they do not want them" (Doc E). W.E.B. Du Bois goes on to criticize that "that the principles of democratic government are losing ground, and caste distinctions are growing in all directions" (Doc F). All of these political demands are comprehensible but Du Bois desired a radical change; "Negroes must insist continually, in season and out of season" (Doc E). This is close to nagging, which was surely unfavorable among primarily white politicians. The effectiveness of perpetual complaining would steadily decrease. Washington avoids political involvement which in general is a neutral action neither promoting nor causing defacement of the Negro population.
The Struggles in life is something everyone is faced with whether it is physical, emotional mental or personal struggles. These struggles are capable of shaping an individual’s personality and outlook on life. Timothy Findley’s novel The Wars, shows that struggles lead to the character’s ultimate inner struggles, outer struggles and self-discovery. War exists in a person’s physical and psychological aspects. In The Wars, Robert Ross goes to war and fights a personal and physical battle.
Everyday citizens often live unaware of their government’s inner workings. The knowing of political espionage is often too heavy of a subject to be inducted in conversation. True, prima facie, modest twists and turns of information may not be considered substantial, but this inconsideration leaves much to be uncontrolled. It is easy for political leaders to become power crazed, to not realize the massive implications that come of their actions. Only after all is said and done do the people actually realize their government is an opaque mask of deception. The Watergate Scandal substantially impacted Americans’ trust in their government.
These members don’t benefit from helping advocate for racial equality, but recognizes that disparaging a large population of individuals to keep an elite class of citizens from having their balance upset, is not beneficial to the whole of the community. They exercise political friendship by working with black individuals advocating for their cause. A lack of political friendship is also seen, which is the result of certain individuals holding their own status above those of others. The narrator is aware of his systematic oppression and the lack of political friendship. In the beginning his habits were to be eager and work hard, offering his trust and respect for others and being hopeful he’d receive it in return. By the end, he grows wearing of receiving little back, and becomes inflexible in his friendships and withdraws his efforts towards cooperation. He struggles with working with whites or even coexisting as he is bitter at his discrimination, and doesn’t trust them. By the end, his psychological state is rather broken and unstable, and he ends up withdrawing from the community, existing as a recluse, as he doesn’t want to contribute to a society that he cannot trust and who doesn’t trust or respect
War has been a consistent piece of mankind 's history. It has significantly influenced the lives of individuals around the globe. The impacts are amazingly adverse. In the novel, “The Wars,” by Timothy Findley, Soldiers must shoulder compelling weight on the warzone. Such weight is both family and the country weight. Many individuals look at soldiers for hop and therefore, adding load to them. Those that cannot rationally beat these difficulties may create Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Tragically, some resort to suicide to get away from their insecurities. Troops, notwithstanding, are not by any means the only ones influenced by wars; relatives likewise encounter mental hardships when their friends and family are sent to war. Timothy Findley