Paul Rusesabagina, despite not complying with the dreadful orders of the Rwandan military and Interahamwe and hiding innocent Tutsi people in his hotel to avoid their demise, believes himself to be an everyday Rwandan man. Previous to the genocide, this is true, and it is Rusesabagina’s background and value of human life that makes him believe so. He explains he is “the son of a Hutu farmer and his Tutsi wife...This type of blended family is typical in Rwanda, even with our long history of racial prejudice” (Rusesabagina). The hotel manager explains that it is not atypical to be mixed of Hutu and Tutsi descent, which literally does make him an average Rwandan, and part of this expectation. But, perhaps because he is mixed, he has sympathy …show more content…
for these Tutsis getting killed, because his wife is a Tutsi, as well as his mother. Since he was a sympathizer, he also was a target for these Hutu extremists. This sympathy allowed him an awareness of human life: “Some person who laughed and cried and ate and thought and felt and hurt just like any other person, just like you and me” (Rusesabagina). He has a very thoughtful approach to human life, which also causes him to downplay the survival of the 1,286 he allowed to stay in his hotel, which is only about .16% of the total amount of people killed in those brutal three months, so it is clear he believes his actions were insignificant when viewed as a whole, as he describes his action as “little.” This is actually contradictory of him, because every person he saved also has laughed, cried, eaten, thought, and felt before. But, he does not see this, because he is very humble about both his life and accomplishments. Secondly, another of Rusesabagina’s reasoning of why he is no different from any other sane person during the genocide is that he did what he was trained to do as a normal hotel manager, and use words.
“I used my words in many ways during the genocide -- to plead, intimidate, coax, cajole, and negotiate...I acted friendly toward despicable people...I said whatever I thought it would take to keep the people in my hotel from being killed...Those words were my connection to a saner world, to life as it ought to be lived.” (Rusesabagina). He explains that words are also the cause of the genocide, as the resentment among the Hutus for the Tutsis had built. In these messages in his autobiography, Rusesabagina is trying to convey the idea that words and speech are not tangible things, but everyone has them, and the words themselves are revolutionary. He describes that they can be used for better or for worse, and he was simply one of the few that used them for good and to protect the Tutsis during the genocide. Rusesabagina also says that nothing changed about his job during the genocide: “I built my career on words that are plain and ordinary and concerned with everyday details. I am nothing more than a hotel manager, trained to negotiate contracts and charged to give shelter to those who need it. My job did not change in the genocide...I only spoke the words that seemed normal and sane to me” (Rusesabagina). He believes he was already negotiating the same amount as
before the genocide, but now it was much riskier. Everything he describes seems normal and average to him, and his compassion is nothing other than common sense in his eyes, because he saw this as part of his job as a person and as a hotel manager. Rusesabagina does not see himself as a hero, he just saw those extremist Hutus who said “yes” to genocide as the terrible people, even though they were once his friends, neighbors, and coworkers.
From the hood life, ghetto neighborhood, Three African-American made a pact to become successful doctors and face the obstacles that can lead them to down fall together. The Pact, a memoir written by Dr. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt, describes their story in the 1980s of becoming doctors and the struggle that they faced. The three Young men were each other’s motivator. They followed each other’s steps and helped themselves succeed. One of them is Sampson Davis, a kid who grew up in those bad circumstances but still made it through that path and became a doctor.
While the book “Left to Tell” by Immaculée Ilibagiza and the movie “Hotel Rwanda” by Terry George shows its share of similarities, both portray the Rwandan Massacre of 1994 in diversified ways. First, while both characters share similarities portraying the perspective of the genocide, they also show some major differences in the point of view as the main character in the movie was a hotel manager while the other main character from the book was a young, Tutsi woman. Also, while they face similar conflicts and hardships, both have their own personal field of adversities to face.
The novel Tangerine, written by Edward Bloor, perfectly demonstrates how a character can change their ways and learn lessons. When the protagonist, Paul Fisher, was first introduced, he was a shy, quiet kid, who never tried to change his situation. He has a terrible relationship with his brother, Erik, and is literally terrified of him and what he will do to him. In the beginning of the book, he was moving from Houston, Texas to his new home in Tangerine, Florida. In his fresh start to life in Tangerine, he learns that he shouldn’t be scared, and that he needs to start standing up for himself and letting his voice, thoughts, and opinions be heard. Even though Paul starts off scared, afraid, intimidated, and full of self doubt, he learns that he needs to change his ways and attitude towards his life, and to take action to make things right.
In the film Hotel Rwanda and 1947 Earth you see many similar features such as tensions between 2 or more parties, friends betraying one another, rioting and military coups. Though rooted in different times and nations the two share very common attributes. And with respect to the viewer each story is told through the eyes of neutral parties such as Paul and his Hutu heritage and his wife’s Tutsi heritage, and Lenny-baby and her neutral Parsi family.
In the dystopian novel of The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil, the theme is Loss of love. Loss of love is both demonstrated inside the novel and as well it is presented in the real world life where real humans live in. Who knew that in a fiction novel it can seem so real as these situations that are happening in the novel were not made up and were real things happening to the Characters. Just like these situations happening in the novel they are actually happening in the real world today. Loss of love occurs in the novel of The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil through three influential characters; Inner Horinters, Phil, and Carol. The fictional representation of loss is similar to real life situations such as Undocumented Immigrants
George Bailey: A magnificent individual. He gave a lot to his family members and others in his town. He gave up his adventurous dreams to fulfill, and help others, even the money he had saved up for his honeymoon so that others can lead a normal life until things settle down with the company. He’s very generous heart and puts others needs before him. He does everything possible to help others in any way he can. He is a very honorable man. He proves it by turning down Mr. Potter’s remunerative off to keep him and his family in good standing in the community.
Life can be like a river, gracefully winding down a mysterious path, uncertain of what lies ahead. However, its flow may veer off from one's desired destination, drifting into uncharted, murky waters. Down on his luck, Bill Rago (Danny Devito), leads a life analogous to that of a river. After a career ending slip up, Bill is shipped out to boot camp, tasked with the daunting objective of pushing a group of ignoramuses to reach their peak intellectual capabilities. Through the study of William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, Hamlet, Bill guides these wisecracking twerps to discover not only how to become loyal soldiers, but also how to be well-rounded human beings. Renaissance Man will deliver a rollercoaster of emotions, ranging from heartwarming moments of bonding between fellow soldiers to scenes consisting of vulgar insults being hurled across the classroom.
The ethnic division within the Rwandan culture played an integral role during the genocide. In 1918, Belgium is given the authority to govern the territory of Rwanda-Urundi under the Treaty of Versailles. Under Belgian rule, the traditional Hutu-Tutsi relationship was morphed into a class system favouring the Tutsis over the Hutus. The Belgians eventually created a system of ethnic identity cards differentiating Hutus from Tutsis. This would become a central driver of the Rwandan genocide. In the movie there are many instances where Rwandan citizens are asked to show their identity cards. In most cases, those who were not Hutu would be punished. Another example of the geopolitical struggle between these two ethnicities was illustrated through the media. Media is used as a platform to convey a message that influences the thoughts and actions of individuals around the world. Since Hutus are the majority in Rwanda, they were able to exert their influence over the Tutsis through mechanisms such as the media. Throughout the country, local Hutu power radio stations were aired calling for the extermination of Tutsis. The station would often find ways to dehumanize the Tutsis. In most cases they would refer to Tutsis as ‘cockroaches’. In order to create an accurate portrayal of the genocide, the film used the exact recordings from the Hutu power radio.
course of his hegira, most of whom spent only a few days in his company, a week
From Hitler throughout the Holocaust, Maus the graphic novel has brought a story of a survivor, Vladek Spiegelman, a Polish Jew. Vladek has been there when the Swastika was a symbol of well-being and the goods. From the start of World War II and sustained until the war ended. Vladek survived the war because of luckiness, after that, being resourceful was the reason he lived. Lost his first born son in the process, moved to the United States. Lost his wife and lived with a fear it might happen all over again, he is a survivor of the Holocaust.
The Rwandan Genocide “It is our responsibility to empower the powerless while giving voice to the voiceless” -(Irwin Cotler “Six Lessons from the Rwandan Genocide”) When the Rwandan Hutu majority betrayed the Tutsi minority, a destructive mass murdering broke out where neighbor turned on neighbor and teachers killed their students; this was the start of a genocide. In this paper I will tell you about the horrors the people of Rwanda had to face while genocide destroyed their homes, and I will also tell you about the mental trauma they still face today. Hutu and Tutsi Origins When Rwanda was first settled, the people there raised cattle, the ones with the most cattle were considered “Tutsi” and everyone else was ‘Hutu”.
Watching the film, Hotel Rwanda, can make one wonder how cruel the humanity can be. The film is suitable as a focal point for discussing evil because the genocide that the film is based has been widely condemned as a result of its wicked aspects. The main protagonist, Paul Rusesabagina, has been viciously awakened by the level of evil that has possessed his ethnic community. During the entire genocide, he is the only Hutu who has sympathy toward the Tutsis. With the desire to do what is morally right in the society, Paul risks his life to hide close to 1000 Tutsis in his hotel. He has to bribe the local Hutu militia leaders to protect the Tutsis, including his wife and family. Although the society regards bribery as unethical, one can consider it as a lifesaver in the film. This is because giving bribes in form of cigars is the only way Paul can save hundreds of lives. The Hutu militia leaders are so inhuman that they value cigars more than the life of a human being. These events depict the rotten nature of the society, as even human life has to be saved through corruption.
Percival, Valerie, and Thomas Homer-Dixon. "Getting Rwanda wrong. (genocide in Rwanda)." Saturday Night. v110. n7 (Sept 1995): p47(3). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. K12 Trial Site. 12 Apr. 2010 .
Paul's Case by Willa Cather shows the world through the eyes of Paul, a boy's who's naive view of a good life leads to a tragic fate. Throughout the story, the reader is shown the life of Paul a snobby kid who believes he is above everyone else. Readers are shown his views of life and given quite a bit of information about Paul's character. By giving details about Pauls character through his thoughts, actions, words, and others' thoughts about him, readers are able to have an in depth view of his character and understand why he ultimately decides to take his own life.
Rusesabagina is displayed as a somewhat known Hutu and his supplier George gives him the opportunity in scenes after the radio to join the Hutus, he states something that if missed doesn’t allow you to grasp the full intent of what the Hutus intend to do. He says to Paul “Politics is power, Hutu power and money.” After a few