The Capability of Evil Within Mankind What is evil? Essay Example
The Capability of Evil Within Mankind What is evil? Essay Example

The Capability of Evil Within Mankind What is evil? Essay Example

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  • Pages: 3 (676 words)
  • Published: January 2, 2018
  • Type: Essay
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According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, the definition of evil Is "morally bad. " However, after reading the memoir Night by Lie Wishes, one begins to question the depths of the superficial dictionary definition. In Lie's memoir, he is able to show the capability of evil within mankind by describing his experiences through one of the most horrific events in history.

The three strongest cases which show what evil is capable of, occurs in the early and final chapters. In the earlier chapters, the actions of the homosexual camp leader and the execution of the "sad-eyed angel" clearly rotary the will of evil.

Moreover, In the end, Ell surprises the readers with the German workmen who take bread and torture the Jew for their own sadistic pleasures. Through the usage of a few sentences, Lie is able to explain the wic

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kedness of his fat homosexual camp leader.

Lie states how the leader is extremely nice to children because "he had brought them bread, soup, and margarine" (Wishes 46). However, the next statement in parentheses states that the leader wasn't doing this out of "disinterested affection," but Instead, there were many nonsexual including the German camp leaders, who wanted to use the children for sexual purposes.

At first, this statement appears extremely sick and weird; however, there is an underlying message: the Germans would never do anything out of kindness, instead everything they did was for their own selfish pleasure. This underlying message portrays a sense of evilness, In which every man Is capable of extreme Inhumane selfishness. After all, If one man can do such acts, nothing prevents any other person from acting similarly.

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Imagine a person who would entente a small innocent child to death.

At the end of chapter four, another cruel event occurs: the "AS sentenced [the boy who was the servant of the Overlap] to death" (Wishes 61 ) without the slightest hint of hesitation. Just the thought of this makes the reader cringe and question the humanity within the German officers especially since such severe actions were being Implemented on an Innocent child. Moreover, on the evening of the execution, even "the Legendary refused to act as executioner" (Wishes 61 ) who would kill the child; however, for some "unknown" season, the AS have no problem taking over the executioners job.

The only thought that comes to mind after reading this, is how limitless the will of evil is within man.

Evil is within every person, but the effects of evil are determined by temptation. The end of the memoir is the perfect example of this. "One day when [the wagon] had stopped, a workman took a piece of bread out of his bag and threw It Into the wagon... Dozens of starving men fought each other to the death for a few crumbs.

The German workmen took a lively interest in the spectacle" (Wishes 95). Reading this sakes a person shiver and puke.

What type of person would torture a group of weak and hungry men with a piece of bread Just to please their own sadistic pleasure? This action truly expresses the capacity of evil that all humans hold within them because ultimately, the German workmen are only regular people, who unleash cruelty due to their sadistic temptations. Therefore, If regular people

are capable of this level of extremely powerful force, which has the capability to dictate the will of people. This is clearly portrayed through three events throughout the memoir Night.

Clearly, the selfish intentions of many of the German officers are driven by evil.

Additionally, it is evil that makes the AS officers capable of executing an innocent child. Lastly, in the end of the story, it is the pure power of evil that causes regular men to torture the starving Jews for their own sadistic pleasure. The idea of evil is a very deep matter. Therefore, it doesn't take Just a dictionary definition to understand what evil is.

In order to fully understand depths about the term evil, one must read about or experience the effects of evil on mankind.

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