Literary Analysis Essay On Milkweed
A Candle Looses Nothing
“Every man must must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”
~Martin Luther King Jr. It is human nature to search for optimism when faced with great challenges and atrocious conditions. For many, optimism was the only thing they had, but in some situations, hopefulness can falsely rase the hope of others and lower suspicions. During the Holocaust, people had faced the demons of hunger, loss, and general sadness due to a group of people disliking their race. Ninety-one precent of people died due to starvation and murder, but some still remained positive to the most extent, for better and worse. In Milkweed, Jerry Spinelli crafts characters who turn the cruelty of the Warsaw Ghetto into hope and happyness. The hope of others could give hope to many and be a reason to live for some. Misha, an orphaned boy who has been adopted by a family, encounters a Jewish holiday, but since in the Ghetto there is so little, they are forced to make due with what they have. The father says “We ourselves will be the candle flames.”(161). This makes Misha feel happy. “…I could feel my heart getting warm…” he said on page 161. For a hopeless boy like Misha, the optimism of others gives the boy hope. Without the optimism of the people around him, Misha would be a orphan on the streets with no home, no loved ones, and no reason to live. From having nothing but the …show more content…
Why some people chose to be optimistic, while others remained dejected, protests the basic assumptions about human nature and is a debated topic. Survivors aid the next generation to comprehend who these optimists were, what kept them going and what can be taken away from their feelings, as a way of seeking advice and the bravery to act the
“Every man must must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”
~Martin Luther King Jr. It is human nature to search for optimism when faced with great challenges and atrocious conditions. For many, optimism was the only thing they had, but in some situations, hopefulness can falsely rase the hope of others and lower suspicions. During the Holocaust, people had faced the demons of hunger, loss, and general sadness due to a group of people disliking their race. Ninety-one precent of people died due to starvation and murder, but some still remained positive to the most extent, for better and worse. In Milkweed, Jerry Spinelli crafts characters who turn the cruelty of the Warsaw Ghetto into hope and happyness. The hope of others could give hope to many and be a reason to live for some. Misha, an orphaned boy who has been adopted by a family, encounters a Jewish holiday, but since in the Ghetto there is so little, they are forced to make due with what they have. The father says “We ourselves will be the candle flames.”(161). This makes Misha feel happy. “…I could feel my heart getting warm…” he said on page 161. For a hopeless boy like Misha, the optimism of others gives the boy hope. Without the optimism of the people around him, Misha would be a orphan on the streets with no home, no loved ones, and no reason to live. From having nothing but the …show more content…
Why some people chose to be optimistic, while others remained dejected, protests the basic assumptions about human nature and is a debated topic. Survivors aid the next generation to comprehend who these optimists were, what kept them going and what can be taken away from their feelings, as a way of seeking advice and the bravery to act the