The Sunflower In the book The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal‚ Wiesenthal speaks to the reader and states‚ “You‚ who have just read this sad tragic episode in my life...and ask yourself the crucial question‚ ‘What would I have done?’” (98). Wiesenthal was task with the decision of whether to forgive Karl‚ and 22-year-old SS soldier‚ for his sins committed against the Jews. Wiesenthal‚ doesn’t forgive Karl‚ and I agree with this decision. If placed in Wiesenthal’s shoes‚ I would not‚ and could not
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possibly though a friend‚ a family member‚ or maybe even a cheating partner. How can we allow ourselves to forgive these people for all the hurt they have caused us? Wiesenthal is a Jewish victim in a Nazi concentration camp In The Sunflower who becomes forced to decide if a dying SS solider deserves his forgiveness. In the end‚ Wiesenthal invites us to think about what we would have done in his situation. Although I cannot question another person’s choice on forgiveness‚ (especially since I was not
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In the book The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal‚ he has asked a very important question to the readers‚ “You‚ who have just read this sad and tragic episode in my life...and ask yourself the crucial question‚ what would I have done?”(Wiesenthal98). Simon is asking the readers the question if we were in his shoes would we forgive Karl‚ a SS solider‚ for all of his heinous crimes. Karl had the choice to be a solider no one told him to sign up for it. Karl asked Simon to forgive him for the killings
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have done to someone else. Do I have the right to put them at ease or offer forgiveness? In the book The Sunflower‚ Simon Wiesenthal‚ a man who had watched countless of innocent Jews like himself be murdered because of sheer hate‚ shares his unique story. One that has made me think about the way I view‚ and use forgiveness. One day while working as a prisoner of a Nazi Concentration Camp‚ Wiesenthal is fetched by a nurse who brings him to a dying Nazi Soldier. The soldier proceeds to tell
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hastily forgets her child to give that simple forgiveness speech‚ or she forgives‚ but she never forgets! The scene comes along with the big theme of "The Sunflower" when Simon Wiesenthal challenges with the question about forgiving. He refuses to forgive Karl on his going bed for his atrocities against Jews (Simon 55). The great anguish of Simon drives his humanity along with his believe and puts him in awkward time with his conscious. No doubt‚ the outstanding about Simon’s question is not only the
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In The Sunflower‚ Simon Wiesenthal documents his experiences in a Nazi Death Camp. Sent (along with other prisoners) to clean medical waste in a hospital converted for the express usage of injured German Soldiers. On the way‚ "Our column suddenly came to a halt at a crossroads. I could see nothing that might be holding us up but I noticed on the left of the street there was a military cemetery . . . and on each grave there was planted a sunflower . . . I stared spellbound . . . Suddenly I envied
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The Sunflower‚ by Simon Wiesenthal‚ was an intriguing and thought –provoking novel that raised many questions on the theological and moral concept of forgiveness. Furthermore‚ it delved into the matter of whether an individual has the right to forgive in the name of others‚ or whether forgiveness of the perpetrator was even deserved in the first place. The narrative is told from the first person point of view of Simon Wiesenthal‚ a young man in his 30s‚ imprisoned in a work camp. He tells his story
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beliefs about forgiveness. Some believe forgiveness is a virtue‚ and that they can forgive everything‚ even if the sin wasn’t done to them. Others believe that it is impossible to forgive a sin that wasn’t done to oneself. In the memoir The Sunflower Simon Wiesenthal asked a question. What would I have done‚ if I was asked to forgive a person that killed three hundred Jews? In the fifth commandment God says‚ “You Shall Not Kill” (KJV). I believe it is God’s power to forgive or not forgive a person that
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The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal is a novel that tests your morals to the limit. The novel raises question after question‚ primarily on the topic of forgiveness. Simon is the protagonist in the novel and he faces death in the mirror as he is Jew in a German concentration camp. Throughout the book‚ you even question your own mortality and the quality of a person you are. Death is Simon’s best friend‚ the Nazis despise Simon‚ and a sunflower is more than just a flower. Simon Wiesenthal
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concept of putting yourself in Simon’s place leads the mind to wonder. Trying to understand that same traumatic experience as described in The Sunflower seems nearly impossible to determine what your probable response would be. After all is it even possible to forgive‚ forget‚ and offer compassion to someone who is capable of such a massive massacre? Did Simon show justice‚ mercy‚ forgiveness‚ punishment‚ suffering‚ or were moral obligations unfulfilled? One single decision can cause various people
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