When the deaths of many people are due to a single cause, the world is shocked; when those deaths are intentional, the world is horrified. Blaine Harden’s Escape from Camp 14 and Pablo Picasso’s painting “Guernica” both address the issue from several different angles. In both works, it is shown that people overlook the value of human life when the victims are seen to be at fault, when there is a struggle of power, and when the benefits of doing so appear to be of greater value. Human life is disregarded readily and consciously when one views something else to be more important.
Under normal circumstances, the lives of others are seen as something of worth; however, when mass murder is allowed to happen, the victims are all seen to be at fault …show more content…
The biography describes how North Korea’s caste system plays a part in the government’s views on human life, separating the citizens into distinct classes. This was created by Kim Il Sung “to identify and isolate his perceived political enemies” (34). Those suspected of opposing the government were placed in the hostile class, the lowest of the caste system. Consequently, their living conditions are worse compared to the other classes, their rights are limited, and they are for the most part neglected by the country. They are scorned by the North Korean government because their lineage is not as favoured as those of the higher classes. The government also takes advantage of the hostile class because of their inferior status. When capitalism began to threaten the government’s control, the army moved to take a portion of all the farmers’ crops, 25% from the farmers considered politically hostile, whereas “[i]n other areas of the country, [the army] takes five to seven percent” (90). This means that although the army took from all the farmers in North Korea, they specifically targeted those of the hostile class, where they believed rebellion would be most likely. In an attempt to keep the state rich, the government was willing to starve the citizens they considered political threats in order to feed the army and suppress the blooming capitalism. Because the government sought to quell any chance of being usurped, their lives were disregarded. Additionally, the symbolism in Picasso’s “Guernica” demonstrates a strong representation of Germany’s struggle for power that escalated to World War II. The bull is a motif of destruction, and a representation of the brutality of fascism (“Guernica”). Like the rampaging bull, the German forces left a trail of destruction in its conquest for power. Bombing the town directly in order to test out war tactics forced the citizens to
Under normal circumstances, the lives of others are seen as something of worth; however, when mass murder is allowed to happen, the victims are all seen to be at fault …show more content…
The biography describes how North Korea’s caste system plays a part in the government’s views on human life, separating the citizens into distinct classes. This was created by Kim Il Sung “to identify and isolate his perceived political enemies” (34). Those suspected of opposing the government were placed in the hostile class, the lowest of the caste system. Consequently, their living conditions are worse compared to the other classes, their rights are limited, and they are for the most part neglected by the country. They are scorned by the North Korean government because their lineage is not as favoured as those of the higher classes. The government also takes advantage of the hostile class because of their inferior status. When capitalism began to threaten the government’s control, the army moved to take a portion of all the farmers’ crops, 25% from the farmers considered politically hostile, whereas “[i]n other areas of the country, [the army] takes five to seven percent” (90). This means that although the army took from all the farmers in North Korea, they specifically targeted those of the hostile class, where they believed rebellion would be most likely. In an attempt to keep the state rich, the government was willing to starve the citizens they considered political threats in order to feed the army and suppress the blooming capitalism. Because the government sought to quell any chance of being usurped, their lives were disregarded. Additionally, the symbolism in Picasso’s “Guernica” demonstrates a strong representation of Germany’s struggle for power that escalated to World War II. The bull is a motif of destruction, and a representation of the brutality of fascism (“Guernica”). Like the rampaging bull, the German forces left a trail of destruction in its conquest for power. Bombing the town directly in order to test out war tactics forced the citizens to