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The Human Condition Short Story Assignment

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The Human Condition-Short Story Assignment Firstly, what is the human condition? I’ve been searching for an answer about what the human condition really means. In different situations, especially in the six stories I was asked to read, I put myself in the very different situations of each story and what I’ve found is that the human condition is the characteristics or key events and situations that compose the essentials of human existence or the positive and negative aspects of being a human being. It is part of being a person. For example the need to be loved is simply part of the human condition. Such as birth, growth, emotions, aspirations, conflicts, and mortality. It is the experiences, emotions and the needs that all people share, …show more content…

Her kindness changes the rattrap peddlers thoughts about the world being one big rat trap. I can relate to this because I am a very caring, compassionate person and can understand the struggle this poor man went though. He turned out to be a good man at heart and returned money he had stolen from the old retired ironworker. This reminds me of the saying “ You can never judge a book by it’s cover”. When the peddler knocked on the old man 's door dressed in rags with sunken cheek, he was surprised when he old man didn’t make a “sour” face, he was use to people treating him inhumanly. To his surprise the old man was kind to him and gave him food and tobacco but the peddler ended up stealing the old mans 30 kronos anyway. Most people would have just slammed the door in his face but this old man didn’t. This is part of the human condition, having compassion and helping those less fortunate than us. The peddler stealing is also part of the human condition because he chose to steal even though the old man showed him kindness. In “What Men Live by” by Leo Tolstoy, I feel sympathetic for the little baby girls who were left all alone with no family to take care of them. I would take them in, love them, care for them and give them the loving home they deserve and cherish them like my own children just like the caring neighbour who adopted them.These are natural feelings

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