The Sunflower, On The Possibilities And Limits Of Forgiveness

When it comes to the topic of Simon Wiesenthal not forgiving a dying SS soldier for his crimes, most of us will readily agree that it’s a debatable topic. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of if Wiesenthal should have forgiven the soldier. Whereas some are convinced that he made the right choice in not forgiving the soldier, others maintain that he should have let the soldier die peacefully, guilt free, and forgiven. I agree with Wiesenthal’s decision to not forgive the dying SS soldier because he cannot speak for all the other Jews who have been killed by this man. In Simon Wiesenthal’s book, The Sunflower, he asks the reader what they would have done in his position with the SS soldier. If I was Wiesenthal, I wouldn’t have forgiven the man as I cannot make decisions for others and because the soldier was not sincere in his apology for the crimes he was involved in.

Many people would say that forgiving is good for both the forgiver and the forgiven, but do we have the responsibility to forgive? Two articles especially stand out about forgiveness Six Reasons Not to Forgive, Not Yet and It’s for You to Know That You Forgive, an article about Eva Kor’s experience at the concentration camp being a mengele twin and forgiving the Nazi’s. She is a good example that people have the responsibility to forgive , but only when they are ready.

Forgiveness has a different context depending on where the person is from or what he believes. Religion places a great emphasis on the view of forgiveness.

In Simon Wiesenthal’s The Sunflower, he recounts his incidence of meeting a dying Nazi soldier who tells Simon that he was responsible for the death of his family. Upon telling Simon the details, Karl asks for his forgiveness for what he helped accomplish. Simon leaves Karl without giving him an answer. This paper will argue that, even though Karl admits to killing Simon’s family in the house, Simon is morally forbidden to forgive Karl because Karl does not seem to show genuine remorse for his committed crime and it is not up to Simon to be able to forgive Karl for his sins. This stand will be supported by the meaning of forgiveness, evidence from the memoir, quotes from the published responses to Simon’s moral question, and arguments from

Forgive today, live in peace tomorrow. Forgiveness; one of the many hardships we encounter throughout life. As Marianne Williamson, an American author, stated, “Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness.” Forgiveness leads to peace because it lets go of all the negative feelings and allows freedom from disturbance to take place.

Fist of all what is forgiveness? Many of the contributors to Wiesenthal “The Sunflower” give their own definition, but most agree it is the act of relieving someone of their crimes against

Sometimes things are better off forgotten so one does not get too caught up in hatred. When the time comes to forgive someone or even oneself, one might find it very hard. The word forgiveness may have different meanings to some people. For example, some people may refer forgiveness as a way to lose weight off their backs. In Into The Wild, Jon Krakauer highlights the importance of forgiving the mistakes one has made, and the actions people around us make. Life’s experiences are not always easy to forget, nevertheless to move on from those experiences

Forgiveness is very important throughout life. If people don't forgive, they are going to be stuck in the past always remembering about the mistake that person did. Forgiving someone can make yourself feel better because you know you forgave that person and there's no negativity between you and that person.

In all actuality is forgiveness more of a resolution for one person to move forward, or does it fix the situation as a whole. The Sunflower, is a book that presents an idea of forgiveness and others opinions on what should happen in this case of events. Karl a dying SS man, brings in Simon a prisoner in a concentration camp to his hospital room, and asks Simon for forgiveness. Karl is guilt ridden for his killings during his time as a soldier, and wants to die confessing and seeking forgiveness from Simon. Simon however has never known Karl before their meeting, and Karl has never committed anything towards Simon. Simon struggles and is indecisive on whether he should forgive Karl or not. Saying sorry for murdering people during the Holocaust, is impossible given the damage of the event, but for Karl he searched for forgiveness through Simon. Simon being imprisoned in a concentration camp and brought to Karl, a dying SS man, Karl wanted to seek forgiveness for his actions. Being in the position Simon was in he was not entitled to take the apology on behalf of others, when he was not wronged against by Karl.

Forgiveness is a necessary part of human existence, although it is rarely easy to give, and sometimes hardest to give to ourselves. The Kite Runner illustrates humanity's tendency, and even willingness, to dwell on past mistakes. The opening sentence sets this theme with "I became what I am today at the age of twelve," as Amir unapologetically relates how he believes one action at that young age defined his entire life. However, as the novel progresses, the reader comes to the conclusion that it was not one action, but a series of choices and events that created Amir's persona as an adult. By holding onto his guilt and fear of discovery, Amir could only bury his past for short periods of time before his own conscience uncovered it and the

What inherent value does forgiveness hold? Who benefits from forgiveness? Must forgiveness be explicitly stated, or can a person be forgiven silently? When does someone have the right to forgive an individual? In the book The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal, the author, a Holocaust survivor, recounts an experience with an SS soldier, named Karl, on his deathbed asking Wiesenthal, a Jewish prisoner, for forgiveness for his inhumane actions, telling his tale with brutal detail. Wiesenthal neither forgives nor condemns the dying man, but instead leaves wordlessly. This experience has discomforted Wiesenthal greatly, and he grappled with if what he had done was the right choice or not. At the end of the book, Wiesenthal poses a question, what

I’m not saying that the Nazi’s should be forgiven but if they were to that “does not necessarily mean one should forget the atrocities committed” (Lama,129). The Nazi’s have done too much to be forgiven for the crimes that they have done. But “the question of whether there is a limit to forgiveness has been emphatically answered by Christ” (Kong,182). Sometimes forgiveness has its limits.Once that limit is cross there is nothing anyone can do. They shouldn’t even be asking for forgiveness. I’m pretty sure being a part of killing 6 million Jews goes over the

Forgiveness is to stop feeling angry, to stop blaming someone for the way they made a person feel, and stop feeling victims of whatever wickedness was directed towards them. Is forgiveness necessary? Can everyone be forgiven despite the circumstances? If forgiveness depends on the situation, then is it necessary at all? Does forgiveness allow someone to continue their life in peace? Is forgiving someone who causes physical pain to someone, as a pose to forgiving someone who murdered a member of the family the same? If someone can forgive one of these acts so easily can the other be forgiven just as easy? Forgiveness allows for someone to come to terms with what they have experienced. In the case of murder forgiveness is necessary because

In the book the bugger queen is talking to Ender about how he needs to help the buggers live, the queen forgives him for killing them but, expects him to help her in return. “The humans did not forgive us, she thought,” this shows how the book is based around forgiveness. In Star Wars Luke Skywalker forgave his father Darth Vader, and Luke gains a new found respect for his father. Also comparable to how Ender forgave the bugger queen by taking the cocoon to a new home. This relates to us in life, by if we can forgive our enemies, then we all can be

The most important questions are often the most controversial. The question of whether or not to forgive a wrongdoer is particularly debatable, especially when considering large-scale crimes. Large-scale crimes, or crimes against humanity, involve senselessly killing mass amounts of innocent people. There have been many examples of large-scale crimes in the history of mankind, and such atrocities are still occurring today. Forgiveness is the act of pardoning an offender, and for most people, it is easy to forgive small blunders made by others on a daily basis. But forgiveness becomes a lot more troubling for the victim when they are asked to forgive something as terrible as a large-scale crime, which has irreversible effects for millions of