The Sunflower Simon Wiesenthal Analysis

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.

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.

I, however, know that that statement is wrong; forgiveness can happen without justice and vice versa. In The Forgiveness Project, there was a man named Eric Lomax, a British officer during World War II, was captured by the Japanese and was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp where he was tortured by a man named Takashi Nagase. When Eric got out of the camp that filled his days with torment and suffering, there was a part of him that did not come back with him; his family noticed the change in his heart and it almost scared them. As each day passed, Eric’s heart grew darker, hungry for the justice of his tormentor, Takashi. One day, his wife found him and heard the regret and sadness in his heart; he wanted to apologize to Eric for all the wrong he had done to him. Eric went to one of the old camps and saw Takashi. After all these years, his abuser was standing right in front of him asking for forgiveness. Eric expected to be filled with rage and anger, but he ended up forgiving Takashi for his deeds and they became good friends until death parted them. Eric did not expect to forgive his tormentor, much like none of us except to forgive those who wronged us.

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

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.

What is religion? The dictionary states that religion is: “Possessing beliefs concerning the nature and purpose of the universe and the supernatural” (A student’s Dictionary 268). Different cultures have different definitions for the word religion. However, they all have one characteristic in common, faith. The Jewish, for instance, believe in God and that the Messiah will come in the future to bring them once again to the land of Israel. They continue to wait for Him to come. Over time, the Jews were shunned by many people. Hitler pushed all the blame for his, and his people’s troubles on the Jewish people, which then started the holocaust. The holocaust annihilated millions of people many of which were Jews. Six million Jews, making up

The Holocaust was a genocide that occured from 1933-1945, and one of its survivors was Simon Wiesenthal. Wiesenthal was an architect before he was captured by the Nazis. After he was set free, he dedicated his life to finding Nazi war criminals and persecuting them in court. Later on in his life, he wrote a memoir, The Sunflower. It was about one of his many experiences at the Lemberg concentration camp where he got roped in to listening to a dynig SS soldier, Karl. Right before, Wiesenthal leaves Karl’s room, Karl asks for Wiesenthal, on behalf of all the Jews he persecuted, for forgiveness. Wiesenthal left Karl’s room without forgiving him, and then asks the readers, “ What would I have done?” At the end of The Sunflower, people who Wiesenthal picked to respond to his question, had their answers published. The most interesting response was Jose Hobday’s. Hobday believed that Wiesenthal should have apologized to Karl because it would have given Karl a sense of peace, making it easier for him to pass on. Hobday has the correct answer to Wiesenthal’s question because even though all of the Jews that Karl persecuted are dead and will not be able to apologize to him in person, Karl just wants someone to know that he is sorry for his actions.

Forgiveness is a topic that is relevant to every person who has ever lived. We all need forgiveness, and we all need to give forgiveness. However, before we can tackle what forgiveness is, we need to address some faulty thinking when it comes to forgiveness. There are several things that forgiveness is not. It is not having a good feeling towards the person who wronged you. If you are waiting to feel good towards the person who hurt you, you are going to wait a long time. Forgiveness is not simply a feeling. Forgiveness is also not ignoring the offense or forgetting that it ever happened. You cannot pretend something didn’t happen. Forgiveness does not mean restoring full trust to that person again or having the exact same relationship.

After reading, The Sunflower, by Simon Wiesenthal, towards the end Simon asked what I would do if I were him. This question is something I cannot answer right away. I do agree that Simon does not have the right to forgive the SS soldier for his crimes, but I do not agree how Simon walked away from him without a simple response.

Forgiveness is many things, but ultimately forgiveness is a choice. Forgiveness is moving on from the past mistakes and coming to terms with a person or

Most people would agree that forgiving is a positive action for both the person who is forgiving and the person who is being forgiven but do people have a responsibility to forgive each other? The Holocaust, one of the most horrifying eras of modern history provides examples of almost unimaginable crimes against humanity and opportunities to forgive. One selection explores the importance of forgiveness. In “Six Reasons Not to Forgive, Not Yet” psychologist David Bendrick offers reasons why forgiving too soon may not be the best decision. People do not have a responsibility to forgive each other in every situation.

Forgiveness is defined as a merciful act that has to be carried out by both Decisional and Emotional forgiveness; it is a true and genuine factor that is essential to our daily lives. Everyone has had fake forgiveness happen to him or her. It occurs when that one important person does the unthinkable. Finally, that person earns forgiveness to which one would think all is forgotten. But they are not receiving true forgiveness. This is not actually forgiveness.

“Although there is as yet no consensus in the scientific literature on the exact nature of forgiveness, central to various approaches is the idea of a freely chosen motivational transformation in which the desire to seek revenge and to avoid contact with the transgressor is overcome. Forgiveness, like gratitude, is therefore inherently interpersonal, and this is captured well by North's (I 998, p. 19) statement that it is "outward-looking and other-directed."

Forgiveness is not simple and for some people consider elusive. It needs unusual perceptions of human capabilities because it is something over the nature of the humanity. Eye for an eye and a tooth for the tooth is the natural law in old testimony.

Forgiveness is something that requires strength and courage, it is also something that many people need to work on. Without forgiveness your life could be filled with stress, hate, and sadness. In Jonathan Livingston Seagull we see the importance of forgiveness throughout not only Jonathan's eyes but the other gulls as well. Forgiveness is the decision to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge. When you do not forgive a person for their actions and hold a grudge this can affect your heart, by having a large amount of stress from holding this grudge your blood pressure can rise and this can put a strain on your heart. Forgiving others is something that betters your life and should be a goal of most people,