No Man

’s Island Essay, Research Paper

Reading through No man s an island by John Donne and My very good dear friends by Chief Dan George it struck me how even though the two pieces had been written centuries apart each author tries to convey the same message. Each using a different writing style is capable to capture the audience’s attention and spark their imagination. The message is clear, unity. The authors suggest that if all people came together they could achieve greater feats than ever imagined, each individual bringing his special gift to build up the whole. John Donne stresses in No man is an island that If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less . It reflects the author’s opinion that it doesn t matter who you are, how rich or poor you are, educated or not, we are all part of civilization and we all have something to contribute. If a human being loses an arm or a leg he is less capable of functioning within his normal bounds therefore affecting the whole body. The same goes if an individual perishes, he is no longer able to contribute to the whole and society suffers. I actually found this piece kind of ironic, John Donne speaks of togetherness yet probably about the same time Europeans were discovering other parts of the world and exploiting and killing the inhabitants of these lands. Chief Dan George writes about an age where everything was innocent and beautiful. Where his people looked for guidance to spirits, we now rely on computers and experts, psychologists

and politicians to lead us through our daily lives. They took care of nature the way it took care of them, giving back what they took. Then the Europeans Like a crushing wave came and used and abused this splendor, all in the name of progress. They pushed away the people who lived and worked these lands, ignorantly believing they were uncivilized and unable to contribute anything worthwhile because they were different. They abused the people like they abused the land, taking everything but giving nothing back. The natives tried to befriend the white man and in the end were conquered and looked down upon. As time went on, the native nations of the new world were stripped of their land and their dignity and pushed back further and further away. They were ridiculed for their beliefs, taken advantage of when they compromised and jailed or hung when they stood up for what was their right. Each time beaten they lost all sense of purpose and hope, not knowing what would happen tomorrow.

We are given a life time to learn from each other as well as help those in need without prejudice and pity. All humans are created equal and each has been given a unique capability to add to our world for the good of generations to come. When we understand that unity is what makes this universe go round we will have created a realm based on love, appreciation and support. In the end when we die it doesn t matter if we were black or white, yellow or blue we are judged by our merit and how we led our lives.