Real Feeling In Borowski example essay topic

The short story, "This Way To The Gas, Ladies And Gentlemen" by Tadeusz Borowski and the poem "On My First Son" by Ben Johnson, both deal with death. They are very different types of death and are told in different ways but through some similar approaches, a similar feeling is portrayed to the reader of each. One of the first similarities of the two is that they are both told in the first person as well as being personal accounts. Ben speaks, as himself, about the death of his son and Borowski tells of events at a death camp that he was in during WWII.

They both tell their stories through their own voices which adds a lot to the experience of reading. It allows the reader to except just how real the story is. Once the reader accepts that, then the reader is able to more fully understand and relate to the feelings of the authors especially because of how reality based they are. For example, in "On My First Son", when Johnson says "Oh, could I lose all father now!" (Johnson, ln. 5), the reader is able to feel the deep sorrow in that line.

That is because it is told to the reader by Ben Johnson, the father of a dead son. When the story is made that personal, it is impossible to not share the passionate feelings that are expressed. Borowski causes this type of reaction in the reader as well but in a more indirect way. He does through his personal descriptions rather than personal expressions of feelings. One example is when he describes the dead babies in the box cars and explains how they carry them like chickens. This is very poignant and heartbreaking especially because we know that Borowski truly experienced this.

The realness and intimacy that the first-person voice gives us makes the reader more able to relate and understand the feelings and ideas being expressed. Both authors also set a mood with their writing to help the reader understand their feelings on the deaths occurring around them. Borowski set a mood that showed the numbness he developed surrounding death through his descriptions of the events occurring at the station. "The whip flies, the woman screams, stumbles, and falls under the feet of the surging crowd. Behind her, a child cries in a thin little voice 'Ma mele!' -a very small girl with black tangled curls". (Borowski, 115) This quote seems almost as though Borowski is writing a report about the incident.

Actions are simply listed. There is no obvious written feeling in it, even though what is being described is horrible. This shows his numbness to sights of horror and death. Johnson uses mood to show his view on death, which is much more sorrowful and passionate. "Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy; My sin was too much hope of thee, loved boy". (Johnson, ln 1-2) These lines clearly set a mood of grief.

Its expressed through the choice of words, like "Farewell", and phrases like "too much hope of thee, loved boy". There is one major difference surrounding death in the two pieces. Both authors have a different outcome on the way they view deaths. Borowski only remains numb to deaths for a small time. By the end, the shield finally breaks and he has a different attitude about the horrors surrounding him. "His whip flies and falls across our backs.

I seize a corpse by the hand; the fingers close tightly around mine. I pull back a shriek and stagger away. My heart pounds, jumps up to my throat. I can no longer control the nausea.

Hunched under the train I begin to vomit". (Borowski, p 121) This quote shows this change in feeling in Borowski, by illustrating what seems to be the last scene that he can handle. The description following his encounter with the corpse finally shows some real feeling in Borowski. His violently described vomiting shows his disgust with the extreme deaths surrounding him. Johnson, has quite a different feeling at towards the end of his poem as well.

His poem starts off full of sadness and grief. By the end though, it seems Johnson has decided to accept death and calm himself a little. "Rest in soft piece, and asked, say, Here doth lie / Ben Johnson his best piece of poetry" (Johnson, ln 9-10) He is still sad about the death, but he focuses instead on his son's "resting in soft piece". That is a clear example of acceptance. He is ready to admit the death and wish his son well. The alliteration of the first line in the quote also helps show his change in mood.

It is full of soft sounding words which have a calming affect on the reader and show Johnson's calmness at the time. Both the Borowski piece and the Johnson piece show a true aspect of death. The two authors use mood, voice, and detail to express their feelings on the death they deal with their respective texts. They are very affective in causing the reader to feel the different emotions they feel, and in turn give the reader a horrifying and touching look at death.