Topic: Paying the Ultimate Price for Justice
Attention Getter: Throughout human life, since the beginning of the world, conflicts have existed and people have suffered injustice in the hands of the powerful.
Thesis Statement: In line with the general theme of ‘Ashes for the Wind’, I can relate to Juan’s experiences including oppression by authorities and political persecution, betrayal by a friend and neighbor, and standing against injustices.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Essay Outline: Personal Response to “Ashes for the Wind”".
Point 1: I really liked this story especially the captivating flow of events and the vivid manner in which the characters are portrayed (I love the character of Juan who stands against oppression, The police officer with the whip represents the cruelty of the authorities)
Point 2: As I read the story, I realized I can relate to it in so many ways (The description of the neighborhood reminds me of my childhood neighborhood in the country, I can relate to Juan’s and Benavides’ feeling of dread when the police officer was threatening them with a whip).
Point 3: I could not imagine how the authorities could act with such cruelty against members of the public (Burning the Juan’s family inside their house was the most extreme violence just to fulfill their political persecution, The sickness is in the whole world with police brutality being a global phenomenon)
Conclusion
Restating the Main Idea: The story has a general theme of conflict between the society and the authorities with political persecution. The story has a captivating storyline with events that relate significantly to my personal life.
Memorable Statement: It is the kind of story that will stir revolutionary decisions in the minds of the young and old alike.
Essay: Personal Response to “Ashes for the Wind”
Throughout human life, since the beginning of the world, conflicts have existed and people have suffered injustice in the hands of the powerful. This is the case in “Ashes for the Wind” by Hernando Tellez, a short story on a Colombian family in conflict with the authorities who want to evict them from their home. The story begins with the man, the son of Arevalo, trying to convince Juan to “clear out” from his home with his family. The man appears rattled by the task and keeps his head bowed to avoid facing Juan. After he leaves, Juan and Carmen his wife discuss and they decide to resist the eviction saying, “They will have to kill us” (Tellez 52).
Through a flashback, Juan shows that they are being persecuted for apparently voting for the other side in the last elections. The story ends with the officer in the company of four colleagues and Arevalo enjoying Juan’s house burning. Later, they report to the major that they did it and when the major asks if Juan had left, the officer tells him, “The damn fool locked the doors and stayed in the house. You understand, we didn’t have time to waste…” Ashes for the Wind is enjoyable to read because it has a nice plot with excellent characterization to match different themes, relates significantly to personal life, and has a good theme of an important form of conflict in the society.
I really like this story especially the captivating flow of events and the vivid manner in which the characters are portrayed. The characters clearly tell us what is happening and the specific stand of each conflicting side. I find the character of the man, also called the son of Arevalo by Juan, very intriguing. The man seems to be a coward, working for the authorities against his friends and neighbors while the task rattles him and he cannot confidently face Juan but bows his head as he orders or almost requests him to leave (Tellez 51). I love the character of Juan who stands against oppression by authorities even if that means sacrificing his life and that of his family. This reminds me of my father who had to stand against a Mr. Bruno, a tycoon in our neighborhood, who had the support of the local authorities to grab my father’s land. My father got seriously injured as the police helped hired men to fence off the piece of land under contention. Juan inspires feelings of admiration for him and hatred for his persecutors. The police officer with the whip is a sadistic symbol of cruelty of the authorities who is ready to cause suffering to innocent people on political grounds. Don Romulo reminds me of puppets of authorities, those in the community whose work is supporting cruelty against innocent citizens to appear good to authorities.
As I read the story, I realized I can relate to it in so many ways. For instance, the description of the neighborhood reminds me of my childhood neighborhood in the country where we had an awesome expansive farmland. I used to climb a small hill in the middle of the land and admire the scenic view of the neighboring farms and the jungle extending up to the horizon. The writer’s describes the landscape as, “…out over the fields, green, yellow, yellow-ripe, green again, a brighter green, and then paler. There was a good view of the valley from where he was standing”. (Tellez 51). I can relate to Juan’s and Benavides’ feeling of dread when the police officer was threatening them with a whip (Tellez 54). I have always feared the police from a day when they interrogated me and I experienced the terror of being in their hands. I had been framed for a burglary in a police inspector’s house. The general theme of the story arouses in me an intense anger against brutality of the authorities especially the police, which seems to be universal.
I could not imagine how the authorities could act with such cruelty against members of the society. Burning the Juan’s inside their house was the most extreme violence just to fulfill the political persecution. Juan feels that that’s is his only home and having nowhere else to go, he opts to die. He pays the ultimate price for defending justice for the society. He is an example to us to stand up for what is ours. The police officer reminds me of heartless sadists as he, “was having the time of his life, enjoying it much more than his four companions and Arevalo… “. (Tellez 54). Juan describes the handle of the whip as “a long finger whose joints were swollen with rheumatism” (Tellez 54). This symbolizes the sickness in the society due to the authorities’ brutality. The sickness is in the whole world with police brutality being a global phenomenon. Ethic profiling, racial discrimination, political persecution, are all related to the events described in this story. The writer suggests evil motivations for the eviction as Arevalo seeks to benefit by being an informer while the authorities want to punish the “Reds” who “had voted in the last elections” (Tellez 53).
In conclusion, the story has a general theme of conflict between a society and the authorities and political persecution. Arevalo and the police officer represent the authorities as persecutors while Juan and his family represent the members of the society targeted. Juan is a hero while Arevalo is a villain and a traitor. The story has a captivating storyline with events that relate significantly to my life experiences as a reader. The village life gave me a feeling of nostalgia as I remembered my childhood that greatly contracts the current hectic and chaotic urban life. The story is enjoyable to read because it has a nice plot with excellent characterization to match different themes, relates significantly to personal life, and has a good theme of an important form of conflict in the society. It is the kind of story that will stir revolutionary decisions in the minds of the young and old alike.
- Tellez, Hernandos. “Ashes for the Wind”. Inside Stories II. 2nd ed., edited by Glen Kirkland, & Richard Davies, Harcourt Press, 1987. Print.
