Free Essay

Benny and the War in Europe

In:

Submitted By Mutaz88
Words 660
Pages 3
Benny, the war in Europe, and Myerson’s Daughter Bella’

Essay:

This short story takes us back to ww2, in a Jewish community in Montreal. The author, Mordecai Richler talks about a young boy who went to war in 1941, and got discharged and sent home before the war ended. His name was Benny, a short and skinny man with long narrowed face, pulpy mouth and soft black eyes. His farther Mr Garber wasn’t afraid of sending his son to war nor did his mother Mrs Garber who knew her son would take care and watch out for himself. He was a quite boy who wouldn’t push were he shouldn’t.

When he returned home from the war, no one noticed him changed, except for Myerson’s daughter. Bella, a young girl by the age of twenty-six, she was working at Pop’s Cigar & Soda, the owner of the property was The Myerson’s family.
Bella could see something has changed about Benny the first time they met after his return from the war. There was something about his hands.

Quote; ‘’ He had big conspicuous hands, which he preferred to keep out of sight in his pockets. In fact he seemed to want to keep out of sight all together;’’

Benny’s hands are somewhat a symbol for his illness. Every time it rained it would make him feel more locked or somewhat more emotional, he would either stare at his hands or grip it until the knuckles turned white. The rain must had reminded him of the terrifying war in Europe, or something that took place at a specific place and time, as in the story Benny mentions; Quote;’’ I was walking with the sergeant. He reached into his pocket to show me a letter from his wife when..;’’ and he never finishes the story . Something must have happened, as he starts to shiver when he talks about it. I think it was raining that day and perhaps this explains why he is so afraid of the rain. I personally think Benny has a mental disorder. In high school he was stupid and his teacher said ; Quote; ‘’ Benjamin is not a student, but he has all the makings of a good citizen. He is honest and attentive in class and a hard worker. I recommend that he learn a trade’’;
It is clear that Benny was born stupid, and wasn’t like the other boys. His farther kept comparing him with a friend that had a son who was becoming a doctor.
I personally think that this also made Benny worse; he used to have dreams about him being born intelligent or rich.
Benny married Bella and his life started to get better. They got very close to each other, and he wanted to share his time in the war with her. They had a son and everything seems to be going well for Benny. One day they went to see their first cinemascope film, Bella was careful not to take Benny to any war films, no matter who was playing it. As they sat at the cinema and the newsreel came on, it showed a hydrogen bomb test and what a bomb would do to a city at the size of New York. He saw the explosion and got up and left. He went home and sat at the corner with his head buried in his knees, trembling and sweating. He stayed like this the whole night, and the next day at noon he got up and went out of the house. Bella knew she should have stopped him. She knew.
Later during the day her farther came by the house, she could look by the expression of his face that something had happened with Benny.
‘’He’s dead?’’ Bella asked.
Benny had died.

I think this story tells us that war can change anybody. Many soldiers now days that came back from the war after serving few years, never really recovered mentally.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Benny Goodman's Ascendancy To King

...Benny Goodman was a man who lead a very influential life, he was born on May 30th, 1909 and lived to be 77 years old. He was 1 out of 12 kids in his family and his parents had moved from Russia to get away from anti semitism. His mother never knew english but his father worked as a tailor to make money for their big family. When Benny was 10 years old he got sent to the Kehelah Jacob Synagogue by his father to study music. His had a disposition for the clarinet and he loved every second of it. The first musical he played in he was at the age of 11, and then soon after joined the American Federation of Musicians when he was 14. At that age he made the decision to quit school in order to pursue his music career. His father died a year later and Benny used the money he had...

Words: 930 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

World Politics

...Walking out of Rounds Hall with me after class, Benny, a sophomore in one of my international relations courses, asked for, and received, some pointers on the required paper. “You’ve just told me to write exactly as I’ve been taught not to write,” said he. “And who, pray tell, taught you?” asked I. He gave an over-the-shouldernod across the street, toward Ellen Reed House--the English Department. "Hmmm. . . fine--I'mnot surprised to hear they tell you something different,” I told him. “The English profs teach you to write in a generic way, say, fiction, or generically expository stuff. I want you to write a social science paper.” With some ”Hmmm-ing” of his own, Benny shuffled off, wearing a mildly annoyed and not altogether convinced frown. How dare they teach different ways to write in different departments at the same college! Benny did make an effort to heed my suggestions, but it took persistence. For example, the introduction to his first draft, included a vague Writing Across the Curriculum, Vol. 11, August 1990 35 36 Writing Across The Curriculum (August 1990) statement like: ”Conflict between Arabs and Black Africans in the Sudan is a serious problem and should be examined in greater detail. . . including its history, causes, and future.” The purpose statement I eventually settled for read more like this: ”This paper will examine social, economic, and political aspects of the Sudanese civil war. The geography and history of the conflict...

Words: 2635 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Global Business Law & Ethics

...2010 Benny Van Calster – EMBA 2009-2011 AMS - Take Home Exam – Global Business Law & Ethics [GLOBAL BUSINESS LAW & ETHICS – PROF. DONALD MAYER] Take home exam for course of Global Business law & ethics. Based on teaching notes & B. Nelson book. Q1 of CVD CASE -> State why Karl Mann’s boss has provided advice that was ethically & strategically to be ignored … + Why is digging a shallow trench a poor choice? We have clearly seen in the course that the legal and ethical behavior of an organization and its employees should support the long-term business strategy. It is imperative that ‘sustainable growth’ is the driving force of any organization… and this should be based on the People-Profit-Planet structure we have reviewed in the course. If we look to the advice of Karl Mann’s boss we could analyze it as following: 1. Profit: the decision/advice will support the short-term goal of profits, but not in a foreseeable and sustainable way; the risk which is embedded in his advice (i.e. possible death of people) is too high for the corporation! If something happens with injuries of workers the reputation of the corporation is damaged as such that the long-term profit is at risk… 2. People: this is clearly not the right advice in order to prevent damages and injuries at the people side. He reckons there have been accidents with dead people before, and still advices to go down that route ..; clearly an unethical decision where he –on purpose- risks the life of his workers. This...

Words: 2726 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

Oligopoly Essentials

...Profits are total revenue minus total costs. A little algebra shows that we can compute profits from average revenue and average costs at any level of q: π =TR−TC π = TR − TC qqq TR = AR q TC = ATC q π = AR − ATC q π =(AR−ATC)q The equation says that we take average revenue minus average total cost (that’s profit per unit) and multiply times the number of units to get profits. In the graph, this computation is simply the area of the shaded rectangle. An oligopoly is a market dominated by a few producers. The market can be international, national, or local. The main characteristic of an oligopoly is that they have pricing power. However, unlike a monopoly that consists of a single firm dominating the market, an oligopolistic firm must take into consideration how the other producers will react to any changes in price. It is this mutual interdependence of the few firms producing the product that make an oligopoly different from a monopoly. Sometimes, an oligopoly will try to increase its market power by forming a cartel, which is a group of firms acting in unison. An oligopolistic firm is generally a large firm that had to invest a lot of capital to produce the product, such as aircraft, cars, and household appliances. This large initial investment of capital is often a major barrier to entry to oligopolistic markets. Other barriers to entry include patents, control of strategic resources, and the ability to engage in retaliatory pricing to prevent firms from entering...

Words: 4215 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Israel’s Reconciliation with Its Arab Citizens

...Israel’s Reconciliation With Its Arab Citizens Israel achieved basic reconciliation with its Arab citizens, but it was a challenge. Likewise, the establishment of Israel was an extensive and difficult process. The idea of a Jewish state in the Middle East outraged the Arab community, especially the Palestinians that currently lived on the land of the proposed Jewish state. On November 2, 1917, Arabs started to become unnerved that a Jewish state might be created in the Middle East. British Foreign Secretary, Lord Arthur Balfour, issued a statement of British government policy, which has since become known as the Balfour Declaration. It stated: "His Majesty's government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” This is a major milestone for the Jews worldwide. Then in 1920, the borders of the proposed Jewish state were created, which was called, the British Mandate. The Council of the League of Nations appointed Britain as the Mandatory entrusted with the administration of the Land of Israel. The area designated for the Jewish homeland was displeasing for the Arabs. As a result, the Arabs who lived on the land, which was originally called Palestine, vocally and physically expressed their disapproval through riots and other means. The backlash from the Arabs forced the British government to create a commission to analyze how the British Mandate’s government was performing and how to create solutions for the causes of the riots...

Words: 3530 - Pages: 15

Free Essay

Israeli Palestinian Conflict

...5/8/2014 Israeli–Palestinian conflict - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Israeli–Palestinian conflict From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Israeli–Palestinian conflict (Arabic: ‫اﻟﻨﺰاع اﻟﻔﻠﺴﻄﯿﻨﻲ‬ ‫​- اﻹﺳﺮاﺋﯿﻠﻲ‬ al-Niza'a al'Filastini al 'Israili; Hebrew: ‫​הסכסוך הישראלי-פלסטיני‬ Ha'Sikhsukh Ha'YisraeliFalestini) is the ongoing struggle between Israelis and Palestinians that began in the mid-20th century.[1] The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is sometimes also used in reference to the earlier sectarian conflict in Mandatory Palestine, between the Zionist yishuv and the Arab population under British rule. The Israeli–Palestinian conflict has formed the core part of the wider Arab–Israeli conflict. It has widely been referred to as the world's "most intractable conflict".[3][4][5] Despite a long-term peace process and the general reconciliation of Israel with Egypt and Jordan, Israelis and Palestinians have failed to reach a final peace agreement. The remaining key issues are: mutual recognition, borders, security, water rights, control of Jerusalem, Israeli settlements,[6] Palestinian freedom of movement,[7] and resolving Palestinian claims of a right of return for their refugees. The violence of the conflict, in a region rich in sites of historic, cultural and religious interest worldwide, has been the object of numerous international conferences dealing with historic rights, security issues and human rights, and has been a factor hampering tourism in and...

Words: 24422 - Pages: 98

Free Essay

1970

...1970s From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search "Seventies" redirects here. For decades comprising years 70–79 of other centuries, see List of decades. From left, clockwise: U.S. President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil crisis put the nation of America in gridlock and caused economic damage throughout the developed world; Both the leaders of Israel and Egypt shake hands after the signing of the Camp David Accords in 1978; The 1970 Bhola cyclone kills an estimated 500,000 people in the densely populated Ganges Delta region of East Pakistan (which would become independent as Bangladesh in 1971) in November 1970; The Iranian Revolution of 1979 ousted Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi who was later replaced by an Islamic theocracy led by Ayatollah Khomeini; The popularity of the disco music genre peaked during the middle to late 1970s. Millennium: | 2nd millennium | Centuries: | 19th century – 20th century – 21st century | Decades: | 1940s 1950s 1960s – 1970s – 1980s 1990s 2000s | Years: | 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 | Categories: | Births – Deaths – ArchitectureEstablishments – Disestablishments | The 1970s, pronounced "the Nineteen Seventies", refers to a decade within the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1, 1970, and...

Words: 11872 - Pages: 48

Premium Essay

Germany Revision

...SECTION 1: THE SUCCESSES AND FAILURES OF THE WEIMAR GOVERNMENT 1918-OCTOBER 1933 |9 November 1918 |Abdication of the Kaiser | |January 1919 |Spartacist Uprising | |February 1919 |First Weimar elections | |28 June 1919 |Treaty of Versailles signed | |July 1919 |Weimar Constitution announced | |March 1920 |Kapp Putsch signed | |January 1923 |Occupation of the Ruhr | |January-November 1923 |Hyperinflation | |8-9 November 1923 |Munich Putsch ...

Words: 13280 - Pages: 54

Premium Essay

Business

...shirts, watches, eyewear, and other sports- and clothing-related goods. Adidas is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Germany and Europe and the second biggest sportswear manufacturer in the world.[3] Adidas was founded in 1948 by Adolf Dassler, following the split of Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik between him and his older brother Rudolf. Rudolf later established Puma, which was the early rival of Adidas. Registered in 1949, Adidas is currently based in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Puma is also based in Herzogenaurach. The company's clothing and shoe designs typically feature three parallel bars, and the same motif is incorporated into Adidas's current official logo.[4][5] The company revenue for 2012 was listed at €14.48 billion.[2] Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik Christoph Von Wilhelm Dassler was a worker in a shoe factory, while his wife Pauline ran a small laundry in the Bavarian town of Herzogenaurach, 20 km (12.4 mi) from the city of Nuremberg. After leaving school, their son, Rudolf "Rudi" Dassler, joined his father at the shoe factory. When he returned from fighting in World War I, Rudolf received a management position at a porcelain factory, and later in a leather wholesale business in Nuremberg. Adolf "Adi" Dassler started to produce his own sports shoes in his mother's wash kitchen in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria after his return from World War I. In July 1924, his brother Rudolf returned to Herzogenaurach to join...

Words: 5517 - Pages: 23

Premium Essay

Kurt Vonnegut in American Lit

...I. Introduction In his foreword to a collection of the radio scripts of comedians Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. endorses these entertainers as somehow new and different—and relevant—since they draw their humor from the plight of the (American) Common Man. In the process, Vonnegut offers us an insight into his own writing, and the philosophies that inform it. “They aren’t like most other comedians’ jokes these days,” Vonnegut writes, aren’t rooted in show business and the world of celebrities and news of the day. They feature Americans who are almost always fourth-rate or below, engaged in enterprises which, if not contemptible, are at least insane. And while other comedians show us persons tormented by bad luck and enemies and so on, Bob and Ray’s characters threaten to wreck themselves and their surroundings with their own stupidity. There is a refreshing and beautiful innocence in Bob’s and Ray’s humor. Man is not evil, they seem to say. He is simply too hilariously stupid to survive. And this I believe. Jerome Klinkowitz, in the introduction to his essay collection entitled Vonnegut in America, has used this quote—as he certainly should—to support his claim that Vonnegut’s humor has its roots in the comedic response to the Great Depression. But of course there is much more to it than that. The reader is left with a nagging question: Were humanity’s case really as Vonnegut describes it, and were this truly his belief, wouldn’t it seem that the...

Words: 6991 - Pages: 28

Premium Essay

Folk Dance

...be drawn between the contexts of theatrical andparticipatory dance,[4] although these two categories are not always completely separate; both may have special functions, whether social,ceremonial, competitive, erotic, martial, or sacred/liturgical. Others disciplines of human movement are sometimes said to have a dance-like quality, including martial arts, gymnastics, figure skating, synchronized swimming and many other forms of athletics. 2. What are the types/kinds of dances? Types of Dance - Categories Here are some of the most popular dance categories and types: Ballroom Dances These dances started appearing first in Italy, during the early years of Renaissance. Popularity of this kind of entertainment quickly swept over the Europe, United States and the World. Although many other simpler and more easily preformed types of dances caused the ballroom dances to lose some of their influence, modern worldwide dancing audience started resurrecting these immortal dances in ever increasing pace. • Waltz - This graceful and slow two person dance was first introduced in mid-19th century and was greatly popularized by the music of the famous composer Johann Strauss. Today this dance represents gold standard and the most famous dance of the ballrooms around the world. • Viennese Waltz - Original form of waltz, first performed at the Italian courts is today remembered as Viennese Waltz....

Words: 6745 - Pages: 27

Free Essay

As It Goes

...Contents Preface to the First Edition Introduction Part 1. Thought Control: The Case of the Middle East Part 2. Middle East Terrorism and the American Ideological System Part 3. Libya in U.S. Demonology Part 4. The U.S. Role in the Middle East Part 5. International Terrorism: Image and Reality Part 6. The World after September 11 Part 7. U.S./Israel-Palestine Notes Preface to the First Edition (1986) St. Augustine tells the story of a pirate captured by Alexander the Great, who asked him "how he dares molest the sea." "How dare you molest the whole world?" the pirate replied: "Because I do it with a little ship only, I am called a thief; you, doing it with a great navy, are called an Emperor." The pirate's answer was "elegant and excellent," St. Augustine relates. It captures with some accuracy the current relations between the United States and various minor actors on the stage of international terrorism: Libya, factions of the PLO, and others. More generally, St. Augustine's tale illuminates the meaning of the concept of international terrorism in contemporary Western usage, and reaches to the heart of the frenzy over selected incidents of terrorism currently being orchestrated, with supreme cynicism, as a cover for Western violence. The term "terrorism" came into use at the end of the eighteenth century, primarily to refer to violent acts of governments designed to ensure popular submission. That concept plainly is of little benefit to the practitioners of state terrorism...

Words: 93777 - Pages: 376

Free Essay

Blues vs. Country Music

...Blues vs Country music According to Etta James in an interview with American Chronicle: "The Blues and country are first cousins ... What I look for in a song is for the story to be for real. I like a blood and guts kind of thing. That's what you find in the lyrics of country music." Blues and country music both developed in the 19th century in the Southern United States. They share a similar history. For this reason, they share many of the same musical and lyrical characteristics. Read more: How to Compare Blues & Country Music | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5888119_compare-blues-country-music.htInstructions 1. * 1 Learn the history behind blues and country music. They are both forms of American folk music influenced by earlier styles brought overseas. Blues music grew out of field hollers and chants sung by African slaves. Irish and Scottish balladeers borrowed the guitar and banjo of blues and thus created "country". According to Reebee Garofalo in "Rockin' Out: Popular Music in the USA", "Terms like country and blues are only used to separate the same kind of music made by blacks and whites ... designations like race and hillbilly intentionally separated artists along racial lines and conveyed the impression that their music came from mutually exclusive sources." Country is an offshoot of blues. They are essentially the same thing. In the PBS special, "Rhythm, Country and Blues," country is referred to as "white man's blues." * 2 Listen to...

Words: 13547 - Pages: 55

Free Essay

The Carpet Diaries

...Table of Contents Forward 2 Introduction 3 Genesis 6 Failure, the Gateway to Success 9 Player Development is the Key 12 Superior Guest Experience Results 17 There is strange mathematical urban legend called the six degrees of separation. This law simply states that all people on Earth are separated by at the most six other individuals. Whether or not this is true is left for debate but it clearly shows the interconnectedness of people on a planet that seems not so large anymore. On a much smaller scale this theory can be used as well. I’ve seen it performed for sports players and coaches, i.e. the Bill Walsh coaching tree, Dean Smith coaching disciples and even the six degrees of Ricky Henderson. For me and my industry which happens to be gaming the six degrees of separation would make me somewhat of a legacy. In only four steps, my gaming lineage can be traced all the way back...

Words: 6141 - Pages: 25

Free Essay

Listen to This

...Listen to This 2 听力文本 Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson 目 录 1 .............................................................................2 2 .............................................................................9 3 ...........................................................................14 4 ...........................................................................20 5 ...........................................................................26 6 ...........................................................................30 7 ...........................................................................35 8 ...........................................................................41 9 ...........................................................................46 10 .........................................................................52 11 .........................................................................55 12 .........................................................................59 13 .........................................................................65 15 .........................................................................73 16 .........................................................................77 17 ................................................

Words: 92404 - Pages: 370