No Man is an Island

John Donne~ Meditation 17

No man is an island entire of itself; every man

is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe

is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as

well as any manner of thy friends or of thine

own were; any man's death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom

the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

Jason Van Gederen~ Mankind is no Island (visual)

Armin Greder~ The Island

How do these texts explore similar themes?

The themes in Meditation 17 are: all men are mortal (therefore death will come) and all of mankind's lives are intertwined. In the long run, we all depend on each other and need to give support and care to others.

The theme in Mankind is no Island is: Empathy. When they show the homeless man they say that people tend to look away. This is true. It is easier to look away than to see tragedy. This is one example of people in our society that need our help the most.

The themes in The Island are: Fear, compassion, xenophobia and prejudice. We must never judge a book by it's cover and always treat others with respect. As a society we must be welcoming and show compassion through a persons rough time. Most importantly, we must never turn our backs on people who need it the most.

The themes all relate to the fact that, we as mankind, live amongst each other equally. No man is an island all by himself, rather a part of a city/country. All of mankind deserves to be treated with respect, because we all have hearts and souls and underneath the surface we all look the same.

How do the texts provide insights into prejudice and "otherness"?

The insights on hate and otherness are provided by the themes of the text. The major themes in all texts are: Equality and prejudice(racism). Meditation 17 explains that we are all one as mankind, therefore no prejudice should arise. Mankind is no Island explains that otherness plays a big part in our world today and that if we stop to listen to others stories and open our eyes, empathy will take over and conquer all hate/indifference. The Island features xenophobia and lack of human rights, this is a form of prejudice and otherness. The people from the island keep the stranger far away because he is not one of them and therefore has no part in their life. In the end, their fear and lack of humanity get the better of them. Whilst the first two texts show the cause, effect and solution, The Island only focuses on the cause and effect, therefore ending in a bad why causing a self taught lesson. The lesson is that you should speak up for what you believe in and treat everyone equally no matter beliefs, attitude or physical appearances.

Why do people make distinctions between "us" and "them"?

"Us" refers to people that are like-minded, whilst "them" refers to people that have different physical appearances, beliefs and attitudes. People make distinctions between "us" and "them" because it gives them a sense of security to knew that the people they surrounded themselves with are exactly like them. This is a boring life to live in many other peoples perspective. You should never judge a book by its cover and live life adventurously, by meeting new people and surrounding yourself with different cultures, beliefs, race and ages.

Images:

- inismagazine.ie

- cur3es.tumblr.com