1Fujimori

KaitlynFujimori
Mrs.Housepian/Mr.Conner
English2HPeriod6
8April2016
OnesSurvivalInstincts
AsSamuelButlersaid,Selfpreservationisthefirstlawofnature.Everyliving
thingwillfighttosurvive,anditisnaturaltothinkofyourselfbeforeothers.Thememoir
Night
byElieWiesel,BlaineHardensarticleTheCasualHorrorsofLifeinaNorth
KoreanHell,andanArmenianGenocidesurvivorstoryallcharacterizehardshipsof
torturouseventsthatthey,asprisoners,hadexperienced.Duringtimesofwarand
imprisonmentsuchastheHolocaust,theNorthKoreanWar,andtheArmenian
Genocide,prisonersweretorturedoveralongspanoftimeandithadchangedthem
asindividuals.Themaliciousnessofwarhastheabilitytobringoutonesprimitive
instinctsofselfpreservationandmakeoneworryaboutthewellbeingofthemselves
beforeothers.

Thedeterminationforonessurvivalcanleadtothekillingoftheirlovedones

withlittletonothoughtorremorse.NorthKoreanprisoncampswerecomparedtothe
horrificeventoftheHolocaust,andintheseprisoncampstheprisonersmusttellthe
guardsanyotherprisonersmisdeeds.Mr.Shinwhowasaprisonerduringthistime,did
whathewastoldandhedidwhatittooktosurvive,Hedidn'thesitatetoinforma
guardofhismotherandbrothersescapeplanandhefeltnoremorsewhenhewas
forcedtowatchtheirexecutions(PostNorthKoreanWar3).Mr.Shinmadethequick

2Fujimori

decisiontoinformtheprisonguardsabouthismotherandbrothersplantoescapethe
prison.Thisdecisionledtotheexecutionsofhisfamilytooccurrightinfrontofhim.Mr.
Shinhadtheoptiontokeepthissecrettohimselfandsavehisfamily,buthedidnot
takethispath.
Instead,heonlywantedtosavehimself,soifthatmeantgettinghis
familykilled,thatisjustwhathedid.
IncomparisontoMr.Shin,oneoftheprisonersin
thesamecarriageasEliezerhadthesameinstinct.OnthecarriagetoBuchenwald,
Eliezerdescribesaprisonersactionofthewantingofapieceofbread:"Buttheother
onethrewhimselfuponitandsnatchedit.Theoldmanagainwhisperedsomething,let
outarattle,anddiedamidthegeneralindifference.Hissonsearchedhim,tookthe
bread,andbegantodevourit"(Wiesel106).Thesonhadeyedthepieceofbreadthe
fatherwasholding,andheattackedandfoughthisfatherforthelittlepieceofbread.
Hisfathercriedtohimtellinghimitwashisownfather,butthatdidnotstoptheson.
Notknowinghewaskillinghisownfather,hefinallygotthebreadanddevouredit.In
hardtimesofstarvation,theprisonerbecamedesperate,andresultedintheprisoners
primitiveandanimalisticmindsetwhichkilledhisownfatheroverapieceofbread.

The
torturesofwarcauseanindividualtoresorttodrasticmeasuresforsurvivalandcan
leadtothemkillingtheirfamilieswithoutevensecondguessingtheiractions.

Whenoneseesalovedoneasmoreofahinderancethanasamotivationto

live,onetendstofocusonthemselves,evenifitthepersonthoseclosesttothem.
Eliezerandhisfatherhavebeenthroughalotwhiletryingtosurviveinthe
concentrationcamps.Hisfatherwasslowlydying,andEliezerthoughttohimself,But
atthesamemomentthisthoughtcameintomymind:...IfonlyIcouldgetridofthis

3Fujimori

deadweight,sothatIcoulduseallmystrengthtostruggleformyownsurvival,and
onlyworryaboutmyself(Wiesel111)Eliezercontemplatedwhetherheshouldjustlet
hisdadgo,andsavehisstrengthforhisownsurvivalorstay.
Eliezers
selfpreservationinstinctsstartedtocomeoutwhenhestartedrealizingthathisdad
wasmoreofaburdenthanhelp.
Thesethoughtsweretosavehimselfandnothis
father.Eliezernotonlyhadthisthought,buthealsorealizedthattheRabbissonhad
tried/thoughttodothesamething.DuringthelongmarchwhenRabbiEliahoucame
searchingforhisson,EliezerrealizedwhattheRabbissonhadtriedtodo,"Aterrible
thoughtloomedupinmymind:hehadwantedtogetridofhisfather!Hehadfelthis
fathergrowingweak,hehadbelievedthattheendwasnearandhadsoughtthis
separationinordertogetridoftheburden,tofreehimselffromanencumbrancewhich
couldlessenhisownchancesofsurvival"(Wiesel97).WhentheRabbicamelooking
forhisson,EliezerrecalledseeingtheRabbissonrunpasthim,andthenitdawnedof
Eliezerthatthesonwastryingtodistancehimselffromhiselderlyfather.
Inrelationto
Eliezer,theRabbissonalsoexperiencedprimitiveinstinctsdisregardinghisfather,
andhadthethoughtofleavinghimtosavehisstrengthforhimself.BothEliezerand
theRabbissonhadtheburdenoftheirillandelderlyfathersontheirshoulders.
Insteadoftryingtofindwaystohelptheirfathers,theyhadresortedtothethoughtsof
leavingthembehindtosavealltheirstrengthforthemselves.
Duringthehardtimesofwar,itmaybeonesfirstinstincttogiveupandleave
theirfamilies,ratherthanfightingthroughthepainandextraburdenofcaringfornot
onlyyourselfbutanother.Whileontheirlongmarchinthethicksnowandthefreezing

4Fujimori

coldtoGleiwitz,Eliezerdebated,Theideaofdying,ofnolongerbeing,beganto
fascinateme.Nottoexistanylonger.Nottofeelthehorriblepainsinmyfoot.Notto
feelanything,neitherweariness,norcold,noranything(Wiesel92).Eliezercould
barelytakeallthepainandtortureandstartedtoconsiderwhetherheshouldjuststop
trying.
Forhim,theideaofdyingsoundedalotbetterthantokeepfighting.IfEliezer
diddecidetoletgo,hewouldbeleavinghisillfatherbehindtofendforhimselfrather
thanstayingandbeingtheretohaveeachothertorelyonforsupport.
BoththeJewish
andArmenianexperiencedgenocideswhichresultedinnumerouscountsoftorture.
DuringtheArmenianGenocide,afatherwhowasagovernmentemployee,wasraped
andtortured,andhisfamilywasforcedtowatchitallhappen.Hecouldnolongerkeep
himselfcomposedinthesituation.Theirfathermadeadecision,Hewasintheattic,
tryingtohanghimself(TheArmenianGenocide).Thefatherhaddecidedtokill
himselftorelievehimselffromallthepain.However,hisfamilyneverreallycrossedhis
mindwhiletakingthisactionandhowthatwouldaffectthem.
BothEliezerandthe
fatherduringtheArmenianGenocide,indirectlybecameselfishinhardtimes.They
believedtheywouldsavethemselvesfromallthepainintortureiftheyjustletgoand
gaveup.
However,theywouldalsobehurtingtheirfamiliesbyleavingordying.
Warisa
horrificthing
thatcanbringoutanindividualstrueselfishbehaviorby
onlyworryingaboutthemselvesandtheirownsurvival.Theseinstinctsof
selfpreservationhaveleadtoindividualskillingtheirlovedoneswithlittleremorse,
decidingtoleavetheirlovedonewhomightbeaburdenratherthanhelp,andkilling
themselvesratherthandealingwithallthepainandtorture.Manycharactersand/or

5Fujimori

prisonerssuchasEliezer,aprisonerfromaNorthKoreancampandtheArmenian
Genocide,andtheRabbissonhavedemonstratedwhatwarcandotopeoplewhen
theystartthinkingabouttheirownsurvivalbeforeanyoneelses.

6Fujimori

WorksCited

Housepian,Sarah.TheArmenianGenocide(100YearAnniversary).Mar.2015.
GoogleSlides.

"NorthKoreaPrisonCamps'liketheHolocaust',SurvivorsWhoEscapedSay."
NewsComAu.21Feb.2013.Web.07Apr.2016.

"SelfpreservationIstheFirstLawofNature.SamuelButleratLifehackQuotes."
Quote
bySamuelButler
.N.p.,n.d.Web.07Apr.2016.

Wiesel,Elie,andMarionWiesel.
Night
.NewYork,NY:HillandWang,aDivisionof
Farrar,StrausandGiroux,2006.Print.