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Blueprint 2: Empathy

Introduction

Introduction

Empathy is the ability to not only understand someones feelings, but also to share them. Each story from Unit Two encapsulates a different aspect of how empathy, or the lack of empathy, fits intpo a family structure. "The Paper Menagerie" and "Slumming" are both centered on characters who lack empathy, while the protagonist of "The Red Convertible" is an excellent example of an empathetic character.

"Empathy" by Varsam Kurnia

The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu

The Paper Menagerie

"The Paper Menagerie" centers around a son, Jack, who once connected with his mother, but lost empathy for her when he was ridiculed for his Chinese heritage. After his mother's death, Jack learns the harrowing story of her life and the death of her own parents. In reading her letter and finally learning to write the character for "ai" in Chinese, Jack regains the lost empathy he had for his mother as a child, "I wrote the character again and again... intertwining my pen strokes with her words" (Liu 63). She too lost her parents, longing for acceptance and connection. Now, Jack is in the same situation and has been forced, finally, to empathize with her.

"The Sick Mother" by Moumita Mukherjee

"You know what the Chinese think is the saddest feeling in the world? It's for a child to finally grow the desire to take care of his parents, only to realize that they were long gone."

- Jack's mother in "The Paper Menagerie"

"What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes part of us."

- Helen Keller

The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich

The Red Convertible

"The Red Convertible" presents the concept of empathy differently than other works in Unit Two. The protagonist, Lyman, feels extremely empathetically toward his brother, Henry. Henry's PTSD immensely affects Lyman, but Lyman treats his brother with respect and kindness, even when Henry is difficult to help or empathize with. He is hurt by his brother's hurt and laughs when his brother laughs, "I can't help it, and I start laughing too" (Erdrich 68). When Henry is struggling, Lyman destroys the convertible so that Henry can care about something; giving him something to work on again. He does this because he understands what Henry needs, "I knew I was feeling what Henry was going through" (Erdrich 67).

Empathy in Sibling Relationships

“The first emotional and affectionate bonds experienced within the family serve as the basis for attachment, trust, and security in nearly all other close relationships”

https://sco16018.wixsite.com/

website/lesson-6-empathywithsiblings

Siblings Raising Siblings

"Oftentimes, children living in poverty

have to grow up quickly... In instances like

these, kids find themselves taking on all household responsibilities, including watching over their younger siblings."

https://childrenincorporated.org/siblings-raising-siblings/

Slumming by Ottessa Moshfegh

Slumming

The protagonist of "Slumming" demonstrates not only a lack of empathy, but a lack of sympathy and even kindness toward the residents of Alna. She even admits that "the trashiness of the town was comforting" (Moshfegh 69). An empathetic response toward poverty would be to feel discomfort and sadness, but this protagonist sees the drug addicted people of the town as "zombies" (Moshfegh 73). However much the character pretends to be removed from the "zombies" of Alna, she still hypocritically participates in the drug use (Moshfegh 70). She feels superior to them, immune to their judgement because of her higher societal status. Her lack of empathy even goes so far as to ignore the deaths in the freezing cold of winter, "the street people of Alna were notorious for taking up residence wherever they could... especially during the winters, which were, in Alna, deadly" (Moshfegh 70). The protagonist's one moment of most kindness happens when a young pregnant woman walks outside covered in blood. She gives the woman 20 dollars, but then leaves her to sit alone by the river. She seems completely unaffected by the suffering and poverty around her, thinking, "It was nice there with the cool breeze, the sound of the traffic through the trees, the earthy stench of mud" (Moshfegh 82).

Inside the Controversial World of Slum Tourism

"Slum tourism is not a new phenomenon, although much has changed since its beginning. “Slumming” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in the 1860s, meaning “to go into, or frequent, slums for discreditable purposes; to saunter about, with a suspicion, perhaps, of immoral pursuits.” In September 1884, the New York Times published an article about the latest trend in leisure activities that arrived from across the pond, '‘Slumming’ will become a form of fashionable dissipation this winter among our Belles, as our foreign cousins will always be ready to lead the way.'"

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/history-controversy-debate-slum-tourism

Conclusion

Conclusion

Each story in Unit Two demonstrates a different approach to the idea of empathy- espevially toward family members. "The Paper Menagerie" shows a lack of empathy and a regaining of empathy for one's own culture through Jack's relationship with his mother. "The Red Convertible" exhibits how sibling empathy can impact the financial and mental wellbeing of family members. Lastly, "Slumming" explores the lack of empathy within the phenomenon of "slum tourism" in small town America.

"Empathy" by Lulia Sirbu

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