Making mistakes is a fundamental part of being human. Through making errors, we are able to learn lessons once we have corrected them. In Neil White’s memoir, In the Sanctuary of Outcasts, he tells of his own mistakes and describes what he learned from them during, and before, his prison sentence. Out of all the lessons that White learned from the leper community at Carville, as a prisoner, the most valuable would be not judging others for who or what they appear to be, rather looking beneath the surface and getting to know others for who they truly are.
Untouchable, deformed, and contagious are just a few words that I would have used to describe the leper community prior to reading In the Sanctuary of Outcasts. Before reading Neil …show more content…
But my idea of who the true outcasts in the story changed quite frequently as the text progressed. Ultimately, I came to my own conclusion that Neil White was the true outcast of the story. Many times during his journey, White can be considered an outcast when he goes against the behavior of a typical inmate. Not only does he strive to be a model prisoner and interact with the leprosy patients more than others, but he also goes out of his way to teach a handful of the men and help them earn their GED. Seeing as how inmates do not usually act this way, this makes White an outcast一different from everyone else and even rejected by …show more content…
Towards the beginning of this memoir, when White first arrives at Carville, living in a diverse environment is seen as intimidating and dangerous. Before getting to know any of them, he begins to think of what would happen if he were to contract the disease. His mind leads him to believe that if he were to become a leper, his life would never be the same: Linda would no longer love him and his children would be afraid of his appearance. As time progresses, White becomes acquainted with a number of the Hansen’s Disease patients. As he comes to familiarize himself with these people, he finds that their struggles are not very different from his own. This shows that commonalities can be found between people from completely different walks of life and also teaches us that living in a diverse community promotes both the growth of the individual and the growth of the community as a
Untouchable, deformed, and contagious are just a few words that I would have used to describe the leper community prior to reading In the Sanctuary of Outcasts. Before reading Neil …show more content…
But my idea of who the true outcasts in the story changed quite frequently as the text progressed. Ultimately, I came to my own conclusion that Neil White was the true outcast of the story. Many times during his journey, White can be considered an outcast when he goes against the behavior of a typical inmate. Not only does he strive to be a model prisoner and interact with the leprosy patients more than others, but he also goes out of his way to teach a handful of the men and help them earn their GED. Seeing as how inmates do not usually act this way, this makes White an outcast一different from everyone else and even rejected by …show more content…
Towards the beginning of this memoir, when White first arrives at Carville, living in a diverse environment is seen as intimidating and dangerous. Before getting to know any of them, he begins to think of what would happen if he were to contract the disease. His mind leads him to believe that if he were to become a leper, his life would never be the same: Linda would no longer love him and his children would be afraid of his appearance. As time progresses, White becomes acquainted with a number of the Hansen’s Disease patients. As he comes to familiarize himself with these people, he finds that their struggles are not very different from his own. This shows that commonalities can be found between people from completely different walks of life and also teaches us that living in a diverse community promotes both the growth of the individual and the growth of the community as a