In the Sanctuary of Outcasts
In the past 20 years, 16 million people in the world have been treated for leprosy (World Health Organization). In the book, “In the Sanctuary of Outcasts”, Neil White is convicted of kiting checks and sentenced to Carville, where his is imprisoned with leprosy patients. Through this ordeal Neil learns important lessons that transform his life and these lessons not only teach Neil about his own shortcomings but have made me consider some of my own. In this paper I will address how “In the Sanctuary of Outcasts” shattered my impressions of leprosy, map how Neil White went from a never satisfied inmate to a content father, identify what a sanctuary is, use Carville to consider what makes a sanctuary special and compare a college campus and a sanctuary.
Leprosy and any form of that word is mentioned 68 times in the bible (Biblical Leprosy). I had always thought that leprosy was a thing of the past and would never have guessed that it was still a problem in the United States. Leprosy seemed like something I read about in the bible, but saying lepers was disrespectful? I had no idea. Neil White made this observation when he was serving time at Carville with the leprosy patients, …show more content…
However, society had outcasted the Leprosy patients and removed them from their families and all that they know. With that stated, it is hard to understand how the patients at Carville were mostly welcoming towards the inmates. Unfortunately, most prisoners refused to realize that they were the outcasts as well, and they feared the leprosy patients. When Neil first entered Carville, he refused to ever breathe in the same air as the leprosy patients. Neil started to realize that he was an outcast as well. “I was an outcast right alongside the victims of leprosy” (pg
In the past 20 years, 16 million people in the world have been treated for leprosy (World Health Organization). In the book, “In the Sanctuary of Outcasts”, Neil White is convicted of kiting checks and sentenced to Carville, where his is imprisoned with leprosy patients. Through this ordeal Neil learns important lessons that transform his life and these lessons not only teach Neil about his own shortcomings but have made me consider some of my own. In this paper I will address how “In the Sanctuary of Outcasts” shattered my impressions of leprosy, map how Neil White went from a never satisfied inmate to a content father, identify what a sanctuary is, use Carville to consider what makes a sanctuary special and compare a college campus and a sanctuary.
Leprosy and any form of that word is mentioned 68 times in the bible (Biblical Leprosy). I had always thought that leprosy was a thing of the past and would never have guessed that it was still a problem in the United States. Leprosy seemed like something I read about in the bible, but saying lepers was disrespectful? I had no idea. Neil White made this observation when he was serving time at Carville with the leprosy patients, …show more content…
However, society had outcasted the Leprosy patients and removed them from their families and all that they know. With that stated, it is hard to understand how the patients at Carville were mostly welcoming towards the inmates. Unfortunately, most prisoners refused to realize that they were the outcasts as well, and they feared the leprosy patients. When Neil first entered Carville, he refused to ever breathe in the same air as the leprosy patients. Neil started to realize that he was an outcast as well. “I was an outcast right alongside the victims of leprosy” (pg