The Issue Of Forgiveness In 'The Sunflower'

Is Forgiveness Necessary? Most people would agree that forgiving is a positive action for both the person who is forgiving and the person who is being forgiven, but do people have a responsibility to forgive each other? The Holocaust, one of the most horrifying eras of modern history, provides examples of almost unimaginable crimes against humanity and opportunities to forgive. Two selections explore the impact of forgiveness. In The Sunflower, Simon Wiesenthal describes his experience as a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp and how he was asked in the midst of the war to forgive a dying Nazi soldier. In “Six Reasons Not To Forgive Yet,” psychologist David Bedrick Offers reasons why forgiving too soon may not be the best decision. People do not have a responsibility to forgive each other in every situation. …show more content…
For example in “The Sunflower” the man that asked for forgiveness said,”We drove the Jews into the house and when we got the command, we pulled the pins to the grenades and threw them into the building. If any of them tried to jump we would shoot them.” Nobody should forgive them for doing such a horrible thing. If you’re family and friends is hurt by this one person and for that case millions of people, you should not forgive them. Studies have found that people that forgive to soon end up getting hurt in the future. So for someone to be asked for forgiveness to soon can put a lot of pressure on the person who is being asked. People should not have the responsibility to