Nightjohn Research Paper

885 Words4 Pages
Throughout time, many necessary, yet tough decisions have had to be made. Everyday people have to make decisions, such as what should I wear, what should I have for lunch, what movie should I see, and others such as those. However, many people have had to make decisions that can alter their lives or even alter that of other people’s. They have had to decide whether to do what is right, what they want to do, or even what they are obligated to do. This year, our class has gone through and learned about many people that needed to make hard decisions. First off, there was Nightjohn. He was a slave who was always misbehaving. Often he was punished. On one the plantations Nightjohn was sold to, he met a girl who would trade him tobacco…show more content…
In America, standard laws are usually common sense. Some examples are: no committing murder, no stealing, and unlawful drug possession. Even though many of those might be tempting and easy to break, I below that those laws are fair. Many, if not most, laws are meant to keep people controlled and safe. However, in Nightjohn, it was illegal for African Americans to be able to read or write. That law was made to keep slaves from being educated enough to run away. Though that particular law benefited white people, it was unfair to African Americans. Many people feel that today’s laws are unjust and enforced for wrong reasons, even though today’s laws seem a bit more reasonable. I feel that, within reason, some laws are justifiable to break. For example, going a little over the speed limit may not be the greatest idea, but sometimes it may be necessary. Whenever you break a rule, even a small one such as speeding, people need to be prepared for…show more content…
He claims that he was drafted and therefore he had no choice. I feel that Private Huber had the choice of following his orders or listening to his conscience. There are many things that he could’ve done to escape going into the war. If he did refuse to shoot down the Czechs, of course he would’ve been punished. But when he decided to go to the war, he killed hundreds of people. One thing in defense of Private Huber, is that he was correct about getting punished. He did not violate any German laws, but he still committed murder. For that, I feel he is
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