Empathy In I Will Fight No More Forever

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Many will read over a selection of history and take nothing from it. But, the ones that look for realism and find empathy for the people that went through that time, they are the wise. While realism is just stating the detailed facts about what life was, or is like for someone, when reading, empathy must be a main virtue while reading. In Matthew 7:12, Matthew says, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (NIV Bible). While this verse instructs that all people must treat others like how they would like to be treated, this gives a great depiction of empathy. Empathy is being able to understand and share the feelings of others and although realism rarely shows the true feelings of people, the reader can experience …show more content…

Eventually, after the tribe was caught after five days of battle, Chief Joseph surrendered by giving a speech. It is important to exercise empathy when reading this so that this generation can gain a greater understanding of what has happened in the past and how it planned out for all who were involved in the event. One selfish act can affect many people and their lives, but in this case it claimed the lives of many. “I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. The old men are all killed. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led the young men is dead” (Joseph). Secondly, empathy is important to put on other people's shoes. Many people have children, very close relatives, or close friends, and could never imagine losing them. When hearing what Chief Joseph says about his children would be heartbreaking and very eye opening to most anyone, “I want to have time to look for my children and see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead” (Joseph). By strong and powerful phrases like this, empathy is a key component of how to understand and acknowledge the reading. Although most of the time realism is read about history and the past, empathy is still needed in today's