Lords Of Discipline Analysis

Screams of Silence

In 1964, beautiful New York City, a murder was committed outside the apartment complex of Kitty Genovese. The victim, Kitty Genovese, was stabbed to death outside her home, while bystanders waltzed by the crime without a second glance or dialing of the authorities. This renowned infamous crime sparked the minds of two psychologists, Bibb Latane and John Darley, to create a concept many know as, ‘The Bystander Effect’ (“Bystander Effect”). The Bystander Effect can be characterized by, “the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present” (Myers 766). In other words, when people are in the presence of other people, or bystanders, they are less likely to help an individual in need, no matter the situation. This phenomenon takes action in the novel, The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy. The story takes place in Charleston, South Carolina, at their famously renowned military institute, The Citadel. The instructional methods utilized within The Citadel contradict themselves, such contradictions are represented by the bystander effect. The Citadel bemuses its students in teaching and indirectly promoting the Bystander Effect but at the

The Bystander Effect stems from altruism, which is selfless goodness. The Lords of Discipline showcases many instances of this effect, and discusses the notorious murder of Kitty Genovese in which the very concept was conceptualized. Not only does the story influence the practice of this effect, but it also discourages it, therefore bemusing its students on how to react in emergency situations. The repercussions of falling fault to this effect can be in some cases lethal, and can compromise one’s social life. Kitty Genovese would still be alive today had her neighbors not been negligent to the cries heard from