Responsibilities Are More Important Than Rights Essay

, Research Paper

Responsibilities are more important than Rights

Everyone has rights and responsibilities. Rights are things that people are aloud to do. Responsibilities are things that people are expected to do. In this essay, I will be telling you some facts why responsibilities are more important in the society of Waknuk. The first point is David’s father, Joseph Storm hates offences and blasphemies because of his religion. Next is Old Jacob thinks that rules should be changed in Waknuk because he wants it to be like when his father was around. Lastly Alan Ervin detects the thoughts and shapes group and that Sophie has a sixth toe. The people in Waknuk believe in responsibilities over rights.

David’s father, Joseph Storm, hates offences and blasphemies because of how he was brought up by his parents. David is talking about the people in his family. He is talking about his father and particularly about his strong religious beliefs. He said that offences are animals or plants that are deformed. His father hates offences and he kills them in a disgusting way because of his religion. David was explaining the process of how his father dealt with offences. “That was because an occurrence of an offence was sometimes an impressive occasion. Usually the first occasion that one happened was that my father came into the house in a bad temper. Then in the evening he would call us all together including everyone who worked on the farm. We would all kneel while he proclaimed our repentance and led prayers for forgiveness. The next morning we would be up for daylight and gather in the yard. As the sun rose we sang a hymn while my father ceremonially slaughtered the two headed calf, four legged chicken or whatever kind of offence it happened to be. Sometimes it would be much queerer than those?” (The Chrysalids Pg. 18) David’s father thinks that it is a responsibility to kill any offences. He does this because that is what his religion has taught him to do and based on how he was raised by his parents. He therefore, has these feelings and does not know of any other way of thinking. At the same time he mentions that a blasphemy is a deformed human. His father hates blasphemies because they are similar to an offence; they are not animals or plants, but humans instead. “And if it happens among people it was a blasphemy.” (The Chrysalids Pg. 19) Joseph Storm is very religious. Anything that is deformed such as a blasphemy is hated or even killed. It is his responsibility to follow his religion. Joseph Storm is against anything that is abnormal because of his religion. That proves that he is listening to his religion and that is responsibility. Furthermore, Old Jacob thinks that things in the society of Waknuk should be as they used to be.

Old Jacob thinks that the rules in Waknuk should be changed back to how they used to be. Old Jacob was forking mud and he started to talk to David. He was talking about how all of his crops were deviations that year and how they all had to be burnt. He was saying that he wants the rules to change and instead of just offences being burnt they should also burn blasphemies. Then Old Jacob started telling David how things used to be. “My father reckoned that there was a lot less trouble with mutants on account of it, and when there were any they were burnt like other deviations.” “Burnt I exclaimed. He looked at me. Isn’t that the way to cleanse deviations?” (The Chrysalids Pg. 88) Old Jacob thinks that it is a responsibility to purify blasphemies just as much as offences. That means to burn deformed people. It is a responsibility to him to follow in his father’s steps. My next point is when Old Jacob is talking about how things used to be when he was young. When his father was young, a woman who bore a blasphemy was whipped. If she had three she was outlawed and sold. Old Jacob thinks that it should still be that way. He went on telling David things about when his father was young. “When my father was a young man, a woman who bore a child that wasn’t the image was whipped for it. If she bore three out of the image, she was uncertified, outlawed and sold.” (The Chrysalids Pg. 88) Old Jacob thinks that it is his responsibility to follow in his father’s footsteps and beliefs. He thinks that things should be the same as they used to be. Old Jacob thinks things should be as they used to be and wants the rules to change. It is his responsibility to do as his father would have done. Finally, Alan Ervin is a threat to Sophie and the thoughts group.

Alan Ervin is a threat to Sophie. Sophie and David were catching shrimp things in a stream. Alan dropped by and said hello. David tossed Sophie’s shoes. She caught one and dropped the other in the water by her foot. Alan saw her foot print with her sixth toe and wanted to catch her because Alan was taught that anything deformed was wrong. David and Sophie were explaining to Sophie’s parents what had happened. “He saw the footmark; that is why he wanted to catch her.” (The Chrysalids Pg. 45) It was Alan’s responsibility to catch Sophie because she had a sixth toe and therefore she was considered a blasphemy. A blasphemy was against his religion and he had been taught that was unacceptable. Another point is that Anne is telling the group that she loves Alan and she wants to marry him. The group is telling her no because Alan will find out about their group and that will destroy everything. They were telling her that it was the wrong decision. “You can’t you mustn’t, he told her. It’d be like tying yourself for life to a cripple. Do think, Anne, do you really think what it is going to mean she came back angrily.” (The Chrysalides Pg. 91) If Alan finds out that the group has those certain powers it is his responsibility to tell others and kill them. Alan Ervin is very religious. He has been brought up by his parents to do as the Bible says. It is his responsibility to get them in trouble or killed.

Lastly according to the people of Waknuk responsibilities were more important than rights. Joseph Storm is against anything that is abnormal. He thinks this because of his religious beliefs and how his parents brought him up. It is his responsibility to make sure everything is just in Waknuk. Old Jacob wants the rules to change in Waknuk. He thinks that things should be as they used to be when he was young. It is his responsibility to do so because that is what his father would have done. Alan Ervin is very religious. His parents have brought him up to do as the Bible says. It is responsibility to listen to what his parents and the Bible say to do. All of these points prove that the people of Waknuk believe responsibilities are more important than rights.