Englisch Abitur: Crooked Letter Crooked Letter - Silas Jones and the Topic of Guilt and Penance

[@Orkiiii]

I do not think that selfishness was Silas‘ motive for coming forward with the truth for two reasons. First of, I think that if Silas truly were that much of a selfish person, he wouldn’t have felt bad to begin with for what he did. So the feeling of guilt wouldn’t have set in at all. But it is quite obvious from the beginning of the novel that Silas always felt bad for what he did to Larry, as he-let’s admit it- was his only true friend ever. But the fear of the truth was apparently stronger than that of guilt, which yet again, when looking at Silas‘ upbringing for example, makes sense. Silas was a black child living in the south only a few years after segregation was abolished, and he lived a rural area, so a less developed one, where people are full of prejudice. It is only natural that his formative years were shaped by fear of rejection of the society. The lack of a father figure also plays a huge role there. However hard his mother might have tried to be both parents for him, nothing replaces the position of a father in a young man‘s life. So no, I don’t think Silas came forward out of selfishness. I think he came forward because he wanted to do the right thing, because he is a good person deep down, but one who had a hard life and who didn’t have a supportive hand or person to really tell him what’s right and what’s wrong, and he had to figure it all out by himself, something that cost him extra time. When he understood what a mess he was and what he had done, he spoke the truth. Out of humanity, out of morality. And even more: out of love. It might sound cheesy, but Silas and Larry being half brothers is a huge part of Silas‘ character development. Yeah, he had a good life and friends and a girlfriend, but never a stable family. And so the moment he finds a family bond, of course he’ll want to hold on to it and mend anything that’s broken.

[@epidemii7838]

You didnt had to drop the ne word bro cmon

[@aaronwetzel8714]

First of all, really great video! Definitely deserves more Attention. About the end: I think Silas acted this way to compensate towards Larry not out of Selfishness to make himself feel better, more out of humaneness and a sense of justice, especially because he learns about Larry and him being halfbrothers. And is there a way that i can recieve the full presantation? I write my english-abitur next week and those other points seemed really intresting too, but i can't wait for the following videos. :/

[@englishotp9456]

Dear Aaron, thank you so much for your feedback and your comment. I agree with you that it's not selfishness on Silas' part although I could understand that argumentation to some extent. I think he does realise what he has done - the pain he has caused - and the unused painkillers as well as the turned-down promotion speak for that. About the presentation: It is a work in progress and I have just not put as much work into it as I had wanted to so all I can do is promise you one (maybe two) more videos before the Abi. Hope this helps! Kind regards :)

[@aaronwetzel8714]

@@englishotp9456 OH OK, but still helpful so thanks! 👍🏼

[@Strawberry-tz6qn]

I think Silas first wants to clear his guilt in watching Larry in the hospital while sleeping, feeding the chicken etc. At that time he did not have the courage to tell the truth. He had 25 years to do that and just did not say anything. And even while pretending to help Larry (as I said before) he could have just directly told the truth and then continue with all of these things. But he still keeps his mouth shut. Just at the end when he is unable to keep the truth away he tells Angie everything and later the sheriff and Larry.

[@englishotp9456]

Yeah, I agree that Silas needs a lot of nudging until he finally comes clean. Maybe Silas is not as courageous as one tends to think. Would you think it is fair to say that he is courageous when he can play the hero but not when he has to admit to his own mistakes? Thank you, strawberry!

[@Strawberry-tz6qn]

@@englishotp9456 I would not directly say that he is a hero, but I think that he is courageous when he wants to prove Larry's innocence and nearly dies.

[@englishotp9456]

@@Strawberry-tz6qn That is definitely true :)

[@teacuphuman9808]

hiya, first of all- thank you for the videos, they are well structured and have been very helpful to me so far. what i wanted to point out is, that, right at the beginning, whrn you mentioned the fight between larry and silas, you actually said the n-word. i know, that you just explained, what larry said and did not mean to cause any harm whatsoever! however, it is a word that is loaded with horrible history and has been reclaimed by the Black community. As you come from a position of great privilege as a white man, you should understand, that it is not your place to say this word, even if you are just quoting somebody else. instead you could just say: "he called him the n-word" or "he called him a racial slur" that way you would acknowledge the privilege you hold and the crimes white people have commited in the past. i know, that you did not come from a place of malicious intent when you said it and this is by no means meant to throw hate at you. it is just very easy for people who are privileged in any way (like being cishet or able-bodied) to be ignorant towards minorities who don't experienve the same privileges. i hope, you understand and will stay away from saying the n-word in the future. have a great day, i look forward to more videos of you:))

[@alybsul3764]

The n-Word itself is originally not an insult. It stems from a Latin word. It is only, as you mentioned, with its usage throughout history that it has become a racial slur and therefore should not be expressed. I completely agree with that. Using it should only be considered under extreme consideration. In this case for educational purposes. The fact that you know the word proves that someone at some point had to express this word to you (and of course explained that it should not be used). It is very important to know this word and it’s horrible history and I would rather here it from him, for educational purposes, than hearing it as an insult. The way in which he expresses it is not wrong. First of all, it is a quotation. In Germany we learn a lot of words, that were used under Hitlers regime. It is not allowed to use these words, but it is very important at the same time to learn them and to understand their origin and the reason, why their usage is not allowed. The author of clcl used this word not as an insult, but an accurate representation of the possible behavior of people in the south of the USA back in the 80s. I know you mean well, and I agree with most of what you said. I’m sure that he does too. But in this context the usage of it is very important to really stress the effect it has on Silas and Larry and for the viewer to understand the accuracy of this book in regard to its history.

[@babto7883]

@@alybsul3764 mannnn....how are you explaining why nobody should use it and then say it is okay to use it for educational purposes....i also liked his video and dont want to hate but are you really tryna say he had the intention to educate us about the significance of the n word when he was using it....dont make no sense also it is exactly like teacup human said: just say n-word if you wanna talk ( or "educate") about the n-word

[@babto7883]

@@alybsul3764 white people often dont understand how much negative power this word has....I paused the video just to comment after i heard him saying it for the first time but now i cannot continue watching this video just because he uses the n-word without thinking about it like its normal....i know he doesnt intend to offend or whatever but this is just such a disrespectful feeling i hope people are going to start caring about some day

[@germanletskotz]

bruh chill deine balls

[@norahh.5280]

@@alybsul3764 no it is in fact an insult

[@Strawberry-tz6qn]

Schade, dass ich den Kanal zu spät entdeckt habe, aber deine Videos sind echt super! Sie sind für mich eine kleine Wiederholung vor dem Englisch Abi. Ich finde es zudem auch sehr schade dass du keine Videos zu Gran Torino hast, aber trotzdem danke für die Videos. Ich habe bemerkt, dass du das N Wort ausgesprochen hast und würde dich bitten das nicht mehr zu tun. Danke

[@Mulmgott]

The word is being used in the novel itself so it obviously refers to it. I don't think there is any value in refraining from the use of insults when directly refering to literature since you should try to be as accurate as possible. There is no ill intent here so I don't really see the point in sugarcoating the harsh reality that is portrayed in the novel. Of course it wouldn't be okay in any other context but I'd say this is one of the rare exceptions. It is up to him though.

[@Strawberry-tz6qn]

@@Mulmgott yes you're right but I still think that you can avoid this word even if it used in the novel 😊

[@englishotp9456]

Hey guys, thank's for your comments and I am glad if I could help you. And, dear strawberry, I understand your concern and I think you voiced your criticism in a very polite way - needless to say, that is something very rare in today's medial landscape! If you got the impression that I used the word lightly, then I apologize - that was not my intention. Yes, @RaiinZzArts, it is a harsh reality that racism can run so deep that even a young man with a good heart like Larry can be made to insult his ONLY friend in such a horrific way.

[@decaybeats]

@@Strawberry-tz6qn Nicht böse gemeint, aber ich versteh nicht, was dein Problem damit ist. Das Wort wird in dem Video in keiner Weise als Beleidigung verwendet, lediglich als informatives Zitat aus dem Buch. Es hat keinen Sinn Worte zu zensieren, nur weil andere Menschen diese Worte benutzen, um jemandem zu schaden. Die Nazis haben damals auch Deutsch gesprochen um ihre Propaganda zu verbreiten, sollte man deswegen jetzt die Deutsche Sprache verbieten?

[@germanletskotz]

bruh chill deine balls erdbeerchen

[@n.m01]

Thank you so much! Your videos are very helpful!

[@englishotp9456]

Glad you like them! All the best, Nora :)

[@kimwinterhalter8616]

bro dont drop the n word

[@englishotp9456]

Although it is obviously a quote from the novel: Point taken. Thank you for your feedback!

[@iampreety1]

kek

[@Vin_Nisl]

Can I have the presentation, please?

[@englishotp9456]

Dear Nils, do you need the actual presentation or just the contents?

[@Vin_Nisl]

@@englishotp9456 the content should be enough

[@englishotp9456]

Send me an email to [e-mail] - Otherwise you could just pause the video and use the screenshots. That would probably also be the more attractive version :) You could use those as learn cards!

[@JuliaTrautsch]

Why do you repeat the n-word so often knowing that it may hurt listener's feelings?

[@fatabernichtdick2854]

3:26

[@iampreety1]

kek

[@fatabernichtdick2854]

@@iampreety1 Stabiles Profilbild Gaurev hahaha