"Often the young people go home in tears, or in a tearless rage, when they have seen the child and faced this terrible paradox. They may brood over it for weeks or years. But as time goes on they begin to realize that even if the child could be released, it would not get much good of its freedom: a little vague pleasure of warmth and food, no doubt, but little more. It is too degraded and imbecile to know any real joy. It has been afraid too long ever to be free of fear. Its habits are too uncouth for it to respond to humane treatment. Indeed, after so long it would probably be wretched without walls about it to protect it, and darkness for its eyes, and its own excrement to sit in. Their tears at the bitter injustice dry when they begin to perceive the terrible justice of reality, and to accept it"
We chose this passage as we felt it resonated most closely with us all. Through our close reading we decided to focus on the Convention on the Rights of the Rights of the Child, and the violation of Article 8, 36 and 37. Article 36 states, "Parties shall protect the child against all other forms of exploitation prejudicial to any aspects of the child's welfare" and 37 says that "no child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment". Both of these articles are violated in the passage we chose, and felt they most closely align with the events of this short story.
This passage from The Ones Who Walk Away From the Omelas discusses the plight of the young child who is left to suffer, and the feelings associated with the others as they go in and see them whenever they feel it is necessary. The conditions in which the child lives in is not fit for any human and they are left to suffer in order for the rest of the society to flourish. Those that go and see the child feel remorse, however, they eventually come to the conclusion that they are so far removed from society and its pleasures that a reintegration into society would not ease the child’s fears and harm from captivity.
The child’s life is one of exploitation and abuse, and is a direct human rights violation, as the child does not have their basic needs met at the most primal level. This passage presents a Utilitarian view that focuses on the suffering of a small group, in this case the child, for the greater good of society.
In the beginning, The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas has a very calm and exploratory tone, describing the happiness of the villagers and how Omelas is a scenic place to live. Though, as we all know this changes dramatically when we learn about the child who is forced into isolation. The tone of the story becomes very gruesome in the sense that it is hard to keep reading when you learn the state and conditions of which the child is forced into. The tone of the story definitely makes the argument stronger about how this story violates the human right of freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse.
The speaker uses imagery and excellent diction throughout the passage to highlight the abuse and exploitation of the child in the basement.
The speaker describes the child as degraded and imbecile. To describe a living human being as degraded creates a picture of severe neglect in the reader’s mind. The speaker states that the child would ‘be wretched without walls around it to protect, and darkness for its eyes, and its own excrement to sit in.’ This creates an image of the walls closing in on the child, being in constant fear of the dark while enduring the stench and discomfort of having human excrement close by. This line creates a disturbing picture of the living conditions of the child and points to the violation of this child human rights. The treatment of the child is in direct violation of article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of a Child. Soon after the child is introduced in the story the speaker begins referring to the child as it. This appears intentional, the child is not seen as a person deserving of love and care like the other children in the story. The child is rather seen as a thing necessary for the prosperity of society. It is fitting to refer to the child as it because the child is simply a thing to be used. The treatment of the child here violates article 8 of the Convention on the Rights of a Child. The child should be given a name and family relations.
The solution to any of these human rights violations is complicated. The obvious answer is to let the child out of the room and end the torture that the child endures, however it does not appear to be so simple. If we could save the child without further complications for the rest of the village we could get them to a safe hospital and help re-integrate the child back into society and secure them with a nice family and build their health up. If the only way in which we could save the child is to have the other children be tortured in return then unfortunately there is no way out of this violation