Essay on A Kinder Reader - 1733 Words

A Kinder Reader When one thinks of stories that improve us as human beings, Aesop’s Fables comes to mind, not the dark, dank, heroin#8209;laced world of Mohsin Hamid’s Moth Smoke. But, reading is like fashion, and one man’s cherished plaid pants are another man’s horror. Not all fiction can directly dole out moral advice, such as Jane Austen’s warnings about the dangers of hasty judgment in Pride and Prejudice, but almost all fiction can proffer tales that at the very least expand our range of vision. Moth Smoke brings us, its intended American audience, into the foreign world of modern day Pakistan. The protagonist, Daru, is recently unemployed, in love with his best friend’s wife and cultivating a small heroin addiction. Hamid†¦show more content†¦Moth Smoke is an excellent example of the type of transformative literature Eagleton’s liberal humanists campaign for—this novel attempts to widen the circle of empathy of the reader. Hamid forces his readers to play an active role in the book, a role they may even be hesitant to play, by making them the judges of Daru’s fate. From an early age we are told to â€Å"judge not, lest ye be judged,† yet in Moth Smoke we must come to a conclusion about Daru’s guilt. Hamid does this to force the reader to think; instead of just observing this foreign world of Pakistan, the reader participates in the judgment of Daru. â€Å"I don’t know† is an easy answer, a socially palatable one we often hide behind, but it is one that Hamid will not allow. In his attempt to widen the readers’ range of vision, Hamid must force them to process the information they have received and to form conclusions, right or wrong. Not only does Hamid attempt to raise the level of empathy of his readers, but he also tests it. By forcing the reader to play the role of courtroom judge, he is putting their newfound areas of vision to the test. A judge mus t make very black and white decisions: guilty or not guilty. But empathy is all about understanding the gray areas—being able to sympathize with the situation of another and understand why they would act in such a manner. Moth Smoke presents itself in such a mannerShow MoreRelatedEssay about Environmental themes in the Poem Dust by Judith Wright1244 Words   |  5 PagesDust, written by Judith Wright, discusses the concepts of a destroyed, empty world and a mother reflecting on the days when the â€Å"Earth was kinder†. Through her poem she shows the audience her fears for the world and how the world will become barren and â€Å"sick† if the environment is not cared for. This is typical of Judith Wright, with environmental themes central to many of her poems. The emotive responses that are evoked while reading this poem are extremely strong. 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