Essay on Misunderstanding

(7th Grade Language Arts - January 2014)

History’s Canvas

            What are the forces that stir human emotions that make us think, react, grow, and evolve? Charles Baudelaire, a French poet and essayist, once said, “The world only continues around because of our misunderstanding of one another.” Misunderstanding occurs when people interpret reality and the intentions of others in ways that conflict with their own. Whether within ourselves or out in the open, misunderstandings often lead to disagreements and conflicts. Through conflict, people arrive to a new reality and achieve a greater understanding of themselves; that is what ultimately perpetuates our world. Conflicts often lead to mistrust and hostility, therefore, Baudelaire’s philosophical observation alerts us to be cognizant of misunderstandings and harness them as a force for personal development and growth.

            To begin, Charles Baudelaire’s quote has several applications to my own life. For example, when I first watched the movie Forrest Gump, I thought the protagonist’s quirks intended to bewilder the audience on purpose. However, as I watched the film again, I realized I misunderstood Forrest Gump’s character completely. Forrest Gump rescues Lieutenant Dan from an imminent death on the battlefield defying Lieutenant’s exasperated pleas to stop infringing on his fate. Despite Lieutenant Dan’s petulant disposition, Forrest Gump remains a loyal friend and helps Lieutenant on many other occasions. Initially, I saw the protagonist as a comedic character with a mixture of sheepish, exuberant and defiant personalities. I misunderstood the plot of the movie and Forrest Gump character entirely. Indeed, Forrest Gump is a unique character who strives to do the right thing no matter how unconventional or difficult it might be. My “misunderstanding” lead me to question my quick judgments and shallow conclusions. I learned to look deeper into the story beyond the surface of the character. Now, as my “world continues around” I try my best not to jump to conclusions on subjects I know little about. Often, we interpret misunderstandings as an imposition on our free will, leading to disagreements and tension between people. For instance, my grandparents often chastise me about dressing too lightly in the cold weather. Although I feel adequately dressed, they push me to put on a warmer coat. I brush them off saying, “This is not Siberia, Grandma! I’m not going to walk three miles to buy bread.” We were “misunderstanding one another” as I thought they were imposing their authority over me, and my grandparents believed I was being insolent. I now understand that they are only doing it out of love and care for my health and well-being. As my “world continues around”, I take every suggestion, however helpful, as an act of kindness. Ultimately, overcoming my misunderstandings taught me to be a more thoughtful and attentive person.

Besides applying to my own life, Charles Baudelaire’s quote pertains to the world. Learning from misunderstandings helps one grow and change for the better, but when people accept misunderstanding as the truth it leads to conflict. For example, people thought prohibiting alcohol in America would help society to strengthen families and to alleviate poverty, alcohol related illness, and crime. People “misunderstood” the consequences of alcohol prohibition as it lead to, in fact, the opposite of its intention. Alcohol prohibition fostered organized crime, and in the end, created larger problems for society. Al Capone and his gang perpetrated many acts of violence. During the Alcohol Prohibition, many organized crime leaders, such as Capone, formed gangs to make money off selling illegal liquor. Finally, after thirteen years of prohibition, 1920-1933, alcohol became legal again. As the “world continues around” America learned that making alcohol illegal created more problems than it solved. Aside from applying to the world, Baudelaire’s sagacious quote is useful in analyzing literature. For instance, in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, the protagonist, Bruno, does not realize he is involved in a war affecting the entire nation. Bruno is an innocent, playful nine-year-old boy who has difficulty understanding and adapting to his quickly changing life. When Bruno leaves his large home in Berlin and moves to a dark, desolate house in Poland, right across from the Auschwitz concentration camp, he believes his father must have done something wrong at work to have to come live in such an awful place. Unlike the other dads Bruno observes, his father neglects him in favor of his job. Bruno, however, does not understand that his father, who is actually a Nazi Commandant, manages Auschwitz. After examining the people behind the barbed wire fence, Bruno notices they are wearing the same outfit: grey striped “pajamas” with a grey cap. Bruno mistakes these outfits for pajamas when, in fact, it is a uniform for the captives of Auschwitz. Furthermore, Bruno “misunderstands” the word Fuhrer, Hitler’s name, for the Fury, so when Hitler joins Bruno’s family for dinner, Bruno merely thinks it is just a man called the Fury. As Bruno’s “world continues around”, he is completely shielded from disquieting reality by his own family, and the people he meets. Thus, obscured reality prevents us from harnessing knowledge for progress and personal development.

            In conclusion, Baudelaire’s quotation encourages us to question our misunderstandings. My own experience with misunderstanding in my life taught me to look beyond one’s surface and to take suggestions from others as acts of kindness. Furthermore, the quote is applicable to the world through literature, particularly in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne and historical events such as the Alcohol Prohibition in America. These four examples represent the notion that misunderstanding is paint on history’s canvas. As people, we must evolve to avoid conflict and hostility arising from inevitable misunderstandings. After all, we must learn to harness our misunderstandings for the pursuit of a greater knowledge.