June Callwood’s “forgiveness”. Literature & Language Essay

June Callwood’s “forgiveness”
Name
Course
Instructor
Institution
Date
June Callwood’s message of forgiveness in the article “forgiveness” highlights that there is goodwill and not anger and blame when there is true forgiveness. The article highlights that unconditional forgiveness is not common, but among those who support forgiveness they regard this as virtuous. On the contrary, forgiveness may appear to disregard the crimes committed by the offenders, and considering circumstances makes it easier to evaluate the case for and against forgiveness. The anecdotes that Callwood identifies capture the different perspectives on perspectives, but she still insists the victims should not hold grudges and be resentful towards the offenders. In cases where the wrongdoers seek forgiveness then they need to respect the victims as is the case with the dying SS officer who asked for forgiveness from the Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal (Callwood, 2007). The structure aptly captures the arguments for and against forgiveness, while the informative tone bolsters the writer’s theme on the need for forgiveness, while anecdotes, examples and considering different perspectives makes the article effective in expounding on forgiveness.
The article first begins by giving anecdotes where victims have found it hard to forgive, then cases where victims and wrongdoers have sought forgiveness or forgiven, and this is then followed by questions on the rationale of forgiveness and those who have worked hard to forgive. The structure allows the writer to evaluate different aspects of forgiveness, but Callwood, fails to state her position on forgiveness in the introduction “That boy, now in his thirties and indelibly a gay man, says he will never forgive his father” (Callwood, 2007). The author's opinion is based on the words and actions of others with no analyzable data and arguments. At the same time, overcoming hard feelings is challenging and yet it is important to forgive the wrongdoers without focusing too much on blame (Stewart, 2012). The writer sums up the article by emphasizing that forgiveness is necessary, but it also takes hard work and she makes clear her position in the conclusion and not the introduction.
The informative tone reflects the writer’s intention and depends on the circumstances, but there is still no support of key issues from outside sources. Focusing on what others have said makes the article less objective despite looking into the arguments for and against forgiveness. “Unforgiving people, some studies show, are three times more likely to have heart disease as people who don’t carry grudges” (Callwood, 2007). The article mentions, “some studies”, but the writer fails to expound more on this to strengthen her argument. Having the right reasons to...