Prisoner :: essays research papers

The courage and human compassionate that Daru showed towards the Arab prisoner is commendable on all levels. Some people might have considered Daru justified in neglecting and even abusing the prisoner. Instead he treats the man as a guest. He provides him with adequate food and shelter and even comfortable amenities. The two men live in friendly cohabitation for the prisoner's entire stay at Daru's house. One would assume that the prisoner was reasonably terrified at his capture and was extremely uncomfortable being away from his home and his family. Instead of making the situation worse by treating the prisoner as an animal, Daru made the prisoner's captivity almost comfortable (if imprisonment could be called such a thing.) Instead of punishing the prisoner for his past wrongs, which might have made him bitter and violent, Daru rehabilitated the prisoner. He taught him values such as patience, kindness, and generosity from example. His success in doing so was illustrated through the prisoner's decision to attend his trial instead of going to live freely with the nomads. Daru treated the prisoner as a man, with dignity, and not as an animal; thus, this was exactly how the man acted. He made the right moral choice because he had learned good morals from the schoolteacher.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the end of the story, Daru's life is threatened by the kin of the very person he protected; it appears as if his kindness has gone unmerited. This, perhaps, is true in an earthly sense. However, there are martyrs for every cause, and it is said that martyrs hold a special place in heaven. In a sense, Daru can die with the satisfaction of knowing that he made a difference in the life of one person. While some may consider this a minuscule consolation in the face of death, it is exactly the kind of thing that would be most important to someone with such high moral standards as Daru. He was taking a risk in treating a prisoner with kindness; he was taking a greater risk in giving the prisoner the option to go free.