Filipino+Essay+-+Ted

I argue something different than y'all. Ted

**In the short story “The Filipino and the Drunkard” by William Saroyan, a controversial issue has been whether the passengers on the boat are guilty or innocent in the stabbing of the drunkard. On one hand, some argue that the passengers are innocent because** they didn’t do the actual stabbing; it was the Filipino. **On the other hand, others argue that they are guilty because** they did nothing while the Filipino was forced into killing. **My own view is that the passengers are** guilty of omission; that is, doing nothing that would stop a killing. They are //guiltier// of a crime, in fact, than the Filipino himself.

**The verdict of** omission **states,** “…in circumstances where there would be no risk to the accused health or well-being, the accused should have taken action to prevent an injury being sustained by a particular victim.” **This is the correct verdict because** the passengers could have easily avoided any harm to themselves and stopped this horrible incident. A few passengers could have simply banded together and demanded the drunkard back off, especially after it was clear that he had no weapon. At the very least, someone should have gone to the officers on the ship and alerted them of the situation. Nobody did this, and one life was lost. Meanwhile the Filipino’s life hangs in the balance of a jury’s decision.

**Although I admit that** the Filipino felt murderous rage and could have taken steps to avoid the slaying, **I still say that** by doing nothing while the boy was harassed, cornered, and threatened, they are guilty by allowing the knifing to happen. **An instance in the story where the passengers show their** guilt **is** near the beginning when the narrator states, “…while everyone seemed to be in sympathy with the Filipino, no one seemed to want to bother about coming to the boy’s rescue, and the poor Filipino was becoming very frightened.” This occurs before they board the boat as the drunkard is telling the Filipino “not to crowd up among the white people**.” I argue that this shows** guilt **because** they knew that the way the drunkard was treating the boy was wrong; they knew he was the victim of racism, and yet they did nothing to stop it.

**Another example of the passengers’** guilt **is when** the drunkard follows the Filipino into the lavatory. The drunkard “began asking others in the room if they had seen the boy.” Later, after the drunkard pounds on his door, the Filipino boy wonders “why none of the men in the lavatory had the decency to calm the drunkard and take him away, and then he realized there were no other men in the lavatory.” **This clearly shows the passengers’** guilt **because** they knew the Filipino’s safety and, perhaps, his life was being threatened by a wild drunk man and yet they left the poor boy to fend for himself.

**An important issue that comes up in the story is** that of avoiding getting involved in difficult situations. Saroyan never tells us the exact reason that no one stopped the drunkard: maybe racism was an issue; maybe fear of getting hurt; perhaps people just didn’t want to get involved in a difficult situation. This last one disturbs me for a very personal reason. I was attacked and robbed at gunpoint two years ago, and if it weren’t for some strangers who got involved and threatened to call the police, I might not be here today. They didn’t have to get involved, but they chose to do the right thing. This is an issue even at John Muir Middle School //(where I teach)//. I hear kids talk about not wanting to “snitch” or “rat” out someone who did something really wrong, and it makes me both sad and angry. Of course I’m not saying every time someone drops a tissue on the ground instead of the trash, students should to go running to the principal. That’s being a tattle-tail. However, if someone does something that hurts others or themselves or does serious damage to the school, I would hope each one of us would say or do something. Otherwise, what kind of world are you creating here at Muir? I’m not saying it is easy or comfortable to help others, but wouldn’t you want someone to help if you were the Filipino in the story? No one helped the boy in the story, but thankfully someone helped me. I’m eternally thankful.