Forester Critique, What I Blelieve

6 Pages 1573 Words

Every human being has personal beliefs ranging from simple to quite complex. In the first line of his essay, “What I Believe,” E. M. Forester confronts the reader with the seemingly irrational statement “I do not believe in belief.” This however is not at all true. Forester is a man with many beliefs. In his essay he expresses his opinions and beliefs on a wide range of subjects.
The introductory paragraph of the essay explains what the society of human beings needs to keep itself from self destructing like a light bulb that has burned brightly for so long but unexpectedly fizzles out. According to Forester, “tolerance, good temper, and sympathy” will do nothing more for the human race than become an unattainable ideal for people to pine after. World peace is already a cliché, having been used by Ms. America contestants for years, and most recently President George Bush. Universal tolerance will never exist because no one who actually says they want it believes that it is possible. The advocates of world “tolerance, good temper, and sympathy” are making an attempt to manipulate the feelings of their audience, not make the world a better place to live in. They know that they won’t be blamed for not fulfilling the promise of a better world, because it does not exist and cannot be made. Forester seems oblivious to the fact that bad things bind the group. Americans take an event like those on September 11th, and unify. While the country was unified under a blanket of grief and patriotism, unfortunately it also grew intolerant and unsympathetic towards anyone with an opinion that did not coincide with those of the masses. Contrary to Forester’s belief, the human race thrives on hate and ill will.
This is a world “rent by religious and racial persecution” in Forester’s eyes. This is true. These lesions under the skin of human society will never go away even though they will diminish over time with occasional fla...