Ethan
Different People with Different Minds
Everyone in the world is unique, and one’s actions may differ from others’. Despite one’s culture and beliefs, society should always respect one. In the story “The Giraffe” by Mauro Senesi, a razor blade seller arrives with his “giraffe” in town to attract others to his shop. When the razor blade seller dies unexpectedly, nobody knows what to do with the giraffe. The giraffe soon dies of sadness due to being alienated by the townspeople. Senesi aims to convey the message that one shall not discriminate against others, as it can cause division, destruction, and death.
Senesi aims to convey the message that one should not discriminate against others as it can cause division. In the story, the mayor wants “to kill the giraffe” after it decides to “denud[e] the trees in … [the] public park.” In response, a member of the friend group that keeps the giraffe in the church suggests that if the city “kill[s] [the giraffe], … [they] start the revolution.” If the plan to start a revolution against the mayor gains popularity from others around the town, the mayor will be forced to step down. This may cause controversy between those who believe the giraffe should have been treated well, and those who think otherwise for its behavior. Therefore, one should not discriminate against others as it can cause division among people.
Besides, Senesi shows that discrimination can cause destruction. In the story, a policeman threatens to “kill [the giraffe] with [his] revolver” after it “[denudes] the trees the Mayor had planted.” The giraffe, who has a unique mind, is not explicitly told of what he has done wrong, causing him to later “[eat] the roses, the carnations, the lilies, the chrysanthemums, and the candles” in a church. If the city had welcomed the giraffe and provided proper guidance about the do’s and don’ts of the city, destruction of nature would not have occurred. Therefore, one should not discriminate against others as it can cause destruction.
Finally, the story clearly shows that discrimination against others can lead to death. In the story, the mayor, and the city’s citizens agree that “[they]’ll have to kill the giraffe” after witnessing its actions in the city. Providing assistance to one with a unique mind should be a priority, but the mayor prioritizes a few of his city’s cute trees over the giraffe’s well-being. This causes the giraffe’s neck to soon “[flow] to the ground with a long desperate sob,” before dying. Therefore, one should not discriminate against others as it can cause them death.
As conveyed by Senesi, one shall not discriminate against others, as it can cause division, destruction, and death. Despite the many government officials who aim to convince others not to discriminate, many still do. In 2020, 9,800 of 35,000 (28%) Canadians that participated in a Statistics Canada survey reported that they had experienced discrimination related to their race, skin color, Indigenous identity, and more.
Hugo:
Everyone is Different
Everyone is different in their own unique way, but discriminating against people with special traits should not happen. In the story, “The Giraffe,” by Mauro Senesi, a giraffe representing a person that is different from other people comes to town. The giraffe stays in the town when the peddler dies of a heart attack. A few children take the giraffe in, but soon the people in the town want the giraffe to go away. Soon the giraffe dies because no one wants it. The story, “The giraffe,” aims to convey the message that no matter how different someone is, people should never treat them differently as it can cause division, destruction, and death.
Senesi aims to convey that discriminating against people with special traits can cause division. Discriminating against people with unique traits can cause division as people have different thoughts about it. In the story, the boys suggest that if the townspeople kill the giraffe, they would “start a revolution.” If this gains popularity, the townspeople could divide into groups that want to kill the giraffe and save the giraffe. The townspeople that want to keep the giraffe could eventually move out of the town and take the giraffe with them.
Senesi tries to show that no one should discriminate against others as it can cause destruction. In the story, the giraffe, who is discriminated against, denudes “the trees the Mayor had planted,” eats the roses, and the candles. If the town welcomed the giraffe, some of the people might have known that the giraffe would eat the leaves and take precautions. If the townspeople were welcoming, they could have also made room for the giraffe. They also could have given things like spare blankets so the giraffe could sleep outside.
Sensi wants to convey that discriminating against people can cause death. In the story, the police officer threatens to kill the giraffe with his revolver; “I’ll kill it with my revolver,” after it denudes the park’s trees. Later, the townspeople want to kill the giraffe after it accidentally looks at them through their windows. On the second day that the giraffe is in the town, the mayor finds out that the giraffe has eaten the leaves on his trees and wants it to be killed. The giraffe, in the end, dies after the townspeople ignore it and leave it out.
Senesi aims to convey the message that no matter how unique someone is, no one should ever treat them differently as it can cause division, destruction, and death. Discrimination is still a large problem in many parts of the world, not only in developed countries. Thousands of people each year get killed because of forms of discrimination like racism. A notable example of this in Canada is the Quebec mosque shooting where many people were killed and injured.