With the corruption of the world during this time already being shown so early in the novel, it made me wonder many things. For example, how will this affect Ned as he grows up? If he sees that even the good people are bad how will he know the proper way to act. Will corruption play a key role in the plot? Since it is introduced so early I assume that it will continue to be an issue as the novel progresses and I am looking forward to see how the rest of the story unfolds.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Bad Police = Corruption
I was surprised by Sgt O'Neil in the novel! He is suppose to be a policeman but yet he is by far the worst person (as in bad, mean, evil) in the novel that has been introduced thus far. Policemen are suppose to be people that kids look up to and want to be like when they grow up. However, Sgt O'Neil is cruel and mean to the very people he is suppose to setting an example for. On pages 14 and 15, Sgt. O'Neil is actually bulling Ned and making him look stupid in front of his friends. This really upset me because it said on page 10 that Sgt O'Neil had white hair so he is clearly over the age of bullying little kids. Sgt O'Neil is also involved in another bad act when he hits on Ned's mother right in front of all her kids (10). Although I know that police are corrupted in todays world, it still is surprising to me that someone who is suppose to be trusted and used as a safety measure could act the way he does especially in the presence of children.
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I agree and disagree with some of the points presented by Julie in this post. I agree that Sergeant O’Neil’s public bullying and disrespect towards Ned Kelly is truly disheartening (14-15). However, I disagree that Sergeant O’Neil is the worst individual that has been presented in the novel up to this point. Since I am not sure how much of the novel has been read before this post, I will argue that after Friday’s reading (for Sept. 17), Uncle James is now one of the worst individuals in the story.
ReplyDeleteUncle James struck me as a wicked individual when he attempted to harm, and possibly rape, Ned Kelly’s mother (44). Ned even had to step in to help defend and protect his mother (44). Secondly, after Uncle James destroyed Ned Kelly’s home by setting it on fire (45-46), I knew Uncle James was a mean and spiteful person. By destroying Ned’s home, he caused the Kelly family to separate from one another (46). However, justice was served when Uncle James was sentenced to die after going to court (48). I also believe that this lack of a distinct adult presence in Ned Kelly's life will cause harm to his personal development.
I also agree that Sergeant O'Neil was wrong in mocking Ned Kelly. Not only is it completely immature of him, but it also seems to take credit away from his role as a police officer. When I read this section of the novel, I was under the impression that Sergeant O'Neil only started poking fun at Ned because his mother, Ellen, refused to sleep with him.
ReplyDeleteI think that the way that Ned reacts, or wants to react, to this mockery, often violently, reinforces the idea of masculinity that is so heavily portrayed with in this story. For example, on page 15, Ned tries to "twist him off his saddle". In addition, Sergeant O'Neil's teasing seems to be portraying just the opposite. It seems as if he is taking "the easy way out" by picking on a little kid.