No Man is an Island

No man is an island entire of itself; every man

is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe

is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as

well as any manner of thy friends or of thine

own were; any man's death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom

the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
- John Donne

How do these texts explore similar themes?
These text all explore the theme that everyone is connected and we all have to help and show compassion one another, no man is an island. No one can survive and be successful by themselves and we all have to rely each other for assistance and support some point during our lives, as shown in Mankind Is No Island (Jason van Gederen). The video shows many pictures of poverty stricken people on the road sides and emphasizes on the amount of people who walk by without doing anything. They ignore their silent pleas for help. This is also shown in The Island (Armin Greder) when a stranger is washed onto an island. The story tells a tale of a man who had to depend on the compassion of the other villagers for survival and all but one of the villagers was willing to help the stranger. The Island shows a representation of the current world and how little people care for and help others. In John Donne's No Man is an Island, he suggests that all mankind are the same and we should all be treated equally. This contrasts to Greder's illustrations which show villagers treating a man like an animal. They keep him in a goat pen and feed him scrapes of food. They do this because they think that he is different from "them." And yet in the saying, no man is an island, it tells us that though each of us might have some unique qualities that different-shade us, underneath it all, we are all the same. We all are humans. We all want to be loved and appreciated. We all want to fit in. 


How do the texts provide insight to prejudice and "otherness"?
Greder provides insight to prejudice and "otherness" by showing a man who is isolated, ignored, and ill-treated just because he is different. He is secluded from society because others believe that his differences is too great and that he are not like "them." They judged him based on his looks and refused to help him. They think of him as an animal and locks him up a goat pen. Otherness is also clearly shown in Mankind is no Island. There are many pictures of people on the road who need help but are ignored due to them being different from others. 


Why do people make distinctions between "us" and "them"? 

People make distinctions between us and them because they are afraid of their differences. They judge people based on what they look like and where they come from. They are afraid that the people who are different from them might be dangerous, harmful and maybe even more powerful than they are. They isolate the different people to make themselves feel safer from harm. Also, it is much easier to ignore people and make excuses by saying that they are different and could be dangerous instead taking the time help them.