Fear's Controlling Power and Its Sad Outcomes

Fear is one of mankind's most powerful emotions. It can generate both positive and negative repercussions enacting change within someone. Fear can be a humbling force; guiding man into a great awakening of humility and repentance. In contrast, fear can stifle someone's ability to take risks and try new things. In society, fear guides people away from danger; without it, many would-be prone to walk into unsafe situations without caution. Ignorance is the main contributor to fear. Without education, things can turn into resentment.

Fear and its consequences favorable or not, all root from the idea of the unknown. Adam Mayblum in his writing of "The Price We Pay," expresses the unknown of survival and the events occurring around him Ozlem Cekic's ted talk is a lesson about xenophobia and the unknown hate can create for someone. Mary Gordan's "Paying Homage to the Ghosts of Ellis Island," shows fear of the unknown in a new environment.

The unknown can come in many forms including, physical safety, the environment you're in, and the distant outcome of certain events.

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The three works studied in class all demonstrate raw fear. Although the stories and experiences differ; the pieces project the same root to fear, the unknown. Adam Mayblum is a survivor from the 9/11 terrorist attacks who wrote a telling entry entitled "The Price We Pay."

He uses the first-person experience when detailing the falling of the twin towers. Mayblum reveals everyone was in terror because (they)" had no idea what was really going on.

" (Mayblum.) This quote is chilling to think about because of how serious the situation is especially in the unknown. Adam's piece shows how terrifying the unknown can be when all that is known is a danger. The 9/11 attacks are a tragedy never to be forgotten and will never be unfelt. As a nation, the fear of an attack has been a catalyst for further safety precautions. It is unknown when our nation may be at risk so that may cause fear and panic, but positively America is safer and alert.

Ozlem Cekic's ted talk represents fear of xenophobists and the victim of xenophobia. In "Why I have coffee with people who send me hate mail,” she reveals the daily fear she has of anti-muslim people who don't agree with her political role as a Danish politician. Ozlem shared a narrative of unrest about being at the zoo with her children and not knowing if someone was going to physically attack her. The unknown caused her to always be on edge about her family's safety, so she finally wrote back to the anonymous xenophobists to have coffee at their home and find out why they were so hateful. In doing this she harnessed the fear unknown situations can cause and used it to try and educate xenophobic people. Her encounters show the uneducated may be likely to be hateful. Ignorance is not bliss, education and tolerance combat the negative outcome the unknown may threat.

Cekic's coffee meetings should be a catalyst for educating everyone about tolerance, so different cultures are not unknown, therefore feared. The positivity she has created from negativity sends a strong message about the future of acceptance instead of fear. A new environment can easily create fear within someone. Many factors contribute to the fear felt in a new place, including different peers, unknown areas, and an overall feeling of not belonging. Humans are attracted to and take comfort in the familiar but have to adapt to the unknown. When I started college as a senior in high school anxiety took me because I didn't know how I would fair. Not knowing anyone or how I would perform in the class terrified me. As time went on the unknown vanished, and my fears along with it. Having consistency and reassurance builds familiarity, but the fear also caused me to work harder and learn to adapt.

I knew this experience would better me and help with future endeavors, so the risk is worth the reward. This idea can be applied to Mary Gordan's article about immigrants moving to America to seek a better future. Migrants risked everything, some even their lives to hopefully find prosperity in America. These people traveled to a place where the language, their living situation, and their fate was unknown. If the events they would experience were laid out in front of them and their fate was known, the fear may not have existed. Fear is like a double-edged sword bound by the unknown. Society and its individuals need fear to motivate risk-taking and the evolution that comes with it. Fear also brings a feeling of triumph and alleviation of strife. The unknown makes the positive outcome of fear more beneficial. In contrast, the unknown creates terrible hate and xenophobia in society only combat table through education.