Greedy Needs :: Essays Papers

Greedy Needs Imagine a life with no food, no shelter and no family. This is hard because most people have never been without these basic needs. Some people however, find it hard to imagine a life with these needs, as in â€Å"The Ultimate Safari† by Nadine Gordimer. This story takes place during civil war, where the greed of bandits along with the greed of rebels cause conflict which can only be solved through sharing and co-operation. The greed of the bandits causes many conflicts with the people that are not in the war by taking away their food, shelter and thus causing illness. The villagers have nothing to eat because the bandits have taken it all for themselves. â€Å"But the third time they came back there was nothing to take, no oil, no food, so they burnt the thatch and the roofs of our houses fell in.† (page 120) as Gordimer writes. The people can not eat on their long journey through Kruger Park because although they find food to cook, they must not make a fire as it will draw attention to themselves. They have no food to take on the trip, so the people find fruit and eat it which results in illness, as it is poisonous. The greedy bandits take away the shelter of the villagers by burning their houses. This means the people must go to find food and shelter elsewhere. The people must walk farther due to bandits on the lookout for them near the fence, which means more nights spent in the animal-filled park without any shelter to stay in. Having no shelter in the park creates a safety risk to the people, for there are hungry lions surrounding them. Sickness is inflicted upon the people by the bandits stealing their food and taking away their shelter. Being cold and hungry can cause a serious sickness to the people. The bandits are not the only people who conflict with the people, the rebels also inflict a great deal of problems. The rebels are greedy in that they escalate the conflict for the people, they cause consequences to the others from the government, and they force the villagers into refugee camps. The rebels, only thinking of themselves cause conflict to expand within the others. The children that are growing up in the war environment, will see fighting as the only way to solve problems.