Torture is an act of deliberately imposing ruthless physical pain on an individual who is under arrest or physically restrained and is unable to protect himself or herself against the pain being inflicted. This paper is going to synthesize Christopher Hitchens’ essay titled , “Believe me, it is torture” and David Wallace’s “Consider the Lobster”.
It is not an easy task to judge Hitchens’ point of view of categorizing water-boarding as inflicting physical pain and the underlying contention on the fact that no human being should be subjected to torture (Hitchens 3). I am in support of this notion as it is just like the huge, pungent, and very well marketed Lobster festive, which is held every July in the state’s of Midcoast region. Torture of human beings should be condemned in the same spirit as that used in celebrating the Lobster season in the Midcoast region (Foster 1).
Hitchens in the article remembers what it feels to be in the position that person that is being tortured. He explains that the torture is not an experience that you would wish to be subjected to. Hitchens says that he has been a smoker for decades now and when asked about his age, he says he is at 59 years old (Hitchens 4). The Maine Lobster fiesta has also been there for several decades too, it has been there for 56 years now. The smoke has been covering the clouds during these ceremonies as it presents people with the best authentic cuisines.
Torture on Hitchens’ mind includes the act of water-boarding, which in real life is something that is not easy to understand. There is information that is evident when you read the article by Hitchens, he provides both sides of the act of torturing. It can be noted that the United States way of doing it is not the right way to defend the citizens. In the Midcoast region tourism and lobster are the two main leading industries, which are both favoured by warm weather conditions. These are considered the most lucrative business in Maine, as they are always joyful, loud and lucrative; the same way the United States looks at water-boarding (Foster 2).
Hitchens in his article he begins looking at the pain that was inflicted and endured by American Special Forces who underwent a serious kind of training in order to withstand evasion, survival, resistance and also escape. This is to show how the water-boarding form of torture is very deadly just like any other form of torture.
This act of torture goes against the Geneva Conventions and should not be used as a means of caution in humans (Hitchens 5). The annual Lobster cooking festival gives a new meaning to water-boarding way of torturing people. It gives a new sensation to life as it attracts a lot of people across the country to join in the celebration (Foster 2). The celebration presents people with a lot of options such as lobster turnovers, lobster rolls, Down East lobster salad, lobster ravioli, lobster sauté, and deep-fried lobster dumplings among others.
In this perspective, I can hesitantly say that I understand what is taking place around the subject of torture. But this argument personally gives me a challenge as I stand for morality and that means that torture should not be inflicted on people. It is in the same note that Hitchens condemns the act of torture to all people. He explains that the constitution should be a way to protect people against harm (Hitchens 6). The all good things in human perspective is also seen on the need for everyone to know what a lobster is. A lobster is in family Homaridae, the lobster is considered a hunter and a scavenger because of how it feeds. It has been established that the term “lobster” comes from the Old English loppestre, which is a combination of two Latin words.
Hitchens in the end of the article brings out the question of what really defines the practice that can be termed as torture. He categorically stated that he believes that water-boarding can be classified as torture (Hitchens 7). Keeping a prisoner in physical pain makes it horrifying and goes against human rights at any point in life. This also applies when looking at the lobster, which brings a confusing reality to those who participate in the ceremony. They always need to know some basic facts about the lobster such as it is an invertebrate member of the phylum Arthropoda, which phylum covers spiders, crustaceans, insects, and millipedes/centipedes. This is an amazing fact about the lobster that the participants must know before they indulge in the celebrations (Foster 3).
In conclusion, it is very chilling and dehumanizing that humans have been subjected to torture. Little wonder Hitchens condemns this act. However, within these conditions of torture are celebrations that make people forget about the dehumanizing nature of torture including the festive season of the Maine Lobster cooking.
Works Cited
Foster W., David . Consider The Lobster. Guormet. 24 Aug 2004: 12-22. Web. 22nd Sept 2013. <http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2004/08/consider_the_lobster>.
Hitchens, Christopher. Believe Me, It's Torture. Individualism . 23 Jul 2008: 3-7. Web. 22nd Sept 2013. <http://wordpress.as/11advanced/hitchens-believe-me-its-torture/>.
