At the end of the film, Solomon comes face to face with Captain Poison, the RUF
commander responsible for forcing Solomon into slavery and turning his son, Dia, into
a child soldier. Captain Poison says that Solomon might think he’s the devil, but it is
only because he lives in hell. In what ways is Captain Poison a product of his
environment and in what ways is he a product of his choices?
commander responsible for forcing Solomon into slavery and turning his son, Dia, into
a child soldier. Captain Poison says that Solomon might think he’s the devil, but it is
only because he lives in hell. In what ways is Captain Poison a product of his
environment and in what ways is he a product of his choices?
Well Captain Poison grew up in an environment that was full of chaos, cruelty, and savageness and therefore he thought that it was okay and safe to do what he was doing. What he experienced made him what he was after all. So he is a product of his choices by taking part in what others were doing. Joining that cruel cycle of violence and letting it go on rather than trying to stop it.
ReplyDeleteCaptain Poison is a product of his environment because he chose to continue living in the chaos he grew up in, rather than finding an escape. Therefore, he is a product of his choices because instead of leaving, he stayed and now he is actually leading the violence. He is the opposite of Dia because although Dia was forced into his conditions and became a child soldier, he made the right choice to go back home with his father.
ReplyDeleteSince well before Captain Poison was born Africa has been a source of violence and political turmoil. Many powerhouse countries have claimed a stake in Africa in order to obtain the abundant resources located in the continent. Thus, for as long as he'd been alive, Captain Poison had seen his homeland become a hotspot for colonization and foreign occupation. This in turn has led many groups of Africans, such as the RUF, to lead revolutions by fighting the foreign occupants and government troops. In order to supply and fund these groups, they must enslave their own people and force them to mine for diamonds to sell to large companies and corporations. These corporations are typically the foreign organizations which occupy the continent in the first place and thus creates a vicious cycle which feeds upon itself. Therefore Captain Poison became who he was from the internal conflicts in Africa, but the evil choices he makes, which negatively affect his fellow countrymen, contribute to the evil attitude he carries through his actions.
ReplyDeleteCaptain Poison grew up in a life of chaos and violence, so he didn't really know anything different. Taking the position that he holds, he was just following what he had seen his whole life so to him, what he was doing was normal. At the same time, as a human being he had to know that what he was doing was not right when it comes to human rights. He made the decision to go along with it and perpetuate this vicious cycle of violence.
ReplyDeleteIt is very common for a person to become a product of their environment as they are raised and taught how it is "normal" to act. In the case of Captain Poison, he was surrounded by so much violence and hatred that it became normal for him. Killing and destroying was seen as the right thing to do in his eyes as that was all he knew. His environment was a disturbing place, and therefore he went through with disturbing actions. He is a product of his own choices however, because people always have the option to oppose and say no. Although his environment was full of hatred, he was not forced to go through with the violent actions he made. He lacked his own morals and made his ultimate decisions to add to the killings and atrocities.
ReplyDeleteCaptain Poison is a product of his environment because he grew up around violence and disruption since he was a child. Due to the fact that he never lived in any other type of environment this became normal to him. He never knew there was another type of life besides a violent and chaotic one.
ReplyDeleteCaptain Poison is also a product of his choices because he chose to say in Sierra Leon. But, above all else he chose to lead the RUF. By choosing to be the leader of the RUF he chose to take part of diamond mining and the violence that came along with it. Therefore his choices caused him to continue to act violently and continue the violence that he believes is “normal”.
Captain Poison grew up in an environment full of terror and chaos. He became a product of that environment by becoming a leader of the RUF.He spread his terror through many ways, including the use of child soldiers.
ReplyDeleteI think Captain poison is completely a product of his environment and none of it is really by choice. Chances are captain poison was trained this way from a very early age before he could really discern right from wrong. Due to his upbringings his mind was programmed to accept killing as a way of life. We saw what they did to Solomon's son Dia and that kind of treatment is probably what happened to Captain Poision. At that age their minds are still ripe and easily maleable and with the right methods the child can be turned into a killer who believes what he is doing is completely okay. There is no true way to understand what these children go through without going through the same thing at a young age. I truly believe that Captain Poison turned out the way he did only due to the environment he lived in.
ReplyDeleteCaptain Poison really had no other chance when being raised in an environment where there was no value for human life. In this "dog eat dog" world, many were taught that you kill your neighbor if it means you get to love another day. Captain Poison was most likely raised like Dia, turned into a child soldier as a young boy, and never knew the difference. But even if he did know the difference, what other choice did he have? I'm sure Captain Poison would have much rather been a slave driver than a slave himself. I don't believe that people should think that Captain Poison was given a choice, because even though he technically was, almost every human in his position (in that environment) would have done what they needed to do to stay alive, even if that meant harming other people.
ReplyDeleteCaptain Poison probably acts the way he does because that is the way he was brought up to deal with the problems in his life. He has lived in a country that has been torn apart by violence, hatred and greed. He has chosen this way of life because it was probably that or be killed. Most likely he had been taken and trained as a child solider, like Dia had been. Taken away from his family, drugged and brainwashed into thinking this was the only way to survive. His actions may have been wrong and violent but it is usually easier to just go with what was going on around him, what the environment of Sierra Leone is like, rather than stand up for what is right. Captain Poison was able to survive by acting the way he did. He made many bad and violent decisions in his life but if that was what was necessary to stay alive then he did it no matter the moral or ethical problems with his actions.
ReplyDeleteI think the violent and cruel person who Captain Poison is mostly a product of his environment. I am sure that he did not sign up for the army when he was a grown man, like so many people do in the United States, instead he most likely force to be a solider as a child when his village was overtaken much like Dia and Danny Archer were. From both Dia and Danny Archer the viewer can see that they were nit cruel people to begin with before becoming a solider. In Dia's case he resisted killing people at first because as Solomon so often said "he is a good boy", however when he was drugged, made captain and saw that killing people was rewarded he quickly became a killing machine. This is especially shown when Dia calls his own father a traitor and screamed in his face that he hated him. In the case of Danny Archer the viewer finds out that his village was overtaken, his mother raped and killed, his father murdered and he was forced into the army, the same one that killed his parents in front of him. Most likely after Captain Poison was in the army for a long time and survived his time he was promoted to be the leader of the RUF. He continued the violence when he was captain because firstly, it is a great honor to be chosen to be captain, secondly, violence, killing and revenging other people were all he knew and lastly, he was supported by all the people around him and it is very difficult to say that the army you have been fighting with all your life is wrong. Also, even if for some reason he chose to put an end to the RUF I am sure that there would have been harsh consequences for him, such as his army revolting against him and killing him, or all of the former members of the army would be targeted by other opposing forces. Destroying his one section of the RUF would not put an end to RUF or all the other fighting happening. Like with the Nazi's in Germany good people followed them because it was what was the "right" thing to do and if they did not they would have been killed on the spot. In these ways I think that Captain Poison truly is a product of his environment and had little choice in the situation.
ReplyDeleteCaptain Poison grew up in an environment that was not ideal, seeing and experiencing violence, chaos and little respect for human rights. Because of his childhood I am sure his decisions are influenced by what he knew growing up but at the same time I feel that he should know different because he experienced it. I would think he would not want anyone to go through what he went through. as a grown man understanding the pain that he is putting these boys through he is a product of his choices and a product of his environment.
ReplyDeleteThe Captain is a product of his environment due to how dangerous and unstable Africa can be, as well as diamonds being the easiest way to fund the revolution he (seems to) believe in.
ReplyDeleteHowever, his a product of his own choices by the fact of how inhumane he has become in his desire to survive. Perhaps he once decided that the best way to survive in the violent chaos that is Africa is to become just as violent and chaotic as the land around him. That would explain a great deal about him.
Captain Poison chose to stay in Sierra Leone even though there was so much conflict and violence going on. It doesn't seem that he tried to escape or leave the country at any time. Growing up he must have witnessed a lot of violence and hate between people. All that hate must have numbed his emotions so much that now he doesn't have a care for anyone but himself. He only knows how to keep himself alive and have others mine diamonds for him. Growing up in his environment and making the choices he did made him who he was.
ReplyDeleteCaptain Poison is a product of his environment because all he knows and all hes ever been around is Sierra Leone and what goes on there. He has become obsessed with diamonds. He has became a product of his own choices by acting so inhumane and torchering people and kidnapping children and turning them into soldiers.
ReplyDeleteConsidering Captain Poison grew up in an area filled with violence and conflict, and is used to that since he never tried to leave, the fact that he saw so much hate and anguish around him he must have adapted in a way that left his emotions more centered around hate and dominance. Because of that, it's clear that he only bases his actions on what he feels like doing just to ensure survival and a rank in conflicted area. He reflects his environment, and has adapted to it by becoming like it. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."
ReplyDeletecap. poison is in a way the product of his environment because he was a scummy person because he dealt in a very scummy business of kidnapping children, brainwashing them and turning them into child soldiers. he became a product of his own choices by continuing and becoming obsessed with the diamonds and torturing people who were "a threat" when really they were just normal people who wouldnt have done anything to anyone bad
ReplyDeletecaptain posion is in a way the product of his environment because he was a bad person because he had a bad business which was kidnapping children. he brainwashed them and turned them into child soldiers which is a huge problem in today's society. He tourchered people because of his obsession of diamonds.
ReplyDeleteHe's a product of his environment because at that time the only choice he really had was to be a rebel. There were no other options because it was a time of conflict. He was a product of his choices because he didn't have to choose to be as mean as he was. He was brutal. He hurt a lot of people...he would chop their arms off and stuff. He also abused children, and he didn't have to do that, that was a choice.
ReplyDelete