• Journal of English Language & Literature
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• v.64 no.2
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• pp.151-170
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• 2018

This paper examines the relationship and ideas of Hannah Arendt and Philip Roth including how they met, their correspondence and intellectual parallels, particularly in their shared criticism of Jewish ideals and culture in Europe and North America. It analyzes similarities in their careers and texts, especially between Eichmann in Jerusalem and Operation Shylock, as well as The Ghost Writer, while measuring their reception as social commentators and writers. Kafka was an important figure for both writers, Arendt's earliest writing engaged with the significance of Kafka in understanding and criticizing twentieth century political and cultural values in Europe. For Roth, Kafka offered a similar critique of moral principles he found corroded in North American Jewish life. Arendt connected with other writers, notably Isak Dinesen, W. H. Auden, Randall Jarrell and William Styron who further linked the two: he knew both Arendt and Roth and cited, incorrectly, a work by Arendt as the source for the key incident in his 1979 novel Sophie's Choice. He claimed it was Eichmann in Jerusalem; it was Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism. Arendt's reaction to Roth's fiction, however, remains a mystery: she died in 1975, before Roth began to seriously and consistently engage with Holocaust issues in works like The Ghost Writer (1979) and Operation Shylock (1993). Yet even in death they are joined. Their graves are only steps apart at the Bard College Cemetery in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.

• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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• no.48
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• pp.253-287
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• 2012

This research aimed to discuss the necessity of education and evil through perspective of Sunja and Hannah Arendt. In case of Sunja, it was reviewed by his opinion about Sunja as the central figure. As for Arendt, it was researched with "Eichmann in Jerusalem" as the central figure which she wrote participating in the trial process of Eichmann who was a war criminal of Nazi. Sunja thought evil as the nature of people and understood that they all are originally selfish, envious, and seeking desire. Therefore, Sunja thought it is important to properly seek human desire. He claimed Haw Seong Gi Wi(化性起僞, changing evil human nature into goodness through manner) which changes human nature from evil to goodness. A teacher who leads evil into goodness is surely needed in the process of Haw Seong Gi Wi. At the same time, in the dimension of educational content it put stress on the role of Ye(禮, manner) which lets them realize discernment so that they properly seek human desire and Ak(樂, harmony) which harmoniously controls human emotion, and key point on education regarding Ye and Ak. As for Arendt, however, she recognized evil as normal one. Even though he thought that conforming the order of superior authority was the best value and then took evil of killing many Jews in thoughtlessness, Eichmann maintained that he did not take evil but only conformed the order. This way, people could take evil in thoughtlessness in totalitarianism, and it makes circumstance that they could not take goodness. Therefore they could take evil in thoughtlessness and experience the radical evil and the banality of evil. Accordingly, political praxis which guarantees people's plurality as the words and praxis is needed. It is named natality because the truth that they are born in this world is a starting point, and makes the essence of education. In this process, teachers have to be a representative of this generation for children as new social members, and be able to keep children's newness. Sunja and Arendt have the same equality and difference in that they referred to the necessity of education to overcome human evil. It is the same quality that goodness could recover the function of community and the practice of education is considered important in the goal of education and the dimension of directivity. It is different in methodical characteristic of education that Arendt, however, suggests praxis as the way that they express themselves in totalitarianism while Sunja thought that continuous practice piling up virtue for goodness is important.