Free “The Interrogation Of The Good” By Bertolt Brecht (Translated By Slavoj Zizek) Essay Example

Every educated person has heard about Slavoj Zizek. It is known than he is from Slovenia. He covers different topics in his books, essays and articles starting from theology and cultural studies and finishing with psychoanalysis, a branch of the modern psychological theory. He can be called a celebrity despite he is not an actor, director or businessman. Slavoj Zizek turned thousands of people to philosophy and culture, arose interest in culture, reading and analyzing the reality. Besides, he reconsidered Communism and Marxism theories. Zizek is well-known for his leftist views, and he promotes these issues in his books. It should come as no surprise that he uses poems and quotes from prominent Marxist writers. One of such poets is Bertolt Brecht. He contributed a lot to dramaturgy and theater theory as he used lots of innovative things in his plays. The same words can be said about his verses. Although his images and metaphors can be hard to understand, Zizek relies his views on them because Brecht’s images and metaphors depict the thoughts he expresses.
Zizek uses the poem “The Interrogation of the Good” in his book “Violence: Six Sideways Reflections” (Zizek). This work arouses an important moral issue – what is like to be good and what is worth to be good? For Brecht’s character, there is no advantage to be good, or brave, or wise or possess any other virtue. “We shall put you in front of a good wall and shoot you” (Zizek), concludes the author in his poem. No matter who you are, it is no worth to be someone if you are on the wrong side or even just another side. Actually, this principle was widely used during both world wars, which were witnessed by Bertolt Brecht. The author compares a person with lightning as both of them can be bought and both of them can be either good or bad (Zizek). In many cultures, lightning is symbol of something celestial and divine. This means that whatever is person’s power, it doesn’t give him/her any preferences. This metaphor claims that everybody is equal for the author. Slavoj Zizek goes further in his thoughts about this issue. According to Zizek, “the true crime is not robbing a bank, it is founding one” (Zizek 44). This means that no matter how good are your deeds and your intentions they can lead to the bad consequences and you will be responsible for that. In his book, he execrates well-known philanthropists such as Bill Gates, George Soros, etc. as enemies of the progress and the struggle in the name of the progress. Using the wealth for good things should not be considered neutral let alone acceptable or positive thing. Such people in their willingness to help are just trying to stabilize the system, and this system is full of structural violence (Lyons 164). For Zizek, they deserved to be buried “in the good earth” (Zizek) because they postpone changes. It is quite ironical. If they were good they deserve good earth to be buried in. Yet they will be shot anyway because they are enemies.
Furthermore, founders of the bank from the Zizek’s quotes should be the ones responsible for the future crime. Creation of a bank generates, to some extent, the social inequality because there are people, who can keep their money in banks, and there are those, who are in need of borrowing money from banks. This issue, in turn, can generate the idea of robbing a bank because this action can be considered as an act of justice. Apart from that thought, Zizek wants to show that notions of good and bad are just relative. “You are wise. For whom?” (Zizek 44), writes Brecht in his poem. The point of view is a key for understanding the situation.
All in all, Zizek’s quote refers to the relativeness of the moral and its notions. Besides, he points out on the responsibility of those, who create stability despite the changes. Slavoj Zizek warns that good deeds can lead to sad consequences, and the only deserved fate for those, who implement such changes is to be “put you in front of a good wall” (Zizek).

Works Cited

Lyons, John William. Joseph of Arimathea: A Study in Reception History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. Web. 11. March 2015.
Zizek, Slavoj. Violence: Six Sideways Reflections. New York: Picador, 2008. Print.