Peace Weavers Chapter 12

Setting – In van Jennions home, both families together for first time in the book.

Page 98 top – Friedman’s name going through Hilde’s head. NB also Anglo-Saxon/German meaning of "fried"=peace.

Hilde starts discussion about peace weaving, war etc. First time she has really talked to anyone at all.

Beliefs of different characters = discussion about war and peace.
Character Page For fighting/war For peace weaving
Marty 99 Christian peace is different from political peace.  
Hilde 100   Pacifism is active not passive. You do things to promote peace and protest peacefully like Ghandi
Frank 100 How do you get rid of dictators? Pacifism plays into their hands. Think of Hitler.  
Hilde 100   Saddam Hussein hasn’t invaded another country.
Karl 100 Saddam invaded Kuwait in 1990.  
Hilde 100 War may sometimes be right as a last resort. It may be right to have armies for defence but not to be the aggressor. It wouldn’t be right to invade Iraq now.
Karl 100 Soldiers serve their country, do their duty, are patriotic.  
Friedman 101   How can you be a Christian and make war?
Karl 101 It’s a man’s duty to go to war to stop a greater wrong. A just war. The big, powerful USA must go to the aid of smaller countries.  

 

 

 

Karl 102   No soldier who has seen action likes war. I’m a peace keeper not a warmonger.
Frank 103   If you want peace prepare for war, as the Romans said.
Karl 103 Sometimes the threat of war can be enough. The French veto on force was destructive.  
Hilde 103   The French want the weapons inspectors to keep looking for WMDs. While they do that the Iraqis aren’t using them. If you want peace prepare for peace.
Frank 103   Agrees with Hilde.
Friedman 104-5 Saddam Hussein is an evil dictator who killed and tortured thousands of people. Wouldn’t getting rid of him make the world safer?

The US and the UK want to use the threat of war to make Saddam hand over his WMDs and to prevent more 9/11s

  
Hilde 104   I think Saddam has to be stopped but not by bombing thousands of innocent people. The cure would be worse than the disease.

Hilde leaves the house to walk home and "make a start". Tells Maethilde’s skeleton she has got the message and will begin peace weaving.

Relationship between Hilde and Friedman changes slightly. "She had opened his eyes, his heart and his mind." He respects what she has to say. He fancies her again.

Chapter 12 out of 24 - the physical middle of the book and the turning point. Hilde has gone from inaction to action.