In Herman Melville’s “Billy Budd,” Captain the Honorable Edward Fairfax Vere is torn between the desires of personal, moral convictions and the letter of the law. Vere’s difficulties are represented by the decision to hang Billy or forgive him. Furthermore, Melville utilizes various biblical allusions and examples from history to promote his ideology through the character of Captain Vere. Melville introduces the historical background of the story before proceeding to describe life on the Bellipotent. His primary reason for doing so is to offer information that will in the near future affect Vere’s decision of condemning Billy to death by hanging. Rebellion is certainly not an act that is favored by the Captain of a particular unit, but such …show more content…
It was Pilate’s duty to maintain law and order, similar to Vere’s responsibility as captain aboard the warship. Pilate, before Christ’s sentence, stated that “ I am innocent of this man’s blood; see it to it yourselves.” This implies that Pilate did not morally agree with the death of Christ, but he had to perform his duty as judge. Similarly, Captain Vere mentions to the counsel at the trial to ignore their personal convictions. Vere asserts the “divine judgement of Ananias” upon Claggart’s death. Ananias was a disciple of Jesus Christ, but was struck dead for taking unlawful credit, Claggart of course lied about Billy’s involvement in an uprising against the captain. Before Claggart’s death, Billy was a representation of prelapsarian Adam, where as Claggart was symbolic of the serpent. The narrator digresses in extreme lengths to describe their individual traits and biblical similarities. Claggart was inherently evil and Billy was the epitome of a man. However, after Billy killed Claggart, he became a representation of Jesus Christ. This follows Vere’s portrayal of Pontius Pilate and eventually Abraham. Equivalent to God testing Abraham’s faith, Captain Vere is inspected by the laws of the military society. Vere continues to distress his resolution to whether follow his personal convictions or the maritime
Ordinary seamen, Thomas Cannon and William Chapman, are arguing whether or not God is to blame for their sorrows and war filled life. Also, a topic in the conversation is their enemies’ ship, the Merrimack, housed by Confederate soldiers. The Confederate stole the US Navy’s ship called the Virginia and has since renamed it the Merrimack.
As students, one usually sees a positive view on what life was like back then. Usually, one fails to realize that perhaps these pilgrims, or puritans who sailed across the Atlantic, were more complex than the simpleton title the standard textbooks give them. Thus, one is able to realize that there are perspectives from both sides of the spectrum. As Vowell composes her book, she gives a witty outlook on the governing of John Winthrop in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and how his puritan ideals affected the society around them. One thing that The Wordy Shipmates does suggest to the reader is how one must not take things for face value.
In the early 20th century after the world war I, this was the period when modernism started. There was the industrialization, development of modern technology to solve problems and there was the modernist movement in writing also. This movement was characterized by a lack of confidence in the traditional ways of explaining existence and its meaning. Family, and religion were no longer seen as being dependable. Writers could not find any meaning in the old ways of writing, they did see the need to start writing in new techniques as the world was changing.
How Symbolic and Physical Warnings are Used Differently in two Versions of Moby Dick to Convey the Same Theme The ideas of heeding warnings and omens, as well as learning from mistakes, comprise the main theme of Moby Dick, as appearing in both its original literary work by Herman Melville published in 1851, and its filmic adaptation by Anton Diether from 1998. While Melville's written story narrates the hunt for Moby Dick (the antagonist) and by doing so, meticulously describes the history of whaling and life aboard a whaler, Anton Diether's filmic version steers away from this informative endeavor, and instead concentrates directly on the hunt of Moby Dick. This difference between the two versions affects the method of conveying their shared theme to the audience. Differences between the two versions’ usage of symbolic and physical warnings result in the book connecting the reader to its theme through large amounts of subtle and internalizing detail, while the film through concise and focused superficial yet powerful details.
By using ambiguous language, Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor explains homosexuality and the issues the group had in society. It can be assumed that at least three of the Bellipotent’s crew were homosexual and other members of the crew knew this as well. Through the time period there was constant fear and persecution of homosexuals which led to the crewmen being silent in their justice just as homosexuals were silenced in their prosecutions by others. By using historical aspects, Melville has hidden under everyone’s nose the implications of homosexuality on the ship. Captain Vere is seen as a scholarly figure who keeps to himself until the end of the novella where he is forced into the conflict of a potential mutiny brewing.
` As Joe’s excitement mounted to give rides on his newly purchased boat, his joy soon turned to dread as one of his beloved passengers tumbled into the water. The author, Horatio Alger Jr., of “Joe’s Reward” writes a story of a hero named Joe, who rescues a wealthy man’s niece that ends with an offer of a reward. The text consists of Joe’s actions that happen to drive the plot using specific events. Throughout the story, Horatio uses myth-like elements, such as a damsel in distress, a heroic act, and the hero receiving and turning down a reward, to assist the plot in moving forward.
During the 1st century, Pontius Pilate was a Roman prefect under the emperor of Tiberius. Pilate’s job as a prefect included tasks like tax collecting or managing construction projects, but after years as a prefect he was given the new position of governor of Judaea and the power of a supreme judge. As a supreme judge Pilate had complete authority over ordering a criminal’s execution, and he now also had the most important responsibility of maintaining law and order. Pilate is most widely known for his work as a judge on Jesus’s trial. During the trial, Pontius falsely claims that Jesus embraced the title of King of the Jews after Pontius asked about his title, and according to the Roman government, this accusation was considered an act of treason.
Both Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” and Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” are both books that present us with the theme of ‘men of conscience’. John Proctor and Atticus Finch, both fictional characters from the books, are considered to be ‘men of conscience’. A man of conscience is a man aware of the moral and ethical judgements he has a strong desire to do the right thing whenever possible. The life of these men is ruled by their desire to seek the truth and justice in the situations around them; these traits are displayed in both of the characters throughout both the novel and the play.
The simplicity of early colonial life, where the daily goal was to pray, work, and survive, left little room for any leisure. Toiling for just the basic necessities to live, colonists withstood their hardships and unsheathed the covers of the “American Dream.” Quite the contrary, Rip Van Winkle, from the famous tale “ Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving, displayed the very opposite lifestyle of an early American colonist. Disregarding domestic responsibility and experiencing a peculiar adventure, Rip Van Winkle evoked a humorous and satirical interpretation of the New England life. As William Cullen Bryant stated, Irving used his “amiable” and “best-natured” satire to express his views about the life of America, ideally, religiously and politically.
There are approximately 130 million known published books in the world, so what’s special about Bartleby the Scrivener. Within its 64 pages, Herman Melville uses Bartleby, an unassuming oddball, to humor and enlighten readers. Bartleby’s temperament is undeniably different than most of society, but there is purpose behind his actions. Despite Bartleby’s seemingly unimaginative demeanor, he is in reality preserving his own unconventional artistic identity by refusing to copy others’ work or conform to societal norms, ultimately providing a model of resistance.
Although an important and highly respected individual, Billy’s naivety flaws his near impeccable character. The Rights of Man, only a merchant ship, tolerated his inexperience and immaturity, serving as the ideal atmosphere for Billy to gain knowledge, maturing in his ways. The Bellipotent unlike the Rights of man was a war ship. Billy is not ready to venture into this new experience. Eventually, yes there would be an appropriate time.
Herman Melville’s background had a great impact in writing Moby Dick, specifically using events that happened in that period of time. Melville was born in New York City in 1819. Initially, his family was wealthy for some time until one year after Melville was born, they had to move to Albany trying to regain their fortune. Consequently, of so much work, his father, Allan Melville dies. When this occurs Melville needed to do a lot of changes in his life.
Masked by Vengeance Herman Melville’s Moby Dick follows the narration of a man calling himself Ishmael, and his encounter with the infamous whale named Moby Dick. When Ishmael boards the whaling boat “The Pequod,” he comes under the command of Captain Ahab whose sole intent in life is to kill the whale that took his leg from him, Moby Dick. While primarily Ishmael only knows this information from rumors among the crew, this information is asserted throughout the novel as Ahab clarifies not only how his leg was taken, but more importantly why he feels it is a necessity to kill the whale. Ahab is so consumed by his feelings of vengeance for Moby Dick that he sees Moby Dick as the epitome of all evil, which is asserted by Ishmael in his observation
Billy Budd, was written by Herman Melville in the 19th century, it contains three main characters: John Claggart, Captain Vere, and Billy Budd. In the opening of the story, Melville describes all the characters with different personality; Billy Budd is embodied as a symbol of Christ, Claggart is regarded as the villain, and Captain Vere is perceived as the moral leader of the vessel. As the story matures, the prior pictures of these characters are challenged as formerly concealed personalities of each character are exposed. Symbolism is used to openly show the difference between good and evil. The evening before Billy's hanging, the red tan of his skin no paleness could have been revealed.
The story “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving is a moral allegory; a story that represents an abstract or spiritual but is portrayed in a literal way. “Rip Van Winkle” is a tale that is comprised of multiple abstract and hidden meanings, which are all cloaked by material forms. Irving’s use of setting, symbolism, and characterization help to produce a tale that intertwines mysticism with history. Together these create a deeper meaning behind the life of a simple man oppressed by his wife, truly standing as a symbol for the ruling of the British crown over the Thirteen Colonies.