In a society that is aristocratic, physiognomic and honorific, Thersites is simply a menace, not the noble insurrectionist a modern reader might see him to be. Rebellion is not celebrated, it is harshly subdued. No one is capable of rising beyond their station, where they are born, there they will likely die. An ugly and insolent soldier is not to be praised. After describing Thersites ghastly appearance, Homer notes that “Achilles despised him most, Odysseus too”(2.257).
Throughout The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane, Henry Fleming makes mistakes and has to relearn what he is capable of. His transgressions include running from a battle, abandoning a dying man, and lying to his comrades. Tim O’Brien defines what a true war story is in his book The Things They Carried, and states that, “A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior…” Although the youth makes many mistakes throughout The Red Badge of Courage, and many immoral acts are portrayed, it is not a true war story according to Tim O’Brien’s definition.
There was once a time where knights were meant to be the epitome of chivalry; they symbolized honor, courage, justice and much more. However, not every knight matched the narrative of what a true knight should be. One way to teach people a certain value is through exemplary texts such as, “The wedding of King Arthur”. This story uses the knights and their actions to instruct the reader to be honorable by punishing the, shameful, dishonorable knights while rewarding the true and honorable one hence, guiding the reader towards a more honorable path. Sir Gawain does not show mercy to a defeated foe and is punished for it.
I am firmly opposed to the manipulation of one’s subjects for the better of the ruler. Machiavelli’s concept for a prince’s soldiers is a malicious brainwash. A feared ruler will only induce despise from his people. I regard Machiavelli’s justification for a prince containing aspects of evil to be a unethical form of governing a society. His depiction of a feared ruler disregards the prosperity of his people and does not account for their pursuit of happiness.
They argue that Johnny would have been in constant danger from the British soldiers. If the British soldiers found out about their plot against the king they would treat him harshly. This does not hold up because they already treated everyone harshly. In addition, the same people argue that he was crippled.
The Inspector’s dismissal of Birling’s relationship with the Chief Inspector “I don’t play golf” shows his refusal to be intimidated by status, hence encouraging the audience to weaken the influence of social hierarchy. Moreover, the Inspector’s presentation as omniscient, via the use of dramatic irony and foreshadowing, makes Birling seem short-sighted. Birling’s belief that the Titanic was “absolutely unsinkable”, when the audience knows better, depicts the blindness of the upper class, their idealism and lack of awareness for what is going on, which leads to them acting in a sense of authority they don’t deserve. The inspector’s entrance and disruption of Birling’s speech about social responsibility to Eric and Gerald is significant as it reveals Birling’s hypocrisy as he refuses to accept his inherent social responsibility. This leads the audience to trust the Inspector’s perspective, as a communicator of positive, socialist change.
The patriarchy also proves damaging and oppressive for individuals such as Roy. While Roy is far from a sympathetic character as he is abusive and controlling of Jack, it should be acknowledged that war veterans, especially in the 1950’s, were not given the social or medical support needed. Jack perceives Roy as “what a man should be” and sees him as stoic and strong, “He’d been to war and kept a kind of silence about it that was full of heroic implication.” The ideal that a man should be detached, unemotional, and violent lest he be seen as effeminate or weak comes from the idea that men need to be the providers and the powerful, something which is incredibly damaging to men, especially those who have been affected by the trauma of war. It
By accusing the Army of treason, he lost respect in the population and bad opinions spread around, ruining his power streak. This risk prevented these kinds of people from succumbing to actions that would sabotage their reputation. In addition, McCarthyism allowed these kinds of nasty people, such as McCarthy, to act upon unsightly desires. Therefore, the McCarthy trials encouraged the conflict between
out, I say!—One; two: why, then 'tis time to do't.—Hell is murky.—Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our pow'r to accompt?—Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him? (V. i.
It is at this moment that Okonkwo realizes his people no longer understand him and he has no power in their eyes. Okonkwo’s innermost fear of being a woman like his father transforms him into being exactly like his father because he is powerless and
The fault of the tragic engagement was on the battalion command. However, it was merely circumstantial that Wanat was ambushed and there was no humanly possible way to know the size of the enemy force. General Charles Campbell ended all investigations with his statement: “To criminalize command decisions in a theater of complex combat operations is a grave step indeed. It is also unnecessary, particularly in this case. It is possible for officers to err in judgment—and to thereby incur censure—without violating a criminal statute.”
Brown argued “the Loyalist leadership could not remotely match the Whigs in talent,” and that their fear of chaos during the Revolution caused “some” to be timid. Brown also accused the Loyalists of having a “fatal complacency” on British aid. Nelson was critical of Loyalist leaders, notably Joseph Galloway, who Nelson called “fearfully inept.” More broadly, Nelson contended that the Loyalist leadership lacked continuity and failed to produce any national leaders, or unite behind any convincing ideals, all of which contributed to their failure in opposing the Revolution.
Anyone physically different from themselves, the people of Waknuk regard as “abominations” and insulting to the pure image of God based on a fallible old book; Nicholson’s Repentances. Likewise, anyone of a different religious sect, Daesh slaughters with out of context rulings from their religious book. The KKK discriminates against people of colour, regarding them in a very similar way to the way the people of Waknuk regard Deviations. Moreover, calling the Old People’s society (probably secular) a state of “[prevailing] irreligious arrogance” displays their belief that only one way of being is acceptable, and anything else is worthy of punishment (Wyndham 40).
Like he wasn’t good enough to fight for the Confederacy. General Lee even said himself, in a letter to Jefferson Davis, “I therefore, in all sincerity, request your Excellency to take measures to supply my place.” and later in the letter he continued with, “...because no one is more aware than myself of my inability...“ General Lee felt that he wasn’t good enough to fight, and that’s enough to crumble anyone’s self confidence or morale, in which, could’ve hindered his duties as a general. On top of that, Lee actually did lose the battle, which lowered his morale even more. Having a low esteem definitely won’t help him in the battles to come, especially since he was the only general left for the rest of the civil war.
However, Machiavelli suggest that “when Prince and Minister are upon this footing they can mutually trust one another; but when the contrary is the case, it will always fare ill with one or other of them” (Machiavelli 63). Due to his hypocrisy and stubbornness, the brave soldiers of the country of Thebes are afraid him to report to him, and his wise subjects refuse to advise him. Creon’s inflexible mind and behavior provoke a clash between him and his subjects which would ultimately lead to his