All the King's Men: Man As a Slave to Knowledge
Dave Goff
In Robert Penn Warren's novel, All the King's Men, Jack Burden states, “
The end of man is knowledge, but there is one thing a man can't know. He can't know whether knowledge will save him or kill him (9).” Jack's statement reveals that man is enslaved by knowledge. Familiar sayings such as, “Ignorance is bliss,” and, “what you don't know can't hurt you” also state this point.
Examples of knowledge enslaving man are seen in the novel through the characters of Willie Stark, Adam Stanton and Jack Burden.
Willie Stark is a character that attempts to conquer knowledge, even though in the end, he is overcome by the forces of knowledge. Willie did not want to be a slave to knowledge, but rather, its keeper. Stark uses information about people for blackmail, to achieve his goals. His goals for political offices ranged from Mason County Treasurer to state governor, senator, and most likely thoughts of presidency. And on the way to get to these offices, Stark had to overpower others with dark knowledge, the secrets people keep. Stark says that “man is conceived in sin and born in corruption and he passeth from the stink of the didie to the stench of the shroud. There is always something (49).”
He is saying that everyone has something to hide, a skeleton in the closet.
Stark knows that everyone has some bit of knowledge to hide, and that the knowledge makes man a slave as he tries to hide the bit of knowledge. Stark often wields the power of knowledge to enslave others to do his bidding. He finds the dirt on someone, the secret bit of dark knowledge, and then has them do his bidding. When a certain Byram B. White tried to get rich, Stark had him sign an undated resignation form to hold him in his power. Willie said himself, “
Well, I fixed Byram. I fixed him so his unborn great-grandchildren will wet their pants on this anniversary and not know why (136).” Also, Stark manipulates people with knowledge, telling them what they want to hear. “Under the picture was the legend: My study is the heart of the people. In quotation marks, and signed, Willie Stark (6).” Willie Stark studies people, rather, voters, and what they want to hear from him. When the people hear what they want to hear from
Willie, they are satisfied and will vote him in office. Willie...
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...r. If the human race didn't remember anything, it would be perfectly happy (40).” From this quotation, it is seen that knowledge can hurt. It is also shown that sometimes one can know too much for one's own good. And Jack's past hurt him, so Jack ran from his past, leaving Burden's Landing, where his “father's” departure caused him anguish.
Jack also dreaded returning to Burden's Landing, refusing to face his problems, refusing to accept any new stepfather and trying to refuse the love of his mother. Nevertheless, Jack sometimes realized that he was running from his problems. Once he said, “For maybe you cannot ever really walk away from the things you want most to walk away from (43).” Jack finally understands that, “ with knowledge you can face up to anything, for knowledge is power (313).”
So man is enslaved by knowledge, whether it be through skeletons in the closet, or false knowledge, or uncomfortable knowledge. Actions are guided by knowledge. Usually, actions are thought about first. Also, some people try to enslave others with knowledge, but fall victim themselves, one way or another.
Knowledge is power. That is why man can be enslaved by it.
Knowledge can be the key to success and can lead people to happier life. However, there are some instances that you can not gain any more knowledge because of how it would change your whole life. The drive of wanting more and more knowledge is best portrayed through two well -known books. In Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, and in Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon, both the creature and Charlie are ostracized by society because they are different from everyone else but this distinction gave way for distinct fallouts because of their quest for knowledge beyond their reach to achieve happiness.
In America today, when the name of honor is often adulterated by glaring headlines proclaiming the guilt of an immoral politician or the fall of a disgraced executive, it is easy to forget that the country was founded for the pursuit of truth, for only in truth can people find real happiness. Thomas Jefferson famously included the pursuit happiness as an unalienable right in the Declaration of Independence, but in an intimate letter to William Roscoe, a British historian, Jefferson wrote, “This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead.” In his flagship novel, All the King’s Men, Robert Penn Warren embraces the Founding Father’s principles with his characterization of both Willie Stark and Jack Burden. Warren’s novel is an American classic because it traces the lives of two lost men as each man follows his personalized compass pointing towards complete understanding. After elevating him to unprecedented heights, Willie’s interpretation of truth returns to drag him down to the Underworld. Only when Jack learns that not even Willie can be omnipotent does he stop trying to understand everything. Willie Stark and Jack Burden embody the essence of Thomas Jefferson’s words because, in a sense, they both attain freedom through their pursuit of truth.
Pantheon and Hagia Sophia Pantheon and Hagia Sophia are two extremely outstanding architectural pieces of their times. They have been built according to the traditions of those particular times. The materials used to built these buildings and the purpose for which they were used are all very important aspects and have been briefly covered in this report. Pantheon The statesman Agrippa built pantheon in 27 B.C. Then it was completely rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian. The Pantheon is remarkable for its size, its construction, and its design. The dome was the largest built until modern times. The present structure was probably originally built as a temple for all the pagan gods. We do hear of it as being a law-court and a reception area for Emperor Hadrian meeting his quests too. Some say that the rotunda of the building was once a Roman bath. Due to all this mystery, the Pantheon is often referred to as the Sphinx of Rome. The visitor will probably not appreciate the construction as much as the Flavian amphitheatre, but it is still a great masterpiece of engineering and well worth a visit. Most Roman and Greek temples at the time of the Pantheon's construction were large, colonnaded, rectangular enclosures with sanctuaries situated in their centers. The Pantheon was different. It consisted of a large circular drum topped with a hemispherical dome. It is a masterpiece of both engineering and art a lasting memory of Ancient Rome’s might. Roman architecture is architecture of wall and enclosed tactile space. Individual column with entablature is no longer the basic architectural unity. Spatially, it shows a development from closed, simple space units and regular articulation to more complex spatial relations, more fluid interpenetrati...
his sons, while they stole. In reality, he was more or less swollen with pride for their nerve. He is keen on this in conversing the stealing of lumber when he says "I gave them hell, understand. But I got a couple of fearless characters there." (Miller, 1949)Willy was furthermore culpable of reducing the burglary in the houses there.
One problem Willy has is that he does not take responsibility for his actions; this problem only gets worse because of his lies. Biff looks up to Willy, so when he finds out that Willy has an affair in Boston, Biff is petrified. Biff realizes his hero, dad, the one he wants to impress, is a phony and a liar. Willy destroys Biff's dream of playing football by saying he does not have to study for the math regents, he also Willy telling Bernard to give Biff the answers. When Biff fails the regents, he does not want to retake the test because he is so disgusted with his hero and does not want to succeed. Not only did Willy destroy Biff's dream, he also broke his vows and refused to admit it. Biff is a failure, in Willy's eye, in most part due to Willy and what happened in Boston. Willy refuses to take responsibility for what he did, so he lies about Biff. Willy tells Bernard that Biff has been doing great things out west, but decided to come back home to work on a "big deal". Willy knows that Biff is a bum who has not amounted to anything, but he refuses to take responsibility for what happened in Boston, so he changes the story of Biff's success. Throughout Willy's life he continued to lie. It might have stopped if Linda did not act the way as she did. Linda is afraid to confront Willy, so she goes along with his outlandish lies.
The French and Indian War or the Seven Years War was one of the major events that led to the American Revolution. The French and Indian War started in 1754 when George Washington and General Edward Braddock tried to defend the British land that they felt the French were taking with their expansion into the Ohio River valley. In 1755 Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts had many French settlers in the Nova Scotia region moved from that region to avoid any confrontation if these settlers sided with their home country. These people were exiled from their home and moved into British colonies in a very cruel and violent fashion. This is one of the first examples of Britain’s oppressive nature towards people they consider a threat to what they feel is the best solution. The British military effort, at this time, was not as impassioned or successful. Both George Washington and General Braddock suffered major defeats at the hands of the French and their allies, General Braddock was even killed in one of the early battles before this war was officially started. It was not until later in the war that the British were able to successfully defeat the French. The war officially began in 1756 and ended in 1763 but this war is far less important than the major event it caused. More than anything this war was the first step to the American Revolution.
The British citizens were being heavily taxed and the French and Indian War had taxed the British heavily. They thought that it was only right that the colonists whom they had spent so much money protecting, and who were taxed lightly in comparison with the other British citizens, to help pay. Note please that prior to this the British had allowed the colonists to tax themselves and did not impose revenue raising...
Throughout the novel, All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren, the characters are constantly feeling the effects of their action later in the book. Every one of their sinister, sketchy actions were dealt with again later in the book and not in pleasant circumstance. As Cass Mastern had figured out:
Just like the resolution that occurs from black people who attempt to better themselves, Boy Willie fails to accomplish his goals and thus end up running to another state in order to get away from his past. Like many of his African-Americans he over-reached his goals, and had attempted a crazy plan. It's pretty clear that he was fighting a losing battle, as it is clearly represented through his fight with Sutter's ghost. Unknowingly in the end, he somewhat fulfilled a piece of his goal. He does leave his own imprint in the world when he informs his sister to play the piano otherwise Sutter and him will be back.
Willy Loman’s character is capable of making errors. He believes he is a very successful salesman and well liked. He also thinks that the company likes what he is doing. He once said, “I’m the New England man. I am vital in New England” (Miller pg. 32) Because of his false belief about his success Howard fired him. After he got fired charley offered him a job, but he refuses to accept, because he is too proud and jealous to work for Charley. His actions were wrong because at no time was a successful salesman. He is not a powerful character. Willy lives in his fantasies where he is the man. Who goes out to another place and comes out rich, he is love by everyone and admired by his family. In real life, he is lazy and does not live up to his own ideals. “As Aristotle explains, a tragic hero must be one of noble character and must fall from power and happiness.”(Www.ccd.rightchoice.org/lit115/poetics.html) but Willy neither has a noble characteristic nor does he fall from power because he does not have a position of power.
The title of the book is All The King’s Men and the Publication date for this book is 1996.
.... There are numerous examples of how Willie's mother neglected him and his father influence on him was not only nonexistent but also a negative one, Butch was in jail.
Miller states, " . . . the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life . . . to secure one thing, his sense of personal dignity" (1021). Willie is no exception. Willie's sense of personal dignity is primarily found in his family, most notably his son Biff. Willie transfers his dreams of being great onto Biff and, when Biff is a failure in the world, these dreams affect Willie's self-image and sense of personal dignity. To regain this personal dignity, Willie must make Biff great. In the end, it is the love for his son and the belief that his insurance money will make Biff "magnificent" that give him the needed excuse and cause him to end his life.
The pursuit of knowledge can lead to a humans destruction and awareness. The pursuit of
He longs to go away from that place. He slips one day on the front steps of Ana’s estate house and becomes unconscious. He wakes up later to find himself in the military hospital in the town among wounded black soldiers with shining faces and tired red eyes. When Ana comes to see him in the hospital, Willie tells her hat he is going to leave her: ‘I have given you eighteen years, I can’t give you anymore. I can’t live your life anymore; I want to live my own’ (Naipaul 136). When Ana proposes that they should go to Portugal, Willie replies: “Even if they let me in there, it would be still your life. I have been hiding for too long.” (Naipaul 227). And Ana’s assertion, ‘Perhaps it wasn’t really my life either suggests that even those who seem to be living their own lives don’t really have more of a personal life than ‘half a