The entire King’s Men
All the King’s Men, written by Robert Penn Warren, is set deep in the south during the 1930’s. This is a story of the rise and fall of a political titan. Willie Stark comes from poverty to become the governor of his state. He forces his enemies into submission by blackmails, repeated threats, and bullies them. He creates a series of liberal reforms that lay heavy tax burdens on the rich and lifts the money issue off of the poor farmers. His foil character Sam MacMurfee persistently searches for way to ruin the career of Willie Starks. Sam MacMurfee has thugs and powerful political allies deep in his pockets. The two characters remind the reader of corrupt figures in politics such as the famous Boss Tweed.
Willie Stark’s right-hand man is Jack Burden. He left his eloquent and polite family to work with Willie. Jack is an extremely intelligent historical researcher that uses his abilities to dig up dirt on Willie’s enemies. Willie uses the secrets to blackmail his enemies into his submission. Often corrupt political figures indirectly pay off other individuals to do the “dirty work” and blackmail their enemies. Although Willie Starks may have been acting corruptly for a good purpose it was still illegal and wrong.
Willie asks Jack to search for secrets on a father figure from his child hood. Judge Irwin was a father figure in Jack’s life as a child. In this situation, Jack’s motivation and responsibility to himself is questioned. Jack discovers that Judge Irwin accepted a bribe and Governor Stanton covers the bribe up. The blackmail influences the suicide of Judge Irwin, makes Adam Stanton accept the position as head of the hospital that Willie is building, and Anne Stanton begins an affair with Willlie. Adam murders Willie when he finds out about Willie and Anne. This horrific event lead to Jack’s retiring from politics forever.
The death of Willie Starks and the circumstances force Jack to rethink the way he thinks. He rethinks a belief that no one can ever be responsible for the evil actions of another individual over time. In a way Jack feels responsible for Willie’s death. Jack eventually marries Anne Stanton and he feels orthodox about his decision to marry her. Jack restarts his long lost hobby of working on a book about Cass Mastern.
John Wilson the author Lois Simmie paints a picture of just how different Polly and Jack had really been. From her caring and pleasant manner to his evil and sneaky ways. Simmie shows us how much Jack’s manner changed from woman to woman. When Jack had asked for Polly’s hand in marriage in August 1906, it was the typical Jack Wilson manner. Jack had stated “…if Polly wasn’t allowed to marry him he would blow his brains out.”(Simmie pg 8) Polly later would become known to be Jack’s first wife and mother to his children George and Ella along with their unborn son. Not long after coming to Canada Jack was posted in a small town in Saskatchewan called Blaine Lake. That is where Jack found his so called love of his life, her name was Jessie Patterson. Soon after Jack’s wife Polly came to Canada in search of her husband. This would send Jack’s love life into a spiral, she soon found him and not long later found out about Jessie. She confronted Jack and he told her that when he was ill with TB Jessie and him had gotten very close as she was the main caregiver for him. However he lied and said nothing had happened between the two, Polly truly believed that Jack would not take things further with Jessie. “She loved him and could see no wrong in him and it was not for us to wound her by showing her his falseness…” (Simmie pg 171) Polly blamed herself for not being there while her husband Jack was sick, she believed that this is really
Jack's disgust in colored people and assertion of his hate toward Negroes impact Clare Kendry, his wife, to re-estimate her value of life. When Clare and Irene run into each other at the restaurant, Clare is confident of her `passing' and is even sorry to those who didn't do the same thing. Passing to the white society is "even worth the price" to Clare (160). She believes that wealth is everybody's final desire and by passing she achieves that in a "frightfully easy" way (158). However she doubts her confidence on her passed life since the tea party in her house.
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.
though in the end, he is overcome by the forces of knowledge. Willie did not
As Jack and Willie’s friendship developed so did Anne Stanton, Jack’s first love, and Willie Stark’s. Anne Stanton is an unfortunate woman who has no respect and throws herself at the most successful man she can find. As a political figure, Willie should lay low on the media, but that is not the case. Willie and Anne’s affair becomes known to their closest friends and results in murders and suicides. Was it really worth risking death over life? Willie’s affair with Anne is the most scandalous considering she is the daughter of the ex- governor. In the beginning of Warren’s drama filled novel, Willie was portrayed as a good man; a man of the people. Cass, on the other hand, did not become a good person till after his affair with Annabelle, due to his escalated feeling of guilt. Willie’s Cass Mastern episode changed him from good to evil unlike Cass’s positive evil to good
Miller’s use of personification and symbolism in the book shows the situational irony that surrounds Willy. This highlights the overall message of blind faith towards the American Dream. The major case of irony in the book is Willy’s blind faith in the American Dream. This belief is that if one is well-liked, they will become successful. The truth is actually completely opposite. The real belief is that if one works hard, with no regard to how well liked they are, they will be successful. This relationship is shown between Willy and his neighbor Charley. While Willy believes likability is the only way to success, Charley works hard and does not care how people think of him. Through his hard work, Charley started his own business, and is now very successful. Willy, however, ends up getti...
In Sonny’s Blues, art plays a central role by serving as a bridge between the two alienated brothers. For a long time, their personal shortcomings have kept the two brothers apart. Sonny’s failure to speak and his brother’s listening inability have always prevented the siblings from having an honest conversation with one another and thus have never understood each other. Watching the street revival music brings the siblings very close and prompts their first authentic conversation in their lines of work. Astonishingly, just at the peak, Sonny’s music aids his brother to finally understand his life and trials. The connection facilitated by art becomes the channel for an authentic epiphany in Sonny’s
Federalism in American history is a division of power between central government and regional governments. Consequently, federalism has been tied to three main eras including dual federalism, cooperative federalism, and lastly devolution. Additionally, each era is marked by events leading to changes in how power has been distributed between the federal and state governments. Moreover, the main focuses of this paper are on how federalism balances power when two or more governments share authority over the same people and also look at the effects of the great depression towards the decline of dual federalism in America. Lastly, should we continue on with the New Deal Programs that were created during the Great Depression?
“If the human race didn’t remember anything it would be perfectly happy" (44). Thus runs one of the early musings of Jack Burden, the protagonist of Robert Penn Warren’s All the King’s Men. Throughout the story, however, as Jack gradually opens his eyes to the realities of his own nature and his world, he realizes that the human race cannot forget the past and survive. Man must not only remember, but also embrace the past, because it teaches him the truth about himself and enables him to face the future.
The reader learns through Sonny’s wordings that the narrator has difficulties to understand his brother’s wishes and desires to become a musician. This situation, for instance, is shown when Sonny says to his brother: ‘you never hear anything I say.’ What is more, the narrator feels guilty for not being able to strengthen the bond with his brother and for not keeping the promise he made to his mother about taking care of Sonny. When the narrator has the chance to spend a few days with his younger brother, little by little, his inner conflict begins to
Prior to the play, Boy Willie had not seen his sister in three years. During those three years he was incarcerated and was sentenced to labor at the Parchman Prison Farm. He is considered to be the most impulsive and prideful character in the play. Boy Willie believes he is of equal standing to the white man despite his racial background. He wants to sell the piano in order to “avenge” his father’s namesake while at the same time leaving his mark in the world despite his sister’s opposition in order to create his own legacy. He doesn’t believe the battle between black and white exists and that it‘s nothing more than a memory. However, he lives in his own world and ignores the reality. Failing to succeed is his fear. He doesn’t want to believe that he is below in standing than a white man. He wants to be able to leave his legacy in the world as he believes is his right.
William Penn Warren’s All the King’s Men is novel that explores the political society and its influences. Like several politicians in modern society, several characters have qualities that seem unsuitable to the impression that have made. These ironies in All the King’s Men reveal how the characters have flaws, which can result in critical consequences. Jack Burden, Adam Stanton, Judge Irwin and Willie Stark are characters that with ironic traits.
Robert Penn Warren’s novel, All the King’s Men depicts the tale of the rise of a political leader named Willie Stark. Many readers have speculated that Warren based Willie Stark’s character on Huey Long, a controversial, political leader from Louisiana who was prominent during the early 1900s. Although Robert Penn Warren has “repeatedly denied that Willie Stark is a fictional portrait of Huey Long,” many aspects of the novel directly correlate to the political career and personal life of Huey Long (Payne). Robert Penn Warren creates a character whose experiences and political career directly correlate to the events in Huey Long’s life. The speculations that Willie Stark is a fictional representation of Huey Long are indisputable due to the events in the novel and the characterization of Willie Stark,
At the end of the story, Jack realizes that blending in with society is not ideal. He regrets the past decade that was full of loss and regret when it could've been full of trust and love. People may be tempted to make unwise decisions to blend in with society. But think about it: the world is like a crowded marketplace. If you don’t stand out, you are invisible. Unique qualities define your identity. Without them, you are not yourself. At least on Qingming, the mother’s poor spirit can rest easy, knowing her son is with her in heart, but that can never make up for the years of hurt and betrayal directed at
Jack, thinking he might have been that very baby, retrieves the bag he was found in as an infant in which Ms. Prism identifies by some distinguishing marks to have been her own. Jack realized the woman that had been teaching his niece was his mother. But then Lady Bracknell explained that she was not, but Lady Bracknell’s poor sister Mrs. Moncrieff was. The irony continues to explain how Jack and Algernon were biological brothers. They were pretending to be earlier to play out their game of Bunburyism.