Throughout known history the system of democracy seems to be the most just, the most logical and the fairest of all ruling systems. Its ability to adjust to changing times is only one reason for its perseverance. In John Steinbeck’s The Moon is Down, this durability is displayed through the townspeople led by Mayor Orden, under the oppressive heels of their conquerors. One of the most obvious examples of democracy’s endurance is the resistance displayed by the townspeople against their invaders. The oppression and invasion of the conquerors arouse, instead of crush, the desire in the defeated for freedom. These people, who have lived with the idea of a free rule of democracy, refuse to be chained down under the oppressive rule of the conquerors. It is for this reason that they strike back at their invaders. As said by Mayor Orden to Colonel Lanser of the aggressors, “ ‘The people don’t like to be conquered, sir, and so they will not be. Free men cannot start a war, but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat. Herd men, followers of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is always the herd men who win battles and the free men who win wars.’ ” [pp. 185-186] Thus, it is because of their freedom that people believing in the free rule of democracy do not let down and die when conquered, do not accept their being robbed of their rights, and fight against what is unjustly done to them. The townspeople fight on again, perhaps with even more resolve, after the execution of Alex Morden, instead of their spirits being crushed, as was the intent. The entire purpose of Alex Morden’s public execution was to dissuade potential upstarts, but the result was the exact opposite of what was desired. The public display only empowered the townspeople’s resolve to fight back. To put it in Mayor Orden’s words, “ ‘Our people are invaded, but I don’t think they’re conquered.’ ” [p 139] Consequently, these people refuse to be put down, and, when faced with situations like Alex’s death, are not deterred but continue on with strengthened resolve. While resistance is one aspect of democracy’s endurance, determination is another powerful ability it has, as it is shown in the Anders boys’ escape to Britain for help. Because of their overwhelming desire for freedom, the townspeople were willing to, and did, try anything possible to rebel against their invaders.
Janda, K., Berry, J., Golman, J., & Hula, K. (2009). The Challenge of Democracy: American
In conclusion, religions not being accepted by other people and unequal distribution of land led to a small decline in a democracy being formed. Although, there were many small and minor improvements, they did not make that period more democratic. In fact, in the Connecticut Gazette, it showed that the people were yearning and in many ways begging for a democracy and wanted independence (Doc L). Even though that happened, the democracy they wanted did not get as far as they hoped for. Yet, it created doors for more to be done later.
Chenoweth, Erica, and Maria J. Stephan. 2011. Why Civil Resistance Works : The Strategic Logic of
War affects everyone involved - the conquerors and those being conquered. War is a struggle that is internal and external. Man can be a dedicated and loyal soldier for only so much at a time. He then longs for laughter, music, girls, a good meal and more. In The Moon is Down, the soldiers feel the need to return home. They begin to doubt what they are doing and if they are being told the truth. They become uneasy when the enemy doesn't talk to them. The townspeople's hatred is growing. They remained indoors and stared from behind curtains while the patrol walked through the town.
...vidual freedoms. We can say that democracy learns from its mistakes and improves, keeping into account the changing times and customs.
1. Janda, Kenneth. The Challenge of Democracy. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, MA. 1999. (Chapter 3 & 4).
“We have had the habit of thinking of democracy as a kind of political mechanism that will work as long faithful as citizens were reasonably in performing their duties” (Dewey 1939, 2).
In making this argument this essay seeks to five things. Firstly, to define democracy within the contemporary context offering the key characteristics of a modern re...
...nstead the state consists of rulers who behave like subjects and subjects who behave like rulers. The people begin to desire a strong leader, who will make the difficult decisions for them and bear the consequences: the Democracy has become a Tyranny.
Human history is pock-marked with innumerable wars and revolutions. The cause for most of the revolutions has been the choice of freedom. The opportunity to live a life without physical, mental or emotional restrictions has been and still is of supreme importance to man. This has resulted in the most widely followed discipline of political governance: Democracy.
Throughout history there have been countless cases where groups of people have fought for their freedom. They have fought their battles in political debates, protests, and in the most extreme cases war. The oppressed continuously try to escape their oppressors, under the assumption that their oppressors live in complete sovereignty. People did not know then and still do not understand today that the environment they inhabit is the key factor that controls communal freedom. In Wallace Stevens “Disillusionment of Ten O’ Clock” and Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” both speakers affirm that society does not allow individual freedom to exist in this world.
In comparing the average citizen in a democratic nation, say the United States, to that of a non-democratic nation, for instance Egypt, it will be found that the citizen in the democratic nation is generally better off – free of persecution, free from fear of the authorities, and free to express his opinions on governmental matters. And while national conflicts occur everywhere, incidents like violent revolts have shown to be more prevalent in nations where citizens are not allowed to choose who governs them. It is slightly paradoxical that democracy, so inherently flawed in theory, can lead to such successful outcomes in practice. The question, then, becomes: “If democracy has so many weaknesses, why does it work?”
The Oppression of Democracy Exposed in Civil Disobedience, Slavery in Massachusetts, Benito Cereno and Bartleby the Scrivener
Throughout history different types of instrumental regimes have been in tact so civilizations remained structured and cohesive. As humanity advanced, governments obligingly followed. Although there have been hiccups from the ancient times to modern day, one type of government, democracy, has proven to be the most effective and adaptive. As quoted by Winston Churchill, democracy is the best form of government that has existed. This is true because the heart of democracy is reliant, dependent, and thrives on the populaces desires; which gives them the ability for maintaining the right to choose, over time it adjusts and fixes itself to engulf the prominent troubling issues, and people have the right of electing the person they deem appropriate and can denounce them once they no longer appease them. In this paper, the benefits of democracy are outlined, compared to autocratic communism, and finally the flaws of democracy are illustrated.
A democracy could only survive if people voice their opinions, ask questions, and if the society is educated. Disobedience leads to some of the most unfortunate of things, such as death. People either believe that the above information is 100 % spot on, while others believe none of it is true. Part of this is because people come from different places in the world and have many different opinions. The opinions may be about what allows a democracy to survive and why some of the most terrible things happen. A democracy is only one of the forms of government that allow a society to survive, whether or not it is the best one.