In Billy Bud there is a large controversy over the personality, and placement of Vere’s character. When reading it, he can be analyzed as a hero or in a completely different context. Many different descriptive words can be used to describe him such as a snob, selfish, or if looking from a different perspective, simply a man who was given a difficult decision. Both essays talk about the subject from a different viewpoint and both make sense. The fact that Vere can be interpreted in so many different ways really makes the reader think and decide which side they’re on. Both Charles A. Reich and Robert. K Martin bring up their opinions on the issue and both show important points and arguments.
Martin wrote the essay titled Is Vere a Hero? In this, he argues about Vere being looked at in the negative perspective. Many people look at Vere as a hero which in his opinion is a huge misunderstanding. Martin sees Vere as a snob and as being unfair in Billy’s court case. He brings up the point that before the court even met for Billy, Vere knew exactly what the outcome would be. He didn’t even bother to hear what Billy had to say or know anything about his intents or motives. This shows a major flaw in his character.
On the other hand, Reich wrote the essay titled The Tragedy of Justice in Billy Bud. He looks at Vere from a different perspective. Unlike Martin, he doesn’t see him in so much of a negative light. He brings up that even though many critics do blame him for the major problem of the book, this blame is misplaced. Although different then real life, in Billy Bud, any offense on board a ship is a capital offense. Reich says that because of this Vere didn’t have an option in what to do with Billy. He does bring up the details of th...
... middle of paper ...
...nd at some points seemed like he actually cared about him, while on the other hand he made an illegal decision to hold court on the ship and didn’t even bother to look at Billy’s motives for killing Claggart in trial. This is why Vere is so controversial since there really isn’t one clear way of looking at him like some of the other characters in the book. For example, when looking at Claggart you can see the evil in him and truly see he is out to destroy Billy. With Vere, the way he thinks isn’t as clear making him more of a controversial character to readers and critics everywhere.
Works Cited
Martin, Robert. “Is Vere a Hero?” Melville’s Short Novels.
Reich, Charles A. “The Tragedy of Justice in Billy Budd. ED. Howard P. Vincent. 56-66. Englewood Cliffs, NJ. : Prentice Hall Inc. 1971. Print
ED. Dan McCall. 361-365. New York: W.W. Norton: Company. 2002. Print
... about an ordinary hero, someone who merely did his job, and stood up to adversity, despite the cost to his career, himself and his family. These should not have been exceptional tasks, but the society that surrounded them caused them to stand out. Guilty or innocent, the Negro man did not stand a chance in the Depression Era rural South.
Morley Callaghan’s novel More Joy in Heaven follows the short life of notorious bank robber and gunman Kip Caley. Callaghan's novel is based off and follows Red Ryan's now forgotten story almost word for word. Red Ryan and the fictional Kip Caley both face the effects of a being an outsider in a forceful, high-class society. Individuals and organizations play a huge responsibility role to ex-convicts; readers of More Joy in Heaven unfortunately see the side effects when selfishness and thirst for glory play into this important, delicate role. Nonetheless that readers see what the wrong individuals will do to an ex-convict, readers will also see what kinder individuals can do to someone trying to reform. Yet what the public does and does not do is not to be blamed systematically; Red Ryan and Kip Caley crave societies attention and even begin to depend on it before their story is over. Their craving for attention makes them vulnerable to being abused by society. Both society and parolees want to live the upstanding lives, but neither takes into account what the others wants and needs are, so who’s fault is it when a parolee fails to meet societies precast expectations?
James Baldwin’s short story “Sonny’s Blues” illustrates the inner struggle of breaking the hold of lifestyles unfamiliar to those normally accepted by society. Through the use of common fictitious tools such as plot, characters, conflict, and symbolic irony, Baldwin is able to explore the complex difficulties that challenge one in the acceptance of differences in one another. This essay will attempt to understand these thematic concepts through the use of such devises essential in fiction, as well as to come to an understanding of how the particular elements of fiction assist the author in exploring the conflict.
Metress, Christopher. "No Justice, No Peace': The Figure of Emmett Till in African American Literature." MasterFILE Premier. N.p., 2007. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
Justice is a translation of the law by an individual’s ideals. Although it can be defined by many, justice is confidently placed in the hands of individuals that understand and interpret the law to the fullest extent, in regards to their integrity and morality. While the law coincides with justice, tension arises when a conflict of ethics comes into play. The subversion of justice is portrayed in, “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee as a result of racism, stereotyping, and preconceived notions (bias).
5. Sinclair, Billy Wayne and Jodie Sinclair. Capital punishment: An Indictment by a Death-Row Survivor. New York: Arcade Publishing Inc., 2009. Print.
Cather, Willa. “Paul’s Case.” The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Eds. R.V. Cassill and Richard Bausch. Shorter 6th ed. New York: Norton, 2000. 198-207.
African-Americans aged 12 and up are the most victimized group in America. 41.7 over 1,000 of them are victims of violent crimes, compared with whites (36.3 over 1,000). This does not include murder. Back then during the era of the Jim Crow laws, it was even worse. However, during that time period when there were many oppressed blacks, there were many whites who courageously defied against the acts of racism, and proved that the color of your skin should not matter. This essay will compare and contrast two Caucasian characters by the names of Hiram Hillburn (The Mississippi Trial, 1955) and Celia Foote (The Help), who also went against the acts of prejudice.
These injustices have begun long before Tom’s trial, but it is his trial which epitomizes the problems with our society. The first witness was simply just a misguided fellow named Heck Tate who it seems didn’t have much to offer to the case. Next, Atticus Finch called Bob Ewell to the stand. When I saw Ewell take the stand such a fierce hatred rose within me that I began to shake and tremble. Ewell wrongfully accused Tom of raping his daughter Mayella, however, with the grace of God, Atticus Finch had shown that it was very possible that it was Bob Ewell who because he was a lefty could have beat Mayella. If it were not for great men like Atticus Finch I would have lost all hope for this world. As I watched Mayella take the stand I wondered how such a kind looking person could be someone of such poor character. Her words seemed to paint a picture of a sad life; one where a father neglects her and she has fallen under hard times. Atticus, after pointing out it was probably Bob who beat her, asked Mayella who it really was that beat her. Mayella made it clear it was Tom Robinson, upon which Atticus asked Tom to stand. To the astonishment of the court Tom was handicapped! Tom was then called to the stand where he laid open for all to see the truth, explaining that it was Mayella who came on to him (that treacherous woman!). Soon enough the trial ended and every one awaited the verdict of the jury. The next few hours were the most nerve wracking of my life.
In any community, the people rely on the power of law and justice to protect them. When the guardians of the law and order misuse their power it brings tragedy upon the town. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the inappropriate actions of the character of Judge Danforth, the voice of authority of the community leads to the tragedy of social disruption of the town accompanied by breakdown in communal solidarity.
Throughout Baldwin’s essay he strategically weaves narrative, analytical, and argumentative selections together. The effect that Baldwin has on the reader when using this technique is extremely powerful. Baldwin combines both private and public affairs in this essay, which accentuates the analysis and argument sections throughout the work. Baldwin’s ability to shift between narrative and argument so smoothly goes hand in hand with the ideas and events that Baldwin discusses in his essay. He includes many powerful and symbolic binaries throughout the essay that help to develop the key themes and principles pertaining to his life. The most powerful and important binaries that appear in this essay are Life and Death.
Lee, Robert. "Deserving to Die." Taking Sides. Comp. Kurt Finsterbusch. Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, 2004. Print.
Lauter, Paul, ed. The Heeath Anthology of American Literature: Volume Two. New York: Houghton Mifflin Inc., 1996
Johnson, Claudia. "The Secret Courts of Men's Hearts: Code and Law in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird." Studies in American Fiction (1991):129-139.
Royko, Mike. “Death to the Killers.” Patterns Plus: A Short Prose Reader with Argumentation, Fifth Edition. Ed. Mary Lou Conlin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1995. 353-356. Print.