If Junior Project book which _2_ (1-8) Submittal Date 11-30-04
Bibliographic Entry
Melville, Herman. Billy Budd. NY: Tom Dohetry Associates, 1988.
What is the Subject of the Novel? The conflict of individuals and society.
Find and state (in the author's words) a "defining" passage,
one which best summarizes
the direction of the novel-its theme.
"Struck dead by an angel of God! Yet the angel must hang!"
Paraphrase this passage (in your own words):
Even though he is an angel, and completely innocent, he still must be killed
in order to preserve order.
Paraphrase three subsidiary, supporting ideas, images or symbols using
complete
sentences.
1. The three different ships Billy serves on, Rights of Man, Bellipotent,
and Athee symbolize different ideals and aspects of society.
2. The conflict of morals and laws.
3. The instability of society and people.
Make a list of and name the characters you have found in the essay, supply
a
characterizing quotation and tell why you think the author used the character.
Character's Name
Quote the text!
Why used?
1. Billy Budd- "Stooping over, he kissed on the fair cheek his fellow
man, a felon in martial law, one whom through on the confines of death he
felt he could never convert to a dogma; nor for all that did he fear for his
future."
Billy Budd represents all of the things that have become lost to the world
through the growth of society and technology. Many time throughout the story
Melville refers to him as some type of barbarian or uses some animal descriptor
for him. This is because Billy represents a simpler time, one in which the
intrigue, the backstabbing, the mutinies, the strife for power are non existent
and man simply is as he was born. The other way this was alluded to was by
comparing Budd to Adam, showing him to be someone who was created in innocence,
who was happy, and who fell. Melville uses Budd to show the type of person
that man was meant to be, and also the type of person who can never fit in
society.
2. Captain Vere- "But something in your aspect seems to urge that it
is not solely the heart that moves in you, but also the conscience, the private
conscience. But tell me whether or not, occupying the position we do, private
conscience should not yield to that imperial one formulated in the code uner
which alone we officially proceed?"
Vere is used to show that society in which we must abide but rules, but also
to show that even when we can still see beyond rules we must abide by them.
He is a learned and philosophical man and one most assuredly with a conscience.
But as a captain of the ship he knows that in order to maintain the necessary
discipline Billy needs to be executed. Regardless of what his conscience may
say.
3. Claggart- "With no power to annul the elemental evil in him, though
readily enough he could hide it; apprehending the good, but powerless to be
it; a nature like Claggart's, surcharged with energy as such natures almost
invariably are, what recourse is left to it but to recoil upon itself and,
like the scorpion for which the Creator alone is responsible, act out to the
end the part allotted it."
Claggart is used quite simply to represent evil. He is a man of completely
unknown backgrounds, who has risen to the highest enlisted position. Claggart
without a doubt serves as the antithesis, and later bane of Billy Budd. Where
Billy is kind and innocent, Claggart is vile and devious. He shows not only
how innocence can not survive because of society, but why innocence can not
survive because of individuals. Even without knowing why Claggart dislikes
Billy and harbors his dislike as a festering wound that consumes him. Claggart
represents not the corruption of innocence, since Billy is as pure at the
beginning as he was at the end, but the destruction.
4. Chaplain- "Why, then, is he there? Because he indirectly subserves
the purpose attested by the cannon; because too he lends the sanction of the
religion of the meek to that which practically is the abrogation of everything
but brute Force."
The chaplain serves not to emphasize the main theme or even one of the minor
ones, rather he is presented as a small quandary to the reader, one which
expresses Melville's personal feelings regarding religion and war. The religion
stance is expressed in one word, meek. It was known at the time that Melville
was very confused religiously, and that one word takes a small poke, or rather
stab, at Christianity. It also expresses an antiwar philosophy in that what
these ships represented was "brute Force." The capitalization of
Force serves to show the importance of this phrase. So while the chaplain
may have no greater affect upon the story he does serve to show us some of
Melville's mind.
Summarize the plot, noting the complications, climax or crisis and resolution
of the
piece: Billy is impressed by the British navy and moved from the Rights
of Man to the Bellipotent in order to serve in the navy. Billy warms himself
to the crew and becomes a popular foretopman. However as Billy was told Claggart
was "down on you" meaning that despite the fact Billy had nothing
the master at arms didn't like him. A few days later he is accosted by a young
man at night who attempts to lead Billy into conspiring to revolt. However
Billy quickly rejects the idea and goes about his business. Finally Claggart
attempts to get rid of Billy by telling Vere he is conspiring to revolt. The
climax occurs when Billy is accused of this by Vere in front of the captain,
and kills Vere with a single punch. After this Billy is put to trial, and
executed, for murder of a superior officer. Vere is left to continue sailing,
until he dies, haunted by the image of Billy.
Explain your view on the issues raised in the book. Do you agree, disagree
or partially
agree with the author? Give at lease three reasons you believe as you do.
I agree with almost all of the issues raised in Billy Budd. The main issue
raised is the current situation of society and how it is set in a manner which
can not be reversed. Budd was a unnecessary death. Yes he did kill Claggart
(although there are strong arguments for self defense) but that was no reason
to kill him. The problem was that Budd had to me executed in order for justice
to be served and for the cycle to continue. There is something very wrong
when we must base our decisions simply based upon mob reaction. I also agree,
unfortunately, that in society innocence can not and will not survive. We
can look around us in this information age and discover that all the cruel
acts of humanity are available at the touch of a button is seemingly impossible
to remain innocent. But if somehow, by living under a rock, a person can maintain
their innocence. The shock of the world, Claggart's accusation, the suggestion
of rebellion, either puts the person into shock so that they can't function,
or deprives them of reason so that they become the ones committing horrible
acts. The one issue that I do not agree with Melville on is that of the Chaplain,
and religion. While it is true that by having religious persons on board the
ship it grants some dignity and sanctity to the act of committing war and
death there are reasons for it. Even to use Melville's own phrase of the meek,
the meek are on the ship, the average sailor is just the average man and based
upon this standard is meek. The reason for religious persons with military
units is not to make it look good, but to provide counseling to the average
man that has to go and do these horrible deeds.
Name your Junior Project theme Social Commentary.
How does this book express your Junior Project theme?
Billy Budd expresses social commentary by taking a look at the inability of
society to deal with exception people, and how it is a system in which deviance
is not acceptable. Budd is without argument a person of exceptional nature,
one who possesses an innocence, purity, and indeed beauty, that is not within
the norm of what society caters too. Because of this difference Budd is destroyed.
Because of the stagnantation of society Budd must be used as an example of
how exceptions do not exist and order must be maintained. Billy Budd serves
to show the danger of a society in which all rules are in stone, and also
of living in perpetual fear of other people.
List the other Junior Project books and authors you have read on this
theme:
1. Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin.
2. Herman Melville, Billy Budd.
3. ____________________________, _______________________.
4. ____________________________, _______________________.
5. ____________________________, _______________________.
6. ____________________________, _______________________.
7. ____________________________, _______________________.
In a discussion of at least 300 words - one page typewritten - explain
how the theme you have selected appears in the book you have read tracing
at least three threads of characterization, setting, plot devices, diction,
style, symbols, or doctrine and philosophy. As you read addition books, add
to this discussion which, in consequence, will grow each time you report.
Write fully developed paragraphs and you should write more, as much as possible.
Feel free to amend and edit previous writing as you go along.
Slavery and it's repercussions have undoubtedly been the most significant
policy, or more appropriately policy screw up, in American history. Slavery
was what shaped the culture in the 1800's. Was one of the major (although
not the sole) reason for the civil war. Was the cause of the societal oppression
of blacks and the root of jazz and blues. Was the cause of the civil rights
movement that swept the nation in the 60's and 70's in which they attempted
to rectify the wrongs still alive today. But as they say hindsight is 20/20.
And in 1850 the world wasn't quite so clear of a place. Many of the same churches
that preached about every human having a soul and being loved equally by Christ
were preaching that the bible said one group of people had to be oppressed.
That Christ approved of slavery. This was probably the greatest victory of
slavery and violation of human rights. Of course the world wasn't completely
in unison about this violation of human rights. And I personally pray it never
will be about any. There were many people who saw the cruel injustice of this
servitude and how it destroyed all aspects of society and affected everyone.
And then there's the ever present middle of the fence person such as Stowe
used to be. Sure they didn't like the idea of slavery, but they situated themselves
such that they would never have to come in personal contact with it.
This is Social Commentary in it's purest form. This book attacks the issue
of slavery as the pressures build around it. The book criticizes the people
that actively and passively participate in this cruel system. The cruel owners,
who work their slaves to the bone and simply use them until they cannot be
used anymore and then replenish their stock. Since indeed slaves were simply
a commodity to be used. The benevolent slave owners, who pamper their slaves
and educate them, only to die leaving the slaves with promises of freedom,
and an auction block to be sold to the highest bidder on. The rich northerners,
who while personally against slavery (but of course) have no qualms about
letting their lawyers deal in slaves as long as it brings them a profit. The
slave traders and catchers, who travel the land searching for property with
low cost and high potential profit. The churches, who ignore their own commandments
because their parish practices these evils. This established and burgeoning
aristocracy Stowe attacks.
Uncle Tom's Cabin that this system of slavery doesn't leave them "better
off then they'd be on their own" as many owners like to delude themselves.
This system destroys a slave and makes him turn against his brother in the
hopes gaining some reprive for himself. Except when Christianity comes into
play. As slaves increasingly lose religion their condition and faith in life
becomes increasingly worse. But as we see with Tom at the end of the novel
he transcends the evil of slavery by becoming one with Christ's desire for
him. He discovers that the physical tortures of the no longer matter, because
his spirit is already somewhere better. We discover through this novel how
Christianity affects slave and owner alike. How women influence their male
counterparts and exercise almost exclusive domestic authority. But most of
all how flawed this system of slavery is and the danger it puts our society
in. "All men are created equal" Stowe reminds us is not a simple
ideal. It is a fact that when left to their own devices men are sure to undo.
We must come together as a society, to insure the rights of those within society.
And we cannot do that while we refuse to give a man an equal place in society
simply because of the color his skin.
Uncle Tom's Cabin is without a doubt a product of its times. The book was
written and published a mere 10 years before the bloodiest war our nation
ever has faced began, a war that had been starting for decades. The nation
was given a sharp wake up call as to the issue of slavery when the MO compromise
was enacted in 1820, showing that this was a serious issue. At the time of
its writing the nation was building up to the civil war and the debate of
slavery was very much in full heat. That fact is evident throughout the book.
Stowe avoids trying to say this should be this way and such and such. Instead
what the book is is an attempt to educate people about the cruelties and evils
of slavery. A critical job as the nation haphazardly sped towards a war over
the issue. Because of these facts, and the style of the book we can see that
it is without a doubt, a product of its times.
Society wasn't so pretty after all. This was the discovery made by Melville,
Poe, and Hawthorne, the Dark Romantics. American literature had been through
a period of Romantics, or those that glorified the world, before the Dark
Romantics, something that is very evident throughout the writing. After the
period of strong heroes, glorious scenery, and uplifting morals it was necessary
to balance out the happiness, with some good old fashion cynicism. This is
the purveying sense one gets throughout Billy Budd, that there is something
fundamentally wrong with society, something that is not being stopped. The
other manner in which this is a product of the times is the style of writing.
The Dark Romantic style was that of very long, wordy, and often tangential
descriptions of seemingly simply things. This was (unfortunately) all to common
throughout Billy Budd, marking it as a true product of its times.
Innocence was something that this generation of writers set about to disprove.
For to long in America's literary history had it glorified hero's, and morals
and all that lovey dovey rot. Now was the time to truly expose society. Innocence
was something that was becoming an extremely rare quality in men in the 1880's
and 90's. That is not to say all people were bad, it is simply that even those
that were good, had been not so good at times.
Society had become, and still is today, a lumbering behemoth that encompasses
millions and billions of people. It is because of these huge amounts of people
that society is forced to make rules and laws that govern those people, that
in theory at least protect them from dangers and insure a better life. But
the rules don't always work better or protect everyone equally. As Orwell
once eloquently put "some are more equal than others," this can
be found in peoples lifestyle, peoples opportunities, and how the laws govern
people. Billy Budd is about what happens when some are more equal under the
law. Innocence is no great flaw that Billy possesses, his good attitude, staunch
loyalty to his captain, those are all excellent qualities to have indeed ones
we should aspire to. But in a society where crews can take over ships and
captains must maintain discipline with an iron fist, even one behind a velvet
glove, those suddenly becomes bad qualities. Melville presents us with this
situation in order to simply say, something is fundamentally wrong here. That
is really the essence of the story. That if these admirable qualities are
found in a man, and they cause society to kill that man, something has got
to be wrong with society. Unless of course we suppose innocence and good nature
and beauty and loyalty and happiness are all bad things, things which may
not be allowed under the law.
Throughout Billy Budd Melville uses the three main characters, Budd, Claggart,
and Vere to express his main theme and comment about society and where it
has progressed to. The more subtle characters, those that are granted one
or two lines, produce a much broader commentary on a variety of aspects of
society. The clergyman is used as a statement of how Melville views both the
Church, and War. Both as seemingly useless things. The surgeon, who after
Billy's death refuses to believe that anything out of the ordinary has happened
and says simply that science hasn't currently progressed far enough to explain
it. He shows how the skepticism, this might be hypocrisy on Melville's part,
of modern man is turning him into someone who can't believe in anything without
cold hard facts, rationalism.
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