Comparing Billy and Christ in Billy Budd
Herman Melville's Billy Budd provides us with a summation and conclusive commentary on the ambiguities of moral righteousness and social necessity. The conflict that arises pitting natural justice in opposition to military justice essentially deliberates over whether the sacrifice of the individual is required for the continuum and conservation of social order. The deep allegorical theme of the passion of Christ that resides in Billy Budd illustrates Melville's adjudication on this issue. The sacrifice of Billy Budd for the upholding of social order is an illusionary backdrop to Christ offering up His life for the forgiveness of the sins of mankind. Melville implements this theological staple of belief into supporting the argument for the forfeiture of individual and moral justice to uphold order for the betterment of society.
The initial description of Billy Budd is strikingly Christ-like in nature. The opening paragraph of the novel alone is an almost prophetic preamble to the coming of the Messiah, or in this case, the "Handsome Sailor": "In certain instances they would flank, or like a bodyguard quite surround, some superior figure of their own class, moving along with them like Alderbaran among the lesser lights of his constellation" (Norton 1486). Billy is the embodiment of the idea of the Handsome Sailor and because so, his contemporaries flock to him in an idolatrous manner: "At each spontaneous tribute rendered by the wayfarers to this black pagod of a fellow-the tribute of a pause and a stare, and less frequently an exclamation-the motley retinue showed that they took that sort of pride in the evoker of it which the Assyrian priests doubtless showed for their grand sculpt...
... middle of paper ...
...ts of violence are militaristic in nature and don't exemplify the teachings of Christ. What these differences do create is a definite line between the worlds of Man and God. The differences between Billy and Jesus accentuate Melville's argument for the separation of secular and natural law. Christ died for the right of Man to be judged by God for the prospects of eternal life, while in contrast, Billy died for the perpetuation of social justice governed by Man. By drawing comparisons and contrasts between Billy and Christ and for what each man respectively died for, Melville makes us question our own ideas of natural justice in its relation to socially imposed justice.
Works Cited
Melville, Herman. Billy Budd, Sailor and Other Stories. Ed. Frederick Busch. New York: Penguin, 1986.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version. Dallas: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1979.
A Comparison of Storm on the Island by Seamus Heaney and Patrolling Barnegat by Walt Whitman
The battle of good versus evil is present in all aspects of life. Actions taken by people can determine how others view them. Some choose to do what is right and good, while others choose what is wrong and evil. Many characters are forced to choose between the two, and some do not foresee the consequences of their actions. In the book Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, actions committed by the Davy, Jeremiah, and Jeremiah’s friends, both good and evil, always have consequences.
In conclusion, this essay analyzes the similarities and differences of the two stories written by Herman Melville, Billy Budd and Bartleby. The settings, characters, and endings in the two stories reveal very interesting comparisons and contrasts. The comparison and contrast also includes the interpretation of the symbolism that Melville used in his two stories. The characters, Billy and Bartleby, could even be considered autobiographical representatives of Herman Melville.
I decided to analyze and examine the social structure of the Greek System in Syracuse University mainly out of curiosity. When I was high school I remembered hearing from various of my former classmates, who were then freshmen at college, that one of the best activities students experience were attending the “frat” parties students threw. In high school, I thought that college parties were the same as the ones found in movies like “American Pie” so hearing people speak so fondly of college parties confirmed my beliefs of what the social aspect of college was. Now that I’m a freshman at Syracuse University, and have experienced the social atmosphere firsthand, I’ve noticed how different the social scene on campus really is in comparison to the movies and how it is greatly enhanced by the Greek community.
In conclusion, the relevance of the “Allegory of the Cave” lies in the fact that its culmination continues to reoccur throughout history. Socrates, Galileo, and Martin Luther King Jr. are examples of important historical figures that have been condemned for their ability to make the journey out of the cave and return to deliver their community from the bonds that limit human growth. I believe the most important lessons to be found in Plato’s allegory are that we must learn to look beyond our immediate reality and that our actions should be geared toward unifying our communities. Only then will we arrive at the ultimate goal of living for the greater good.
War is a hard thing to describe. It has benefits that can only be reaped through its respective means. Means that, while necessary, are harsh and unforgiving. William James, the author of “The Moral Equivalent of War”, speaks only of the benefits to be had and not of the horrors and sacrifices found in the turbulent times of war. James bears the title of a pacifist, but he heralds war as a necessity for society to exist. In the end of his article, James presents a “war against nature” that would, in his opinion, stand in war’s stead in bringing the proper characteristics to our people. However, my stance is that of opposition to James and his views. I believe that war, while beneficial in various ways, is unnecessary and should be avoided at all costs.
A distinct conscience is formed by the values and desires of one’s unique identity. However, common beliefs of societal standards can influence conscientious desires. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee introduces a young girl named Scout, who learns about the difference between social conformity and human conscience. Through this, she notices the conflict it brings: choosing to conform or stand with your desire. Through Maycomb’s discriminatory principles, Atticus’ actions against common beliefs, and Scout’s comprehension of Boo, Lee reveals how society’s standards and conformity hinders personal desires for righteousness.
Greek organizations are debatably the most undervalued and misconceived aspect of college campuses. Most people don’t see the benefits that fraternities and sororities bring to college campuses and their communities. Some see these organizations as large beneficial clubs and others see them as potential problems. Many of the allegations put forth by individuals that discredit the benefits and good deeds done by Greek organizations are weak justifications for their removal from college campuses. Greek organizations provide campus communities with academically responsible students, philanthropic activities and increase community involvement.
Kimbrough, Walter M. Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs, and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities. Cranbury: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2003. Print.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born on November 12, 1815 in Johnstown, New York. She was the daughter of Margaret Livingston and Daniel Cady, who was a lawyer and congressman himself. She was a daughter of ten, but experienced hardships during her childhood by losing her siblings. Four out of her five brothers died during early stages of their lives, and the fifth brother died after graduating college at Union. The passing her brother, Eleazar, profoundly affected her father’s attitude due to the fact her family was centered on the men. As she tried to console her father he said how he wished she was a boy. This small statement from her father led to her dedication to changing society’s unreasonable treatment of women. She graduated from Emma Willard’s Troy Female Seminar in 1832. While with her cousin, she met fugitive slaves that were staying in his house. Visiting her cousin Gerrit Smith, a former reformer, led her to take place in women’s rights, abolitionist, and temperance movements. This really sparked her resilient anti-slavery views.
It has been discussed that the more intellectually advanced a person is, the more likely they are to be unhappy or clinically depressed and seek solace in heavy metal or another branch of rock music (Unhappy). For a product, many highly, intelligent people, whose social development progresses much slower than that of most people, have trouble coping with the stress of life that present themselves to everyone. This inevitably induces these individuals to seek refuge in music situations where knowledge and skills support their experience. They go through the tough times alone because adults tend to believe that the intelligent group of children can deal with anything because they are intellectually superior. Adults don't understand that they need assistance. Ernest Hemingway, author and journalist, is an example of this (Unhappy). He took his own life in 1961; he knew of both intelligence and of unh...
Herman Melville’s novels, with good reason, can be called masculine. Moby-Dick may, also with good reason, be called a man’s book and that Melville’s seafaring episode suggests a patriarchal, anti-feminine approach that adheres to the nineteenth century separation of genders. Value for masculinity in the nineteenth century America may have come from certain expected roles males were expected to fit in; I argue that its value comes from examining it not alone, but in relation to and in concomitance with femininity. As Richard H. Brodhead put it, Moby-Dick is “so outrageously masculine that we scarcely allow ourselves to do justice to the full scope of masculinism” (Brodhead 9). I concur with Brodhead in that remark, and that Melville’s use of flagrant masculinity serves as a vehicle in which femininity is brought on board The Pequod; femininity is inseparable from masculinity in Melville’s works, as staunchly masculine as they seem superficially.
In his early existence, extraordinary young Pip lives in impoverished house in Kent, England with his sister, Mrs. Gargery and her husband, Joe Gargery, a blacksmith. Here he is constantly beaten into submission by his caring sister. When these beating fail to correct Pip he is then subjected to the atrocious tar water. Then one evening while masquerading as a pleasant hostess, Mrs. Gargery learns of a splendid opportunity for Pip, the privilege to travel to a wealthy mistress’s house, Mrs. Havisham’s house.
Abstract: There are many Analyst who would agree that the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, the whale is just half of what the novel is really talking about. They would also agree that Melville employs some sort of spiritual read by simply by providing scriptures and rephrasing verses from the Bible into the text. But what is it really about? What made Melville come up with this idea style of writing Moby-Dick? Other analyst who also asked themselves this questions, probably looked deeper into the novel doing tons of research figured out a possible solution. The solution that Melville was influenced by Shakespeare novel ‘Hamlet’ this has been established because of the allusions Melville makes to Hamlet are countless. Moby-Dick may be a contemporary version of Hamlet. This paper will illustrate how the characters of Moby-Dick counterparts with the characters in Hamlet, expanding the reason why the character in one works with the other.
At a time when images of the white settler conquering the "savage" frontier were prevalent in antebellum America, depictions of racial polarization and, alternately, co-existence among different ethnic groups had already begun to find expression in various artistic mediums, from painting to literature. Today more than ever, such works continue to elicit critical re-examinations where race relations, colonization, and literary representation are concerned. While many literary and cultural critics have proposed allegorical readings of political and religious natures, Herman Melville's Moby-Dick can also be read relatedly as an ethnic allegory, where particular scenes and images representing death or destruction illustrate Melville's uneasiness with how white expansionist attitudes are enacted often in tension with or at the expense of different ethnic peoples living within America's geographic borders. For these purposes, I would like specifically to examine Melville's rather unconventional portrayal of a non-white character such as Queequeg. The correlation between his anticipated and ultimate death and the calamitous demise of the Pequod , as a space which rearranges traditional structures of hierarchy and accomodates ethnic diversity, in the end, demonstrates Melville's indecisive anxiety between an imagined fantasy of an alternative social reality and the historical reality of American westward expansionism.