Herman Melville's Billy Budd - Innocence is More Important that Wisdom
In Billy Budd, the author, Herman Melville, presents a question that stems directly from the original sin of ouAdam and Eve: Is it better to be innocent and ignorant, but good and righteous, or is it better to be experienced and knowledgeable? Through this work, Billy Budd,Melville is telling us that we need to strike some kind of balance between these two ideas; we need to have morality and virtue; we need to be in the world, but not of the world.
To illustrate his theme, Melville uses a few characters who are all very different, the most important of which is Billy Budd. Billy is the focal point of the book and the single person whom we are meant to learn the most from. On the ship, the Rights-of-Man, Billy is a cynosure among his shipmates; a leader, not by authority, but by example. All the members of the crew look up to him and love him. He is "strength and beauty. Tales of his prowess [are] recited. Ashore he [is] the champion, afloat the spokesman; on every suitable occasion always foremost"(9).
Despite his popularity among the crew and his hardworking attitude, Billy is transferred to another British ship, the Indomitable. And while he is accepted for his looks and happy personality, "...hardly here [is] he that cynosure he had previously been among those minor ship's companies of the merchant marine"(14). It is here, on the Indomitable that Billy says good-bye to his rights. It is here, also, that Billy meets John Claggart, the master-at-arms. A man "in whom was the mania of an evil nature, not engendered by vicious training or corrupting books or licentious living but born with him and innate, in short 'a depravity according to nature'"(38).
Here then, is presented a man with a personality and character to contrast and conflict with Billy's. Sweet, innocent Billy immediately realizes that this man is someone he does not wish to cross and so after seeing Claggart whip another crew-member for neglecting his responsibilities, Billy "resolved that never through remissness would he make himself liable to such a visitation or do or omit aught that might merit even verbal reproof"(31). Billy is so good and so innocent that he tries his hardest to stay out of trouble. "What then was his surprise and concern when ultimately he found himself getting into petty trouble occasionally about such matters as the stowage of his bag.
In the first century after the death of Jesus of Nazareth, the Roman Empire was reaching the height of its power. It vied for control of the area of Mesopotamia, some of the east-most territory to ever come under their control.
“The third bullet was for the filthy flamingo, who stopped dead center in the road when the lethal bee buzzed past his ear. Billy stood there politely, giving the marksman another chance.” This clearly illustrated the child-like person Billy is. Instead of duck and cover, Billy stands there as if he were playing a board game he didn’t want to play and in protest did not move his player. He doesn’t truly grasp the distraught situation he is in and he most certainly doesn’t comprehend it. By not looking out for his own interest he becomes an infantile creature depending on the civil duties of others.
In Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor, readers are introduced to the conflict of good and evil between Billy Budd and Claggart. However, there is another conflict, which, in ways is more significant than the epic clash of good and evil. Vere’s struggle between duty and conscience is more significant because it occurs in the mind. Whereas Billy Budd was clearly the noble sacrificed hero and Claggart was the vindictive villain, duty is just as noble as conscience and conscience is just as noble as duty. Melville sets up this conflict by placing a man with the intuition and innocence of a child, in the hands of a captain amidst war. In a description of Captain Vere it can be anticipated that Vere, who values peace and common good, would be in conflict with his job, which requires him to be a militaristic authoritarian. Captain Vere learns important lessons when innocent hands bring about destruction of life. Vere was moved by his beckoning duty as captain, to convince the drumhead court to convict Billy Budd. However, the paternal emotions towards Billy Budd and his rational thinking did invoke indecision. Captain Vere realizes, when he has to act, he does not have the strength of conviction he had thought. Vere’s character is written to be a medium between Billy Budd and Claggart. Vere, like Claggart, has experience that makes him a salted sailor. However, like Billy Budd, Vere has been able to hold on to his natural intelligence. Along with his intelligence, Vere has an innocent quality to him: he believes when a crisis between duty and conscience calls, he will be able to hold fast to duty as called for on the seas during war. Captain Vere learns that in the face of conflict between duty and conscience, he does not have the strength of conviction he thought he had. Captain Vere learns that to balance conscience and duty is a very hard task even for a man as conscious of his actions as he is.
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.
Stone, Harry. "Araby" and the Writings of James Joyce. N.p.: n.p., n.d. EBSCO. Web. .
Buddhism continued its expansion into the 20th century and saw continual bursts of influence throughout the following decades. In 1993, the World’s Parliament of Religions chose to hold their ceremony in the same city, Chicago, a 100 years later (40). Since its early roots in America during the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions, one estimate placed approximately three million Buddhist in America at the close of the 20th century (40).
...lfill the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Many remember parts of the speech, but this part is seldom quoted and to me is the most telling about his life and movement. "But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred". We cannot know what direction the civil rights struggle would have taken had Dr. King not been assassinated, but I believe there would be less resentment and polarization today. I know he would have done everything possible to keep the family unit in the African-American community together because he knew the value of an intact family to the success of the children.
Before exploring Ishmael, Ahab, and Moby Dick and their Biblical counterparts, it is important to understand Melville's background. He grew up as a baptized Calvinist in the Dutch Reformed Church. His parents trained him to obey God at all times, even if God’s commands seem unjust and cruel. However, he quickly turned against his faith after his father died. During his travels, he witnessed diseases, catastrophes, and hatred throughou...
The Kreisau Circle also had underground activities inside of Germany (Roon, Ger Van, and Ludlow 111). This kind of underground activities was similar to the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad might have been inspired because of these activities. Contact with the military resistance was important for the Kreisau Circle because they were going to attempt to kill Hitler, although that was their original importance (Roon, Ger Van, and Ludlow 167).
Herman Melville’s stories of Moby Dick and Bartleby share a stark number of similarities and differences. Certain aspects of each piece seem to compliment each other, giving the reader insight to the underlying themes and images. There are three concepts that pervade the two stories making them build upon each other. In both Moby Dick and Bartleby the main characters must learn how to deal with an antagonist, decide how involved they are in their professions, and come to terms with a lack of resolution.
There are many risk factors which can lead to the development of atherosclerosis. As can be expected, one of the risks factors for atherosclerosis is related to the abnormal level of blood lipids. The role of abnormal blood lipids in the development of atherosclerosis is providing the boost required for lipid to be transported to cells, as well as the production of reactive oxygen and free radicals (p.700). Moreover, the quantity of cholesterol carried by low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) in the arterial wall is critical in the development of atherosclerosis (McCance
One reason that cause the world was plunged into World War II in 1939 was Japan invading Manchuria.Manchuria was an area rich in iron and coal. Japan had been going to other places to invade them and steal their raw materials. According to outside information, they murdered 100,000 innocent Chinese in Manchuria. The world was furious with the Japanese.Therefore the US had chose to place an oil embargo on Japan and would not sell oil to them at Hawaii or any other port until they stopped their actions. The Japanese attack on Manchuria was the first direct challenge on the League of Nations.When this happened many league members strongly protested. Japan just ignored these protests and replied by quitting the League.
This world and its beliefs provide Billy with a way to escape the mental prison of his mind where even the sound of sirens caused him great distress. From the chronology to the diminishing reaction to the important moments in his life, Billy’s life becomes completely chaotic and meaningless, but he would not prefer any other alternative because this was the only one which was mentally
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Herman Melville, in his renowned novel Moby-Dick, presents the tale of the determined and insanely stubborn Captain Ahab as he leads his crew, the men of the Pequod, in revenge against the white whale. A crew mixed in age and origin, and a young, logical narrator named Ishmael sail with Ahab. Cut off from the rest of society, Ahab attempts to make justice for his personal loss of a leg to Moby Dick on a previous voyage, and fights to overcome the injustice of the overwhelming forces that surround him. Melville uses a series of gams, social interactions or simple exchanges of information between whaling ships at sea, in order to more clearly present man’s situation as he faces an existence whose meaning he cannot fully grasp. Nine encounters with literal and symbolic meetings, which increase throughout the novel, can be found as the Pequod; a Nantucket whaler, hunts in the Pacific Ocean. In Herman Melville’s’ Moby Dick, the Pequod meets nine ships, as three are named the Jeroboam, the Samuel Enderby, and the Rachel are filled with biblical allusions and foreshadow the end of Ahab’s life while showing his increasing distance between him and humanity.