Billy Budd Journal Entry #1:
Brief Summary:
The story begins in 1797 with an introduction explaining the phenomena of the “Handsome Sailor”. This refers to the younger, better looking sailor to which the fellow crew members flock. In this case the sailor is Billy Budd. The narrator then explains how Billy Budd ends up on the Bellipotent, after being chosen by Ratcliffe. At the time, the loyalty of any given crew was being questioned (there had been many a mutiny), and Budd seemed like the obvious choice thanks to his disposition. His new shipmates greet him with “a surprised glance of silent reproach” (Melville 3). Soon enough he wins over the crew…all but Claggart who has set out to get rid of Billy Budd (he is envious of his status among fellow crew members and his capability to be so innocent). Interestingly enough, the two, Billy and Claggart are both of the same breeding in a way.. I guess what I mean is that neither one knows of their origins. Anyway..Claggart tempts Billy Budd by sending one of the after guards to tempt him with the idea of mutiny. Billy resists. Claggart then confronts Captain Vere, voicing his concerns about Billy Budd. They bring Billy into Vere’s cabin and Vere has Claggart confront Billy. Billy is completely flabbergasted by the allegations and hits Claggart, knocking him to the ground. This blow kills Claggart. Billy is then put to trial and convicted. He is hanged before his crew and his last words are “God bless Captain Vere!” (his final act of kindness, alluding to forgiveness) (Melville 49).
What emotional reaction did you have to the text?
I felt badly for Billy Budd. I did not want him to die. He was an innocent soul. My heart stopped when he punched John in the face.. knocking him to the gr...
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...d have been spared. The book as a whole was just very sad. I did not enjoy it as much as Ethan Frome.
What intellectual reaction did you have?
You never know when life may be cut short so it is important to love those around you and to a accept their love.. That way even in death your memory or theirs can live on in the heart.
What personal connection did you make?
I did not really make a persona connection with this story. I have had friends and family who have died, yes…But the religious focus of this book sort of took away from it in my opinion. I am not religious and do not really understand the fascination with the idea of some sort of divine being having control over the lives of humans.
What questions do you have?
Why did each of these people have to die? Can that question even be answered? Why are people always appreciated more after they are gone?
I would recommend this book to people who love realistic stories. Personally for me it is hard to find books that interest me and this one felt like if I was watching someone else's life while I read it. It has so many interesting points. When you think something might happen
feelings towards life. Also they were recognized as a good impact on life because of their stories
People should value other things, besides money and their estate. Everyone should show more love and attention to the members of their family, because nothing can be compared to the importance of the family to any person in the world. It is unfortunate that in many cases, people realize how important their family is after they lose one or more of their relatives.
I always looked at death as such a sad thing that is eventually going to occur to everyone. However, after reading this book, it made me realize death can actually be a beautiful thing. Death allows a person to go to a next life, one where they will be loved and others will be there for them. It was interesting to be able to read about stories that these hospice care workers witnessed themselves. I have experienced a few deaths within my life and I never coped with them very well. After reading this book, I honestly believe I will be able to look at the positive side of death and be able to deal with my emotions better. I can also help others surrounding me deal with a death that they are experiencing. This book was filled with information that I loved learning. For example, I never knew that a dying person can choose a time to die. The thought of this never occurred to me before. I always thought that when it was someone’s time to go, they had no choice. But, a dying person can “put off” passing on until they see a certain person or event that has great significance in their life. Nevertheless, there are still people who will wait to die until they’re all alone in the room. This book makes you think of real life situations and think what you would do in them. Taken as a whole, it was a very in depth book that changes the way you would naturally perceive
be with his or her family, that person will always care for his or her family.
Captain Vere, despite having paternal feelings towards Billy Budd, soon realizes the decision facing him. After Claggart’s last breathe, “ ‘Fated boy,’ breathed Captain Vere in tone so low as to be almost a whisper, ‘what have you done!’ ” (350). Vere’s paternal feelings can be seen when he says “Fated boy”. The fact Captain Vere whispers this implies the emotions he is feeling. He realizes the severity of Billy’s actions and reproaches him as a father would a child...
Herman Melville's Billy Budd relates an allegory of innocence versus evil by symbolizing Billy Budd, John Claggart, and Captain Vere as Jesus Christ, Lucifer, and God.
"...The fate of each character is the direct reverse of what one is led to expect from his nature" (Johnson, 185). The character of Billy Budd is portrayed as a peacemaker, a young, innocent, likable, sweet man. However, halfway through the story, he becomes a murderer. Billy Budd was first introduced to the reader as a good looking young man in good health who was honest and sincerely innocent. He does not believe that Claggart could dislike him, since he is so nice to his face. When Billy finds out about Claggart's lies, he strikes him and kills him. This is not an action that was expected by readers due to the persona he exemplified throughout the first half of the story. Bil...
Billy, who cannot understand ambiguity, who takes pleasant words at face value and then obliterates Claggart for suggesting that one could do otherwise, whose sudden blow is a violent denial of any discrepancy between his being and his doing, ends up radically illustrating the very discrepancy he denies.
“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” --Norman Cousins
#4 I know that after someone dies family members, friends, and loved ones will often
Why did they die? Why didn’t you stop it from happening? These are common questions asked following a loss. During this time of processing, two feelings are predominant; anger and guilt. The feeling of anger can be externally directed toward other people such as family members, colleagues, store clerks, bank tellers, and even pets. The anger can also be directed inwardly; this is when someone is angry with themselves. In both of these situations, the anger is misdirected. The anger being experienced is actually anger at the person that died. That is not meant to say we are angry with the person that died, rather we are angry at the loss of their physical presence in our life. We have been robbed of the opportunity to be with our loved one. Guilt is the other strong emotion that can be present when we are experiencing a loss. Many individuals get lost in guilt. These individuals believe they could have, should have, or would have been able to prevent their loved one from dying. If we step back and look at the situation, we realize we are only human. It is not our fault someone has died. We are not powerful enough to actually stop death from happening. Guilt is self-blame and it becomes a viscous circle that makes it hard to process grief. When individuals are able to rid ourselves of anger and/or guilt, it becomes possible to find
... a fatherly connection toward Billy. He had no remorse toward his decision to execute Billy because he believed that that was the only decision he could make. Where his remorse lied was in the fact that the young boy that he care so deeply for, in a fatherly way, received no justice. It was that the same boy whom he groomed to be like himself, so young, so full of innocence and youthfulness was hung, out of precedent.
This sentence has taught me that love is something really needed in life in order for a person to survive. If a person experience how it feels to be loved, it will show them that they aren’t just doing certain things for themselves,
...s that one must accept the possibility of one's own death before he can truly appreciate what he has on earth, as the sobering awareness that one day, it will all be out of reach, prompts the urge to appreciate and value what one can have only for a limited period of time, and to use every moment of that time doing something that one will not regret when the bird sings its last note.