Billy Budd Sailor Essay Example for Free

Billy Budd Sailor Essay Billy Budd, Sailor, a novel by Herman Melville, at first sight, seems like it is nothing else but the story of a sailor who is executed after being wrongly accused of mutiny. But when one examines the story deeply one finds that the story has a different meaning and that Billy Budd resembles Christ in many ways. Billy Budd as a Christ figure According to the author’s description, Billy Budd, the main protagonist, like Christ was handsome, pure and as innocent as a child in a world full of evil men. He had the same physical features of Christ. Like Christ, he had blue eyes and a symmetrical figure. The resemblance is evident in the first chapter when Captain Graveling, after the crew stopped fighting as soon as Billy joined them, says that Billy neither preached nor said anything to the crew. There was a kind of virtuousness in him that reached out to people. (Melville, 1924) The author here alludes to Christ who was also virtuous and healed all those who came into contact with him. The symbolism is more evident in the end chapters, especially in the scenes of the death of Billy Budd. For instance, Captain Vere cries, â€Å"Struck dead by an angel of God! † (Melville, 1924) after Billy strikes Claggart, and then says, â€Å"Yet the angel must hang†, (Melville, 1924) when he realizes that Billy has to die. Billy, before he dies, says, â€Å"God bless Captain Vere†. (Melville, 1924) All this reminds us of Christ. Christ like Billy in the novel forgave all those who were responsible for his death. The resemblance is all the more evident in the last chapter when Billy is executed. Here the author describes how Billy’s shipmates worship the gallows from which Billy was hung. Christ’s followers too worshipped the Cross. The setting and all the events that take place have a striking resemblance to the events that took place when Christ was executed. In conclusion it can be said that Billy Budd in the novel is not an ordinary sailor but a Christ-like figure, a symbol of Christ with characteristics of Christ. Just as Christ was a victim of an antagonistic society and had to sacrifice his life, Billy Budd too was an innocent victim of society and had to sacrifice his life. References Melville, Herman (1924), Billy Budd, Sailor, The University of Chicago Press, 1962.

Pablo Ruiz Picassos Guernica :: Visual Arts Paintings Art

Pablo Ruiz Picasso's Guernica He was born in Malaga, Spain on October the twenty-fifth 1881 to Don Jose Ruiz Blascoand Dona Maria Picasso y Lopez. In 1897 Pablo was admitted to the Royal Academy of San Fernando, following in his father's foot steps tobecome an artist. During his life he painted many famous pieces however the 'Guernica' is arguably his best and most meaningful painting. After living a full life and having three children, he finally passed away on April the eighth at his villa in Mougins. In 1917, Picasso did the set and costume design for Serge Diaghilev's ballet "Parade." This contact with the theater world, as well as a trip to Italy, brought him back to figurative painting with a new interest in characters from the Italian comedy. He alternated this interest with his investigation into cubism. During the 1920s, Picasso continued to design theatre sets and painted in Cubist, Classical and Surreal modes. In late April of 1937, after hearing news of the saturation bombing of the civilian target of Guernica, Spain by the Nazi Luftwaffe, Picasso responded with his great anti-war painting, "Guernica." On April 26th 1937, a massive air raid by the German Luftwaffe on the Basque town of Guernica in Northern Spain shocked the world. Hundreds of civilians were killed in the raid which became a major incident of the Spanish Civil War. The bombing prompted Picasso to begin painting his greatest masterpiece... Guernica. The painting became a timely and prophetic vision of the Second World War and is now recognised as an international icon for peace. Despite the enormous interest the painting generated in his lifetime, Picasso obstinately refused to explain Guernica's imagery. Guernica has been the subject of more books than any other work in modern art and it is often described as..."the most important work of art of the twentieth century", yet its meanings have to this day eluded some of the most renowned scholars. The preoccupying theme of Guernica is of course death; reinforcing this, in the centre of the painting is a hidden skull which dominates the viewer's subliminal impressions. The skull is shown sideways and has been ingeniously overlaid onto the body of the horse, which is also a death symbol. The skull's mechanical appearance seems appropriate to the modern weaponry used in the 1937 bombing. Picasso often hid one or more related symbols within a particular image as Pablo Ruiz Picasso's Guernica :: Visual Arts Paintings Art Pablo Ruiz Picasso's Guernica He was born in Malaga, Spain on October the twenty-fifth 1881 to Don Jose Ruiz Blascoand Dona Maria Picasso y Lopez. In 1897 Pablo was admitted to the Royal Academy of San Fernando, following in his father's foot steps tobecome an artist. During his life he painted many famous pieces however the 'Guernica' is arguably his best and most meaningful painting. After living a full life and having three children, he finally passed away on April the eighth at his villa in Mougins. In 1917, Picasso did the set and costume design for Serge Diaghilev's ballet "Parade." This contact with the theater world, as well as a trip to Italy, brought him back to figurative painting with a new interest in characters from the Italian comedy. He alternated this interest with his investigation into cubism. During the 1920s, Picasso continued to design theatre sets and painted in Cubist, Classical and Surreal modes. In late April of 1937, after hearing news of the saturation bombing of the civilian target of Guernica, Spain by the Nazi Luftwaffe, Picasso responded with his great anti-war painting, "Guernica." On April 26th 1937, a massive air raid by the German Luftwaffe on the Basque town of Guernica in Northern Spain shocked the world. Hundreds of civilians were killed in the raid which became a major incident of the Spanish Civil War. The bombing prompted Picasso to begin painting his greatest masterpiece... Guernica. The painting became a timely and prophetic vision of the Second World War and is now recognised as an international icon for peace. Despite the enormous interest the painting generated in his lifetime, Picasso obstinately refused to explain Guernica's imagery. Guernica has been the subject of more books than any other work in modern art and it is often described as..."the most important work of art of the twentieth century", yet its meanings have to this day eluded some of the most renowned scholars. The preoccupying theme of Guernica is of course death; reinforcing this, in the centre of the painting is a hidden skull which dominates the viewer's subliminal impressions. The skull is shown sideways and has been ingeniously overlaid onto the body of the horse, which is also a death symbol. The skull's mechanical appearance seems appropriate to the modern weaponry used in the 1937 bombing. Picasso often hid one or more related symbols within a particular image as

Nature vs. Culture in Odyssey Essay

The imagery of nature and culture connects every scene from Book 9 to Book 12 in Odyssey. On the land of Cyclopes, Odysseus’s encounter with the one-eyed uncivilized giant unveils Odysseus’s cleverness as a civilized human being; Nevertheless, Odysseus eventually fails to overcome the flaw of human characteristic, as he tells Polyphemus about his real mortal identity when he is sailing away, which ultimately brings Poseidon’s revenge to Achaeans. At one point human civilization teaches Odysseus the skill of using wooden staff and wine to fight with Polyphemus’s strength, but the nature of superpower can easily surpass human beings’ wisdom. When Circe in Book 11 turns Odysseus’s men into pigs, when the blind prophet Tiresias foretells Odysseus’s fate, and when Zeus punishes Odysseus with another storm, Odysseus and his men are powerless but accept their destiny. The conflict between nature and culture connects humans’ world with gods’ world, thus makes every story interesting to follow as uncivilized creatures possess human characteristics and civilized human beings possess â€Å"limited† superpower. For example, in book 10, when Circe turns Odysseus’s men into pig, Odysseus can only overpower Circe by following Hermes’ instruction: â€Å"Take this herb, which is one of great virtue, and keep it about you when you go to Circe’s house, it will be a talisman to you against every kind of mischief†(Book X, 54). When Odysseus â€Å"rushed at her with sword drawn†, Odysseus is in a position where he is even able to overcome the power of an immortal creature. Both Polyphemus and Circe represent the power of nature, as their world does not have any law or morality, while odysseus’s journey represents the power of culture, as the man of culture defeats powerful immortal creatures through cleverness and self-restraint.

The Roman Empire Why Societies Decline and Fall - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 579 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/08/16 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: The Fall of Rome Essay Did you like this example? Since the beginning of time, one has wondered why societies decline and fall. The Roman Empire was one of the greatest and most powerful societies that ever existed. They had power, wealth, and even a half of the world. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Roman Empire: Why Societies Decline and Fall" essay for you Create order They built one of the strongest and largest empire that world has ever seen. The Roman Empire lasted from 27 BC 476 AD, a period exceeding 500 years. The decline of the Roman Empire complex and due to many reasons, including military, political, economic and social issues. It is hard to say that any one reason alone caused the downfall of the Roman Empire because they are all intertwined with each other. Economic decline is a common reason for the fall of many societies. Rome went through as 200 year peaceful period which ended when Emperor Diocletian split the Empire into East and West in 285 CE. The capital was moved from Rome to Constantinople, in the East. This act solidified the downfall of the Western half of the empire. While the East continued to prosper, the West began to fall. Eventually the East overtook the West as its trade power grew and money flowed to Constantinople rather than Rome. This increased financial disintegration in the West. The west suffered a severe economic decline. The citizens of the west began to revolt against the empire. The military of the Roman Empire was under constant warfare. The citizens revolted by not joining the army. In the past, citizens were lining up to serve the Empire. The military had to hire soldiers which was a heavy expense. Although these men were fierce fighters they had no loyalty towards the empire and thus they had no reservations in turning against their Roman superiors. Poor strategy joint with the declining quality of the soldiery opened the empire to increasing attacks. Overtime, these attacks overwhelmed the remaining small Roman military forces. Too make things worse, the Romans were spending an excessive amount of money on the military. The citizens felt this money could have been used to improve more demolished parts of Rome. Socially, they was a decline in the interest of the citizens in public affairs. The citizens themselves had low confidence in the Empire. The decline of morals and values in Rome caused internal chaos and an increase in crime. The values, ideals, customs, and traditions of the Romans continuously declined. The basic principles, standards and judgments about what was valuable or important in one’s life declined as well.. The total disregard for human and animal life resulted in a lack of ethics. The Romans had a perverted view of what was right vs. wrong, good vs. bad, desirable vs. undesirable. Any conformity to acceptable rules or standards of human behavior were being lost. Rome had been hurting politically. A line of ineffective emperors had reigned over the empire. Leadership within the senate was ineffective because of widespread corruption and incompetence. But most importantly, the emperor had lost control of the empire. He was unable to carry out his jurisdiction. Without a strong leader the empire waned as both the army and the Senate had no leader. The Praetorian Guard, the elite soldiers, who made up the bodyguard of the emperor, power grew to such an extent that this group of soldiers decided on whether an emperor should be disposed of and who should become the new emperor. At one point, the Praetorian Guard sold at auction the throne of the world to the highest bidder.