2. How is the burial of Claggart ironic? What feelings and ideas does this burial conjure for you, the reader?
The irony of Claggart’s burial is that he, the evil one, had a proper and formal burial at sea, while Billy, the kind and innocent one, is to be hanged for his crime. Claggart, someone who has never done anything good in his life, receives such respect in his death, while Billy receives absolutely nothing. It is as if Claggart will laugh at Billy’s misfortune in his grave and saying, “I got my way after all Billy.” This gives the reader a sense of injustice and makes the reader despise the past society as a whole for its unjust actions.
A picture of a skull laughing, this represents that even in death, Claggart laughs at Billy’s misfortune.
4. What is the significance of Billy’s last words? How does it connect to themes and symbolism in the text?
In Billy’s last words, “God bless Captain Vere!” is ironic because he is so innocent and oblivious that even if Captain Vere was basically the cause of his sentence, he still has complete respect and trust for his captain. He does not realize that Captain Vere was the man who drove the court to Billy’s sentence, and of course does not blame his captain one single bit. He is thankful for Captain Vere's hospitality during the time he was on the Bellipotent, and is forever loyal and trusting towards his captain.
A picture of a dog that is forever loyal to its owner.
Response
ReplyDeleteYour response to question 2 is good, in my opinion. Billy does in a way get "mocked" by Claggart for his recent actions, when in previous times, Claggart was mistreating Billy. Your picture portrays Claggart's laughing very well at the irony. For your second response, I do not think that the theme is thankful for the captain as much as it is more with trust to the captain and that he knows what he is doing. Other than that, I think that the response is correct. Your picture for that question shows the relations - loyalty - between Billy Budd and Captain Vere very well.
Response to question4: I think that you are completely right... his last words are extremely ironic, seeing as Captain Vere was essentially the one that sent Billy to his death. I do however, disagree about the fact that he was completely oblivious to the fact that Captain Vere was the one responsible for his death. I think that by the end of the book, he is somewhat more aware of what happens around him, and I think that he is 100 percent aware of why he is being sentenced to death. I agree with what you say about him being loyal. I believe that Vere was a role model for Billy and that Billy looked up to him with great respect, respect that lasted to his death. Overall good response, good choice of pictures too!
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