During the first segment of the session, I provided instruction on how to write a conclusion paragraph to a literary essay. We reviewed Joshua's draft, and I explained the difference between a summary and an analytical conclusion that comments on society, human nature or some issue suggested by the prompt . We then explored the next chapters of the novel that raise a central theme and conflict : Does one who is duty bound have to comply with an unjust or immoral law? Captain Vere insists that scruples must yield to duty. We explored the implications of this statement and I noted how Capt Vere's justifications for executing Billy Budd sound hauntingly similar to justifications offered by Nazis at the Nuremberg trials. We then explored when conscience and morality answer to a higher moral order or law than the law of Man.
Today's lesson addressed the novel's themes with a focus on the conflict between morality and adherence to certain inflexible laws of society, in the novel manifested as military discipline. As Billy Budd is unjustly accused of mutiny, we examined the author's repeated use Christ imagery ,but noted how, unlike Christ, Billy does not forgive his accuser but instead strikes him dead, almost reflexively . We explored how this scene had been foreshadowed and how Capt. Vere's fatherly attitude toward Billy dramatically alters upon Claggart's death notwithstanding that Capt.Vere recognizes that Claggart falsely accused Billy. Joshua discussed the irony inherent in the shifted perception of Billy now as a malignant character with Claggart seen as the innocent victim .We tied this shift in perception to the theme of appearance and deceit .
We are working on an essay analyzing how character informs a theme of the novel. Today ,we addressed my comments to the body of Joshua's draft emphasizing the need to elaborate and to provide specific evidence to support generalizations. I provided modeling and instruction sentence by sentence with reference to my comments and further demonstrated how to organize a characterization contrast around a theme. We first addressed the physical attributes of the protagonist and the antagonist and noting the divergence of reality and appearance drafted commentary on this theme of deceit. Next, I provided editing comments on word choice . I further discussed how to draw a broader conclusion from this theme for use in the conclusion. Joshua will finish the essay for homework based on class discussion.
We traced the thematic line of reasoning in the novel by noting how Melville equates knowledge and civilization with corruption in the form of J.Claggart and equates innocence and purity with the life of a sailor removed from the putatively civilizing forces of society. We again focused on narrative form by examining how the allegations of mutiny lodged against Billy Budd are based on hearsay,suspicion, and rumor much like the narrator's tale that comprises the novel. Last, I introduced the arising theme of conscience vs. adherence to the dictates of law and in that regard we discussed capital punishment.
Today's lesson focused on the narrator and narrative technique in the novel. Joshua's homework aptly identified the source of the personal history of the malignant ,Claggart i.e rumor and gossip. From there , I addressed the enigmatic source of the narrator's knowledge of the protagonist ,Billy Budd. We discussed that since the narrator clearly has no personal knowledge of the novel's underlying story perhaps the narrator too solely relies on rumor thus raising the question of whether literary truth can constitute real truth. We discussed how and why the novel would differ if told from the first person point of view i.e .by perhaps a more knowledgable narrator. Last, we explored the narrator's various explanations of the source of Claggart's evil nature.
Today's session addressed the relationship between characterization and theme. On the board, I created two columns ,one for Billy Budd, the other for Claggart. Joshua first identified the physical characteristics of each . In this context, I addressed the theme of the duality between physical appearance and moral rectitude. We then addressed the psychological traits of each :Billy Budd tied to innocence, Adam, and Christ and Claggart described as morally depraved. We discussed the difference between Calvinism and Melville's view of moral depravity and noted some similarity between Hawthorne/Poe and Melville . I then extrapolated themes from characterization noting how the conflict can symbolize not only a simple good vs evil but individual morality vs what Melville describes as "civilization " and its tendency to create depravity in individuals manifested in Claggart's monomaniac envy and hate of Billy Budd.
