1)The story of Billy Budd. A sailor who is falsely accused of attempting to create a mutiny aboard an English warship.The story is mostly in the form of exposition.The rising action begins when Billy spills his soup in front of Claggart, and his meeting with the after-guardsmens, leading Billy and Claggart to open conflict. The climax is when Billy accidentally kills Claggart after being falsely accused of mutiny.the falling action is when Captain Vere wants a trail for Billy,and tries to pressure the jury to vote Billy guilty and condemn him.
2)The theme of the novel is the people who are innocent are also vulnerable. Billy is not guilty of mutiny because he did not mean to kill Claggart.
3)I chose this book because my grandpa had read it when he was younger and he told me what it was about it that appealed to me. The book came to attention to me through my grandpa and i heard the word mutiny and thought the book was about like gory war. The book seemed like it was going to explain how the mutiny happened.
4) I didn't find the book realistic to me because it is pretty old.I made a connection with billy, I am usually an innocent person to I try not to be trouble.
5)The author's tone is somber his sentences are long."With no perceptible trace of the vainglorious about him, rather with the offhand unaffectedness of natural regality, he seemed to accept the spontaneous homage of his shipmates."(291) "Noting this uncomplaining acquiescence, all but cheerful, on might say, the shipmaster turned a surprised glance of silent reproach at the sailor."(293) "At all events, of these thousands of mutineers were some of the tars who not so very long afterwards- whether wholly prompted thereto by patriotism, or pugnacious instinct, or by both-helped to win a coronet for Nelson at the Nile, and the naval crowns of crowns for him at Trafalgar." (305)
6) 1. Symbol-ships: Since the story is about a sailor ships are automatically thought about. 2.Motif-animal imagery:the author often refers to the sailors as animals"Saint Bernard"(301) 3.Symbolism-Christ figure; Billy is compared to Christ in forgiveness "God bless Captain Vere." (375) 4.Allusion-Billy is also compared to Adam "
Of self-consciousness he seemed to have little or none, or about as much as we may reasonably impute to a dog of Saint Bernard's breed." (301) 5.Allusion- Adam and Billy are compared to again; "Man's of Fall" (301) 6.Simile "Though our Handsome sailor had as much of masculine beauty one can expect anywhere to see; nevertheless, like the beautiful women in one of Hawthorne's minor tales.." (302) 7. Personification " Bellipotent that ship was on her way..." (302) 8. Allusion- "To the British Empire the Nore mutiny..." (303) 9. Allusion- "Great Mutiny" (304)- book written by Christopher Hibbert. 10. Allusion-historical event "Trafalgar Nelson." (307)
Characterization:
1)Billy Budd- narrator says he is the handsome sailor ,Claggart- it says he is the master-at-arms,Billy- Claggart says billy is sweet and pleasant implying he causes no harm,Claggart- it is implied Claggart is rude because he makes a snide remark seeing Billy's spilled soup.
2)The author's diction does change, when he quotes the sailor's he uses slang and when he isn't he is using educated language.
3)The protagonist of the story,Billy Budd, is static because he stays the way he is throughout the story.
4)After reading this book I did not come away feeling like I'd met a person or character.
Enduring Memory
The one idea from this book I expect to remember for a long tome is good vs. evil. Good vs. evil is a recurring theme in books and life. We can never escape it. Just like in religion there is good gods and then there is a devil. Take the yin-yang symbol the good is in the bad and the bad is in the good. An excerpt from the novel that show this:"'Handsomely done, my lad! And Handsome is as handsome did it,too!' And with that passed on. Not noted by Billy as not coming within his view was the involuntary smile, or rather grimace, that accompanied Claggart's equivocal word."
