"Billy Budd"

Paper Summary:

This paper begins by outlining the plot of the novel. The author continues to offer an extensive study on the underlying themes of "Billy Budd". It examines Yoder's theory on naval justice and in conclusion, explores military ethics through Melville's text.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Conventional Reading of Budd: Why it is Wrong to Read Budd as a Fable
Yoder's theory: the centrality of impressment
Impressment: Budd must as a clash of two social ethical systems or cultures, not in literary or allegorical terms
Works Cited

From the Paper:

"However, the presence of literary parallels does not do sufficient justice "all the battles about the moral and political vision at the heart of the tale" that swirl around one question: Are we supposed to admire or condemn Captain Vere for his decision to sentence Billy Budd to death by public hanging, according to an ethical system that may be valid, but that Budd does not either understand nor agree to. In his essay "Billy Budd and Capital Punishment," like Yoder, Franklin sets forth the issue of how to contextualize Budd as a specific narrative of situation, not as a moral dilemma with allusions to Shakespeare and the Bible."

More papers on "Billy Budd":

• Analytical Essay # 121259 : "Non-Allegorical Reading of "Billy Budd"
• Book Review # 122470 : "Billy Budd" and the Bible"
• Term Paper # 120833 : "Interpretations of "Billy Budd"
• Essay # 73693 : "Idealism in "Billy Budd"

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